By BEN SELLERS

December is an exciting time for Anthony Campbell.

It was two years ago this month that the Spotsylvania-based singer was riding atop his newfound wave of celebrity after having won NBC's "Today's Superstar" contest.

And last year around this time, Campbell assumed yet another title: professional musician. He left his 13-year career at Saturn of Fredericksburg to record full time in Nashville with a former King George County classmate-turned-studio-exec, Chris Estes.

But while that move, along with the January 2005 debut of "Release Me," almost guaranteed another groundbreaking year to follow, turning his talent into a recording career hasn't been easy for Campbell.

"People outside Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, they really don't know what we are and what we're doing," Campbell said in a phone interview.

As his two young children played in the background, it was easy to imagine some of the daily hardships the 36-year-old family man faces in marketing his CDs, booking gigs and keeping his music dreams both fresh and flexible.

Ultimately, Campbell said, he has his sights on a recording contract. But before he can get signed, he must first become established, marketable and successful enough to lure label representatives to shows.

"They don't just sign artists because they are great singers or do any one thing really well," he said. "They're looking for a fully packaged product."

It's a sort of Catch-22 for aspiring musicians in Campbell's position, and has required his making some shrewd business decisions. One of those was dropping his longtime pal Estes as manager, though Campbell has a deal to record two more records at Estes' Bestes Music studio.

"What we both came to agreement on is Chris is much better at production--that's really his niche," he said.

Campbell, who also parted ways with a second manager, Jeffrey Pierce, is now his own free agent. The soulful performer has continued honing his image while awaiting the next big break.

Campbell's latest efforts have included promoting his songs on Myspace.com, a popular networking site, and pitching his new Christmas single to local radio stations.