The completion and submission of this blog will be the final project undertaken in my collegiate career to date.
An ending is always an odd feeling, because it marks the end of things that have been, but we always forget that when something ends, that's the perfect time to start something new.
As I look back upon my time here at Full Sail from start to finish through Show Production, Music Business, and Entertainment Business as well I realize all that I've learned and progressed through an amazing number of things. I've learned that an aux is similar to the toilet and that an insert is like an alien abduction. I've learned that given enough opportunities something that can go wrong will go wrong, and after enough times of it going wrong you will memorize a solution.
Now when I go to move forward I'm constantly looking for opportunities to learn and to advance - a good friend Scott Frank gave one of these opportunities to me - he set me up with a manager with Leopold Management.
The interview went something like this - again pardon the language, as these are just my raw notes from the interview.
How did you become an artist manager?
Worked at a label for 10 years in Canada and LA, domestic marketing, international marketing, got fired, joined Leopold management – disco, maroon five, Kenny lodgins, discovered eric and brought him into the company
Finding an artist and having a good mentor – Bill Leopold
Everythings a judgement call
Why LA over NYC, Chi, Nash, Etc?
Go where you could in the beginning – ny is for tougher and for the labels, la is more west coast
What challenges or opportunities does LA present that aren’t elsewhere?
Not that friendly, a crust to get past – 10% of wanna-be’s but not east coast good people. Entertainment business is pretty tough – LA is more movies than NY
What advice would you give someone fresh out of college?
Go work for a label to maximize contacts – have to find an opportunity and then make something of the opportunity. Get friendly with the assistant for one of the people working on your artist
Once you get in somewhere you’ve started your career
Various other notes:
Red Light – Dave mathews, fish
Frontline management – largest
See it – Learn it – Do it – Teach it
Past hoping for a hit, find a hit.
Managers make shit happen, there is no magic bullet, at the end of the day the music is the only thing.
Difference between hobby and a business – making money, If your good at it you make a great f-ing living.
Your reputation is on the line just as much as everyone elses in the band [as a manager]
Work for a label – learning the industry.
Really lucky or already have a lot of money – starting out trying to do it is a high risk
Sign managers or sign artists
Manager deals with agent, promoter, publicist, either touring or working record and radio. 80% with the record label, 20 with everyone else.
These were just my jotted notes but I felt he offered me a lot of great knowledge and it was a great use of some contacts I've developed and some information worth sharing that I gleaned from this experience.
My network of contacts has always been there for me and has helped me get my foot in the door for every job on my resume and I cannot thank them enough for the constant support as I went through school - without the support who knows where things would have ended up.
As this program winds down I finally accomplish my goals that I set out to when I first entered into Full Sail - to become a Tour Manager and work in Artist Management.
