“You seem like the type of person to make someone successful,” said Karla, formally know as Skeletosphere, who at the time was looking to start her artistic career up again.
We were sitting in my favorite wine bar in Chinatown, sharing each other’s thoughts about the music industry and at the same time criticizing how the music community in Los Angeles can feel so diminishing at times. The city can be so big yet feel so small when creatives become involved in it, especially when everyone around you has higher connections and is pursuing the same exact career you are.
I told Karla that the industry is all about knowing the correct people. If you want to become the ideal rockstar of your dreams you not only need to believe in yourself, you have to make the industry believe in you too.
That night Karla asked me to become her manager and help her start up with her career. At the time I was only helping out my audio engineering friend, Ale, with project band, “Starburned“, that she was involved in at her college, while also guiding my other friend, Nick Moon, on navigating his way to stardom. Karla believed in me enough to give me the title, and I guess when it happened, everyone else believed too.
BALANCING SCHOOL and work life
As a full-time college student and manager, my schedule doesn’t feel as overwhelming as it really is. I go to school during the week, and during the weekend I drive down to LA, work my barista job and attend to my manager duties. Sounds easy, but what industry rookies like me don’t know is that manager duties consist of a 24/7 responsibility, one that many don’t have.
I began to do more than just involve myself into their projects. My initiative began with Nick’s aesthetic, creating much more of an image for himself as an artist rather than appearing as just another normal person to the public eye. He had the stage presence, the music, and the fans, but the question every manager gets is “how can I grow more from that?”.
So I connected him with different bands and promoters that can allow him to play in the LA music scene. When you get involved in an industry that relies on so many connections, the contact list provides accessibility for any kind of needs as deep as producing, mixing, and engineering a song or putting together and promoting a show.
But running three bands at the same time isn’t so easy, especially when you’re a college student.
Multitasking at its finest
Sometimes in between class times, I’ll take calls to talk about the different projects that one of the bands came up with. I’ll listen, take note, and walk to my next class. My role as a manager fulfills itself in every aspect of my life, and school just enhances it to its fullest potential.
I didn’t always know that I wanted to become a manager for rock musicians, but I did grow up in a musically inclined household that allowed me to pursue just about any career I desired. My own father’s influence in live music pushed me beyond any other 20-year old’s limits, not only making me appreciate music, but also become hungry for it.
The desire to go backstage wasn’t to just meet the artist, like any One Directioner wished upon back in the day. It was my curiosity in who ran the whole show that began to show in my own friends’ talents, wanting to know more about a song’s process or wanting to shoot their album covers.
Looking ahead at post-grad
The most asked question in college is always, “What will you do after college?”, and the answer may not be so simple for many, but for me it almost feels like a repetitive script. Working between managing bands and being a student can feel extremely stressful at times, especially during midterms and finals, but it all feels worth it when you book your artist a show at a major venue in LA or create a new connection with a music industry insider.
To be in the music industry, one must be able to believe in themselves enough for someone to believe in it too. My desire and hard work has allowed me to see this blossom into full effect, hoping that one day, I can fulfill my inner artist dream of being seen the same way they fulfill my own.