New Bosses 2016

New Bosses 2016

Andrej Malogajski

Grace O’Grady

With nine years of IQ’s New Bosses now under our belt, we’ve watched as many of our past winners actually became bosses - and this year’s crop already includes company leaders.

As usual, it has been a competitive process, but our ten winners represent a good spread of professionals and nationalities, proving that the future of the international business is in good hands.

Gordon Masson Editor – IQ Magazine

Helen Bousfield

Italo Rossi

Andrej Malogajski | Switzerland Booking director | Pleasure Productions Age 30 Born and raised in Bern, Switzerland, Andrej began organising hip-hop gigs at the tender age of 16. He graduated with a degree in Culture & Arts Management at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art, and since 2008 has been working as a booking agent at Pleasure Productions. Today, Andrej is responsible for all of the company’s indoor shows and is a booker for a number of festivals.

Katie Stewart

Lina Ugrinovska

What is the biggest challenge you face working in Switzerland?

It’s always a challenge to not affect the exclusivities of other shows. It’s also hard to keep the overview for international agents: Does a show in the French part of Switzerland affect the German part? Does the south of Germany affect Zürich? Does an indoor show in Bern affect a festival in the Italian region?

What’s the best thing about your job?

There are so many good people and (good) weirdos around and I’m always looking forward to meeting them. And needless to say, those moments when you are looking at a huge crowd, smiling, singing etc in front of the stage, and you know that you are one of the people that made it possible.

Matt Thorne

Oliver Ward

What are you currently working on?

We have started the booking for our three festivals: Openair Frauenfeld, Open Air Lumnezia and Heitere Open Air Zofingen. I love this stage of booking as it’s super exciting to discuss desired acts and potential line-ups.

As a New Boss, what would you like to implement to improve the live music business?

More transparency. I was able to build-up strong relationships with a few agents and other partners and it’s crazy how much time you can save if you can trust them and if you can ‘play with open cards.’

Tobe Onwuka

Tommy Bruce

New Bosses 2016

Grace O’Grady | UK | Marketing partnerships executive | Academy Music Group Age 24 Grace was a Street Team volunteer at O2 Academy Bournemouth while studying for her advertising and marketing degree at university. She then held part-time roles at the venue and assisted the marketing manager. After she graduated, Grace landed the role of promotions manager at the venue, managing the street team that she had worked for just a year before. In 2014, she transferred to O2 Academy Oxford and the following year, joined Academy Music Group.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Everyone’s thoughts and opinions are listened to, considered and always valued. The scope of the role is really varied so there is room for development, growth and opportunity, which is incredibly valuable.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned at AMG? Teamwork and collaboration, from each department within head office to each individual venue, play a vital role in building our sponsorship relationships, and we certainly couldn’t make them work without the cooperation of and communication with everyone involved. That also includes all of our part-time and casual staff, who are often the ones implementing the activations that make our partnerships so successful.

What’s your favourite venue – and dream act?

O2 Academy Bournemouth will always have a place in my heart. I wouldn’t mind hearing Oasis perform Live Forever there. A girl can dream…

Is there any advice you can give someone who would like to have a career in the venues sector?

Get involved and be prepared to work. Venue staff are grafters, dealing with new obstacles every week. However, you will make life-long friends and have amazing memories.

Helen Bousfield | UK Artist rights and touring services manager Universal Music Group Age 24 After graduating with a degree in Music and Entertainment Industry Management from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, Helen undertook various work placements and internships, including World Concert Artists, Reliable Source Music, Discovery Talent, ILMC and Universal, where she remains, a few years and several promotions later. However, she still works for Discovery Talent as stage manager/artist liaison, and is also involved with Shooting Star Management, whose clients include The Darkness and Shirley Collins.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The fact that I love going to work – not all my friends have the same luxury. I learn something new every day.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?

The Summer Sizzler I worked on a few years ago with Discovery Talent. It was four stages of unsigned artists who

IQ Magazine September 2016

played to shoppers all day in a shopping centre. It was a tight schedule with many issues; bands stuck in motorway accident traffic, volunteers who were supposed to be escorting bands to stages but were smoking weed in the toilets instead, some just not even turning up... All the usual mishaps. But in the end, it turned out amazing!

As a New Boss, what would you like to implement to improve the live music business?

I’d like to stop the closure of small venues because of noise complaints. There should be funding initiatives to pay for extra sound-proofing. Or making sure people who buy or rent a property near a venue, clearly know what they’re getting into.

You are involved in other music business stuff outside of your Universal job – how do you find the time to make both roles work?

I’ve always liked being busy and I like working under pressure.

It usually means I’m tired, but I feel like it’s starting to pay off.

Italo Rossi | Peru | Promoter | Move Concerts Age 29 Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Italo studied system engineering at university, while maintaining a Radiohead website and forum. Through constant networking and hard work he landed a position at independent promoter Move Concerts, and completed his master certificate in music business through Berklee School of Music’s online programme. Italo is also the guitarist for The Satellite, who have opened for Sonic Youth and Deafheaven, allowing him to see the business from both angles.

What advice would you give anyone who wanted to work in the music industry?

You need to start from the very bottom if you want to go far.

Team-up with like-minded people who are on the same page as you, so you can aim to grow and learn together.

Has studying system engineering given you any advantages in your current role?

It provided me with a solid foundation in statistics and simulation, so I’m able to provide the company with very accurate forecasts on sales behaviour. We’re able to tell with just a few days on-sale what we can expect from the whole process and how we can adjust marketing campaigns and overall budgets, in case of a potentially negative outcome.

What are you currently working on?

Shows with Aerosmith (plus special guest, Bush); Travis and Chris Cornell; as well as the WWE Live Lima event. We’re looking at 2017/18 and we’re very excited at some of the big names we might be bringing to Peru for the very first time.

What would you like to be doing in five years’ time?

I’d love to be developing large festivals and providing the people of this country with experiences they could previously only see by travelling abroad. I’d love to import some of the best practices in the industry and finally make Peru a nobrainer when it comes to routing a tour of South America.

21

New Bosses 2016

Katie Stewart | Australia General manager | Lunatic Entertainment/Laneway Festival Age 29 Katie began working at Lunatic Entertainment in 2007 after hearing MD Danny Rogers give a guest lecture at her university. Katie’s role at Laneway Festival has evolved from managing the local Melbourne volunteers in 2008, to general manager of the event. Katie’s strengths lie in live music and touring – having advanced many international tours for the management roster, as well as tour-managing artists on the road across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.

What advice would you give anyone who wants to work in the music industry?

Put yourself forward for as many learning opportunities as possible, including volunteer positions or internships. Also commit spare time to researching the industry and keeping up to date on recent trends and music news.

What is the biggest challenge about working in Oz? Time zones and separation! The world is a much more connected place in 2016 and keeping up with colleagues and opportunities across Europe and North America can be challenging.

What would you like to be doing in five years’ time?

Beyond Laneway, I would love to develop new projects for the business and continue to help develop our year-round touring.

If you could create your dream three-day festival, who would your headliners be?

Because it’s a dream line-up, I’d book the one artist I really regret never seeing live – David Bowie. I would round it out with a few modern favourites who are absolutely killing it at the moment – Sia, CHVRCHES, LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett & Jamie XX. As a New Boss, how would you improve the live music business?

I’m really excited by accessibility initiatives such as Attitude is Everything, in the UK. I’d love to see more done in Australia, even at smaller events and club shows – that extra level of care can make a huge difference to someone’s day.

Lina Ugrinovska | Macedonia Booking agent | Georg Leitner Productions Age 26 A pianist graduate of the Music & Ballet Center in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, Lina also studied sound engineering at the European Academy of Audio-Visual Arts.

In 2010, she began working in artist management and booking at Password Production Skopje, where she was the assistant to the CEO. In early 2016, Lina moved to Vienna where she has taken on the newly created role of agent for indie alternative and urban talent at Georg Leitner Productions.

What is the biggest challenge in your day-to-day work?

Being an agent to a great talent is not enough. Developing careers develops my career too and I’m very much focused on analysing, eliminating, consuming and staying aware of the responsibility every agent or manager has while working with artists. I enjoy the challenge with the first morning emails,

22

through the meetings, the artists, unexpected day schedule, shows, touring, and the complete career development process.

Your role at GLP is taking the agency into new genres: how do go about finding new talent?

My gut is my salvation: it chooses and I listen. The first names on the roster are: The Kooks, Andrew Bird, Elliphant, Maverick Sabre, Adam Ben Ezra, Eva & Manu, Ruth Koleva, Djaikovski, June, Psychic TV, The Orb, Shpongle (Simon Posford), Ana Ćurčin, and Joycut.

How nervous were you before moving to Austria?

I’m always looking forward to embrace what my life has prepared for me next. My choices were ready for the road to begin, long before I packed my bags.

What advice would you give anyone who wants to work in the music industry?

If it’s not a passion and a way of life, you shouldn’t be doing it.

And if it’s a passion, you don’t need any advice.

Matt Thorne | UK | Founder | Disrupt Ltd Age 29 Matt ‘Sketchy’ Thorne utilised his years of experience working in London’s top digital creative agencies to co-found creative media companies such as BiG! and GRM Daily, which has generated over 100 million engagements across its platform and content. In 2014, Matt established Disrupt – an innovative youth-focussed media group working with brands and more recently DSRPT Music, a distribution platform that first achieved commercial success signing and marketing Ghetts.

Where does the nickname ‘Sketchy’ come from?

From my artistic passion and drawing ability. Not because sketchiness is one of my behaviour traits.

How do you describe what Disrupt does, to people unfamiliar with the company?

We are a new-media company that builds and connects brands to youth culture. We specialise in youth culture and influencer marketing.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?

Launching the first ever Grime Music Awards ceremony with KA Drinks and GRM Daily.

In such a new sector, who do you turn to for advice?

We’ve been building a board of advisors experienced in building different agencies across advertising, music and social media. We believe together they offer the breadth of experience needed for a hybrid company like ours.

As a New Boss, is there anything you would like to implement to make the live music business healthier?

I believe there are some great advancements happening – I think DICE is a fantastic platform. I’d like to make live music events more accessible and think that integrated social VR experiences can really push the boundary.

What is the biggest challenge in your day-to-day role?

Managing an ever-increasing workload, which means that business duties can overtake being creative. It’s important to stay creative and it’s a challenge keeping close to the creativity with so much to build.

IQ Magazine September 2016

New Bosses 2016

Oliver Ward | UK Booking Agent | United Talent Agency Age 29 Olly trained and qualified as a lawyer and landed a job in Live Nation UK’s legal team. In 2013, he met Neil Warnock who gave him the opportunity to intern at what is now United Talent Agency, where he assisted Natasha Bent for two years.

Since the end of 2015, Olly has been building a talent roster that now includes Aurora, James Hersey, Ida Mae, Palace Winter, Beaty Heart, and All Them Witches.

How difficult a decision was it to make the move away from your legal career to become an intern at UTA? It wasn’t difficult; I hated being a lawyer. It was a risk, but life is too short not to go for the things you are passionate about. I can honestly say it’s the best decision I have ever made.

How do you discover new talent for your roster?

Meeting with trusted friends and contacts to talk about new music is the best way to find new talent at the moment – sifting through blogs and viral charts is also worthwhile, as there’s some great music out there, but not all the music which is lighting up the blog world will connect live, so you have to tread carefully. Going to early shows is still an important tool for discovery, but the current trend is for agents to be in place before many acts have even played their first show.

What are you currently working on?

Planning for 2017 touring and preparation for upcoming shows. Currently, we are implementing plans to take Aurora to new markets outside of Europe and also pitching our newer clients to leading showcase festivals.

As a New Boss, what would you do to make the business healthier?

Both Neil Warnock and Natasha Bent showed me that our business can be conducted in a positive and fair way. I believe the best results for our artists come from an inclusive approach; always treat other people, as you would like to be treated yourself

Tobe Onwuka | UK | Artist manager | Stormzy Age 25 In 2014, Tobe quit his job at a car dealership to manage longtime friend Stormzy. Despite constant pressures to adhere to conventional paths to success, Stormzy and Tobe have made up their own rules and the results have been meteoric, as the duo negotiate their own deals and consistently release top-10 records, leaving every major record label desperate to sign the grime scene’s hottest property.

What are the most relevant revenue streams for an artist like Stormzy?

Live shows and branding deals.

What is the biggest challenge in today’s music business?

It’s forever changing! If you don’t keep up with what’s happening you can quickly be out of the loop.

What advice would you give anyone who wanted to work in the music industry?

Trust your instincts, but never be afraid to ask questions when you face challenges.

IQ Magazine September 2016

Do you think you can remain independent, or will doing a deal be inevitable at some point?

Only time will tell. For now we’ll just keep on working.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I work with my best friends and we build our own dream.

What are you currently working on?

Stormzy’s album and a few other bits I can’t really talk about yet. It wouldn’t be the #Merky way if I did.

Who do you turn to for advice?

My mum. She might not have insight on the grime scene or music-chart positions, but she gives the best life/moral advice.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?

Impossible to pick out a single one! I’m given a new reason to take pride in what I do every single day.

Tommy Bruce | USA Co-founder | Full Stop Management Age 29 As student body president at the University of Arizona, Tommy brought the likes of Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Jay-Z and Katy Perry to perform on campus. In 2009, he landed a job in CAA’s New York office, where he helped sign Meghan Trainor. Tommy moved to Los Angeles in 2015 where he became an agent. Earlier this year, he and Jeffrey Azoff departed CAA to establish Full Stop Management whose early clients include Harry Styles and Meghan Trainor.

Do you think your time as an agent will benefit you and the talent you manage?

Perspective on different areas of the business is always beneficial, regardless of the industry. It provides a point of view and adds value in a way that others in my position wouldn’t otherwise have if they hadn’t previously been an agent.

As one of the young leaders of an even younger company, who do you turn to for advice?

I’m fortunate to work with my best friend, Jeffrey. He is my go-to on all things: advice, counsel, eating, and just life in general.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?

The launch of Full Stop Management. It’s been the ride of my life so far and I couldn’t be more excited to see where we go.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?

Failure, genuine failure, is the best lesson anyone can ask for.

I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes and I am grateful for those experiences early on.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to work in the music business?

Every position you take, treat it like it was what you were born to do. I guarantee leaders will take notice and it will elevate you.

What are you currently working on?

Building Full Stop Management. Meghan [Trainor] is on a sold-out North American tour, and Harry [Styles] is finishing his first film, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Gearing up for a massive 2017 for the entire company.

23