Alec Vidmar - Booking Agent at United Talent Agency on Work Ethic and Hustle

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud

Podcast episode number 007, is with Alec Vidmar, a booking agent at United Talent Agency in Nashville, TN. This is week three of our Nashville series, and our first booking agent. Alec has been a great friend for years, and is someone who truly inspires me with his work ethic, kindness, and giving back.

Alec Vidmar is the definition of a true hustler! He’s someone that’s patient, and always gives more to his relationships than he asks from them. From day one when he was a student at UCF he dived in head first into the music business. He started working with the UCF Concert Committee which lead to him being able to work with AEG Live as a runner and promoter rep, and also interning with Fly South Music Group, a management company based in Orlando, FL. Then he worked as a Talent Buyer for Club Firestone, which now is Venue 578 in Orlando, FL. He worked in Artist Relations with me at The Plaza Live in Orlando, FL, while also managing artist for Average Joe’s Entertainment. He learned every aspect of the business as a promoter and manager, and then became a booking agent. Being an agent lead him to move to Nashville.

As a booking agent he continued to hustle and work hard for his artist’s which landed him a job with The Agency Group which later on got bought by United Talent Agency (UTA).  UTA is one of the biggest booking agencies in the world. Alec lives by example by making the music industry not a career, but a lifestyle. And he gives so much to that career and his artist, that he recently got recognized nominated by IEBA – the International Entertainment Buyers Association for Young Professional of the Year. Alec’s work ethic is going to continue to bring him great experiences, and he’s someone that’s going to be very successful in this business. I’m very happy to share his journey up to this point with you in this interview with Alec Vidmar.

Quotes Mentioned
“Work like a dog and don’t have a backup plan.”
“Develop markets and build up crowds in multiple markets.”
“Development is finding the best opportunities for the acts that you think will make it.”
“Do everything that other people don’t want to do.” 

Links to Things Mentioned
“All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald S. Passman
The Lacs

Get in Touch with Alec
Instagram @alecvidmar

Alec’s definition of Making It
“Being happy.” 

Katherine Forbes On Marketing Your Music Online & Creating Content

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud

Episode 005 of the podcast continues our Nashville Series. In this episode our guest is Digital and Social Media Marketing expert and Author, Katherine Forbes. She moved to Nashville, TN after graduating college with no contacts or leads for a job. She did exactly what you should be doing when moving to a new city. Katherine went out to meet as many people as possible and started establishing relationships. Just days after moving to Nashville she landed an internship that lead to a job with an artist management company, DS Management, that works with Alison Krauss, Sarah Jarosz, and many more.

While in Nashville she launched her company Designing the Row. Recently she self published her first book “Market Your Music Online – A workbook for Musicians.” This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. Recently she’s also started a music business support group on Facebook for women called Music Biz Besties. She’s also a blogger, web designer, and all around marketing ninja. One of the most important tips for anyone on social media is to engage with others. And that’s actually how Katherine and I met. I found her book on an instagram post, and reached out to get a copy and to introduce it to my Artist Development class at Full Sail University.  

This interview starts off with an acoustic performance by Alaina Stacy from Maybe April, who’s a very talented singer-songwriter in Nashville. If you like what you hear, you can find more info on her band at MaybeApril.com. This was a really fun interview. I hope you all enjoy!  

Quotes Mentioned
“Be consistent, people like to be able to predict what you’re going to do next.”
“Be yourself… remember why you’re doing music in the first place.”
“Just change it up (speaking about social media posts) to give them a reason to follow you on both platforms.”
“Write your goals down.”
“If you’re doing something for fame or money, it sounds good, but it doesn’t feel good.”
“The more you give, the more you get.” 

Links to Things Mentioned
Market Your Music Online – A Workbook for Musicians 
Designing the Row 
Buffer 
SongFancy  

Get in Touch with Katherine
Instagram/Twitter: @designingtherow

Katherine’s definition of Making It
“Loving what you do every day.”

Erick Charles of Fueled By Ramen: Record Label Success in a DIY World

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud

Erick Charles is the Senior Director of Field Operations for Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner Records. He got his start in the music industry while studying marketing at the University of Florida. While living in Gainesville and playing in bands himself, he became friends with employees at Fueled By Ramen, which was only a few years old at the point. He started out helping fulfill mail-order, which turned into growing the street team.

FBR moved to Tampa for a couple years and quickly exploded with bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes, and many more. FBR entered into a partnership with Atlantic Records which would take Erick to New York City for seven years. In 2014, he moved to Nashville, TN to open up an office for the label there. Erick continues to oversee Field and Festival Marketing for FBR and also Roadrunner Records. He develops creative marketing ideas for every artist on both label that are executed onsite at festivals, concert tours, and special events throughout the entire year.  

This interview was part of a four episode series I conducted in Nashville, TN. I first met Erick during my ventures at Live Nation through his girlfriend Tara Curtis, who I hope to also get on a future episode. In this interview, Erick shares some very creative ideas on promoting your artist, things to keep in mind when first starting out, the Nashville music scene, we talk a little bit about both of our favorite past time – sampling beer from breweries around the world, and much more.

Quotes Mentioned
“We always target the fan directly.”
“I always tell people to intern.”
“The more relationships you can have, it’s always best.”
“Building your own base is so important.”
“Try to play as many shows as possible.”
“Go for what you love… Make a lot of contacts.” 

Links to Things Mentioned
Fueled by Ramen http://www.fueledbyramen.com/?frontpage=true
Roadrunner Records http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com
Metal Emoji http://www.heavymetalkeyboard.com
The Onion http://www.theonion.com
Jonah Bayer Podcast http://jonahbayer.com/tagged/going-off-track 
NOLA on Tap http://nolaontap.org/

Get in Touch with Erick
Instagram: @eacharlez 

Erick’s definition of Making It:
“Being happy with what you’re doing.”

Glenn Robinson On Building MMA Superteam - The Blackzillians

There are so many fascinating worlds in the entertainment industry. My experience is mostly in the music business. One of my goals with this podcast was to push myself and highlight other areas of the entertainment industry such as sports, film, movies, comedy, podcasts, theatre, and much more. Regardless of the difference between an MMA fighter and singer-songwriter, somehow we’re all connected. And the discipline and lessons we learn form other areas of entertainment, still apply in so many other areas of the creative journey and in life. In this weeks episode I push the boundaries with the owner of the MMA Superteam, The Blackzilians. Thanks to our intern Sara Salomon for making the introduction with Glenn. This is a different side of the entertainment business, but still so many valuable lessons and insight can be learned in this interview.

Glenn Robinson from the Blackzilians MMA Gym. Glenn started his journey as an entrepreneur in the early 2000’s as a Tool Manufacturer with a company called Iron Bridge Tools. Where he personally created the designs of all the products they sell. He even has some experience in the music industry, which we didn’t really get into, Maybe next time for a round two. He was friends with people in the world of MMA that would ask him for help and advice from time to time. When one of the guys and a group of fellow fighters wanted to leave the gym they were with, Glenn helped find them a home with no intention of getting into the business. Well, that changed. Glenn relocated these fighters to their new home the JACO Hybrid Training Center which is a beautiful facility in Boca Raton, that offers everything from classes for MMA Fighters to the average person who is interested in MMA, Crossfit, Nutritional Counseling, and much more.

The Blackzilians includes fighters such as Rashad Evans, Thigo Silva, former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez, Vitor Belfort, Anthony Rumble Johnson, and many more. Glenn is very passionate about what he does, a big family man, and really looks out for the people around him. He’s someone that has been very creative in his career in coming up with different revenue streams to grow his business. However, Glenn’s passion goes far beyond revenue and business. He’s definitely someone that puts the people in his life first, and has created a great support system for his fighters and team. I hope you enjoy this interview with Glenn Robinson from the MMA Superteam, the Blackzilians. 

Quotes Mentioned
“If you have power in social media, you have power to sell things, you have power to market yourself, you have power to accomplish a lot.”
“I think the phone is the largest drug that has ever been created.”
“You have to train hard every day.” 

Links to Things Mentioned
Blackzilians http://www.blackzilians.com
Jaco Hybrid Training Center http://www.jacohybridtrainingcenter.com
Basecamp https://basecamp.com 

Get in Touch with Glenn
Twitter: @glennauthentic
Instagram: @glennmma

Their definition of Making It
“When I was young, I thought it was all about the money. It’s about being happy with the people you care about and enjoying what you do.”

Alex Knight On Studying the Masters and the Artist Journey

When I first started at Full Sail University in December of 2015, the first course I was assigned to assist was Artist Management with Alex Knight. Interesting fact, the person that referred me to Full Sail University, Ana Reina, used to teach this course prior to Alex taking over. After I left Live Nation in the Fall of 2014, my goal was to get full time into artist management. As I mentioned in the show notes for episode 2 with Christine Cameron, I’m blown away by home much I’ve already learned at Full Sail. Alex really opened my mind to some things I actually haven’t thought about yet when it comes to artist management. He has a really great perspective on things that go into the journey of managing an artist.

Alex Knight is a singer/songwriter/guitarist with over a decade of experience in various aspects of the music industry. He began booking shows at the age of 16 in Alabama. Playing in multiple bands in the area, he later on went on to play with a band called The Arrival who was named one of the top independent acts in the U.S. by PureVolume, after which they landed booking representation from The Agency Group (now United Talent Agency) and management representation with The Artery Foundation. The Arrival toured nationally for multiple years and showcased at South By Southwest and recorded an EP with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount of ZK Productions (Cartel, Mayday Parade). Alex Knight is a course director at Full Sail University for the Artist Management Course. I sat in his class for a few months, and Alex is extremely passionate about teaching and giving back to the students. In his course shares a lot of great insight in what really goes on in the music business and what life on the road is like.

Alex’s big venture right now is acting as writer, producer, and co-star of a comedic web series called The Lost Weekend, which is based on his band’s experiences as independent musicians and features some former members of The Arrival, and for which his currently writing a pilot episode to be pitched for television. Alex is extremely supportive of all those around him, and empowers others to succeed. He’s a selfless and very kind human being, and it’s an absolute pleasure to have had the opportunity to sit down with him and present this interview to you, the Making It Nation. This one is a long one, but it’s a goodie. I hope you enjoy this interview with Alex Knight.

Quotes Mentioned
“Collaborate with people.”
“My favorite part about teaching is watching the switches flip on in someone’s head.”
“Stop talking, start doing.” 

Links to Things Mentioned
The Lost Weekend https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4H9mgCDDW8ggks8iBE74Tw
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment http://www.lowemill.net
Marc Maron Podcast http://www.wtfpod.com
Pete Holmes Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-made-it-weird-pete-holmes/id475878118?mt=2

Get in Touch with Alex
www.lostweekendshow.com
Facebook: Alex Knight & The Lost Weekend
Twitter/Instagram: @alexequalsmoney & @lostweekendshow 

Their definition of Making It
“Humbly and proudly return that which you’ve been given.” – Richard Rohr

Christine Cameron On Being Creative with Product Management

In the summer of 2016, I started my journey for my Master’s Degree in Entertainment Business at Full Sail University. My second course in the program was Product and Artist Management with instructor Christine Cameron. At first I thought, this ought to be interesting. It’s an area of the music business I spent the last ten years working in. Well mostly in concert promotions and artist management, but relevant enough. I approach every class with an open mind, and that there is always something new to learn. Not only did I learn something new, but also I was blown away. Christine was full of great knowledge and had a class full of valuable content. Her assignments were relevant and interesting, she introduced me to some new resources, and really made me look at product and fan experience from a different perspective.

After the course was over, I had to meet her. Our first meeting was almost a two hour-long conversation with so much great insight on the business, and I learned that she also had a really great story. I had to bring her on the show as my second podcast guest to share her knowledge in television, advertising, and product management.

Christine has an absolutely fantastic resume, and she’s an amazing educator about the entertainment industry. Her career is in the world of product and artist management. She has established herself in the teleshopping genre as an On-Air Personality, a Talent Trainer, a Vendor Negotiator/Product Buyer, and a Sales Manager, Christine is intimately familiar with how this part of the industry is tasked with driving revenues through successful product, vendor, program selection, and of course, sales. She has been a TV Host on Gem Shopping Network, Executive Vice President and On Air Personality for Today’s Shopping Network, she has been a Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Quality Food in the US Virgin Islands, doesn’t that sound like a beautiful place to work, she has earned her masters degree in Entertainment Business at Full Sail University where you can find me, she has been an Instructor for Marketing, Advertising and PR at The Art Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada, before coming to teach at Full Sail University in the Entertainment Business program. She has traveled the world and lived in some amazing places. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with today’s guest, Christine Cameron.

Quotes Mentioned
“Do whatever it takes to get the door open to you.”
“Be patient, but very purposeful."
“Be brave enough to keep doing it.”

Links to things Mentioned
Gumroad (Audience Growth, Content Creation) https://gumroad.com 
Midem Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/midem 

Their definition of Making It
"Earning a living from what you’re passionate about."

Greg Rollett On Taking Risks and Trying New Things

In the Summer of 2015, it’s been about six months after I left working as a Talent Buyer for Live Nation. Prior to landing at Full Sail University, I asked one of my best friends, Greg Rollett, for some advice. Greg told me that “I need to start a podcast” featuring people I’ve met along my journey in the music business. Finally a year later in August 2016, I finally made it happen with Greg as my first guest. I first met Greg in 2006 when is former band performed at my first ever concert, Rock for Hunger. From day one he inspired me with his wisdom for digital marketing, social media, branding, and pretty much all things marking. Whenever it comes to marketing and creating content, I call him the “guru.”

There was no more appropriate way to bring you the first episode of “Making It with Chris G.” than with my good friend and mentor, Greg Rollett. He’s a true serial entrepreneur and always pushes himself to the next level. Every time I talk to Greg, it feels like he’s starting a new project, creating new content, and finding new creative ways to promote products and himself. In this first interview with Greg we talk about taking risks, trying new things, his life journey, stories from his music career, and much more. Welcome to this first episode, and a show that will hopefully bring you lots of wisdom and knowledge of the entertainment business. Making It with Chris G. is a weekly podcast where we feature the stories from behind the scenes to the spotlight of the entertainment business of people who are “Making It” every day, and sharing their wisdom to help you get one step closer to making it! Enjoy this first episode!

Quotes Mentioned
"Create One piece of content; have an opinion about something."
“No one is responsible for your future, but you.”
“If you want a deal, go make a deal.”
“You have to create your own opportunities." 

Links to Things Mentioned
Ambitious.com 
Bulletproof Coffee
Tim Ferris Podcast 
Michael Masterson’s “Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat” 
Slack (team communication software)

Get in Touch with Greg
Ambitious.com
Facebook: Greg Rollett
Instagram: @gregrollett
Twitter: @gregrollett

Greg Rollett's definition of Making It
"Being able to be there for the people that mean something to you when they need it.”