Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.

I learned as much as I could about the process of managing a band from the managers I worked with during my ten-year stint as the frontman of an indie rock group out of Arizona. We started AGD Entertainment in 2010 and launched our education and mentorship program called Zero To 60 By AGD in the spring of 2013.

What drove you to choose your career path?

New artists would ask for input or advice on how to do some of the things my band had accomplished, I wanted to provide more than just some tips over beers or coffee and so I wrote a curriculum for them to follow.

How did you go about getting your job?

Actually that’s kinda a funny story. When I was telling my brother Tim (Co-Founder & CFO of AGD) about what I wanted to do he said “I’m in as long as we’re building a company and not just creating you a job.”

What kind of education and experience did you need?

I don’t have any formal education past High School. I began pursuing music as a career when I was 17 years old and skipped out on the college experience to go on the road with my band. The group did over 500 shows on the road and recorded 4 studio records. In addition to that I’ve read anything I could get my hands on that explains the industry. That being said Tim has his MBA from ASU so we make a good team in the sense that he knows the business-business and I know the music-business haha.

What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?

I spend most of my time in coaching sessions with our artists or answering their questions online as they work on their various tasks we set them up with. Other than that I try to snag a lunch or coffee with each person I meet that shares our passion for artists.

What misconceptions do people often have about your job?

Every artist thinks they are ready for a manager long before they actually are. I like to tell artists that “a manager’s job isn’t to make you money but rather to spend your money”. It’s kind of a joke given that a good manager should be helping the artist generate revenue streams but it gets the point across.

What are your average work hours?

I’m in the office about 30 - 40 hours a week, but when you add in the shows, meetings, and travel it can easily get up to 60 hrs of work per week.

What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?

Be where you are at! The only way to move up or forward is to do the best work you can in the place you are currently in. It’s when you try to maneuver a miracle that things crash and burn. As my older brother Kris always says, “You can’t force a dance party.”

What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?

I can’t say for certain that I’m all that different, but my colleagues have told me that I’m a very straight shooter and that I don’t over promise anything. Which is a little rare for the music industry.

Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?

Be ready to work. The job we do only works when the artist is the hardest working person in the room. It’s fine to hire out the work that you might not be particularly motivated by or good at, but you should only do that to make sure you have the time to work more on where you excel.

 What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?

When an artist becomes lazy or entitled or is given unrealistic expectations by an outside source (usually someone who over promises something to make a sale). I handle it by reminding them of the expectations we discussed at the beginning and I’m very blunt when an artist develops an attitude problem.

What's the most enjoyable part of the job?

When I see the lightbulb go off in an artist’s head and they understand all the work was worth it. Also the first time an artist gets a good payday for their art, that’s always cool, because whether we like it or not our culture validates success by income. It’s not the only way to validate art but it doesn’t hurt.

What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?

That’s a very interesting question. With all the changes in the industry the artist management, development, and service based companies have had to make a lot of changes because percentage based contracts don’t always pan out the way they used to. So we employ a pay for service model for our Artist Coaches and try to make it as affordable as possible for the artist. If an artist coach has a full roster they will make a nice salary plus commission on service sales. The upside for the artist is that if they do hit big on their release with their coach that money goes right in their pocket, not cut up into a million percentage points.

How do you move up in your field?

Patience and integrity.

What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?

You can climb the ranks of an established firm through an entry level position and paying attention to your surroundings and going above and beyond. If you want to freelance manage artists or start your own company start with someone you really believe in and don’t worry about contracts or income right away. Just try and build a reputation first. But mostly you have to be able to connect to the artist where they are, so go to shows as much as possible, talk to the bands at the show and follow them online. Don’t be afraid to be a fan, we’re all in this because we love music and those who make it.