Manager Spotlight: Jordan Jay
Manager Spotlight offers a small insight into the heads of incredible managers. This week in the spotlight is Jordan Jay.
How long have you worked in Management?
I started Karma Artists management in October of 2012 with my business partner Ross Gautreau.
Who do you manage now?
We manage writer/producers: Red Triangle Productions/ Super-Hi, Tre Jean-Marie, Jimbo Barry, Will Reeves, Jim Eliot, Cutfather, PhD, Jez Ashurst, Paul O Duffy, John Fortis.
Where did you find your first client and what inspired you to take them on?
Our first clients were Red Triangle Productions, Ross & I had worked with them whilst we were working in the A&R Department at Polydor Records and built a great rapport with them. When we left Polydor and started Karma Artists the next day, naturally they were our first call!
What’s a good/bad day at work look like for you?
A good day is hearing a great song from one of our clients and if from a writer without an artists involvement knowing we will be able to place it with a big artist – an even better day is that song becoming a big international hit! – a bad day is doing our VAT Returns and having to chase companies to pay our clients their producer fees or royalties!
What has been the highlight of your management career to date?
Hard to pinpoint one in particular – but in equal measures – a former client of ours Monsieur Adi (Who we built up to be come one of the hottest remixes at the time) being asked to support Beyonce on her European Tour… Red Triangle Scoring their first top 5 hit with KSI, Yungblud and Polo G and recently Tre Jean-Marie being nominated as Producer of The Year in this years upcoming MBW Awards alongside our writers Cutfather, Peter Wallevik and Daniel Davidsen (PhD) receiving a BMI award this week for Co-writing “One Too Many” by Keith Urban and P!nk.
What do you think are the big challenges for a manager in 2021?
Covid (obviously) we had to figure out how we could keep things moving for all our clients despite all the obstacles in their ways – fortunately they have all adapted so well and we are lucky and proud of how everyones dealt with it and of course writers & producers being remunerated fairly for their work receiving the correct royalty payments – this goes without saying that progress is being made but there’s still along way to go to ensure further transparency throughout the industry.
What music are you currently listening to?
Griff – her EP shows she’s a very strong songwriter & producer – she’s the real deal and is exciting for the UK to produce another potential global artist ….Clinton Kane feels like an exciting singer songwriter and i also cant get enough of the Ckay – Love Nwantiti record!