How long have you worked in Management?

20 years.

Who do you manage now?

Ella Henderson, Nina Nesbitt, Olivia Sebastianelli, Cody Frost and Will Sass. Also partner in Apple Tree Records with Nina Nesbitt and have a joint venture with RCA with Truth Music Group. Executive director of Evamore Music Group in affiliation with The Cancer Awareness Trust. Evamore Music is the home for artists to unite against cancer. I’m also a proud MMF board member.

Where did you find your first client and what inspired you to take them on?

It was Olivia Sebastianelli. A mutual friend and Olivia’s guitar teacher sent me a demo of 13 year old Olivia who had written the songs 100%. I was blown away with her vocals and lyrics and had to meet her. I started to help her and then a year later became her manager and we haven’t looked back. She’s on her way to being one of the best top liners in the UK.

What does a good/bad day at work look like for you?

A good day is when you get some wins and enjoy the process and your clients are happy. A bad day is when anxiety and mental health kicks in for my clients. It’s debilitating and hard to witness because I care a lot and it still upsets me to see the impact of mental health, not only for artists and creators but also the people behind the scenes. It’s something that needs addressed and understood more. Also when people are unkind, seriously it’s easier to be nice and it will help you sleep :).

What has been the highlight of your management career to date?

Wow there’s been a few. Personally I think when I was nominated for Manager of The Year at The Music Week Awards ten days after giving birth after hiding my pregnancy due to being worried it would affect my career. It was the validation and confidence I needed at that time. It was for Nina Nesbitt’s campaign. Nina’s campaign also was a highlight as she was dropped and literally no one cared and we fought and worked so hard and smashed it! Very proud moment that was. Getting Olivia multiple publishing offers in the US and the UK when she had lost her confidence and watching her get multiple cuts weekly is just the best! Ella Henderson being nominated for an Ivor and us continuing to get top 10’s and platinum records. Honestly, I think I just love helping make artists’ dreams come true and generally against all the odds when doors are closing. The challenge is a bit of an obsession. Most recently though my charity work with The Cancer Awareness Trust and Evamore Music. Being part of a brilliant team raising funds for The Cancer Platform is something I’m very proud of. The Cancer Platform will transform the cancer journey for everyone globally and help save millions of lives and will launch in 2026.

What do you think are the big challenges for a manager in 2024?

Definitely the amount of work that a manager needs to do now. It’s not sustainable with the current 20% business model. Managers are needing to hire more people to keep up with the work load but the business model doesn’t make sense, meaning managers can’t afford to employ more people and therefore end up burning out with the work load. This needs addressing big time, especially if we still want artist development, as managers are the only ones left doing it.

Why would you recommend the MMF?

I think it’s brilliant for networking and discussing any issues and changes arising in the Industry. For me personally as an Independent manager I’ve found it’s good to hear other managers face the same challenges, and talking about them can help us overcome them together. There are also so many masterclasses that help with the ever changing platforms etc.

What music are you currently listening to?

Nina’s new album Mountain Music out 27th Sep. Ella’s new music coming is huge! Cody Frost’s new music is coming Sep. Will Sass. Ha ha basically all my own clients.