Manager Spotlight offers a small insight into the heads of incredible managers. This week in the spotlight is Matt Dodds of Ditto Management!

How long have you worked in Management? 
Its been about 11 years since I managed my first artist. Obviously in the early days I had no clue what I was doing but those initial experiences helped me develop my contact list and taught me about grass roots management.

Who do you manage now?
I run Ditto Management where we look after Big Zuu, Nathan Dawe, Niko B, Alhan, Kid Brunswick, Nine8, I’m Just Bait, Izzi De Rosa.

Where did you find your first client and what inspired you to take them on?
I think it was Soundcloud where I found my first artist. I just remember them having a great voice and I always wanted to be in the music industry so I went for it.

What’s a good/bad day at work look like for you? 
A good day is when I’m out and about at shoots with the artists and generally meeting people. Those are the days that always go quickly and thankfully in management there’s a lot of them. The bad days are just when important things don’t plan out the way you hoped but this happens all the time and you just have to roll with it. This is an industry where the highs are ridiculously high and the lows can really get you down so it’s important to just try and always stay neutral. Don’t get carried away by the good days and just get on with it when you have a bad one.

What has been the highlight of your management career to date?
When Craig David played the pyramid stage at Glastonbury. I was part of the of management team throughout Craig’s comeback for about 7 years. The moment he played the pyramid stage was the accumulation of years of hard work and it was just a surreal experience for everyone involved. Standing on the side of that stage is something I’ll never forget.

What do you think are the big challenges for a manager in 2020?
Planning for another year without live music fully coming back. Obviously no one knows when exactly it’ll be back to normal but live is a big source of income for the majority of managers and everyone’s having to come up with different ways of making money. It’s such a difficult situation but I think the way through it for managers is to make sure your roster has the ability to diversify into different lanes.

What music are you currently listening to?
It’s a boring answer but I honestly listen to everything. I think it’s important to have a broad taste in music when your manager as it allows you to work in different genres.