How long have you worked in Management?

14 years.

Who do you manage now?

Eydís Evensen, Sóley, Sunna Margrét (all Icelandic).

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

Reykjavik, Iceland – I had moved to Iceland for a year after a decade working in the media (Q, MOJO, Kerrang!, Mixmag), looking for a new challenge. I’d been going to Iceland for years previously and was already a strong advocate of Icelandic music. A friend was playing in a band which I loved after seeing them live for the first time. I plunged headfirst into managing them, almost entirely clueless, running entirely on enthusiasm.

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

Good day: announcing the culmination of months of work to the public (eg a tour or release). Bad day: coping with the challenge of working internationally and remotely can be extremely isolating and lonely. My artists and their teams are entirely international.

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

Building the career of Icelandic pianist and composer Eydís Evensen from having no Spotify profile in 2020 to becoming the most notable rising talent internationally in her genre (neo/post-classical) within 12 months of launching. Achieved by working alongside her international team, including Sony Masterworks NYC/Berlin, plus international agents (a team I’d built from scratch), as well as working closely with the Iceland Music Export office and Icelandic government body Business Iceland (both of whom I have an exceptional relationship). Within these first 12 months Eydís had a viral KEXP Seattle session (the most streamed KEXP session of the pandemic – I personally set up the session), sold out her first ever London show (Royal Albert Hall, Elgar Room) and shared the bill with Damon Albarn for ARTE Concert Festival in Paris. Amongst many other highlights. Since then I’ve worked on her first ever European and North American Tours in 2023, accompanying her for the latter. Highlights from this include a sell-out show at her first ever Brooklyn show at the legendary National Sawdust. Album number three with Sony drops next year.

As a side-note, I’ve also been instrumental in help setting up MMF Iceland, which has the intention of building a local management community very much using MMF UK as the template. Although not directly management, I’m proud to have even help get this off the ground.

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

From my own perspective and experience, building international artist careers needs to be global (at least Europe/North America) from day one. It can be very challenging to source funding to enable an artist to make these expensive first steps given the economics of streaming and suchlike in 2024.

Why would you recommend the MMF?

Independent management can be very lonely and isolating. The MMF provides a sense of community, connecting like-minds facing similar challenges. Attending MMF events for me has been both affirming and inspiring.

What music are you currently listening to?

The new albums from Max Richter, Jon Hopkins, Kiasmos, alongside evergreen favourites such as The War On Drugs, Sturgill Simpson, Ólafur Arnalds and Mastodon.