Manager Spotlight: Cali McKinney
The manager spotlight offers a small insight into the heads of incredible managers. This week in the spotlight is Cali McKinney!
Where are you based?
London
How long have you worked in Management?
4 Years
Who do you manage now?
Surusinghe, James Rand, CCL, studio20
Where did you find your first client and what inspired you to take them on?
Suze (Surusinghe) and I actually worked together at One House as managers before she was an artist. We literally sat next to each other and would share music with one another daily, and then one day out of the blue she sent me her own EP and I was just floored.
Alongside of course being a wonderfully talented artist, Suze is also the sweetest person and it’s been a real joy growing together.
What does a good/bad day at work look like for you?
Good day – IRL meets with my roster / IRL meets with Emily (who i co-run charm with) / roster is feeling inspired /creative meetings / receiving new demos / show days / confident in my work and can see in real time the value I’m adding
Bad day – If there’s a breakdown in communication / poor planning on my part / unproductive back to back meetings / forgetting to eat or go outside then crashing by EOTD
What has been the highlight of your management career to date?
Starting charm with Emily, who is an amazing manager and inspires me every day.
What do you think are the big challenges for a manager in 2025?
One consistent challenge is the struggle to earn a living from developing new artists who are the start of their careers. Most likely they are also not earning a living of their music career either and working multiple jobs. The level of investment in time, energy, resources etc that is applied to development acts is immeasurable, and the investment is then not always quite reflected in a 20% net commission model.
For a lot of managers (myself included) you’re required then to work multiple jobs to ensure financial security – which in itself causes its own challenges of managing workload and external pressures outside of artist management. It’s a constant battle of needing to earn a wage but also believing in a project and receiving the creative fulfilment of building a career from the ground up.
What music are you currently listening to?
All sorts really….
- James K – Friend
- Water From Your Eyes – It’s a Beautiful Place
- Tommy Barlow
Why would you recommend the MMF?
Having a community and support system of other managers