Victor Rocha shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Victor, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
While I work in the entertainment industry and my job looks like it’s predominantly networking, email, and “representing” an artist– the bulk of it is therapy. People look at management and think it’s a relationship between an artist and a professional decision-maker. Someone who is meant to fight for the best deals, help them get gigs, and find money— like a broker or a pimp. The reality is, this job is a marriage between two people. Sure, the job can be done on a much more surface level, the artist can simply text me when they have a new professional need; we can talk every few weeks when there are new updates. I just don’t believe the best artists and managers have a relationship like that. This job requires you to understand the entirety of the person you are fighting for. My clients and I are best friends, we talk every single day, we take pride in celebrating a birthday and getting out of the city together just as much as we celebrate when a deal comes through or a new single does well. One of my early mentors, Byron Wilson, once told me, “Before you get into management, understand the level of commitment that these artists deserve. When I wake up, I roll over to say “good morning” to my wife, then I roll over to my nightstand to text “good morning” to my artists, and then I get out of bed and say “good morning” to my kids. You have to understand that asking to manage someone is inviting them to become your family.” I took that to heart.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Victor M. Rocha and I’m in the unique position of being dumb enough to split my life into two vastly different corners of the entertainment industry. While I studied film and television at UCLA, came up through Sony Pictures Television, Disney+, Amazon, and currently have my own manager/lawyer team to represent my career in visual media, I also started my own management company two years ago to manage musicians. My venture, 24/5 Management, is an independent management company that specializes in everything from management to A&R to vocal production. When I find an artist special enough to convince me we deserve to be in the same family, they know we’ll get everything taken care of from the writing stage to the demos to the final visual aesthetic of an entire era. They come here because they know I will see them for who they are, understand their potential maybe even more than they understand it themselves, and always create work that is meaningful and comes from a place of loving the art more so than loving the fame. At 24/5 Management, we don’t cooperate with generative AI, we make it a point to work with girls, gays, and people of color, we check in on each other nearly every single day. This company was built on the idea that when we work, we work hard, when one of us needs time for family or for me to go off and write a new script or just to take a damn break, we can create those moments. I’m proud of what we’ve built and I’m proud of being able to work in two different parts of entertainment that help me feel fulfilled as a creative myself, as a manager, and as someone who has always believed film, TV, and music are an irreplaceable tool to enable human connection.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Cliche answer, but my parents did. Both of my parents moved here from Mexico with a couple of dollars and a dream, and they’ve managed to raise three children that all honed in on what matters to them and chose to protect that. My dad is a truck driver, my mom is a stay-at-home mom with experience in accounting, real estate, and construction (all self-taught). They didn’t come here with generational wealth, normal wealth, or an understanding of America and its core values. My dad dropped out of high school at the start of freshman year, for Christ’s sake. I can complain about my situation, about the industry changing, about how I feel like my internships at one point let me down. But is it fair? Seeing the work ethic my parents, and all of the Mexican immigrants I grew up with, have— I realized you can always sit down and complain, but it might not be fair to. The people that are going to be okay tomorrow are the people who find a way forward. Life finds a way. I’ve always thought that slogan should be more applicable to us than dinosaurs. Sometimes you just have to get your ass up off the ground and GO.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You’re not like the other boys because you’re gay. And it will take you a very, very long time for it to feel okay saying that, for it to sink in, and for you to not hate yourself for it. But the benefits of growing up unburdened by the idea of toxic masculinity, ownership of a woman, and upholding generational machismo far outweigh not feeling like you fit in with the other boys. Now that we’re older we kind of hate a lot of the other boys. They suck, and the thing you currently see as weakness is an empathy and vulnerability that others are afraid to understand. Those same things are the reason your life is so beautiful now. Trust me on that. You’re going to use that the most.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
People change. You can teach an old dog new tricks. I truly believe that. I’ve seen it. There is no doubt in my mind that people change. The only thing in question is how fast/how slow. To anyone who disagrees with me, I ask this— If people don’t change, then what’s the fucking point? If you truly believe that a person is as they are and they will never change, then you must also believe we will never make the world a better place. That is a reality I choose not to believe in. People change, our world can change for the better.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
People. Sure, they’re complicated and everyone is vastly different. But I also think people can be very simple when you boil them down to their human wants and needs. Everyone wants to feel loved, that’s the only starting point you need when trying to understand someone. Start there, be open minded to a life that isn’t yours, and you will always be able to connect to every single person on this planet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://245management.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/victormoralesrocha
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vro1998
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1UVoyard7BA5KdbK6JdTPx?si=ZH8CXdWvRo2c0aJUOw8PMg
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Ack0rq55cP56kbe802gHK?si=aKmrDv0_Qr6G2JmYz32FxA
Image Credits
Primary Photo: Unknown
Other Photos: Stranger at Beyoncé, John Dominguez, Cole McCarthy, Harrison Wong
