Check Out Bobby Leigh’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Leigh. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Bobby Leigh is a British-American Actor, Producer, Musician and Music Manager. He began appearing in film and television in the early 2000s. As an actor, Leigh first appeared on the television show “That was Then” for Touchstone Television and also on the WB sitcom “The Mayor” starring Larry Miller.

Leigh began his career as a Sound Engineer, busking at a music storefront and playing songs on his guitar for dimes and nickels. A young touring musician arrived and inquired in the shop if they knew of any sound engineers. The shop worker pointed to a boy busking out front. To this day; he strives to give back to the young musician that gave him his first break.

He has since produced and/or toured with “Aerosmith,” “Guns-N-Roses,” “Red Hot Chili Peppers,” “Kiss,” “Lynyrd Skynyrd,” “Prince,” “Quiet Riot,” “Night Ranger,” “Joan Jett,” “The Specials,” “Social Distortion,” “The Offspring,” and “Staind”.

As a music producer and tour professional, Bobby has produced live in person concerts for over 30 years and produced televised events for Rolling Rock, Moscow Peace Music Festival, as well as MTV Europe music video awards 1999, MTV US music videos awards 2001, and MTV music video awards show 2003.

As an actor he is credited in such notable feature films as London Fields with Amber Heard and Billy Bob Thornton, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with Johnny Depp, Dracula Untold with Luke Evens and Sarah Gadon, and Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

Recently Bobby was casted in the HBO hit series “The Flight Attendant” starring Kaley Cuoco, Zosia Mament and Griffin Mathews. The Netflix show “Midnight Mass” staring Kate Siegel, Zack Gifford and Kristin Lehman.

Although it is clear that he has made his money from his acting career, his true passion is to help the young and struggling musical artists or up-and-coming actors. Giving back to the person or people that have helped him along with his journey.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At first, it was a struggle growing up with a controlling, non-creative father, a nuclear physicist. Who could not understand the creative process.

My mother was an artist and gifted me a guitar at age 10. She as well was stifled and not allowed to be creative.

In the beginning, it was a financial obstacle that seemed to hold me back. I see that daily. Most artists and actors find finances as their biggest obstacle. If only I had the money, I could break free.

I think that getting over the plethora of different obstacles and not caving into the “I just can’t do it” idea.

When I was 16, I had a choice, I found myself at the edge of a cliff. Either I play it safe and do what my father wanted me to do, the normal thing or do I jump off the cliff and have faith and belief in myself?

I can fly. I chose to jump because that’s what Mum would of said.

Believe me, it wasn’t always easy it was hard. I struggled for years but eventually, it payed off.

I believe there are many hurdles in our path. It’s important to understand and respect that is all part of the process.

A friend once gave me solid advice that I still follow to this day.

Failure is not the opposite of success, It is part of success.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Aside from being a working actor, I own an independent music and actor management company called MOkSHA Entertainment. We are based in Hollywood CA and also in London UK.

Since its founding in 2008, MOkSHA Entertainment has grown into one of the world’s premier entertainment companies.

MOkSHA mo·ksha /ˌmōkSHə/
noun
1. (in Hinduism and Jainism) release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma.
The transcendent state attained as a result of being released from the cycle of rebirth.

Our Approach:

Music, film and entertainment are an essential sustaining life force that engages and carries the human experience. Recognizing this universal need, MOkSHA Entertainment serves humanity by providing a broad range of musical, theatrical and entertainment experiences in diverse ways.

MOkSHA Entertainment & Talent Management is a boutique cutting-edge artistic development entertainment company with a friendly and knowledgable team that is dedicated to producing innovative quality entertainment that serves a greater purpose to uplift the human spirit through entertainment via music and film.

We offer our artists and actors a full range of productive and entertainment services and we help them to navigate the industry to open up new opportunities and push their careers to new heights.

We plan and strategize the artists, actors and professional’s careers and offer advice and mentorship, as well as organize publicity, promotion and making and sharing industry connections, we also provide our handpicked artists, musicians, actors, models and producers with personalized holistic and forward-positive thinking management, publishing, production, social media, promotion and career development that keep up with current and ever-evolving trends.

MOKSHA Entertainment works in every aspect of modern entertainment—with recording artists and producers, songwriters, and more. Our company is on-site and on-call for every event. Our client list includes a bouquet of the world’s most talented musical and theatrical artists.

Public Relations and Social Media:
Our public relations activities include developing and exploiting our large contact list of media professionals and sending them news about our artists and clients.

This involves developing and sending press releases to media outlets, creating activities and events our artists and clients are involved with, searching the internet for news about our artists and clients and responding when appropriate and developing plans to get our artists and clients’ media attention.

Managing social media has become an integral part of every successful campaign and requires the person at the helm of an artist’s digital marketing campaign to be well-versed not just in social media but also in all aspects of an artist’s campaign.

At Moksha Entertainment, we work directly with our artists and actors to create a custom social media / digital marketing solution for musicians and actors that can include but is not limited to:

• Creating, curating and disseminating a regular stream of multi-media promotional and personal content online (including blog posts, social media updates, videos, photos, etc.) We work to ensure content is curated with specific applications and placements in mind in order to maximize artists’ visibility and awareness.
• Growing our artists’ and clients’ email lists, boosting website traffic and the number and quality of social media followers.
• Providing more opportunities for fan interactivity with our clients’ fans and followers.
• Suggesting and implementing online advertising and overseeing the production and creative for this advertising.
• Pitching partnership opportunities with various social media platforms and online outlets at the corporate level.
• Overhauling clients’ websites (and social platforms) to more efficiently get casual visitors into their marketing funnel and to more efficiently convert existing fans visiting their sites into paying customers.

I think what sets us aside from the pack of wolves as I call them is we are more than a personal management company. I learned years ago when you take the obstacles away you open up the creative process and open yourself up to whoever you were meant to be.

Some of our musical artists tour non-stop. They play 100-250 seat gigs and totally survive on merchandise sales. At MOkSHA, it’s not fair to commission their door wages or commission the merchandise. We wave that right for the survival of the artist.

I like to this of MOkSHA Entertainment as not a personal management company with Managers telling artists and actors what to do. I like to think of us as:

Artists managing Artists.

Because that’s who we are. We put the artist and the actor first. Far above making money. Thus far it seems to work.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think that everyone needs a mentor. You’re never too good for a mentor.

I have been in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years and even I today have a mentor.

For instance, when the pandemic hit. The whole industry changed overnight.

Bars, clubs gigs and venues were all closed overnight. Touring and the old traditional style of music and actor management were gone.

I was faced with options. I was either going to get fat because no longer was dining at restaurants an option and from then on I would have to cook. Or I could become an alcoholic and drink my troubles away. Or I was going to figure out what to do with the three musicians I managed at the time.

I quickly figured out that social media was going to play a major part of the pandemic, at least for musicians. The problem or hurdle I saw with social media was I didn’t know anything about social media. At that time I had 37 followers on Instagram.

A friend introduced me to ClubHouse an audio-only format where industry professionals offered panels and advice on your phone. At that time ChlubHouse was only available on iPhones. I jumped in head first. I spent about 5-6 hours a day in social media rooms. I learned everything I could soak up about social media. I learned how important a BIO is and how to interact and engage with friends, followers and fans. I learned how to funnel my friends from Facebook to Instagram to TikTok to YouTube.

I discovered my current mentor Rick Barker. Rick was Taylor Swift’s manager. Although I have actually been managing longer than Rick but, he was doing it smarter. He had retired from artist management to work on his passion project which is helping new up-and-coming artists discover what to do. Same thing I wanted to do.

I followed his lead. I think that is the biggest, creative and most productive thing I have ever done. Is to;

STOPP TALKING, Really start listening.

I followed his lead. He asked me, how did you break 4 Non Blondes into an eleven million debut record in nine months?

Simple I said, we tapped into the gay and lesbian community and asked for help. They jumped on it. It was the early 1990s. Their first tour with Big Head Todd and the Monsters was me and the four bands in a van. (HAHA. Laughing)

We also did not conform to typical marketing trends. Big Head Todd was a one-hit college radio band. Because I had no idea what I was doing, I went there.

We, 4 Non Blondes played acoustic at every collage record shop in the afternoon and at night before we played the gig with Big Head Todd we stop by the collage radio station and play a couple of songs and then go off and do the rock show. I reworked our ed cap record displays on the fly. Records just started selling.

My mentor Rick Barker told me to take that same analogy and re-focus it towards social media.

That is what a mentor can and does.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MokshaEntertainment.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobby_leigh_official/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobbyleighOfficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGHMoc-oXqyO3YcJ7YExBA
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/user/tcq22mmq8jfv58xo7qdf88rd3
• Other: www.BobbyLeigh.com

Image Credits
Photo Credit: MARTA TOMKIW. BL, Personal photoram.