Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Newman.
Hi Craig, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Philadelphia into a very tall family. With a doctor for a father and a teacher for a mother, I grew up in a house filled with love, lessons to be learned…and music! My folks exposed my sister and me to the wondrous beats and sounds of their generation. At a young age, I started playing piano and quickly proved myself to be a showman-in-the-making. I’ve always loved being the source of entertainment wherever I go and my parents nurtured that part of me.
When I turned 13 and had a Bar Mitzvah, I had to sing many of the prayers and readings. My rabbi and cantor heard something special in my voice and suggested I lead the music for the temple’s youth congregation. That was my entryway into becoming a song leader…I just needed to learn guitar. Summer camp was always a very special place for me and the summer between 8th and 9th grades, I had the camp music specialist teach me whatever he could. Throughout public school, I sang and played guitar for anyone who would listen. It especially came in handy at parties (girls, it seems, really dig musicians).
I went to Penn State University to study…medicine. Well, I did come from a family of doctors, was quite astute in science and math and just figured it was what was my destiny. That said, I couldn’t press “pause” on my desire to entertain. My senior year, I won an award for best performance at the annual Greek Sing competition and was invited by the university’s musical theater program to audition for their spring show. This was my first real audition and I was the only non theater major trying out. I showed up to an auditorium filled with young men and women in dancewear and Jazz shoes…and I’m wearing sweatpants and basketball sneakers! Long story short, I had a great audition, got the part and it changed my life. The show was Hair…and yes, we did the nude scene…and yes, my parents came to the show. This experience stoked the fire inside me that was burning and yearning to be in the world of entertainment.
In the summer of 1999, I tried out for MTV’s “Who Wants To Be a VJ Too” contest and made it to the semifinals.
In the fall of 1999, I came to the realization that I needed to move away from home, spread my wings and land someplace where I could be surrounded by entertainment. I called a friend and asked him if he was still thinking of moving to Los Angeles. He said to me “Dude, I’m moving there in two weeks” to which I replied “Dude, I’m coming with you.” I asked my parents if they approved, and they did. In fact, they were all for it. They knew that something bigger lay in wait for me. Many years later at my 40th birthday party while giving a speech, my mother told the crowd of family and friends, “I believe it was the first time in history that a Jewish mother told her son NOT to be a doctor.”
Los Angeles, California…wow. I’d never in my life been west of Pittsburgh! I was awe-struck by the grandeur of it all, yet I immediately felt at home. It didn’t take too long before, with my guitar slung over my back, I approached the promoter at the Westwood Brewing Company and asked him to give me a shot. He didn’t know me or what I could do…but he saw something in me and gave me a shot. Before too long, I was filling the room, playing marathon sets and making a ton of new friends. One of the bands that shared the stage at that bespoke venue was called Kara’s Flowers. They would later go on to change their name to Maroon 5…
All the while I’m gigging and making connections, I knew I needed a real paying job. I’d made a friend named Sid who told me all about the William Morris Agency and claimed he could get my resume to the top of the pile. I said, “Great! What does the William Morris Agency do?” Ahhh…so innocent…so much to learn. True to his word, Sid got me an interview and I soon started in Music Central – the concert booking agency mailroom. On my first day on the job an agent approached me and said, “Hey man, you’re tall.’ (I’m 6’7″)…”Do you play basketball?” “I sure do.” I responded. He invited me to play in a weekly game that evening and I graciously accepted. There I was, the new kid on the block at a major company with major executives…and I was getting to hobnob with them right out of the gate!
I spent one year at William Morris, then was hired on at APA in the summer of 2001. In those early years, I learned all I could. In my mind, I wasn’t there to be an agent…I wanted to learn how to look after my own career as an artist. In the fall of 2002, my boss, legendary agent Troy Blakely (may he Rest In Peace) took me aside and said, “Craig, you’re a hell of a musician, but I truly believe you’ll be a better agent. I have a position for you here, but you need to decide if you want to be the performer or represent them. You have until the end of the day.” I called my then girlfriend, now wife Monique and told her. “Craig,” she said, “you march right back into Troy’s office and take the agent job!” Great advice from a great woman, and I did just that. I’ve been at APA for 20 years and have represented some of the most talented, legendary and unique artists and shows in the world.
But I never let go of who I am at my core…a performer. From 2000 until 2018, I was the song leader and music teacher at Temple Akiba in Culver City. I taught traditional Hebrew music and prayers as well as mainstream music to students from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Being a part of the musical journey of so many young people has meant so much to me. In my last years in that position, I even got to teach my daughter Sadie.
I continue to be a part of Temple Akiba as a congregant and as a musical contributor. My wife, who is a music executive, is also a classically trained harpist (and USC grad). She and I play music for Shabbat services and at High Holidays.
When COVID hit and we were all forced to stay home, I had tremendous fear about how it would affect my daughter. Being the child of two musicians, she’s been exposed to song and performance her whole life. Before she could walk, she was blowing into a harmonica. Before she ever started public school, she’d sat behind a drum kit, strummed a guitar and even written a song. Her piano lessons began at age six. So, on Sunday March 15, 2020 my solution to keeping Sadie engaged and focused away from all the scariness was to put us both in our music room in front of a video camera, play beloved songs and stream to family and friends. We called this the “Daddy Daughter Duet” and it brought smiles to the faces of folks from coast to coast. The next week…we did it again. By April, we were asked to move our show from inside our home to the corner of the block on which we live. We obliged, brought Monique with us, and thus was born the Newman Family Singalong. To date, we have performed over 45 concerts, celebrated holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions…all through song. Our neighbors gather each Saturday, socially distanced, wearing masks, and listen to music from all eras and genres. We livestream to family and friends around the world. Folks tells us every week how much our concerts mean to them, and we tell them right back how much it all means to us.
I’ve had an interesting life; what I’ve written here is just a scratch on the glass. I’m proud of the man I am and I know that I owe my success to those around me, who have supported me and built me up. One day long from now when I’m gone, the epitaph I leave behind will be simple… “He just wanted to make everyone happy.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This road I’ve walked and often run has been equal parts bumpy and smooth. I’ve fallen in love with ideas that just couldn’t come to eventual life. I’ve tried and failed. But I’ve also created some pretty awesome stuff that has brought joy to a lot of people.
COVID has hit the live events industry especially hard. Over the last year, my associates and I have had to reschedule hundreds of concerts and engagements. Artists who depend on their touring revenue have seen their lives upended. I have had to be there for my clients as a source of strength and encouragement. In my heart, I believe we are on a path back to doing what we love most…but currently, it is a very rough road we travel.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an agent. A booking agent…a talent agent…a creative agent. I don’t like to narrow it down to one thing. I work with talented people across many genres and help them bring their creations to live (and now virtual) audiences.
I am extremely proud of the diversity within my clients as well as my ability to find unique properties and help shape them into live events.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Whatever you do, do it in such a way that would make your parents proud. It’s easy to cut corners…it’s easy to cheat…it’s easy to blame someone else or to use anger to get what you want. I don’t want easy. I want to be a mensch.
Image Credits:
Victoria Gold
