Life & Work with Ellen Craig

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Craig.

Hi Ellen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music has always been a staple in my life. Born to parents with southern roots and raised as an Ohioan, music was a part of my life on multiple levels. My father was an avid record collector, a jazz connoisseur and most importantly spent many of his weekends and his spare time playing in his own jazz band. He would share with me moments of opening for a few jazz greats or even attending some “jam sessions” and carrying that influence and the love of jazz that he had was important to me in my own musical journey. Although I lacked having a level of admiration for jazz like he did at an early age, I found myself listening to the same songs that he once played as I grew older to appreciate “good music”. From late night sessions or while having his friends over on Saturday nights, the sounds of Coltrane, Parker, Monk, Gillespie and so many others would fill our family den. I carried my level of musicology with me everywhere and once I graduated from college, I began to marvel at the fact that one day my father would pass along to me those same records that he collected. In the interim however, I found myself building my iTunes library that included his favorite musicians as well as young up and coming jazz artists I seemed to find along the way.

My love for jazz carried me through my 20’s and once I hit my 30’s, I transferred those same sounds to my unborn child. Placing headphones on my stomach and passing along my favorite song, A Love Supreme, definitely would put any baby to sleep including the one that I was carrying. Time passed and what I didn’t realize was that what my father created in me, I did the same with my own kid. I spent more than 22 years in education, both as a teacher and a school principal and while spending almost 12 years as an administrator, I walked away from my career to spend the following ten years supporting and managing my own child’s musical journey as he found his own passion for djing and producing. From America’s Got Talent to a self-tour in Europe and even a trip to perform for the Obama’s at the White House Easter Egg Roll, managing Nico (formerly DJ Young 1) taught me a lot about the music industry and how to create a lane for him in a space where the world of dj’s and producers were already well established. I always loved being an educator and in some way, this was like teaching if you will….showing your own how to not only stay on top of the game, but also teaching other intricate parts of the industry such as contracts, split sheets, royalties, and HUSTLE, was all just as important. Once Nico turned 18, it allowed me to create my own artist management company and begin representing others who have that same passion as he did and from that Ellen D. Management (EDMdjs) was born.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
You will often hear that there is NOTHING easy about the music/entrainment industry. Keep in mind, I left a very comfortable six figure salary to “invest” in Nico’s passion. I’ve learned that many won’t share with you the struggles and the sacrifice that it takes to sustain a career, a LUCRATIVE, career in music. Like many trying to stay afloat in this industry by working odd jobs, I found myself nannying in the day and driving for Lyft at night once I depleted my 401k just to keep things going and to allow myself to be flexible and available to travel and attend events whenever they came up. You can’t be restricted to taking on gigs especially when they can lead to greater things. I will say that one of the most impactful challenges that I endured as a manager was trying to remain financially stable while raising the child that I managed. We were no strangers to Taco Tuesday nights, ordering from the dollar menu or grocery shopping at the 99 Cent Store and stretching our dollar as much as we possibly could so that we could still have some level of normalcy.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Through this ten years journey, I have taken on the role of managing other dj’s who have created a name for themselves but who also want strong representation and someone who will “go the extra mile” in supporting their craft. I take pride in rolling up my sleeves and getting things done so that they will be able to move into djing and producing on a full-time basis while creating the life that they want to live. Yes, I know that a manager’s work often goes unnoticed OR there may never be enough kickback that will create the financial revenue that is desirable. However, the goal that I have for any artist that I manage is to go beyond their talents while creating a global brand for them as what they have to offer should be shared with the world. I am a doer. I take pride in building a creating for others ESPECIALLY when they have strong passion in what they do. I am no stranger to sleepless nights or doing the footwork and walking into venues to directly speak to the music director, the manager or the owner that hosts artists and those who are looking for new and unique talent. There are hundreds of dj’s and producers who want to excel in this industry. But there are only a few who understand what it means to stay hungry and not take ANYTHING for granted and THOSE are the artists that I enjoy working with.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is seeing things through and never giving up. It’s putting in the work and understanding that a “no” leads to fine-tuning yourself and recognizing that there is a “yes” waiting for you on the other side of the door. You’re only a failure when you stop trying. But in the course of you trying and getting to the top, you have to put in the time, the work and the effort. Everyone wants the same thing that others want in this industry….you just have to show that you are deserving to get that opportunity because it most certainly will not be handed to you.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: ellendmanagement.com
• Instagram: ellen.d_mgmt
• Facebook: @ellen.dmanagement
• Twitter: ellen.d_mgmt