Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Frank.
Hi Jesse, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I moved from the suburbs to the city of Chicago for college when I was 18 to study music business. It didn’t take long for me to realize a lot of what I was learning was from real-life experience and not from my classes. I really just threw myself out there and started managing a few local acts, none of which really broke the threshold of Chicago, but still allowed me to learn the ropes of management at the ground level and establish myself in the Chicago music scene. About a year later, I landed a job as an assistant tour manager (TM) and shifted gears to focus more on the touring space. I was assisting tours remotely from Chicago for about 6 months before I was promoted and given my first ‘on the ground’ TM opportunity with Goldlink in Mexico. After that, I was hired to TM a full US tour with a pop-duo, X Lovers, who were opening up for Chelsea Cutler. Evidently, I ended up co-managing this band after the tour and that’s when I moved out to LA. While the members of the band decided to part ways early last year, I’ve remained in management, now working with a roster of 3: one artist (Max Bennett Kelly), and two producers (Jeremy Schmett and Pat Linehan).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No. I don’t think any entrepreneur’s journey is a smooth one, but it’s the tribulations that help you learn and ultimately take you further. There are many examples I could give, but I’ll leave you with one of the most crucial ones. As a manager, you take on a lot of responsibility and put in a lot of work that often goes unnoticed and you rarely get recognition for. Learning to cope with this has been a very big struggle for me along the way, but has helped me learn to see the bigger picture and take the ego out of the work being done.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work in management – I manage artists, producers, and songwriters. There isn’t one specific thing that I do as a manager, it’s actually quite the opposite. I wear a lot of different hats. Yeah of course I’m there as their manager to help guide their career, but I also play the role of a therapist, big brother, friend, accountant, etc. Truthfully, I’m most proud of the roster I have built. Not only am I super passionate about the projects that everyone is working on, but it’s a tight-knit family, everyone supports one another. A lot of people aim to build these large-scale management firms with tons of clients and employees; I will never manage other managers (employees), I plan to always be the one managing my clients.
What do you think about luck?
The music business is heavily influenced by luck and timing. I don’t see anything that has happened to me as luck though, I see it more as fate. I’m just a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and know that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jesssefrank
