Today we’d like to introduce you to Alvin Addo.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Oklahoma City, OK to Ghanaian parents that moved there long before I was born. I had always been interested in creative arts – back then drawing, video games, and such, and I started producing music in my senior year of high school. Growing up I dealt with the usual career suggestions from immigrant parents of pursuing medicine, so I attended Stanford University as a Pre-Med to study Human Biology, all while continuing to get more involved with music production. That time was super pivotal – wanting to create and put out my own music led me towards so many other creative avenues like graphic design, poetry and songwriting, recording & mixing, brand identity and more. For the most part, my interest in music production was the catalyst for these things – I learned graphic design so I could create my own album artwork, writing and recording because I struggled with finding recording artists to work with, mixing so I could finish my own songs, and the list goes on.
I graduated from Stanford in 2012, and decided not to go to med school, but instead to get more involved in entertainment through the intersection of music and technology. I was able to leverage an early job in tech to start working at YouTube & Google in 2014. Through my time at YouTube I’ve had a few different roles in the recruiting, and engineering sides of the business, and currently I’m a Program Manager on the YouTube Ads team. Also throughout my time at YouTube & Google, I’ve been fortunate to be able to work on various YouTube music initiatives and internal design projects ranging from concerts with indie & major label artists, to facilitating relationships between the company and artists. One of my more recent projects is focused on discovering emerging artists and helping them to gain a following on the platform through audio ads and other avenues.
All my work here has also been balanced with my continued work in music production and design outside of the office, which has created a bit of a duality that can be tough to navigate. Over the years I’ve released sporadic singles and an EP back in 2013 called “The Black American Dream”. This was back when I was both recording and producing on songs, but over time I’ve decided to focus on the production side and working with other recording artists to create the best music possible. Most recently, I’ve moved to LA from the Bay Area and released a set of singles under the “Alvin Allure” name as part of my “Kids With Dreams” project – one being “FALLING” with LA singer Jasmine Jordan and the other being “Don’t Feel ‘Em” with a Philly MC named GrandeMarshall. I’ve also begun getting more into photography, and have been blessed to have shot for artists such as H.E.R., Tobi Lou, Cam’Ron, Vic Mensa, Saweetie and Sango. I’m working now to pull together a lot of my creative offerings into starting a small company called Entertain The Angels (https://entertaintheangels.
Has it been a smooth road?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road! I think it’s more common than not to have to struggle your way to where you want to go. My path so far has been far from linear – and even feels like there’s a duality at play between being fully a creative and being fully in the corporate, professional world. Balancing the two worlds and finding bridges between them has been a big challenge to navigate.
Aside from that, there are all of the struggles that come in to play as a creative – impostor syndrome, doubt, time management, and overthinking have been struggles that I’ve had to deal with – and still do. I think that some of these struggles stick around to some degree, but we get better at dealing with them. These struggles end up preparing us for whatever comes next and we become better creatives and people on the other side of them.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Alvin Allure (Music) and Entertain the Angels (Creative Company) story. Tell us more about the business.
Entertain the Angels is founded in the mission I mentioned earlier – elevating culture by creating, curating, and delivering quality content.
Through this venture I’m able to provide musical, general creative direction, content creation and curation work. Right now this is by focusing on music production and curation, photography and brand design needs, but over time will grow using a network of creatives I’ve met over the years to deliver quality work.
I think what I’m doing is set apart from others because I’ve been able to grow over time into a dynamic polymath with a pulse on what makes culture pop. I’m looking to break geographical boundaries through collaboration by providing cross-functional creations in the digital age. I’m really excited by helping other creatives with opportunities through partnerships and am always looking for ways to look out for people.
On the music front, I also want to elevate culture by producing quality content with artists that I admire. I want to continue to work with new and emerging artists to help create amazing music, and eventually get to work with some of my musical heroes. I’d like to be able to channel a little bit of their creative spirit along the way to make timeless music.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The future of the music business will be driven forward by the hungry, creative polymaths that understand culture and how to impact it. Those who live and breathe music and culture know best how to speak the language of musicians, connect with business professionals, and enable the creation of timeless pieces of work that will create a lasting impact. The intersection of music and technology began a paradigm shift in the music business that will continue to evolve as time continues; We need music professionals that will be able to lead the industry forward using the most cutting edge technology as a tool.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://entertaintheangels.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alvinallure/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlvinxAllure
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlvinAllure
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