Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Alcabes.
Max, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My teenage years were rough. Addiction led to homelessness and incarceration. I got out for the last time and got clean for good a bit over ten years ago. I didn’t even have a high school diploma. I read some books on website development and started an e-commerce company in 2009 that did really well. About six years ago, I started traveling around the world, and two years ago, I jokingly told my life-long bestie, a rapper named Aaron Cohen, that I wanted to manage him. I had no music business experience but plenty of business and life experience. The past two years have been a whirlwind – he now is able to live entirely off his art (mostly due to his talent and incredible work ethic) and it also helped me launch a second and now third business. Also MGMT, which I formed when I began managing Aaron, now directly manages five different artists, and we consult with brands, labels and independent artists. Two of our clients are based in LA, including Coast Contra (their track “Queen & Slim” was the title track for the movie) and Natia.
About four months ago, I broke ground on a new venture, Pink Cloud Studios, based on Pico in Mid-City, with two recording studios and a podcast recording studio–we just opened earlier this month.
Great, 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?
There have been tons of struggles, first with life but similarly in business. Luckily, some early success really engrained the belief that setbacks could be learning opportunities more than anything else. It sounds cliche, but it’s true.
Please tell us about Also MGMT / Pink Cloud Studios.
With Also MGMT, the primary focus of the business is client management, currently including Jarren Benton, Mark Battles, Aaron Cohen, Coast Contra and Natia. There’s definitely overlap in the skills and strategies used for them all, but just like no two people are the same, neither are any two businesses – and these are five distinct businesses. Their art comes first, but our job is to make sure the business is taken care of so that they can focus on the magic, their art.
It’s still relatively early, but I think what I’m most proud of is my personal relationships with each of them – money and success has come to a degree and I believe more will over time, but the development of the relationships is the most rewarding, and ultimately a necessary ingredient for the business to succeed.
For Pink Cloud Studios – right now, the overwhelming emotion is excitement because we’re brand new. Also, my partner, Kyle Rapps, is another life-long bestie. I had to convince him to move to LA and that was definitely the largest hurdle in getting this off the ground. And the build-out — soundproof walls are pricey.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Playing basketball with all my friends, including Aaron Cohen, my first ‘client.’
Contact Info:
- Address: 5374 W. Pico Blvd.
(studios + management office) - Website: http://pinkcloudstudios.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/alsomgmt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkcloudstudiosla
- Other: http://alsomgmt.com
Image Credit:
All mine, except for the photo of the 4 men (Coast Contra) – we do have right and permission, photographer is Sariel Elkaim
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
