Monte Entertainment

What gave you the idea to become an agent? One of my dearest friends, Bob Harper who is owner of The Ringside Pub, always told me he thought I would make a great agent. At the time my band was with an agency he was constantly having problems with. He had the foresight to see that in me and has always been a big part of my transition. Also at that t... ime I started to help one of my best friends, Walt Stacey, who had just formed a band called Big Orange Cone. I would just tell club owners hey, my buddys new band is fantastic, you should give them a try. The rest with them is history but it made me realize people actually listened to what I was saying. I started thinking maybe Bob is right? I was also instrumental in some musicians and bands getting together just by socializing within the industry. I started educating myself on what was going on, how deals were made and why. That whole musician mentality of I just want to work got replaced with why am I working? Where is the work coming from? There is a lot of grey in this business and not so much black and white. I learned a lot of what not to do from certain people. I also learned a lot of what you should do from others. Ive always been a realist; I knew there would be a shelf life for what I was doing. The fire I had as an entertainer burns hotter as an agent and I think in some way it was always there. Was it a hard transition to make and do you miss performing? As an entertainer you yearn to please the masses, its your life blood. I can see why most musicians who try to become agents fail. Dont get me wrong, some agents I know are ex musicians but they are the few of many who have tried. My transition was a little bumpy, I opened Monte Entertainment in October of 2008. At the time the industry was so bad some of my friends laughed and said, Nice time to start an agency. I just responded theres nowhere to go but up and Ive been working hard ever since. As far as performing, I feel like I left everything I had on the table. My life was an open book for a while ...Read More