Strands of Genius: Jesse Kirshbaum + Most Contagious Report 2023
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
It’s hard to imagine that a mere year ago Kid Rock hadn’t yet taken a semiautomatic rifle to America’s (then) most popular beer and everyone was chuckling at how bad generative AI was at drawing hands. Twelve months on, Bud Light’s fortunes have been dramatically reversed and AI may now be digitally sniggering at how badly you do your job. If the speed of AI’s improvement surprised you this year, it’s worth noting the advice of Nvidia founder and CEO, Jensen Huang. Giving a speech in May at National Taiwan University, he told students they were at the starting line of AI: ‘Run, don’t walk. Either you’re running for food or you’re running from being food.’
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
JESSE KIRSHBAUM, FOUNER OF NUE AGENCY & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF BEATS AND BYTES
>> Jesse Kirshbaum guest curated Strands on February 8th 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
I fell in love with music when I was in high school. Once I got to college I realized I wanted it be in the business of music. I've never looked back. For the many years I was an agent representing artists. Now I help brands make deep meaningful connections to their customers by leveraging the power of music.
What excites you most about what you do?
All day long I think about music in creative ways. I'm talking with artists, managers, founders, tech companies, entrepreneurs, brand marketers, fans, consumers, friends about music. It's really a fun, fast paced, dynamic job that I've been doing for the past 20 years. I really think I've found a career that matches my personality and energy level.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
I come from an approach of how and where can I add the most value. When I was a young agent, trying to earn a seat at the table, I started with a simple mantra... add value. Add Value. ADD VALUE. If i'm not making a something better, I should get out of the way and focus on where I can have a positive impact.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
Right now I'm really jazzed about producing an event called Walemania. I was Wale's agent for over a decade. We had a great run together. I met him off Myspace, before he was signed to Mark Ronson, Roc Nation, Maybach Music Group. He just had a mixtape and a dream. He was one of my first clients. Together we had a tremendous run playing main stages at Coachella, Bonaroo, Lollapalooza and many, many more. Wale at one point had the number 1 album on the pop charts, while touring theaters all over the world with his GoGo Band UCB. He did it his way and was on top of the game. It was a great feeling to be a part of his all star team. We always dreamed about building a festival together for him. Once I stopped being a talent agent and pivoted my career, Wale called me up about a passion project he was building alongside his friend Kaz. He asked me to come on board and help him build his brand, Walemania. It always features an epic event during Wrestlemania weekend. This year we are doing Walemania IX in Philly on April 4th. It features a who's who in Wresteling and Hip Hop. There is nothing like it in the market. We always have great sponsors and the fans love it. It's a unique, fun piece of IP that I get to do with a great group of friends. Tickets are still available for this year if you want to check it out and get involved.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
Diversity of thought is super, duper important. That's the make up of the world. In order to be a thoughtful person, you need to surround yourself with various ideas, people and culture. Now more than ever, critical thinking is extremely important. It's against human nature though. People generally want to be sold into ideas that reinforce their values. However, to really thinking about the world in its nuanced form, I love to surround myself with all sorts of feelings, ideas and perspectives. Diversity and inclusion is super important to building a sound school of thought. Anybody that see's it otherwise is shooting themself in the foot.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
I don't believe in work life balance. I think it's impossible to do with any real level of extreme success. I do believe in work life harmony where you can bring your worlds together in a form of harmony. I'm also think health should be the number 1 priority always. Having a healthy mind, body and spirit allows you to feel aligned and more capable of giving your best to your responsibilities. Without being healthy, you can't sustain and won't be able to truly thrive.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
I'm a consummate consumer with a voracious appetite. Plus it's kind of my job! For Beats + Bytes alone, I scour 1000 articles a week, read 100 and pick 10 to share with my community. Then for various clients, hobbies, interests and passions i'm constantly down a rabbit hole. I try to find 3 or so hours a week to read and about the same to watch content. I'm a newsletter fiend. Apple News has been a Godsend too. I listen to 10-15 podcasts a week. Try to read or listen to a book a month and am always juggling about 2 -3 TV programs a season. I always watch every week: Real Time With Bill Maher, SNL, CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes and read the Sunday NY Times and WSJ.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
I'm currently a professor at American University's Kogod School of Music in Washington DC teaching a class on The Streaming Revolution. I love teaching. It's a great way to connect with students, learn and have an impact on the next generation of our industry. One thing I wish I fully understood back in college was about compounding. Compounding in all of its forms. Compounding for wisdom, health, money, relationships. I now live by the motto "Life gets better with time & compounding".
Who is your favorite all time artist?
Frank Sinatra
You can keep in touch with Jesse on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
@rosieyakob hangs out on instagram
@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed