Meet Carly Birker: Talent Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carly Birker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carly, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I was always a person who loved some sort of structure in life. I was a self-starter and loved my freedom and didn’t want to work a typical 9-5 job in a cuticle. I think the combination of these traits just made me fall into creating something of my own and once I started work on the pursuit, I didn’t look back……I just went “all-in” with it. I was also never a technical or mathematical person, and I grew up knowing that I wasn’t, so that helped me narrow down what I DIDN’T want to do with my life. Disclaimer: Not that there’s anything wrong with being a mathematician 😉

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ever since I dove into this industry, I’ve been wanting to help artists. That was my first goal; to help them get seen. This is why I started interviewing musicians in 2016. Back then, I was not only interviewing musicians but also some friends in other industries. I just wanted to do a creative thing with my friends. Then, I met Jared Saia from The Spotlight Sessions, as well as becoming friends with more and more musicians. I quickly saw that there was a large gap between where they are and where big mainstream artists are, but most of them were on the same level talent-wise. So, I identified that problem, and repairing that gap has been my mission for years. It hasn’t been easy at all and to be honest, I’ve been asking myself if it’s worth it. Especially because I got my talent agent license a few short months before the shutdown, I felt like I was taking a huge risk going forward. However, then an artist sends me a rough demo of a song that they’ve been working on for three years, and says “I wanted you to be one of the first ones to hear it” and all of my doubts go away. The main lesson I’ve learned in this last five years is that helping artists with their careers is what I’m here for and what I am meant to do. I’m not just a talent agent, but I’m some sort of combo of agent, friend, manager, and annoying mother/sister.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh wow, this is a question to ask in quarantine. Okay, let’s go back a year or ahead a year. I would take them either to Venice Beach (the boardwalk too) or that beach in Pacific Palisades. We would roll the windows down and listen to Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue” and Phantom Planet’s “California”, while we drive there because duh. After a few hours of sunbathing and watching strangers do strange things on the boardwalk, I would then take them to Stout for burgers and beer for dinner because it’s not an iconic place in Hollywood/LA but it has a very special place in my heart. The Hollywood location is also just a block away from The Hotel Cafe, so we would go there for a show, OR go to the Tuning Fork for an even more intimate show. After that, I would take them to The Other Door in North Hollywood because their drinks are amazing and I cannot wait to go back there when they’re open.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I could thank the artists on my roster for days, but right now, I just want to shout out the group of freelancers that I hire for projects to make BehindtheBirk a reality. Phoebe Silva is not only a fantastic musician but she also has done all of the graphic design for the company for about two years now. She is an amazing friend and she also shares a lot of wonderful artistic perspectives on things. Go check out her music and art at @phoeborama and @phoeborama.art Thank you to my cousin, Timothy Hake, who designed my website originally and now is in the process of revamping it with me. I’m very lucky to have family like him. I would like to shoutout all of the sound engineers that I’ve worked with including Maxwell Cary who is my main sound engineer and a good friend. Check him out at @maxcarymusic. He’s an amazing bassist and singer as well. I’ve also had amazing experiences with sound techs/engineers such as Clayton Backes, Jonny Sands, Colin Martin, Rishad Rai, Michael Cortez, and Zac Imperial . They are all very professional and lovely individuals. Lastly, I need to thank my mentor Jared Saia. If it wasn’t for him, I would be doing something way more boring with my life right now. I met him at one of the shows he was hosting five years ago, and I knew that I needed to know this man. He brought me up in this industry and guided me through the whole journey. I know he’s always in my corner and vice versa. He has shaped my life and career. Go check out @thespotlightsessions.

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Image Credits
Phoebe Silva