Meet Ellen Craig | CEO of Ellen D Creative Management Talent Agency

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

Hi Ellen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I aways say that understanding the entertainment industry is to actually BE in the entertainment industry. I spent a considerable amount of time managing my own child and along with some great moments, we also experienced some not so great moments to include me legally having to negotiate him out of bad contractual agreements. Unfortunately you hear a lot about this happening to many individuals in the industry no matter how big/popular the talent is. To add, every aspect of the industry is competitive across the board. There are so many amazing underground artists who go unnoticed or continue to fly under the radar to the point of where they are constantly overlooked as they don’t often bring in the revenue as the mainstreamed artists do. After my time in talent management, I created my own talent agency so that there can continue to be fair representation for those individuals who are just as hungry and want to share their passion with the world. I believe that being transparent and honest with your intensions with someone who is pursuing a career in entertainment brings longevity and most importantly creates a level of respect with others including entertainment agencies and executives. There are so many people in Hollywood who do well with “selling a dream” but lack having the resources to deliver what they claim they can do for the artist and being on that wrong side of the table moved me enough to create my own so that others experience less of those situations.

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?
Ellen D Creative Management Talent Agency (EDC Management) was established to support new, undiscovered, unique talent whom often don’t have the representation that they deserve. My agency seeks to open doors to those artist who don’t get the chance to shine because they don’t fit into the mold of how the industry wants them to. Now this doesn’t mean that I won’t ever represent talent who are similar to past acts, but I want to balance the playing field and allow for that “diamond in the rough” to be discovered. Establishing your brand that may be different from the “norm” can have challenges in itself but there is an audience for everyone and it’s important that individuals see representation of themselves in this industry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Finding a balance between doing things in LA and outside of LA is a must! LA can often be congested and overcrowded but if you find the right things to do you can have a really amazing time! Considering that all of these places would be open (post pandemic) here are some things to check out:

Want a lil bit of the Big Easy in LA? Well Sassafras is the place to be! Nestled in Hollywood, you will find the best live music and Hurricane’s that will be reminiscent of New Orleans culture.

Mama Shelter in Hollywood has probably one of the best laid back rooftop bars in the city. With it’s oversized sharable lounge sofas and the House music set on Sunday’s sponsored by UTOPIA, the MS vibe is cool, the people aren’t “stuffy” lol and the cocktail and beer list is pretty creative.

The best beach to go to is a thousand steps beach in Laguna. Not only will your find a small private escape from the busy and overcrowded beaches in LA, you will also discover that it’s one of the cleanest beaches in southern cali. It also has some pretty cool coves and tide pools as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many that have definitely cheered me on during this process. This journey wasn’t an easy one BUT it certainly is possible especially when you have the right people in your corner. I have to FIRST thank Nico Craig for showing me what it means to stay in this game and to see things through. Starting at the age of 8 and now 19, he has done the unthinkable during the span of his career. Quite frankly, he hasn’t even scratched the surface yet. His passion for music along with his talent and perseverance continues to remind me that anything can be achieved when you believe in yourself as others believe in you. Although I made many sacrifices so that he is able to share his craft with the world, it was a sacrifice that I would do all over again. My entertainment attorney, Tom, who has spent countless hours educating me on a multitude of things that I didn’t know and HAD to learn. His legal insight has allowed me to keep my head above water while establishing and running a business in the way that it should. Lastly…my village for believing in me and just being a reminder that this road I have traveled is one to be celebrated…no matter how big or how small the accomplishment.

Website: ellendmanagement.com

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Twitter: ellen.d_mgmt

Facebook: @ellen.dmanagement