Meet Sean Grand | Producer/Artist Manager

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

Hi Sean, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?

Thanks for having me on the platform again. I really appreciate the opportunity to share my story with others. As a follow up to my Voyage & Shoutout articles in March & July, I thought this question would be great to answer because I didn’t get into why I made the career transition that did.

I pursued a creative career because I wanted to be around artistic energy. I wanted life to feel a certain way. I wanted to apply my business skills to help creatives achieve their goals. But, I didn’t know I would end up working in entertainment.

I worked in tech doing enterprise sales & marketing for almost 10 years. I was the youngest sales person the division of the company I had worked for had ever hired. I was on my way to doing six & seven figure deals. I lived in a beautiful apartment with the girl I had my eyes on for many years. Still, something was missing for me, there was an itch I couldn’t scratch and I was slowly falling out of love with my life. I was going to therapy. Using. Trying to figure it out. Something had to give.

I felt like I needed to be in a more creative space. I’ve always been creative. A designer – graphic & fashion mainly – and even a vocalist. I had gotten into fashion school before I chose to go to business school. I was slowly realizing the industry I was in wasn’t going to be it for me. My visions were overtaking the logical parts of me.

I felt like a cog in the wheel in my career. My ideas were often overlooked. Credit was given to others where my hard work should have been recognized. I was extremely frustrated and the rebellious side of me self-sabotaged at times. I didn’t like the type of ego I saw in many parts of the corporate world. More than anything, I didn’t like who I was becoming. So, after seven years & four positions, I left the firm. I didn’t see my life going anywhere other than possibly becoming a corporate executive one day in a field I feared I would care nothing about. Maybe that sounds fine. Not to me.

I decided to start an artist management company. At that time, it was called ADJACENT AGENT. I remember designing the logo on a flight home from London. Eventually, I started telling people I was leaving the company. People at work thought I was crazy. I had long since broken up with my then girlfriend despite how much I still thought about her every day. I thought it was my chance to start fresh. I was moving to LA. (Read my March 2023 Voyage LA article for more).

I didn’t know anything about artist management but I knew a decent amount about strategy consulting, so my goal was to help creatives reach their highest potential and have the opportunity myself to be involved in various creative projects that I was sure would make me more excited in my life. Thankfully, I was right, but how things manifested in my new career was nothing close to what I had imagined. It was way better.

Managing producers & recording artists is a real love that I’ve developed a passion for. The connection I have to each of my clients is a big part of what was missing for me in my past life. Music is also just one of the dopest things in the world. Artists are different. They think differently. Often times, they need the type of direction that’s second nature to me. I love combining my creative side with my business background in a way that helps others. While creating opportunities to make them money is definitely my top priority, sharing in the appreciation of great teamwork & a job well done is honestly the most rewarding.

Despite what I thought early in my career, money will never make you happy. Find your purpose in & connection to the world. When you’re aligned with that, money will be a bi-product.

What should our readers know about your business?

I’m not just a business professional versed in many areas of the music industry.

As a multi-faceted designer, I’m not only involved in most aspects of my clients’ businesses, I’m increasingly involved in more aspects of their brands & creative direction. I taught myself graphic design 20 years ago. From there, I got into branding which I view holistically across physical & digital channels when it comes to artists.

As a music marketing strategist, I build promotion plans for artists outside of my portfolio through my marketing agency @adjacent.digital which focus on building real fan bases by analyzing release schedules and combining the right digital channels based on each artist’s lifecycle.

If you want to learn about one of the most effective music marketing tools in the game, check out the link below.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This Shoutout goes out to my management portfolio. This year, my portfolio has gone from 1 incredible producer to a total of 11 producers & artists. I really believe in all of you and am mad honored to have the opportunity to represent each of you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for trusting me the way that you must in order to put your careers in my hands. It takes a team and I know that the future is real.

Website: www.adjacent.la/fan-builder

Instagram: @adjacent.la @adjacent.digital

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexandermnagy

Other: My clients’ EPKs + more press: artists.adjacent.la/seangrand

Image Credits
@leightondphoto @clappunk