Paul Campbell is an artist manager and legend in the Miami dance music scene. He runs NÛ Management and works with the grammy-nominated duo SIDEPIECE along with other acts from various genres. Starting his career as a party promoter and eventually co-founding the massively successful Dayglow concert series, he has a long history of music business wins and offers a wealth of knowledge on how to grow, thrive and have a ton of fun in the process.
Follow Paul here:
https://www.instagram.com/iampaulcampbell
https://www.instagram.com/numgmt
And visit my site to join the mailing list, book a free coaching call or get in touch:
https://www.nikcherwink.com
Paul Campbell is an artist manager and legend in the Miami dance music scene. He runs NÛ Management and works with the grammy-nominated duo SIDEPIECE along with other acts from various genres. Starting his career as a party promoter and eventually co-founding the massively successful Dayglow concert series, he has a long history of music business wins and offers a wealth of knowledge on how to grow, thrive and have a ton of fun in the process.
Follow Paul here:
https://www.instagram.com/iampaulcampbell
https://www.instagram.com/numgmt
And visit my site to join the mailing list, book a free coaching call or get in touch:
https://www.nikcherwink.com
when you get to work with somebody, man, that you just unlock that beast in them. Where you know, like, you might have had a shy artist, but now you see them on that stage and they're just letting loose. I'm just like, yes! Because, honestly, kind of Becomes the way that they approach everything in life. It's not just that moment and you're just watching really good people become great. and I love that. And it's such a, fulfilling part about the whole thing, you know?
Nik:What's up, everybody. Welcome to the Headliner Mindset podcast. Today's guest is an artist manager who works with the Grammy nominated duo Sidepiece and other dance music acts with his company New Management. He is also one of the founders of Dayglo. A music festival that toured to 120 colleges a year with up to 15, 000 people in attendance. He has been a pivotal player in growing the dance music industry here in the United States and is a staple in the Miami music scene. This is Paul Campbell.
Nik (Detached audio):What's up, brother? Thank you so much for being on the show today, dude. It's really good to connect with you and have you here.
Paul Campbell:Likewise, man. Uh, excited to chat.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah, it's cool how this conversation ended up happening because, and I love how the universe works. I love how synchronicity is just always working. It's a little magic out there, but I had asked one of my buddies, uh, who He thought I should have on the podcast. I was like, Hey, who would you recommend? Like from the industry that I just like would really bring a good conversation to the table and you were the first person he mentioned. And then I did an interview with Corrine Burrows a couple of weeks ago. Everybody go check out that episode. And your name was brought up in that because you guys work together. And then not only that, like, I was thinking in my head, I was like, all right, I got to hit this Paul dude up because everyone, he, his name keeps popping up. Everyone's suggesting him. I got to hit this dude up. I shit you not literally the next day. One of my clients just introduces us on a DM and it was like, yo, this is my boy, Paul. You guys got to connect. You got to get them on the podcast. So the universe is working its magic. You were meant to be here and I'm, I'm fucking pumped to dive in with you.
Paul Campbell:I love that. Yeah. Yeah. I love the way the universe conspires, you know, I'm a big fan of all that.
Nik (Detached audio):Totally. Totally. So. I'm very curious about what it is that you do because you, it seems like you've got your hands in a lot of different projects. You've got new management, you're managing artists, but I see you're also involved with a lot of properties, uh, you know, based in Miami. Can you tell us a little bit just about what it is that you're doing? Cause I know you got a lot on your plate.
Paul Campbell:Yeah, I think, um, what I, what I do now and what like got me to what I do is kind of like two parts, you know? So, um, just been down in the music business forever, like, uh, professionally since I was 23, when we did our, we started our first LLC. And I was just like, just music and, uh, on the event side, on the promoter side and everything like that. And, um, growth and all that, that happened during those times led, you know, to some opportunities, you know, obviously when you have financial success, you know, it's smart to diversify. So got, got involved in, you know, yeah, properties, real estate, um, you know, venues, uh, club space being one of them. Then, uh, some bars and stuff like that. Another, another venue in Orlando. Celine. So, yeah, I mean, I try to stick with entertainment, hospitality and stuff like that, because that's my life. That's what I love. You know, um, real estate is kind of like the, the, the. You know, the safe route or whatever like that. But I like to be involved in, in, in music and things around that. I just immerse myself in that because it's fun, man. And, you know, as the older we get, you know, uh, I just think it's the smartest thing, just surround yourself with like, fun. I'm just big on that. So um, you know, the music business is, that's my home, that's, that's my passion, that's my love. I've been in it forever and I'll probably die in, in the music business. That'd be, that'd be like the greatest gift, you know?
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah. Yeah. Uh, so when you got into the music game at 23, what were you doing? Were you, you were promoting, managing acts? Take me to the beginning.
Paul Campbell:Yeah, yeah. So like the beginning, beginning, I'm 16, right? That's the beginning. That's
Nik (Detached audio):All right. Let's start. Let's go back there
Paul Campbell:yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):Tell me, what went down at 16.
Paul Campbell:Um, I, you know, I'm in school. I think that brings me around 10th grade. Yeah, 10th grade. And, um, you know, I'm in school. I hate everything about school. I'm just like, I don't connect with anything. No topic. There's no history, no, no language, no arts, nothing. I'm just like, I hate this and just going through the process. I'm just like, I hate this. And I'm at 16 and I heard about this party and, you know, there was a, there was a, an event happening where this company in Miami was doing an all age party at club space. And, uh, that was when I was 16. it was called dream team. And, uh, the guy who, who, who started it, he passed away. His name was Chino. He's a So props to him, RIP. he did his first party. at Club Space rented out and it was all ages and there was different promoters throughout Miami and Broward. I was in Broward, uh, that we just like sold tickets, right? We sold tickets, we promoted it, we got people on campus and to come out and I got like, 200 people come out and it was just like, well, who's this kid? You know, I was like more than every promoter and everything. And, you know, that, that time, man, that was peak rave days. And I was, that was, that was the golden era. That's when it all started. That was the Miami boom. That was everything, you know, it's radio stations playing like, like dance music, uh, like all the time, like even like the big radio stations and everything like that.
Nik (Detached audio):When it was all like just new and exciting and just totally starting to pop
Paul Campbell:Yeah, Yeah. it was, it was, it was that era and, and I went and I was just, I had the craziest time ever. And I was like, man, this is it. This is all I ever want to do. this is my home, you know? So I found something that like, I was really excited about. So between then and like 23 did just did like little cool things, little parties, little, you know, just little random things. And then when I was 23, I was in Tallahassee. I went up there to live with one of my homies up there. And, some of my friends from South Florida moved to Tallahassee now and we kind of like did parties and we were part of that whole scene together and everything like that. And we all worked at different restaurants. Right. And, um, you know, and, and at Florida state and Tallahassee, like, you know, if you worked at a restaurant, you're kind of like cool. And a lot of girls are like pretty and the dudes kind of had a little extra tip money, you know, kind of situation. Um, So there was like five of us and we all worked at like one lurked at Olive Garden, one worked at like Roadhouse. I worked at, uh, Outback and we just, uh, invited all the, all like the cool girls that worked there and like some of the cool homies that we met. So, um, and everybody threw down like a hundred bucks and we did this. Everybody wore all white girls were free and we got a party bus and went to a club and took it over and everybody was talking about it. Like literally everybody in the club was like, just like looking at us. And we're like, man, that was pretty cool. So we did another one. And that was like maybe a couple months later. And this one was like, it was a lemon and lime theme, like yellow and green and all this stuff. And like, now there's like 60 people and like everybody in the club's like, yo, what's these guys doing, man? Frat kids were like, yo, who are these guys? And, um, and whatever. We did a party. It was crazy. And the last one we did, it was on our birthdays. On the 24th, the yesterday would have been 17 years. And, we did like 120 people and everybody were all black, black suits. Uh, we got like a hundred bottles of like sky's the limit. We had like sky Vodka. We did all this different type of stuff. And we took over like the entire VIP to a club, like every table. And every, like literally you couldn't help but look at us now and like everybody in the club's like looking at us, they're like, who the hell are these guys and what are they doing? Why they have all these like, you know, cool, cool girls, cool dudes and everything like that. So we were doing that and the club owner at the end of the night, he comes to us and he goes like, or the next day when we're cleaning up, he was like, You guys should like do something. This guy, Simon. Simon's the man. I love that dude, man. He's crazy. He's a crazy Turkish guy from Tallahassee, but he's just the man. He gave us an opportunity, you know, and we're like, nah, he's like, he's like, take a night. I was like, what night are you going to give us? He's like Tuesday. We're like Tuesday. We're not going to do anything on a Tuesday. He's like, take it or leave it. And we're like, shit. All right. And then we, me and my homies, we talked and we're like, Let's do it. And we, we, we had like two months to like organize it. And the venue holds like 200 people and like 900 people came out and we were just like, you couldn't even move. Like when you open the door, like all the, like the breath and all that stuff just like poured out and it was just like, yo, what is going on? That was like the moment where like, Hey, there's something pretty serious here. And that was kind of the, that was kind of the start where we're, where we're like actually created a company now. And, and now we were like, Hey, let's go do some stuff. So the story kind of goes crazy from there.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah. Yeah. And what was, it sounds like what was really driving you, and you've already mentioned this as well, but there was just a sense of fun.
Paul Campbell:Yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):Like it was, you know, it wasn't really yet a business, but it was like, that's what I'm curious about. Like, what was, what was really driving you at that time? Just like the sense of adventure and the fun and
Paul Campbell:Yeah, 1000 percent like, you know, life is difficult already, man. So just have fun you know. if you get, if you can have fun, be somewhat responsible and do everything like that. Have fun. You know what I'm saying? That's what, that's what you work hard for. All your relationships, your friendships, your everything. You should try to have as much fun as possible. And, um, besides the fun aspect, like I love. It's like my biggest passion ever. I love it. I love every genre. I love all of it. I've, uh, and, and anything that we could do, that was a big part about it. We were the Miami guys. So, like, at this point, you know what I'm saying? Like, the style of clothes college kids wears are different. The music that they would listen to it was like hip hop and like rock and country like there there wasn't this is 17 years ago You know what I'm saying there was not dance music at all And we were like now we're from Miami like we had this guy playing the timbales At the other thing you're bringing like full Miami swag And, um, and we made sure to bring that energy. And this is right. Like, you know, records like world hold on. It's like that, that's the era. There was like the beginning of ghetto, you know, really taking it in, in, in, in, uh, North America. So we were just like, we want to put on for the scene. Cause that's our scene.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah. You were at such the epicenter of it all. Man, Miami was a special place that was really one of the, one of the cities that was ahead of the curve of electronic music for sure. It had a strong culture there, um, and a good landing spot when it really popped over from Europe. So, you know, I, that was probably around that time. I, uh. I was working at Capitol Records just as like an assistant, but we had, we signed David Guetta and we signed Swedish house mafia. And so I got to see, cause our parent company, it was EMI. They were based in London. So they were also a step ahead. They're like, yo. This is the shit that's coming up. Like this is going to be what what's popping. And so I got to kind of see that whole process of like the wave coming over and, and taking over. And it was like, yeah, Miami music week. I remember seeing my first video of Miami music week and just, all those guys just playing out there. It's like, what the fuck is happening? You know, something's happening. And it was funny cause even, even, uh, I was listening, I was getting into electronic music. I was listening to it at my desk every day. This is in LA. And everybody I got the nickname in my office, they called me fist bump I was just
Paul Campbell:You're a real one. You're a real one.
Nik (Detached audio):I was like, but it was funny. Cause like, everybody was looking at me. Like, I was weird. Like, Oh, look at this little raver kid listening to techno. And then a year later it was like, boom, shit just fucking blew up.
Paul Campbell:I love that. I love that. We were first man. We were first. Yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):Um, so when did you start managing artists?
Paul Campbell:Man, to get to the part, like, there would be, there's a lot to like, go over. Cause like, that was 20, 2015 when I started to get, that was when we started the management company. And, um, between, you know, throwing a party at 23 to that, we created a brand called Dayglo Life Color. So,
Nik (Detached audio):shit. I know that. I didn't know that was
Paul Campbell:Yeah, yeah, so that. was that yeah, it was huge! and we toured That across the world, you know So me and my same buddies that we did on that with it was me Lucas Davis Sebastian and Patrick and a couple other homies that were part of it a mere PD Timmy there was a bunch of us that did it we took that from colleges and then we built that. So that's actually a cool story. I want to jump into that a little bit. Cause I think it's, it's cool because like the one thing that you have now is like, why I'm so diversified is because my journey in dance music has been very diverse. I, I've, I've, I started off as just a diehard fan, full on raver. Raver, raver, right? Doing all the bad raver things, right? Then,
Nik (Detached audio):That's where I started,
Paul Campbell:Yeah. then, you know, come that doing the house parties, doing that little, little, like, um, underground parties, illegal parties and stuff. And then doing the college thing in the college side. And then we're kind of at this part where we're kind of taking it serious now. And it's like, Hey, there's something there. And while we're doing these parties, there was this frat out here called a And they did a party called Dayglow. And in that party, you know, everybody wore white, and everybody threw paint, and all that stuff, and we were like, man, we could we could do this. And we were such fans of the scene that we used to look at this company called ID& T. Which was, um, from Amsterdam and they do sensation white and tomorrow land and everything like that. So like, we knew about like brands and stuff like that, that the world didn't really know about yet. So we were like, man, these guys were doing 50, 000 people in Amsterdam with like, you know, TSTO, this guy named Johan Gellin, trans DJ. All these guys would play the show. 50, 000 people wearing all white. And we're like, imagine if we brought those two worlds together. And, my partner at the time, Sebastian. He was like, he was the one who was really like, yo, we need to do this. And, um, there was another guy in Jacksonville called Eric Fuller, who were partners in a lot of projects and he's awesome. And one day you should talk with him. He's, he's an amazing guy. He has a company blank canvas. Uh, he was doing it. Right before us in Jacksonville. So we were like, all right, let's go back home to Miami and do it.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah,
Paul Campbell:we did it in Miami and it was insane. and everybody was like, this is insane. And we were just like, hold on. I think we can kind of like do something with this. So we took it from, Miami. We did an Orlando, we did it in Tampa. We partnered up with Eric in Jacksonville. We did Gainesville. And now over the course of some time, we're doing this paint party all over. And
Nik (Detached audio):I want to and I want to speak into that real quick because I think there's a really important lesson in this is that you guys were doing something different. You weren't just throwing another rave another party, but it was dress up in white and get ready. paint splattered all over you, right? It was something different. I think that's a really important lesson too, you know, especially for all the artists out there. It's like, all right, are you just making the same shit that everybody's making? Are you doing the same brand and the same content that everybody's making? Because then good fucking luck. But when you can come to the scene, the industry, I mean, this is just. Really business one on one bring something new to the marketplace. And that's what people, it was exciting because I remember those parts. I never went to one, but I remember seeing it. I was like, yo, these motherfuckers are getting blasted with paint right now. That looks super fun.
Paul Campbell:it was, it was, it was definitely a moment, you know, and what ended up happening is after we took over the state in 20, in 2010, we did our first out of state day glow And we did it with, uh, promoters that are PSG, the Adam and Zach, really dope dudes. We did one in Columbus, Ohio, and we did one in San Diego on the same day. And, um, that was our first out of state ones. And from that point on, man, we just started ripping. And now you got to understand, right. And I think it's important. And, and it's funny, like in the dance music world, like we're never like really credited on this or anything like that. But like, sometimes like we know what happened and we got it to our own horn. Every single college, like South Florida was Florida in general. South Florida colleges were always had a little bit of Miami in it because so many kids from Miami go out. But like, we're talking about like Indiana, we're talking about like Kentucky, we're talking about like places like this, Mississippi, like the scene does not exist. Zero percent. There's zero percent, but we're doing a tour in 60 college markets. And in the beginning we had to play hip hop and open format until, until 12 before we could kind of give them the dance music where our boy David would come in and rip the dance music side. And we gradually pulled these kids in it. So at that time, It was like we were luring kids through paint to come in a dance music and
Nik (Detached audio):now let me introduce you to some of this little, this little secret shit we got
Paul Campbell:yeah,
Nik (Detached audio):little secret sauce,
Paul Campbell:yeah,
Nik (Detached audio):It wasn't even called EDM yet. It wasn't even called, you know, electronic dance
Paul Campbell:yeah. It's just, we were doing our things and, and that was such a beautiful time. And, and at, at that moment, Tiesto was the only artist, he had a five city bus tour, and that was the only touring dance music project in that way. And we took two semis, and took one to the east coast and one to the west coast, and we toured in every single college market in the state. And we eventually did, 120 college shows in one year. And that was that was a movie and eventually we took out the open format and we did all dance music. And that's where it was like, this is something special.
Nik (Detached audio):So I'm really curious about how you figured all this out. Cause like, I just watch people that go on to do these really cool, big, amazing things. Like that is no small task. And. You have to be a certain type of person to just lean into it and be like, we're going to do this. And not only do this, we're going to do this big and we're going to do this. Well, there's a certain kind of like drive and mindset that only some people have. And you obviously do. So what is it about you and what was going on in your head where you were just like you, there, there was a vision there. There was a lot of execution there, but like, one out of ten thousand people that actually goes on to go really do some shit like that, so What, what, what was going on in your head at that time is what I want to know
Paul Campbell:Um, yeah, man,
Nik (Detached audio):like, well, yeah
Paul Campbell:I think, I think like. I think first it's just passion. I, and I, and I'm not trying to say that to sound like cheesy or nothing like that, like we were really about like this dance life, everything about us. Like, this is our thing. Like, well, this is where we party. This is how we hang out. This is what we talk about. We're really about it. Like, this is our life and I would have to give credit to our partnership. Um, because I don't think it's a one man thing, and I think each one of us, it's like the, what is it, like the fucking Power Rangers, right? Like everybody like adds to like, you know, create that big machine or whatever. We were like a, you know, a four headed monster on the business level, but a team of like ten other geniuses that are in amazing places in the scene currently. And I want to get in all the people that come from under, our business that have now gone to do great things, but there's several, at least 10 that are major, major, major players in dance music from buyers to agents to, you know, managers and other different things, but. I think when you go in there, like, I would say that, like, I probably brought the passion, would say that, like, I was kind of the heart and soul of a lot of it. I would say that Lucas was the creative, Visionary behind our marketing and I think that him and I kind of had creative as far as like, how does marketing meet like the demand and where things are going? Patrick was He, you know, he's very like, uh, tooth and nail, like he's going to cross all the T's and dot the I's. Right. And that, that's where he's like a master at. And Sebastian was just very business savvy, every opportunity. You know, how do we grow, how do we develop and then how do you manage a team? Right. And he brought that kind of like strong leadership to the, to the company. And then you had like our, our, our guys that we had around us that were, you Just animals, you know, guys like Eric, who is just like an animal as far as, you know, finance side and everything like that. So at some point, you know, to take a tour to do that many events. And at this point, we're not booking DJs for every single one. It was no longer just our resident David Solano. Who did really awesome stuff. It is an army of people, that added to this project. And, you know, we brought in a lot of really great people, touring people, creative people, people that had creative on Cirque du Soleil, guys who toured with like huge bands and stuff like that, it's a serious thing now. It's a, it's a, you know, there's a semi, Going off in two locations and we're setting up arenas at this point and we're doing 10, 15, 000 people shows. So it's, it's serious. And then we're shipping ordering pain and all that different type of stuff. So, you know, it took an army, you know, it took a lot of love and passion because Lord knows it happened quick, dude. But there was a lot of passion that never, that never let us quit. And there was ups and downs and everything in between. But, um, I think our, our brotherhood, as well as our passion for dance music, I think those were like the two things that took us to where we needed to go with that event. And then, um, Yeah, I mean, at some point we sold it, um, and, and after we sold it, I was like, you know, the promoter thing's cool. But, uh, kind of like this manager's thing. That's kind of where we, where I separated, and then my partners, they all left to California and started a marijuana business, and it is currently the number one pre roll joint in the world. And, uh, yeah, yeah, the Jeter
Nik (Detached audio):Let's go. let's let's shout them out real quick. What are they called?
Paul Campbell:Jeter, Jeter,
Nik (Detached audio):All right, all you little weed smokers out there. Go get your jeeters. I, I love, man, I love that story, bro. It is so cool. What? It's like a, it's a fucking movie, dude. Like your life is a fucking movie straight up. That's awesome. And, and there's, I think the biggest thing about it is as they say, you know, teamwork makes the dream work. A lot of us are out here, myself included, like I'm just running my business by myself and I'm like, okay, I got my, my little thing going on. But, yeah, what if I had five other people I was working with, you know? Cause like, the, the, the big thing that stood out to me was that everybody was really in their zone of genius. Like, I'm not really good at, like, all the technical shit, that's not me. I'm, I'm the people person, I'm the social guy, you know what I mean? I'm a, I'm a social butterfly, like, that's my zone of genius. Put me in a room with people, I'm a dot connector. But put me in front of a fucking Excel sheet and I wanna blow my brains out, you know what I mean? But a lot of us, and especially artists too, you know, a lot of artists, it's like yo, we're just trying to do this shit all ourselves, right? Not only the music we're doing the content we're doing the networking we're doing, you know everything So there's a I think there's a really big lesson there, especially if you look at any big artist team, you know artist behind them There's probably 10 people supporting them, you know, maybe they're the face of it But you don't see that everything behind the scenes also that's going on. So it's a big uh, It's a very insightful, you know lesson to see like that's the only way you can really scale and go big. Nobody's succeeding alone
Paul Campbell:Yeah. Yeah. They say if if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, uh, go with a team. And, um, I believe that this. This game that we're in dance music in every single role in dance music requires you to have a team. You know, if you are running something and you're building something, any kind of entrepreneurial, whatever promoter, manager, agent, whatever, you need a team. And, uh, and I advise you to get it. The, the, the, the tricky part is getting a good team. the tricky part is getting, you know, team members. People that are in there for the right reasons because there's a lot of really appealing stuff in this dance thing that gets people in it for the wrong reasons, you know, and that comes to light real fast, man. And you see it all the times and, you know, this artist or this manager, this person doing this and this and that stuff. And it's all, you know, you know, it's like, man, that, that person that's like passionate about the scene, but can, can put on that, that, that hat and be serious sometimes and obviously go out and have fun and do that. But. It takes a team. So it sucks when you see cool artists aligned with a shit team and vice versa. It sucks when you have a good team line with a shit artist. And I think when you catch your magic is when you catch like like minded people that are the right people for your project, it takes the right team to. Pull out that right thing for your project. Same artist, different team, different outcome, you know, if you could align with the right people, you know, and set that tone for what you want, what you want to create and kind of take it serious. Cause I think it's all fun and games sometimes, and it's all party and it's all 24 hours and it's all rave and everything that comes with it. You know, you're gonna, you're probably going to People, you know, if you go do that every once in a while on the weekend, blah, blah, but you get back to business, you're, you're going to have your mind in the right place to be able to attract the right people. And, um, you, you can tell so easily the artists that are serious and the artists and the teams that are serious and the artists that are there for just the shits and giggles, you know?
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah, man. Yeah. Well said. So at some point you started to shift into management. What attracted you to going down the management route versus the promoter route?
Paul Campbell:Yeah. Uh, man, I, I'll just be fully transparent. I believe that the promoter is the hardest working person in the scene. I believe that the promoters, the, is the person that is the most risk financially, livelihood, everything. I feel like, you know, especially as like economies and things change, right? You go and do an event, put up half a million and 2000 people show up. And you lose 450 racks. You know, that could be wife, kids, future house, second mortgage. That's a lot that happens all the time. I've seen promoters get washed, bro. And it, it happens and it's a real thing. And for people who don't believe that's a real thing, it's a real thing. That's why there's only. A handful of promoters today that was able to withstand the storm, right? Of everything that's happened in the economy and dance music and high and low ticket sales and artist fees, all this different type of stuff. So when I saw that and I feel like they're the most exposed, then they're the ones that get the least kind of appreciation. and I hate that. I, and I really do. I feel like promoters are not appreciated for what they, they were really doing. And when like the scene changed, that changed. Right. And when that changed, I felt like promoters used to be like, they were like the profile of it. Right. And there's a couple of guys that obviously Pasquale is the epitome of that. He, you know, he, he represents his brand and, and he's very, very respected. And he's like a. Celebrity he is a celebrity, but he's a celebrity amongst all the fans that come into that everybody kind of had that and that's kind of like disappearing and all I saw was promoters like some security wasn't proper and they get dogged out and uh The water ran out and they get dogged out and I was just like jesus christ And this guy just put his whole life on the line like give him give him some credit
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Paul Campbell:then I was
Nik (Detached audio):got, you get 98% of it right, but the 2% of it that you get wrong and you're fucking
Paul Campbell:and then to add Twitter, uh, EDM Twitter, just roasting that person and whatever. So I think the satisfaction got, um, minimized. And then I just looked at it and I was like, look on this side of the thing. Agents fees are guaranteed, artist fees are guaranteed, and manager fees are guaranteed. And I just looked at it from a business position to begin with and why I was making the move. The passion was always there, you know, the passion and the know how to build something. I took a party and toured across the world. I could take an artist and, and, and tour. So I just like, when it comes to like business, I'm very like entrepreneurial. I can put in, put on that hat and like make business decisions, you know? And it was like, okay, what are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? How can I do X, Y, and Z? And I just look and I said, I could be, I could be a manager. And then that's when kind of started to take the thing and start looking for artists that I wanted to really get behind. And I believe that.
Nik (Detached audio):Where do you think that entrepreneurial mindset came from? Was that just like natural to you or did you really make a clear, decisive decision to go and be like, I'm going to read a bunch of marketing books and learn this shit. And I'm very curious about that.
Paul Campbell:Yeah, yeah, I could, I could tell you the truth, man. Up till recently, I never read any book at all. I just wasn't about it, but now I do, and I think it's really good to do that. But, I, I don't love the people that read forever and never apply anything, right? So, like, Yeah. read and then, you know, adopt and, and, and activate some of that stuff. But, Man, when I was young, when I was 23, I was, I mean, you call me a loser, whatever, I was raving, I was partying, I was doing everything and, um, you know, um, there was certain thing that happened in, in my life where I just felt like if I go down this path, I'm actually going to be a loser, like, I'm like a true loser, like, what, like, what am I doing? And I thought about that and it started away to me. I was like, man, I feel like I am good at stuff. I feel like I can apply myself. Yeah. But like, you know, I, I got to figure it out. And I just said, when life throws me the right opportunity, I'm going to go all in. And at that point I made a decision to go all in. But at this point I was working as a, uh, a fucking cook at a breakfast place. And that I would walk to at five in the morning, start cooking breakfast for a room, a diner in, in Tallahassee. And, um, I was like, this is the worst thing I could ever do, but I'm going to do it. And just by putting in the reps, the moment an opportunity presents itself, I'm going to go all in. And, um, that, that, that time when we did that first party, I was just like, this is it. Um, I, I 100%, you know, without a doubt, just said, that's the day I'm going to change my life and I'm going to take it serious. So how it happened, I mean, that was the mindset that got me there. How it happened was throwing shit on the wall and see what sticks. And, um, you know, I think all of us did that, you know, a bunch of young guys, none of us were really those guys that I mentioned and how we kind of have our own skillset. All those skills were developed over time. And, um, you know, everybody became more entrepreneurial and more business savvy through just throwing shit on the wall and, and seeing what stuck. And I'm a big fan about it. And that's what I love about this scene to be completely honest is because No matter what position you are in the scene, hard work can get you everything that you need. You don't need the degrees. You don't need, um, all this experience. You can get in from, Hey, I used to pass out flyers to becoming the biggest artist. You could say, Hey, I used to do this and I was, uh, an assistant. And now you're a huge agent and every, every single day. Side of the business will reward hard work. And I love that about our business. There's not that many barriers of entry that say, Hey, you need to have a degree. You need to have this. If you have that portfolio and you've put in the work, you can get a job and you can grow in this business.
Nik (Detached audio):yeah, beautifully said man again. What a what a cool powerful story. And what I really love about it is you took a moment to really think about your future and the path that you were going down and like, yo, if I don't change, what's my life going to look like? You know, oftentimes the the pain of that vision can be enough to drive us to a different direction. To really look at low. Is this really what I want? Where is my life heading? You know, it's like if that is not a vision that you're happy with Get really fucking clear about the changes that that you need to make right now, you know Um to be honest that was that was what sent me into the music business as well. I went to college I I kind of you know hated every fucking subject. I was not passionate about any of it. I was like man all this sucks Uh, I love music. That was my passion. I had a business degree and uh You know, my friend's dad was like, uh, yo, dude, he's like, why don't you put those two things together? You should work in the music business. I was like, never even, never even really crossed my mind, but I was like, Oh shit. I'm like, yeah, that lit me up. I was working at a, financial advising job. I just started, started fresh financial advising job right out of college. And the thing that really drove me to. Just pack my fucking bags and move to LA with a thousand dollars in my bank account and no connections and just fucking go
Paul Campbell:I love that Hell yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):It was the thought of like what if I don't? What if I don't right? It was that and it was that idea of what if I was like, okay Maybe i'll crush it in financial advising and i'll you know Get married and have a family and the nice little white picket fence and i'll have all this shit But i'm always gonna live with the regret of what if? What if I actually went for it? What if I actually? At least took a fucking shot, you know what I mean? Um, so thinking about those future scenarios are really important. And I definitely encourage anybody right now, you know, the other big thing too, is like, you just, you also made that decision to be all in, right? Made it, make the decision, like, yo, just jump, make the fucking leap, go all in. Work your ass off, give it everything you got, and also, different shit at the wall, too, because it's nice. You're not gonna hit it, uh, uh, you know, your first try, probably not gonna knock it out of the park. You might need to go try different, you know, ten different things. Maybe, you know, ten different styles of music. Maybe you're being uh, manager right now, but maybe that's not your gift for me. I, I was publicist. I worked at a label. I was a manager. Now I'm a fucking life coach. I'm like, yo, I'm still, I'm still throwing shit out the wall, but I'm finding, I'm finding my lane though. You know?
Paul Campbell:I love that, man. And yeah, I mean that, that's what it's about, man. That's what it's about. There's a level of that passion that keeps you driving right to, to continue the hustle and bustle when it's not working, you know? And to be smart enough and aware enough when you got to pivot. And that's what, I think like I see that a lot in the industry with artists and stuff like that where I think people think like when I say the all in it's not necessarily all in on the same thing it's that I'm gonna make it all in and when I see like a lot of things happen when you know where genre is like it's gone and I see people like really talking about I'm gonna ride or die for their genre. I respect it. Trust me, I do. But I feel like, man, you being a dope producer and artist, That's the magic, not the genre. And I, sometimes it's like, man, just being all in isn't, Hey, I'm going to be a promoter. And no, it's like, yo, I'm going to make it in music. I'm going to make it in dance music. I'm going to make it my passion aligned with my career. Like those are the things. And now in between that, yeah, you just said five things that you had to pivot. I pivoted 5, 000 times, you know, I'm pivoting currently, you know, just like always like kind of doing it. And it's never been one thing that's been like, Hey, I'm going to just do this. It was just like, Hey. I'm going to do this in music. I'm going to do this in music. Whatever that is, that's open for discussion. I just know I'm not going to give up on that. You
Nik (Detached audio):yeah. And there's a couple of different guiding forces to that. And I like to talk about duality, right? This idea that it's like, it's the yin and the yang. It's not one or the other. I'm very in touch with like my intuition, my higher calling. I follow that shit. You're like, what is calling you? Like, where's your passion? Where's the interest and like, you know, listen to that little whispering voice inside your head and go chase that shit. And also on the other side of it too, is like, well, where's the opportunity? This is a business too, where are you going to make money? All right. So, it's not one or the other. I think, you know, having your feet on both sides of it, being able to listen to both, being able to like, you know, listen to your heart, but also use your head, you know, see where the opportunities are, but also can make sure you're still in alignment with your passion and what's pulling you, you know, it's, it's, it's a tricky dance, but like you said, if you're just, if you're just committed, like I'm all in. No matter what, wherever this thing goes, cause this is the shit that I love, then there's a lot of opportunity out there, definitely. Look at, I mean, I'm fucking life coaching DJs, bro. Literally, creating a new fucking, you know, industry within the
Paul Campbell:yeah,
Nik (Detached audio):yeah, anything's possible.
Paul Campbell:Yeah, you aligned your passions nine and it's really needed, man. So like what you're doing and the conversations that you're having and the insight that you're given is, is needed. And, and, and a lot of artists need it more than ever right now, because you get lost in the sauce, man. And I, and, and it's big about me, man. Like. In my artist managing kind of scenario, like I, I didn't know that being a psychologist was part of it,
Nik (Detached audio):For
Paul Campbell:you know, and, and, and I embrace it fully. Like, I don't, I don't say that in a condescending way at all. Like I, I love to, you know, I, I see the potential in people and I love to bring it out and, um, I see the potential in every single one of my artists and, everybody goes through life, you know, I'm, I'm a little bit older now, you know, 40, I turned 40 a week ago. And I've just been through the experience and my whole like adult life being in dance music. I've seen the stories and I see what artists can go through and I just want to always help and guide that, you know, help them guide that because at the end of the day, behind all those things, and whether if it's mental or doubt or this, that, and the other. is a fucking amazing talent and potential. And I want that potential to, be seen by the world. I want that music to be heard. I want that artists to be seen and be able to perform what they want to perform in front of the people they should be performing from. And That really drives me. And that's why I kind of love management and is that side of it. There's a million sides to it. But like, when you get to work with somebody, man, that you just unlock that beast in them. Where you know, like, you might have had a shy artist, but now you see them on that stage and they're just letting loose. I'm just like, yes! Because, honestly, kind of Becomes the way that they approach everything in life. It's not just that moment and you're just watching really good people become great. and I love that. And it's such a, a, a fulfilling part about the whole thing, you know?
Nik (Detached audio):I'm now really curious about this, uh, psychologist side of management. Well, we're, we're going to pause for a minute. This, this section is for me, all the artists out there. We'll get to the business shit in a minute, but I want to know about how you show up as a, as a psychologist on that side of things for your artists. What are some of the challenges that you see people go through? What are the types of conversations and how do you really bring out that beast in somebody? How do you really help them, you know, get over some of those, those challenges and become best version of themselves.
Paul Campbell:You know, it's, it's not the super easiest question to, to answer, but I think like, look, I don't know, I don't know anything, right? Like I don't know shit, but I have done my work, when it comes to like anything in like You know, spiritual energy and any, any of these different things. Right. And I don't get a little too carried away with it, but I know that it's there. and I know that everybody has magic inside of them. And through that, you learn a couple of things. You learn, you know, you learn stuff about yourself. You learn how to handle situations. You learn how to thrive with your energy, build your energy, share your energy, and all this stuff, deal with doubts, deal with all the things that life has to throw at you. And, um, from the things that I've learned and spoke with people. in in that in that space, you know I've learned a lot and a couple books that I have read has been in this conversation nothing to do with business I learned business by throwing shit against the wall this conversation I learned through talking to people who you know are masters at it and you know Reading a little bit on on those things and when I talk to artists like I just want to reason with somebody, right? I just want to have a full on real ass conversations. I want to hear about it because I mean ultimately All of the stuff that they're holding inside We're hearing in their music, we're seeing in their sets, we're seeing in their social media, you know, and it's important because some of those things come from, a great place and some of them come from a toxic place and some of them come from a traumatic place. And, the reality is every single person in the world is dealing with those same things in their own way. It's just the artists as being in the, in the limelight while, while dealing with those things and, um, social media and all these things really has a way to take those things and. You know, spiral them and artists get lost. And I just like, I just always wanted to artists like, remember why we're on this journey. Remember why we're doing it. You're the shit. You know, you got it in you. Don't give up. Like, trust me, just because this doesn't work doesn't mean that you failed. Right. Like get back up and, and, and do that and all that stuff. So I think it comes from a place of just really wanting to make people around me. Great. I do have a thing when it comes to that, um, in general, beyond just artists and DJs, whether it's family, friends, or entrepreneurs or artists or anything, I just always throw in little things out there and then once we get like deeper, then I could kind of really start. You know discussing some of the things that I learned, you know, um along my journey being you know exposed to like some spiritual teachings and some things in regards to those conversations and helping artists to Unlock that beast inside. That's all it is. We're all fucking magical. We're all beast. We're all we're all You know if you have health and life, you know what i'm saying? Then then every single thing else is within you to accomplish and if you can unlock that beast and with people man You You know, sky's the limit. And that's what I want to do. Cause I believe when I picked the artists that I work with, I now realize that I'm going to find out something about them a little bit later that there's like, oh shit, we got to overcome this thing. And then on the other side of maybe a doubt or any of these things is a, is a fucking monster. And I want to unleash that monster. If I can, we'll get to the success, you know? And if not, then we'll get to whatever potential that, that, that we unlock.
Nik (Detached audio):Man, you are speaking my language and it's so cool to see that you are a natural coach that is part of Being a manager, right? You got to know how to run the business, but yeah, you got to know how to manage the artists themselves, you know, being the psychologist, being the therapist, but also really being the coach. That's the cheerleader. That's the motherfucker in the corner. That's like, yo, bro, you got this. You're a beast. Don't forget who you
Paul Campbell:Yeah. Yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):it. You know, I, I always like to get a little bit woo woo on the podcast. I literally am launching my actually today. Shout out to myself. Got my online group program launched today. I got like 12, 10 people signed up for it that are coming in Literally less than one is spiritual energy. And, and I love this idea that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. I think I'm going to start changing that though, to start saying we are beasts having the human
Paul Campbell:Let's go. Let's go.
Nik (Detached audio):sometimes we get so caught up in the human side, we, that we forget who and what we really are, that you are an infinite being, you are an infinite spiritual being. And as you said, you are a fucking beast. Like that's your truth. You got so much, so much, so much potential, but our mind will get in the fucking way. Our ego, the doubts, the limiting beliefs, the imposter syndrome, the comparison, all this little human shit. We got to get that stuff out of the way. And tap back into who we really are. And so we just need people in our corner to remind us that I know you still, you probably at times forget about your beast mode. That's in there too. You need to have the homies in the corner, your friends, you know, your coaches, your therapist, like we all need it. So, uh, I love to see you doing that. Cause honestly, not all managers do a lot of managers that just, they're running the fucking business, but they're, they're not really. You know, able to have those conversations, so I think it's really cool that you do. I'm wondering also, what are those books, couple of those books that you read that, that you would recommend, uh, that have helped you on that side of the journey?
Paul Campbell:I mean it's all the ones that everybody else is reading right now. It's the, you know, the the power of now and all those different types of things, but back in the day I read one book and it was a book called The Selstein Prophecy. it teaches like these nine insights, whatever. And it just tells you about the flow and exchange of energy. And it was funny because like, when I went, that was like the biggest thing that I, that I, the biggest tool that I use going into business, um, because it's all about the exchange of information and does somebody feel better or worse when they come encounter with you? So if I was on the other side of a deal, right, if we needed a lockdown, a venue, I'm like, all right, I could go talk all the fucking business dot the eyes, the money, the spreadsheets, or I can just make this person like me.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah.
Paul Campbell:And if I, if they like me, they'll get to the point where they're looking at the business. The business is always going to be good, but how do I make that person like me? And, um, there's just an exchange of energy and stuff like that. So like when I came across that book and I, uh, I had a roommate that was, He went to school for Taoism, uh, Taoism meets massage therapy. And he was super into all this stuff. And him and I just went in the matrix when we were like 18, 19 and for like two years, and it really locked a lot of stuff on me. So it was really like that book that led me down that and I'm really like hands on. So like that's when I started to like go to different events and meeting with different other people that are into this whole conversation and like, you know, gurus, whatever you want to call them and learning a lot more about it being really hands on and just through time, like COVID was like the beginning of when I really started like, look, start reading all the books. Like, I don't know, man, I've probably done like 70, 80, audio books of like all these conversations, but nothing had an impact like that first one. And if I read it now, it's probably the super most simple shit ever. But like, when I first read it, it just like unlocked that thing, like, Hey, there's something more happening here. And I just feel like that. Dialogue, um, the how the energy works with you with other people, but also how it works with you internally. And I think like having people and making sure that they have a good flow of energy and you know, you believe in shockers and all this different type of stuff, you know, just to keep that energy flowing through you. As a creative, it's very important. And as a creative, when you're dealing with all these things that are not creative, right, then there becomes a lot of blocks. And I just want to make sure that, you know, all those things that aren't creative, don't become such a headache and a strain on a creative artist that now they can't go out there and create the music that they want and, and have the career that they want, because they're dealing with all that other. You know, mechanical things that, you know, that's where we come into play. So there's a lot of books. I can name them all, but yeah, it's all the ones that everybody's reading right now, but that came way later in life.
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah, but the truth is man, not everybody's reading them and when we start talking about energy and and flow and alignment and a lot of people actually fucking tune out and they don't understand, you know, but then they're also questioning, man, why, are things so hard? Why is this so difficult? Why is this journey so hard? And it's like, well, yeah, there's everything you see above the surface, there's your branding and your marketing and your mute, all that shit, but then there's this whole invisible world that's underneath the surface. You know, we just see the tip of the iceberg, but there's this whole other fucking universe that's inside of you that you got to like tap into and you got to learn, you got to master when you get into alignment. You know, you get your fucking chakras aligned or whatever you want to call it. Right. But, but when you're able to tap in to, you know, I look at it as the whole universe is just filled with creative energy that this universe is expanding forever and forever and every single little Adam in our body, every little cell is just this vibrant life force, creative energy. And when you can bring yourself into the highest level of alignment, and that's, and I, what I mean by that is just taking care of yourself, like, get your, get your physical energy dialed in, get your mental energy, your emotional energy. You're then able to plug into that shit, like an electrical outlet and download some serious, some serious energy, right? Like, cause it's going to take a lot of energy to achieve our goals and all these big dreams that we have. So that's why I'm so passionate about focusing on that side of it as well. It's not just about. Marketing campaigns and building a fucking cool brand, you know, it all starts with having the right energy in the first place
Paul Campbell:I love that. We, we can go down a hole. I could, I could tell, like, we could, we could go in it, you know, we might go on a retreat together sometime, but yeah.
Nik (Detached audio):bro. Yeah for real for real man We need to we need to put a retreat on together for these
Paul Campbell:amen to that. That's the vibe.
Nik (Detached audio):Yo, I love it. We're we're 50 minutes in. We actually haven't even talked about new management and the artists that you're working with over there, but tell me, tell me about new management, who are the artists that you're currently working with? What do you guys have going on over there?
Paul Campbell:Yeah. So, uh, new management, some management company did it in 2015, um, launched it. Um, currently working with a bunch of artists. So, nitty side piece, say my nitty. Then I have Malone, I have Zuzu, I have Gallo, Modipit, Stellar. And I signed this girl Amal Nimer, who's really cool. Uh, she's my last signing that I have. And, um, what I like about the management company is because my journey in dance music has been So diverse, uh, from like what I'm passionate about, like the music that I like, the shows that I attend versus like doing festivals for the world and all this different type of stuff. It's very diverse. So I have, um, like underground, proper underground house, tech house artists. Then I have like based upstep artists. Then I have like, you know, experimental electro indie type of stuff. So like, I don't know if I said but it was another one. Um, so yeah. All those artists that I have are very diverse and I just love it because it keeps me, keeps me excited. It lets me touch up on all the pieces that I like. I love like, I love dubstep. So like, it's cool that I have a dubstep artist. Like I love, you know, the, the tech house movement that's going on. So it's cool. That side piece does that. And Ricky Nitty is about to, um, release some really cool stuff. And I like what he does. Malone's more underground and all that different type of stuff. So When you have all those different artists, I get, it keeps me excited because it's cool. Cause I could go to show and see that side of the game and be on the stage with those type of artists that I love. And then I could go to another stage where another artist is at. And I get to, um, hear that sound and dive into that culture. So I have a very diverse lineup and I'm just really excited. A lot of really cool things happening. And, yeah, it's kind of where the management company is right now.
Nik (Detached audio):Awesome. Awesome. And I know that this could be another hour long conversation, but Cliff notes, a bridged version, like, If there was like if there was a recipe for success for artists, what would you say the ingredients are?
Paul Campbell:I would say, you know, have a very driving passion for what you really want to do, you know, and make that commitment that you are going to go all in. I think that's a big thing. I think an artist that is willing to accept the fact that there are some level of social media requirements that are needed in today's climate and finding their way to do it. And I think that's the magic, right? Because everybody's trying to do it. Like, obviously when you see like a brand like summit, like come out there and he was just really good at social media, everybody's like, Oh, how do I do it that way? And I think that's where they fuck up. Right. And it's like, how can you be yourself and create a Being who you are, because if every day you have to wake up being somebody else. You're never going to thrive at it. It's never going to, you're never going to get to that flow state and flow states, extremely important. but if you can find a way to take who you are and put that out there, that'll be great. And I love like the artists that are just like completely different than like a guy like him. And. Created a cool brand for like what they are and who they represent and, and the audience that they're speaking to. So I would say the passion, the social media requirements and all that different type of stuff, I think building a fan base and having a really good dialogue with your fans and your fan base is extremely important right now. You know, branding is really important, right? And these are kind of more like, More like, you know, that outer stuff. So, um, you know, it goes way deeper than that, but this is like, that's that, that, that outer stuff that we were talking about earlier. So I would say like having a really good, strong, like brand and identity. You know, it's not that you have to be skinny or sexy or this, that, and the other white, black, anything. It's like, no, be just. You be authentic in what you do, embrace who you are and have that confidence in what you're doing. And I think that's it. I don't, I think like mimicking and try to copy everybody. That's where you fuck up. And I feel like everybody's magical inside and find a way to show your magic and tell your story. The people that are great storytellers of who they are, are going to be the people that win the most. Especially in today's world. World where social media is so important and all that different type of stuff because that's the biggest communicator, you know And then obviously just diehard talent, you know um, I think that's that's just really a diehard work ethic and um I think that's it. I'm probably missing like a bunch of shit, but on the cliff notes I would say identify your pillars, whatever those are And and then go all in I
Nik (Detached audio):Yeah, like I said that could be a whole other hour long conversation right there, but basically it boils down to Looking less outside of yourself and more inside of yourself right, like we're always looking at what everybody else is doing, but like You have that magic inside of you, you gotta discover that, you gotta, you gotta look within yourself and understand yourself, know who you are, know what those parts are that you want to bring out to the world and share with them, and we just spend so much time looking in the wrong places, I think.
Paul Campbell:I couldn't agree more man and people that's what people don't realize is people don't Everybody sees the scene in the way that the scene that like the scene gets communicated to them, right? So whether that's from marketing whether that's from like clips from a live clip and everything, right? People don't understand when they go to an event and there's a hundred and fifty thousand people Right that is people that relate to everybody on some way some some level and these artists who Are stepping outside of themselves to go be something they're not. They don't realize how much of a fan base is out there that needs somebody that's just like them to be that person that that gets that gets put in a pedestal. Not everybody wants it to be fed to them in the same way some of these biggest artists are. Dance music started off with the outcast that and that that's the people who created dance music. That still exists. The LGBT community that still exists. The black community that still exists. It's not all just one demographic, the Latin community, this, that, and the other. It's men, women, it's everything. It's diverse. And everybody has a story to tell that resonates with a large audience. And what we need as an industry right now is more people being themselves. Um, because I don't want the cut and copy of the, the 10 guys that are at the top. I like in life, we go through a lot of different shit. I want an artist to talk to me on all different types of levels. And, what's getting really boring is that everybody's the same and that's it. I mean, I could, I could go deeper into that, but I, I, I would love for artists start to really embrace who they are and be patient enough for that to start to resonate. And, um, if they're unable to do that, yeah. Can I create a blueprint for them on what to do? What are the social media schedules, what to dress, what to wear? Yeah, I can. And that I might have to look outwards to find that. But if you find that artist that really has what they have inside and they want to put that out to the world. That's the best. Yeah. Yeah,
Nik (Detached audio):you said it's all about how you make people feel after have a conversation with them. And I will say I feel inspired. I feel excited. I feel lit up. I feel, I feel super grateful. And, uh, I just feel like I found one of my long lost brothers, uh, from another
Paul Campbell:Yeah, let's go.
Nik (Detached audio):so much, so much alignment, man, so much alignment. I love where your head's at. To be honest, this is like, like I said, yeah, very, very, uh, very, very inspired by you and what you're up to. So thank you so much for taking the time to come on and share with us today.
Paul Campbell:Hey man, I appreciate it. It was fun, man. Thank you so much.