As a teenager in Montclair, N.J., Candice Watkins channeled her passion for music into the drive for a job in the music industry.
“Around my junior/senior year, I knew I had to work in the music business. I thought about pursuing a career as an entertainment attorney, until I found out about an artist manager’s role. I always thought that role, when done well, was a coach to guide a career and help map out the best strategy for the artist’s goals.”
PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF
The summer after my freshman year of college was a turning point. I looked up every music company in the Northeast and I called every single one of them. I gave each my one-minute pitch, ‘Hey, my name is Candice, I’m a freshman at Northeastern University, and I want to be an artist manager. No one will outwork me, and I’ll do anything to gain experience.’ It might have been my 100th call, literally, but I dialed the number and a man answered. I gave my pitch. He told me that they were a really small company and didn’t need any help. As we were hanging up, however, I heard, ‘Hey, are you still there?’ to which I said, ‘Yes!’ He said he wanted to help me, to send him my résumé, and that he would share it with his friends.
THE PATH TO GREATNESS
[The man on the other end of the phone was] Bert Holman, manager of The Allman Brothers Band. And he did send my info out. I got callbacks from people all over the U.S., but one guy in particular, Marty Nolan, who lived in Boston where I went to school gave me my first opportunity. I’d go to rowing practice in the morning, to class, then to the management office and work, back to class, then return to the management office. I got to work on projects like Dispatch, Guster, and Graham Colton. Marty taught me the ins-and-outs about managing an artist. He allowed me to be involved in booking, PR, street teams, and marketing. It was incredible. Fast-forward to Nashville. Marty told me that Red Light Management had just opened a Nashville office and I was able to meet with them. They didn’t have any jobs available, but they did say I could intern. Here I was a 24-year-old college graduate, and the only opportunity I could find in the industry in Nashville was an internship? That didn’t seem right to me, so I thought I’d find a corporate job. That’s when Marty hit me with a pep talk. ‘Do you think you moved all the way to Nashville to work a normal job? Take the internship. Make it work.’ That’s what I did. That internship turned into a full-time job two months later and eventually led me to my next position touring with Brooks & Dunn, New Kids on the Block, and Keith Urban. I loved the road and I believe touring with real experience made me a better businesswoman. From there, I became Keith Urban’s day-to-day manager. That was a larger-than-life opportunity.
GETTING LOUD
As Big Loud was growing and expanding, I’d run into [vice president] Seth England if our artists were a part of the same event. He spoke with me about a role at Big Loud and I told him I wasn’t interested. A month later, he reached back out and this time, it was different. He cast a vision for elevating the label and hiring key executives. I fished for every reason to say no. I did not want another transition, but I couldn’t ignore the opportunity and how Big Loud was building the ‘new.’ That was one of the most difficult career decisions I’ve made so far. But ultimately, I had to cancel the fear and see the opportunity at Big Loud, as it spoke to a once-in-a-lifetime role. I looked for every reason to say no and at every turn, there was just more confirmation that I needed to take the leap. I started at Big Loud in November 2018 as VP of Marketing and have never looked back. There’s not a lot that’s traditional about Big Loud, so getting to lead the marketing team as VP is an honor and a responsibility that I love. One day we’re working on an album release during a global pandemic, and the next we’re starting a female-driven record label.