The lights were low, the candles were burning and the La Croix was on ice. As folks started to filter in for our very first Good Evening event, there was a heady mix of excitement and nerves in the air. Good Evening is the new Man Repeller event series where, once a month, right here at headquarters, an MR staff member interviews inspiring and interesting people about the work that they do. For our inaugural event, MR superstar Crystal Anderson sat down with Kiesh, John Vincent Salcedo and Egomeli Hormeku from Columbia Records to talk about making a career in music, creativity and trusting yourself.
“Artists need a direction, that’s where we come in,” Ego laid it out plainly. They shared their influences and inspirations (Missy Elliott, Biggie, DMX) and talked about diversity in the music business and the nuts and bolts of building a portfolio. There was even a brief moment of tension surrounding the use of Power Point, which I promise was more delightful and interesting than it sounds! You had to be there!
Audience members asked the panel thoughtful, honest and occasionally vulnerable questions, and the panel responded in kind. At one point Crystal got to the heart of the whole thing, asking how to deal with fear and trust and faith when working on your art. “How do you trust people with your creative work?” Without missing a beat, John Vincent replied,“You have to make that behind-the-back pass knowing that the other person is gonna make that three.”
Thanks to Kiesh, John Vincent and Egomeli for sharing their wisdom with us. Thanks to Crystal for being amazing, always. Big thanks to Otherland for the candles. And thanks to all of the amazing MR community members for showing up on a rainy day to hang out with us, y’all are the best! Keep an eye out for the next Good Evening and if you’re not already on our mailing list, sign up so you never miss a thing!
Photos by Eric Lagg, Logo Design by Kiesh, Template by Madeline Montoya.
