Behind The Music: Kris Orlowski’s manager Peter Hill

Behind The Music - Kris Orlowski

In my words…

For every successful Artist, there’s someone working tirelessly behind the scenes contributing to their success.

For too long now, the Artist Manager (who I call “the glue” holding it all together and the Artist’s biggest fan, confidant, and cheerleader) toils away for the most part in anonymity as the praise and glory shine down upon their Artist.

A Manager never rests.  They wake up each morning thinking about ways to make their Artist more successful and while the rest of the world sleeps, the Manager is still up working on their plans for World Domination.

A Manager’s DNA is not like most mortals; that’s probably why there are so few.  The passion, dedication, selflessness of putting oneself second, loss of sleep, money, and sometimes relationships in the pursuit of achieving your Artist’s dream and vision in an Industry where the odds are stacked against you may make some question your sanity and, at times, so do you until you watch your Artist “kill” a room and then you remember why you’re there.

The Manager, in my eyes, is the unsung hero.  It can sometimes be a thankless job and nothing raises my Irish more than an Artist who doesn’t publicly thank their Manager, especially at The Grammys.  It’s the Manager who will remain with you through thick and thin, because you’re building something together right?  It’s a partnership I liken to marriage; it’s not always going to be a honeymoon.

Artists, treasure your Manager if you’re lucky enough to have one.  If you haven’t thanked them lately, I suggest you call them after reading this and say, “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you?”

They may ask if you’ve been drinking but I guarantee you’ll make their day.  A thank you goes a long way in a Manager’s memory bank.

Managers, hats off and my deepest personal respect for all you do!  – Robin

2013.10.04: Kris Orlowski @ Smith Tower, Seattle, WA
Kris Orlowski at Smith Tower 2013

 

This week’s guest Manager is Kris Orlowski’s Manager, Peter Hill who works at KMGMT out of Los Angeles.  As a company, they represent artists including Kris Orlowski, 3OH!3, The Summer Set, Tonight Alive, Itch, Dia Frampton and Silas, along with a host of songwriters.  Peter personally manages Kris and then will run point for the management teams of 3OH!3, Tonight Alive, and Itch.

GC: Peter, with recently signing on to manage Kris, his recent release of Believer, and starting his national tour on May 29th with Jamestown Revival and The Wind and The Wave, I know it’s been a whirlwind around you and the Orlowski camp.  I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to talk to me and share your story with our readers.

GC: How did you get into the Music Industry?
PH: I actually started as a photographer shooting bands around 2003 (still my first love, but I don’t often have the time to shoot much anymore).  I toured the world for a few years shooting documentary and album/DVD artwork for the likes of David Gray, Enter Shikari and Frank Turner, as well as a book documenting the rise of Kaiser Chiefs during their first album campaign.  As time went on, I started taking on a bigger role with the tours I was working on: from some Assistant Tour Managing work, I graduated to going out as Tour Manager with one act and I never looked back from there.  After Tour Managing multiple worldwide album campaigns for bands including Fitz & The Tantrums, 3OH!3 and The Noisettes, I decided it was time to get off the road and make the move I’d always wanted into Management.  I took a position as Day-to-Day Manager for Thirty Seconds To Mars where I learned a lot and filled some of the gaps in my management knowledge, before moving on to my current position at KMGMT (who I worked very closely with previously, while tour managing 3OH!3 for almost 5 years), and I’ve been here about 8 months now.  It’s the perfect fit for me and I love it.

GC: Do you think Managers find bands or bands find Managers? (chicken or the egg theory)
PH: I think there is no end to the way that Managers find bands and vice versa.  I ended up signing Kris after a friend of mine that was already on his team called me one night and said I should check out the link he’d emailed me, as Kris was looking for Management.  I loved it, we spoke the next day and really hit it off.  A week later, we were officially working together and I was booking plane tickets to Seattle.  We get a lot of friends in the industry sending SoundCloud links to bands, bands sending SoundCloud links themselves, friends talking about bands they saw at shows, or just us coming across something great.  It really could come out of anywhere.

GC: What does a ‘day in the life’ of Kris Orlowski’s Manager look like?
PH: It can vary hugely depending on what’s going on at anytime.  I look after an artist from the UK, two from the US, and an artist from Australia, so it’s pretty much 24/7 with the different time zones.  A usual day would be getting up around 6.30am, my wife will spend 15 minutes trying to persuade me to go the gym with her, and I’ll pass nearly every morning in favor of tackling my inbox.  The owner of the company I work at has usually been at it for a good two hours before I start, so I will have a fair amount of things from him to get through along with overnight emails from Australia and morning emails from the UK.  I’ll work at home for a couple of hours before heading to the office, which is a nice chance to listen to some music as it’s a 25 minute drive out into the suburbs of LA.  If I don’t have any meetings outside of the office, I’ll work there until around 2pm and then relocate over to West Hollywood where I live, as the change of scenery helps my concentration.  I’ll usually end up at my local coffee shop, the Coffee Commissary, which has the best espresso in town and lightning fast WiFi, and work there for a few hours.  I’ll head home around 6pm for a quick bite and then work a few more hours until bed.  And repeat again the next day.  But like I said, ‘usual’ days don’t occur too often, so more likely, I’ll be all over town meeting all types of people from labels, publishers or publicists, to new tech companies, bands and promoters.  And that’s even before which shows to go to.

As a recent example, we self-released Kris’ recent album – Believer  (available on iTunes and at all good record stores), so we’re also the record label.  Kris is incredibly pro-active and works just as hard across the board on a daily basis, which is really invaluable to have, speaking as a Manager.  We’ve hired a great team around us so on any day I’ll be speaking to the publicist, our attorney, our distributor/sales manager, our publishing team and people from radio stations, magazines, blogs, streaming sites, tech companies and anything else that comes up.  Basically everything funnels through me and I’m running the team we put together.

2012.07.22: Kris Orlowski @ Capitol Hill Block Party - Sole Repa
Kris Orlowski at Capitol Hill Block Party 2012

 

GC: In your opinion, what should an Artist look for in a Manager and when does one need to seek Management?
PH: I think when an artist has got themselves to the point that they have booking agents chasing them and record labels emailing.  When they’ve really put in the work to take it as far as they can, and they need someone to help take it that extra mile, then they should start looking for a management team.

As far what an artist looks for in a Manager, I think it needs to be someone that is passionate about their music, someone that understands their vision and how to get them to where they want to be.  It should be someone that will work tirelessly on their behalf and has a track record of getting it done.  I think an English accent goes a long way too.  (Kris may have weighed in on some of this answer). 🙂

GC: OK flip that, what does a Manager look for when considering representing an Artist and is it mandatory (if a band) that they have a band agreement in place prior to signing on with you?
PH: As a Manager, first and foremost I think you have to be 200%, completely and utterly in love with the music.  If you don’t have that, then the 23-hour days and 75,000 emails in your Outlook will be a lot less appealing to you.  I’ve never worked on something for any reason other than loving it and wanting as many people as possible to feel the same way about it.

With regards to agreements, everyone does things differently.  Without getting too personal into our bands situations, I know companies that have ironclad management agreements in place and I know many companies/managers that do things on a handshake.  I think it really depends on the situations and what works best for that scenario, at that time.

GC: Some publications on the industry report that it can take up to 3 years to break an Artist and 3-5 years (if you can keep a band together long enough), before you might start reaping the rewards of your efforts.  What’s your take on that?
PH: That can be pretty accurate, I think.  It takes a lot of groundwork and a lot of different things coming together over a long time for band to become what is deemed as successful.  Sure, there are bands that blow up overnight with a big radio single and that’s great for them, but that doesn’t always translate into touring success and a long-term, dedicated fan base.  You definitely have to put in the work over a long time to turn that into a career.

2011.09.03: Kris Orlowski & The Passenger String Quartet @ Bumbe
Kris Orlowski & The Passenger String Quartet at Bumbershoot Festival 2011

 

GC: What would you say to someone who would like to become an Artist Manager?  What qualities do you think they need most to be successful?
PH: I think you need to be incredibly motivated, have an attention to detail above all others, be prepared to do absolutely everything and be prepared to work every second of the day.  Organization is key.  On top of that, don’t take “no” for an answer, work with great people that you respect, and only drink the finest espresso.

GC: It’s also been said that a Personal Manager is part: Friend, Confidant, Advisor, Protector, Cheerleader, Psychiatrist, Educator, Supporter, Wrangler, and wears many different hats on any given day.  Is this an accurate description?
PH: Pretty much.  Like I touched on before, you really can and will be doing anything and everything you can think of.  Coming from tour management, I’ve had more than my fair share of the babysitting side of things and holding people’s hands as they get arrested on a Tokyo street at 4 AM.  Kris has yet to get arrested during my time working with him, so he definitely has that going for him. 😉

GC: Describe your “worst” days as a Manager.
PH: I really do enjoy every day in a different way, even if some are more challenging than others.  I’ve traveled a massive amount (just under 250,000 miles in a year is my record) and I think I find being out on the road as a Manager can be some of the most challenging days.  I’ve had promo trips to time zones far enough from LA that you’re working a full 12 hour day of press, radio and meetings, to finish at midnight and then you need to start your regular work day when the US wakes up and work straight through the night to keep up with that.  Just because you’re away, it doesn’t mean you can slip behind on production deadlines and scheduling in the next week’s promo trip to another and just as important territory.  It’s like a never-ending cycle and I definitely recommend coffee, exercise and multiple Mophie batteries for your phone!

GC: Describe your “best” days as a Manager.
PH: Anything where you can see the progress you’re making would definitely be considered one of the ‘best’ days.  From seeing your artist play shows to a packed out room in a new city, to release day and seeing it in the stores, with people all over the world tweeting photos of themselves buying the record.  Any day where we take a step forward falls into the ‘best’ category.

GC: When all is said and done, how would you like to be remembered in Rock History?
PH: I’d really prefer that people remember the artists I work with as being great bands and great people (and keep buying their records!).  Beyond that, I guess I’d like to be remembered as never losing my British accent despite being surrounded by millions of English language-butchering Americans.

Note: my wife checked this through to remove my non-American grammar and spellings.

L – R: Kris Orlowski, Mike Kaminsky (Owner of KMGMT), Peter Hill, Tom DeSavia (of SONGS Publishing)

 

GC: Thank you Peter.  We’re all excited to see what lies ahead for Kris Orlowski and we wish you both much success!

Next Monday’s Mystery Manager said this: “You’re gonna get fired.”  Who is it?  Check back next Monday!

About Robin Fairbanks

Robin Fairbanks has spent 30+ years in the music industry in many capacities. Working in the Seattle music scene since 2006 as a Manager/Booker, she's known for her ethics and artist development skills. Robin has guided the careers of many, but most notable as the former manager of Seattle's Fox and The Law for 3.5 years. Robin has spent the last 2 yrs consulting with Artists who seek her help as a music consultant and publicist with Setlist Music Solutions LLC. She also gives of her time as an advisor to Seattle Wave Radio, an Internet music station where she helped shape its sound as the ROCK Channel Music Director for 2+ yrs upon its launch in 2010 and where you'll find her music blog, "Bird On A Wire".

View all posts by Robin Fairbanks →

2 Comments on “Behind The Music: Kris Orlowski’s manager Peter Hill”

  1. Mondays have become a day to look forward to Robin! So much great and honest info you get from your managers.
    Cheers !

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