In this instalment of our Featured Alumni series, we catch up with Music Business graduate Max Creswell!
Max is fresh out of ACM, graduating in 2016! We caught up with him to find out what he’s been up to since finishing the course last year:
Tell us about your background and why you wanted to work in the music industry?
From a relatively young age I had been preparing for a life in the music industry. Unfortunately for me I had next to no contacts and couldn’t have been further away from the “industry” as I came from a very irrelevant and green part of the world.
I started doing an internship from about 16 over summer holidays and in almost every break I could get. My first taste of experience came when I was made an Intern for Nick Stewart Associates in London. These guys specialise in artist management which is where I initially realised how fun management could be. I soon found that if I really did want to be involved I could make it happen, it would just mean following a less steady path.
What have you been involved with since leaving ACM?
Whilst at ACM, I worked on a load of different projects. One of the most memorable probably being the Discovery & Development project where me and 3 other students (including ACM alumna Atlanta Cobb) came up with Four to The Floor Management. I had a few side projects on the go at the same time doing stuff for a charitable synch organisation. One other notable event has to be mine and James Choi’s “Room 237” night that attempted to turn ACM into Fabric for our “Live Events Assessment”.
After leaving I finally got a full-time internship with Machine Management who manage names like Clean Bandit and Years and Years. This is where I realised that I wanted to be in the industry and have a lasting impact. I had the pleasure of working with two of the most prestigious managers in the industry Iain Watt and Martha Kinn who were both nominated for Manager of the Year at the Music Week Awards 2017. I learnt a lot from the team at Machine Management and towards the end of my internship I got in contact with TSA Artists (The Secret Agency) and Secretsundaze which would be my next step forward.
I am currently working at TSA which is an international booking agency for mainly House and Techno artists. When I first joined, the team had me as a general bookings assistant and social media and then later moved me into doing research in the areas of A&R, Clubs and Promoters all over the world. The Secret Agency is probably one of the most interesting places I have ever worked as they work with some of the most creative artists I can think of.
What are your aspirations for the future?
In the distant future I would like to be running my own management company in London with a very special curated roster of the best in electronic music. A slightly crazier aspiration I have is to think up some kind of new tech ideas that will benefit the whole industry and hopefully put the labels back in the driving seat of the industry.
How did your course prepare you for life in the music business?
What I learnt at ACM has helped me endlessly as I can can always say to prospective employers that I know such a wide range of skills in all areas of the music industry, everything from sync to AP1 and AP2 agreements haha! when I’m questioned on it I have a lot to talk about, that’s probably the best part. One of the most productive things encouraged by The G, Mike McNally, was staying very up to date on current events and having group debates about them.
Do you have any advice for those looking to get into the industry?
I am far from an industry expert, but if I had to give advice I would say never stop talking to people and always let people see your passion. Show a real interest in what everyone has to say.
What motivated you to come and study at ACM?
I liked the idea of studying something that had real meaning to me and was focused and specific. I think it shows a certain level of commitment.
What was the best part about studying at ACM?
The best part had to be the weekly guest speakers and also the people I surrounded myself with.
Connect with Max Creswell on LinkedIn
If you’d like to be a student at ACM to kickstart your career in the music industry like Max Creswell, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
