We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alex Akleh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alex below.
Alex, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
The ever-evolving trend is TikTok and Instagram Reels. My own artists have had a lot of viral moments using these tools—whether it’s ACRAZE with the “Do It To It” moment, Rated R showcasing his new music through golf cart videos, or Wakyin testing out tracks with show clips. The variety of ideas is endless. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but the key is to be innovative. That’s who succeeds. What ruins it is when people see a viral video and try to recreate it. Then more people start doing the same thing, and eventually, it just becomes corny. You get noticed for being authentic, not by following trends.
Alex, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Well, I got into the music industry through promoting events. I went to four different high schools and used to throw parties all the time, and in doing so, I met a lot of people. After I graduated, I worked for a mentor of mine who had a business consulting firm (I was more of an assistant, but I learned a lot). Not too long after, I decided to start an events company and threw my own parties; that eventually led me down the road of artist management. I loved the process of it all, and I got to do it with one of my best friends. There was no money in any of those endeavors, but the passion I had for each fueled me all the same.
Trying to balance that and an actual job was difficult, but I managed to create a way. For about five years, we hit obstacle after obstacle, progressing by inches. Once COVID hit, we never stopped working on ourselves. That’s when we finally struck gold. One of my artists, Acraze, created what was later known as the global hit “Do It To It.” That’s when everything reached a new level for all of us—“a rising tide raises all ships.” That period helped us all grow as artists and managers and taught me a lot about myself. I brought the work ethic I had during the times of trying to “break through” into the “breakthrough” moment.
As time has continued on, I’ve maintained my work rate, and I feel that separates me from a lot of others who have allowed their success to slow them down. Looking back, I’d say the thing I’m most grateful for is not achieving success when I was first starting out. That entire period was the part of the journey that made me truly appreciate what I have now, but also realize that I wasn’t truly ready for it then. The part of this journey I’m most proud of is getting to do all of this with my best friends. None of this would feel anything close to the same if they were just clients to me. I love them all like family, and they make the experience as remarkable as it is.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think the work I’ve done building three artists from the ground up in three different genres has helped establish a reputation for me. Additionally, one of those artists having a massive global hit and me navigating that entire process has also helped.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The key to managing a highly effective team is assembling the best people you can for a role and then getting out of their way. Teams suffer when you micromanage; it kills creativity and momentum. Additionally, having a “day one” mentality keeps the focus on the end game, and an open-door policy allows people to freely share their opinions without the fear of consequences. Having a team that is blunt and honest drives high performance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.syndicatemgmt.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexakleh/