We were lucky to catch up with Charity “holly” Haith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Charity, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I fell in love with Entertainment for the first time when I was ten. That was the year that I noticed a new awakening of creative curiosity within myself. I would find myself many nights waking up from a dream I had, jotting down a rough draft script, and then acting out the dream with my barbie dolls and my best friend the next morning. Although I had been involved in dance for years prior to this moment, my mother took note to this new found talent and knew there was something very special happening. A few years later, my mother signed me up to audition for the drama department at Overton High School for the Performing Arts. Although the location of the school was on the other side of town and it would be hard for my single parent mom to commute daily; my mom was determined to find the perfect school to nurture my talents. I can still remember showing up to what seemed to be the real life version of FAME and auditioning as if my life depended on it. My palms were sweaty and my heart pounded in my chest like snare drums in a marching band. I knew that this was going to be a turning point in my life if I was accepted and had never been more sure about anything in my life. After being accepted, my life forever changed. While there, I was introduced and casted in various musicals, plays, and dance performances. I was also appointed to write scripts and direct productions alongside being senior class president, captain of the Pom squad and homecoming queen. My plate was overflowing with extracurricular activities, but I still found the time to seek talent around me. Because I had so much experience with the arts in high school, I would find myself searching for local talent and helping them nurture their skills with the knowledge I had learned. I then expanded to scouting my close friends who were talented just to give them guidance. They would often times come to me to review agreements and trusted me for advice on their teenage gigs. I never charged a cent. In my junior year of high school, I was elected to be our school’s National Forensics League President. While in that position, I lead the very first school wide Mock Trial. I researched various cases, sought after a real judge to orchestrate the mock trial, and elected faux jury members from our school to participate. I enjoyed every second of the Mock Trial process. My passion was immediately sparked yet again when asked in my junior year what I wanted to be when I grew up. I quickly responded with a huge smile, “I want to be an Entertainment Lawyer.” Shortly after, I graduated from Spelman College while attaining an internship with super mogul manager Manny Halley & became a Journalist for an online music media outlet. I also simultaneously founded my very own public relations company while living in Atlanta. I would have to say that those early experiences in Atlanta solidified my passion for the music industry as I now transition into Entertainment Law & Management in Los Angeles.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Record Label Professional & the founder of an artist management company. After several years of seeking my true purpose and having talks with God, I decided to pursue Entertainment Law and enrolled in law school in 2022. I am now working in the Business and Legal Affairs department at the largest record label in the world helping talented artists and creatives just like I was called to do from birth. I also recently founded my very own management company (Mahogany Management LLC) to help guide talented music artists and actors/actresses in the entertainment space.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book that I live by is “All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald Passman. This book I would say is the roadmap for all artists and music industry professionals. I have actually worked with a few people that contributed to this book over the years as well. This book is such a staple in my household, that I have two different editions of the same book lol. This book always becomes the topic of conversation when I meet new artists.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my opinion, I think artist development should be re-introduced to the music industry and become a necessary component in a new artist’s trajectory again. I think in the present day, the industry puts a lot of emphasis on the artist’s online presence and social media fan base; so much so that I think the days of finding fresh new untapped talent has been on the back burner. I also feel that these new artists that may have gone viral on tik tok or IG, has essentially skipped the necessary step of artist development. This brand new viral artist is then oftentimes unprepared when a label may sign them and it becomes a steep uphill battle from there because they were not prepped for this music industry beforehand. I have business plans in the future to bring this back to the forefront. Stay tuned!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyhaith/
• Twitter: https://x.com/hollyhaith?s=21&t=x2cKx6rjio701D_ORIvPVA

Image Credits

Evan Allen