We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Corynne Burrows. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Corynne below.

Hi Corynne, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Life is all about calculated risks.

I’ve always been a risk taker. There is something deep-rooted within me that requires a bit of risk-taking, and thrives off the adrenaline rush that comes with it.

I identify with, and believe in, taking risks so much that I named my first ever company “Risc Business” and my social handles to this day are still “Risc_”. The manifesto “the greater the risk, the greater the reward” is something that I have lived by for as long as I can remember.

One of the biggest risks I ever took was in 2012, when I was working for a financial institution called Amscot. I had been working there for a few years, and I truly enjoyed the job. I was good at it, made decent money, and received yearly paid time off.

I submitted my PTO request months in advance, and saved every cent I could to finally attend my first ever EDC Las Vegas. I bought the hotel, the plane tickets, the GA event tickets, and everything months in advance… and about a week before I was supposed to leave on my trip, I was told that my request was not approved and that I was scheduled to work.

I fought back as much as I could, explaining how invested I was in the trip, and how openly I had communicated that I was not available to work during that time. Unfortunately, they did not care and told me that if I was not going to be there for work, that I needed to resign. I told them that I was not going to resign, but they could fire me if they felt that like was the best solution… and that’s exactly what they did.

A week after being fired, I got on a plane to visit Las Vegas for the first time ever, and attended my first EDC.

That trip was life-changing for me in so many ways. I arrived hours before the event opened, and ran inside the moment they opened the gates. I will never forget the feeling of coming up to the top of the speedway and seeing how massive the landscape for the event was. It still gives me chills, honestly.

I ran to the rail at mainstage, and stayed there the entire day. I was absolutely mesmerized by the whole thing – the djs, the performers, the art installations, the vibe – it was the most incredible experience of my life thus far. I remember telling myself that day “I want to do this for the rest of my life”.

I never looked back after that day, although I did go home, and find another job at a bank where I worked for a few more years… I was simultaneously building my aforementioned company “Risc Business”.

I would work 8 hours a day at the bank, and then go home and work on “Risc Business”. I started originally promoting local events in Florida – first in my hometown of Melbourne, then in Orlando, then in Miami. Eventually I became the Director of Operations for a first-year festival “IMF” in Orlando, and ended up working myself into the hospital from exhaustion.

I nearly swore off the music industry after that event, but instead I decided to transition into artist management, and a few months later… I packed up everything I could fit into my car, sold everything else, and moved to Los Angeles to chase my dreams as an artist manager.

I ran through every dollar I had saved in a matter of weeks, and really thought that I was going to have to move home… but right at the buzzer I landed a personal assistant with Paul Campbell who was starting his new management company – NU Management.

I worked my way from personal assistant, to executive assistant, to COO at NU Management and represented some incredible acts with Paul including Nitti (formerly Nitti Gritti), Sidepiece, Bonnie X Clyde, Morten, Henry Fong, Paris Blohm, and Nonsens, before co-vid hit and I started my management company “Midas Touch Management”.

Opening a management company during a pandemic in 2020 was a risk in itself, but it has been the most rewarding journey ever. I still work with Paul co-managing SIDEPIECE and NITTI, while also representing Myles O’Neal, Henry Fong, Arius, Tessa Lizz, Steller, FOMO, PiCKUPLiNES, and Forbes.

My team at MTM is filled with risk-taking bad-asses as well! Shoutout to my Jr. Manager – Melissa, my PR/Marketing Director – Alex, and my assistant – Lauren, for believing in me, the mission, and our artists. I couldn’t do it without them, and I sincerely appreciate the risks they have taken to help me build MTM into the management company it is today.

I guess this more of a series of risks, rather than one specific risk… but I feel like that is going to remain consistent in the years to come. After all, the greater the risk, the greater the reward!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

In all honesty, I came into the music industry with a very limited understanding of how it actually worked. I was, and to this day remain, a fan first and foremost… but after a decade of experience in many different avenues, I like to believe that I have learned enough to carve out a lane for myself.

Above all else, I think of myself as a systems builder. I am able to look at the way that artists, brands, and businesses are functioning, identify areas in need of improvement, and then build a system that supports the growth in those areas while retaining the core values of the brand, which is beneficial for the business as a whole.

I wear many hats – I currently function as a President and CEO, an artist manager, a team leader, a part-time tour manager, a music manager, a social media manager, a videographer, and so many other things. Luckily, I love them all so although it is an incredible amount of work… I very rarely feel drained.

I love working, learning, and progressing. I also love mentoring, and fostering growth within others. Besides my work-ethic, I think that mentality is what sets me apart from others the most. I refuse to compete with people, because I genuinely want everyone to win.

I feel very thankful that I was able to make a living doing what I love, and I feel very lucky that I am able to support others in building that dream as well. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies, there is a lot of stress and pressure that comes with my position… but at the end of the day, I literally get paid to create memorable experiences for the fans, and party with my friends for a living… it doesn’t get any better than that.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My main mission is to help people live out their dreams – that goes for everyone in my life – my artists, my team, my friends, and my family.

I grew up in a world where I was told to find a company that I could work for for 40 years, and to grind it out until retirement. That mentality just simply didn’t resonate with me, and I know I’m not the only one. There are limitless ways to make money, and to me there is nothing worse than going to a job you hate every day just to make a paycheck to pay your bills.

Life is meant to be lived, and there are ways to survive, and THRIVE, doing what you love to do. I have been to the bottom more times than I can count, and that has given me knowledge and experience that I am able to share with others to help them avoid the pitfalls, and more easily navigate the path towards their dreams.

It is the most satisfying thing in the world to me.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

My main source of inspiration these days is Gary Vee. I really admire the way that he sees the world, and he is constantly inspiring me to restructure my way of thinking, and shift my perspective. He constantly drops a ton of free knowledge in regards to entrepreneurship, social media, and marketing as a whole. His instagram is a gold mine to me.

Amy Hester Thomson dropped an amazing book in 2020 called “Artist Management & Marketing – A Beginners Guide” that I read during the pandemic which really taught me a lot. It was a great resource during the early stages of MTM, and I still refer back to it to this day.

Atomic Habits is also a must read.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.midastouchmgmt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/corynnedustry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corynne.burrows
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corynne-burrows-86134b136/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Risc___