Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jesse Simon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jesse , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Other Peoples Children was founded in 2017 as an Art Collective and in 2021 we (my business partners Blake Woods, Blair Green, and I) turned it into a Talent Agency. I’ve been an agent engulfed in youth culture for almost 20 years and when people would ask me what I did for a living, I would always respond with “I work with other peoples children”. I love word play and at one time we also had studios that our talent could use for free, which we called “Child Support Studios”. Simultaneously, I have always thought that any business where the product was living, breathing, feeling, human beings, should have an approach that leant more humanity. The name Other Peoples Children is our constant reminder to our clients / brands / etc, that they are working with people, not machines.
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?
Like many model and talent agents, I fell headfirst into the business on accident. I was in art school in Chicago, studying art curation and entertainment management. One day I saw an old friend of mine on a billboard for Abercrombie. I found out he was represented as a model by an agency called Ford Models. At the time I didn’t really care about modeling, but was intrigued. It turned out that Ford had an office in Chicago and I applied for an internship. With a stroke of luck they gave me the position. Because i had a good eye for who was “it”, I quickly made a name for myself as a scout and was transferred to Ford Models Ny. I was trained and worked with the best, eventually relocating to Los Angeles, where I helped co direct the office. A few years later I became the director of LA Models (LA’s biggest model agency). I never really fit in and I always did what I felt was right in my gut. I scouted people based on how they made me and others feel. I was always looking for that certain something. This approach made me seem like I didn’t care about industry standards, but it wasn’t that. I wanted to sign and develop talented (keyword) special people, no matter their size, gender, etc.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Honestly, I’m an artsy kid from Missouri. I never gave much measure to grammar, but I have always been a good story teller. I have always known how to connect with people. When I was 22 years old I got an opportunity to apply at what was then, the Willam Morris Agency. I crushed the interview, only to fail a grammar test (I assume it was because I would need to proof read agents emails, etc as I was being trained) and I failed it twice. At that point I had already been working at Ford for a year and felt some minor shame, but also relief. Their office was full of cubicles and was not my vibe. I sort of laughed it off and kept doing me. Looking back it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It helped me realize I had a lot more powerful arrows in my quiver than spell check. It also taught me to fail fast and keep it moving. That’s how I still operate.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I chose this question because it’s very important to get the message out to people that they can self fund their business. If you have the vision, the gumption to act on your vision, the spirit of a builder, and a little bit of runway, you don’t need others money. I still take every meeting that comes my way from potential investors, but there is so much tire kicking and if your concept isn’t one that they can “grasp”, you have to keep pushing the rock up the hill. You can’t be attached to their opinions, but open to their suggestions. Also, what i have found is, everyone wants to give you money when you no longer need it.
Contact Info:
- Website: opcmgmt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otherpeopleschildren/