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

Hi John, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I’m in the process of building a rich legacy, the kind that’s built on love, integrity, and my overall spirit. I believe by attempting each day with the right heart it’s completely possible, and people will say that I touched them once I’m gone. In the long run I want be remembered for the love I represented. Not just my love of self but the love I carry for others, my love of knowledge, my love of pouring into others what’s been poured into me, and my love for humanity as a whole.

John, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My story begins way before I can remember. From what I was told I was born with drumsticks in my hand. Be that true or false, for as long as I can recall music has always been a major part of my life, and it’s the only thing I ever imagined. It came easy to me. I learned to play bass guitar and piano by ear and with my dad being a musician himself I followed his every step and became a sponge to any and all knowledge that pertained to music. My dad being my main influence taught me about everything from Jazz/r&b to gospel and even entertainment management, which led to my overall career choice of becoming a manager.

I became serious about my career early on. I must’ve been 12 at the time but I signed up as a songwriter with ASCAP in middle school, and I later made an attempt to start at label at 15. Though I was young, I was extremely ambitious and I was student. So much of a student that I found my way around industry producers at that time who gave me a chance to listen and learn, and I equate a lot of my success today to those early lessons.

Knowing what I wanted never changed, so once the time came for me to attend college I decided to major in Business and Mass Communication at Alcorn State University with the goal of entertainment management in sight. Attending Alcorn gave me a chance to develop in places I hadn’t before by learning the ins and out of working around radio and tv. This led to putting shows together on campus, and eventually around my home state of Mississippi, creating a platform that wasn’t there with and for artist. One of which I manage today, Josh Waters. After graduating I continued to work closely with Josh and other artist eventually moving to Atlanta, Ga in 2018. In the time from that move till now the growth has been exponential. I’ve been honored enough to learn from industry greats like Big K.RI.T., WLPWR, Smoke DZA, Greg Smith and more. I’m still a student and this goes without saying but the knowledge I gained from them, and others made a lot of things possible. I’ve grown from looking into the window of the music industry to experiencing it in real-time. I’m grateful to say the least. Choosing entertainment management has taken me places I’ve only imagined. Being from a small town in Mississippi, my greatest joy has been rising to new heights with my clients. Seeing my artist perform at notable places like SOBs in New York and even the Echo lounge in Dallas, TX, knowing the work I’ve personally put in has made every decision from childhood until now worth it and I’m most proud of that.

I only look for one thing in potential clients and that’s their own belief. I bet the house on myself, so when it comes to working with others I’m looking for the same commitment. In my heart that’s the only way a working relationship between us can work.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes, of course. The main book I would suggest to anyone is “Everything You Need To Know About The Music Business”. It literally tells you everything in a sense. In the words of one of my mentors it’s a Bible of sorts, but it’s not the complete answer to success. I’d also say watch every music documentary, or movie you possibly can. This is something that’s worked for me, only because it allows you to at least hear about other managers, peer into some of their success and mistakes, and model yourself in the fashion that you’d like. I also follow managers that I like and watch and read every interview that they do. That isn’t to copy them but it’s similar to watching film as an athlete for me.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice is to be an example. We’ve all heard it before but the best leader is one that does everything he/she ask of their team. I personally practice self love. I speak grace over myself, I meditate, and I tackle each day with conviction and my teams response is to do it the same way. Sure some days may not feel the best but we practice the art of reflection. We see each other for the reality of existence instead of the reality of a situation. I know that’s around the question some, but be who you want your team to be and it’ll be reflected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/johngriggs?fbclid=PAAaa-ohZBstGyLngbm66Vau6XJ2TbUnH0ZFJr8ysXSsmWhfkmuDVnxmUtlbA_aem_AcTrRkvB-_UUbxPyRChrJxLYvBcgFbnr15tcaafU57NHhyKEpotwGFrCh2w0T2dRrTQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thats_griggs/?hl=en

Image Credits
John Zirker: @iofjz on socials