Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristen Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kristen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

As an artist manager you must expect the unexpected. Honestly no matter how much you plan, the unexpected will find its way to you often in the entertainment industry. As a manager it’s my job to have backup plans for when problems arise but I’m not a total mind reader and it sure is a huge blow when times come and none of your backup plans will suffice.

This industry itself is an unexpected issue to put it simply. It’s something that needs to be more understood. When social media highlights only peoples success it is easy to get clouded with comparisons and lose sight of what efforts and strategies were put in place before that “viral video”you saw. This industry is ever changing and you are constantly getting curveballs thrown at you. It’s important to just remember you mission and pivot and prioritize as best you can.

The biggest solution to any problem is to allot time for the unexpected issues so that you can still hit deadlines and uphold promises – amongst the countless types of issues that arise I believe that solution to be the answer to many of them.

Kristen, 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?

I am going to paste my bio and will elaborate further after, here it is –

Kristen is a strategic and creative artist manager and event organizer. Guiding and developing confidence with every artist encountered to ensure their sole focus is their craft.

Music has been an all consuming aspect of Kristen’s life and has manifested into her one passion. She is well known for her unique and uplifting spirit which she enacts with each project and artist encountered. Kristen carries this genuine love on her sleeve with each career step taken.

Throughout her career, Kristen has orchestrated a multitude of sold out concerts, ensuring every piece of production was ready to melt faces. To further her industry expertise, she obtained an associate degree in Entertainment Business, receiving honors as the salutatorian of her 2020 graduating class.

Superpowers include maintaining excellent organization of all projects and ensuring maximum communication while everyone involved progresses creatively. Kristen spends both her free time and work time making sure all conversations lead to inspiration, courage, and growth. Her passions and roles in life come down to making beautiful music experiences for the artist(s) and their fans.

In August of 2020 Kristen jumped into the Brain Candy galaxy to exercise new parts of her mind as Creative Brain Operator. Evolving with this beyond the traditional company alongside the variety of talent that orbits BCM she has learned countless new skills and taken on several new adventures while still maintaining her live music path as well. She maintains new ideas and excitement of spending life working alongside creative souls as their dreams rise together.

– To elaborate let’s start with the heart. I love music to the extreme and since I can remember it has totally consumed me which sparked my interest in the industry. I made the choice to dedicate my life to making music experiences awesome for the artists and their fans. Being paid to be around loud and weird chaos is what I thrive for so since 2010 I have dedicated my life to making that my whole life. I worked my way from being on a street team for my hometown venue, to doing some marketing, to running shows. I got in with some local and regional bands learning and growing with their strengths and weaknesses and began trying to organize the chaos. I took every opportunity I could afford (time and money wise) while working several odd just to keep the music industry in my life. I lead with passion and prove my hard work and efforts towards my career with every move I make. The right people will appreciate and keep your journey alive and well with you once they see that.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Something that stands out to me is the fact that I spent several years selling merch and being a runner for concerts with the goal of managing those things as well as all the other moving parts to a show and/or artist career. While doing that I was told many discouraging things, mainly from jaded people who were getting burned out at the end of their careers. Managers told me “you don’t wanna do this”. Some people acted like I would stay stuck in merch and would never be given an opportunity for the growth I desired.

All those negative things to say, I used the discouragement to encourage myself to prove them all wrong. Never let anyone tell you what you want to do with your life, that’s for you and you only to figure out. It was easy to not get stuck in one job title as the entertainment industry is full of people with several talents. It was all just more fuel to my fire that I understood more than one department of my work world. I just started being a tour manager assistant while doing merch, then coordinating VIPs and press interviews, etc. Staying excited and knowledgable and always voicing your goals to those you work around are key.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It is rewarding to manage artists because I get to be part of their goal journeys. I am constantly surrounded by inspiration because I get to hear peoples dreams and give them direction. We have to constantly be creative together and the goal is to keep the journey alive and just as importantly, the excitement alive. It’s an indescribable energy that I would not trade for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.braincandymgmt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k10ontour/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k10ontour/

Image Credits
Photographer for the 2 professional shots: Ayla Kress