We recently connected with William Medrano and have shared our conversation below.

William, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I always had an interest and admiration in wanting to be creative but never really took it seriously until I was in high school when I started taking theater classes. I wish prior to going to high school would have had an idea of what I wanted to focus on creatively but at the same time I am kind of glad I wasn’t as decisive and got to try out various outlets in being “creative”. Did acting, started a radio show that led to a podcast, did some video editing in high school and shot documentaries, tried to DJ for a bit. It’s been a lot but all this it has led me to a happy place in what I do now.

William, 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 name is William Medrano. I am an only child and Leo get that out of the way. But in all seriousness, I am a personal assistant/cameraman/merchandise handler for Ian Santillano. Rising Indie soul alternative artist from the Bay Area. On the side, I make TikToks that people find funny and amusing to watch but that’s just side work. I’ve known Ian since we were in high school we graduated in the same class and I knew since then he was always passionate about wanting to create his own music. I knew and heard the talent since then and decided to stick by and help him elevate his career. I’ve always been a fan of music and since I can’t play any instruments I decided I want to be part of a music team that is homegrown and see it grow from the ground up in hopes of being part of the music industry. It’s always caught my interest how one artist always has a team running behind the scenes and seeing that made me want to do the same. I think what sets me apart from others is the personal connection I’ve been able to have with the artist and be there not only on the music business side of things but as a brother. Being there when needed and helping promote the brand as we hang out in biking and grabbing a coffee. What I’m most happy about working with Ian is seeing him elevate his craft and become such a better artist every year. The music gets so much better and brings me joy to be able to sell his merchandise at shows and get new fans to join the mailing list, record footage to post on Instagram of performing or interacting with fans. Overlooking business decisions and planning out roll out for new projects. I don’t want to say too.much but help Ian recently secure say a “nice deal”.

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

Not necessarily any books but someone I look to and has inspired me to work in the music industry is Jasper from Odd Future who is Tyler, The Creator’s right-hand man. Seeing him whether it’s filming videos when Tyler is performing to shooting pictures and probably having input on a lot of behind-the-scenes business that went down is someone I strive to be with Ian. At the same time having that personal connection with the artist is why I look up to him,

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Letting creatives have the resources they need accessible. I understand there’s always a monetary value put on everything but at the same time when someone is independent and trying to fund his or her career, it can be a struggle to get a kick start if the resources they need are at a high value. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a value put on it but at least have it where it’s negotiable/reasonable. So many technologies/resources that one can utilize nowadays it’s a shame that not all are attainable for an artist who is independent where money is coming out the pocket.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @WhatsGoodWilly
• Twitter: @WhatsGoodWilly
• Other: TikTok @WhatsGoodWilly

Image Credits
Zachary De Castro