Ground Up Entertainment is an artist development company based in Vancouver, BC, and with locations in Nairobi, Kenya. Our goal is to provide a wide range of services to help artists develop and sustain their careers, with a focus on cohesive, effective, and inexpensive marketing.
The overriding concern at Ground Up Entertainment is successful career development, so the company works to help artists deal with whatever obstacles stand between them and success.
Ground Up Entertainment is also available to East African artists and labels on a contract basis, one-off projects that can include marketing (campaign design, music retail marketing, lifestyle marketing, and internet marketing on a local, regional, or national level), distribution management, PR campaigns (press, television, internet, and radio), show bookings and tour support, collateral design – chances are if it involves the production or marketing of successful artists, we’re involved in it.
We are artist-oriented and artist-directed and dedicated to ensuring that great bands and artists get the exposure and opportunities that they deserve – as well as providing a dedicated marketing company they can rely on throughout their career.
Ground Up Entertainment is working to build a reputation for finding great bands and artists. It is important that people be able to trust that any band working with Ground Up Entertainment has all of the elements necessary for success in what is a highly competitive industry. Ground Up Entertainment strives to discover only the ultimate unsigned talent to work with. As a music talent agent, we’re constantly like talent scouts on a perpetual talent search. It is our goal to become the leading talent agency and unsigned band resource in the world
The artist development program at Ground Up Entertainment is unique in the music industry. It is a partnership between Ground Up Entertainment and the artist. Ground Up Entertainment is vested in the ongoing success of the band/artist, and in return the band/artist gets the full benefit of working with Ground Up Entertainment – major-label level marketing, art design, street team and retail maintenance, and PR services, among other things.
Most importantly, Ground Up Entertainment brings a wealth of industry experience and contacts to give each artist we work with every chance at success.
It is critical that Ground Up Entertainment maintain a reputation for working with the highest level of talent. We are looking for artists and bands that have most if not all of the elements necessary for success in the music business: Great songs, a high level of musicianship, a strong vision, good work ethic and a dedication to their craft and to their career – all the things that media, venues, and record labels look for when they seek out new music.
The Artist Development Program is unique in the music industry. It allows up-and-coming artists access to the full range of services offered by Ground Up Entertainment when they need it most, and can afford it the least.
Every artist is different, and has different needs. Ground Up Entertainment provides different services, depending on each artist. Working in close consultation with the artist, we design a customized marketing plan, and then execute it.
Although the company focuses on marketing efforts, Ground Up Entertainment also offers a wide range of services, including:
- Design and production of marketing tools, press kits, and EPKs.
- Access to local and national distribution.
- Special costs on CD and collateral materials through our associated vendors.
- Professional-level PR campaigns.
- Web-design and mailing list maintenance.
- Tour support.
- Street-level and lifestyle marketing campaigns.
- Wide range of industry and market contacts, including music supervisors, publishers, distributors, record stores, and venues.
…if it involves an artist’s career, chances are Ground Up Entertainment is working in that area.
One of the things that make Ground Up Entertainment so effective is the use of all these elements together. Good marketing needs the support of good distribution, well-timed and well executed PR campaigns, and the production of the right marketing tools. When knitted together, into a cohesive marketing plan these elements can become pivotal in the development of an artist’s career.
If you have a new record coming out, or even a big event that you need to promote, both in Nairobi and Vancouver, Ground Up Entertainment can help you make it successful. Please call or email with the specifics of your project for a customized quote…
| What Ground Up Entertainment is Not |
Ground Up Entertainment is not an agent (whose role is to obtain employment). As personal managers we are not a publicist (whose role is to generate publicity). Nor are we an attorney (whose role is to provide legal counsel). We are not investors, sponsors, or financial backers. We provide the avenues for success. Lastly, we were not business managers (whose role is to provide accounting, investment, and other financial services). However, as artist managers we have extremely close associations and work very closely with booking agents, publicists, entertainment attorneys, and business managers, on behalf of our artist clients to provide them with all of these services as part of the overall promotional strategy and career advancement mechanism.
Our core competencies
• Creative development of your material
• Image creation and enhancement
• Promotion, marketing and public relations
• Tour support and booking interaction
• Record company negotiations
• Providing advice and counsel
As our artist’s personal manager we are responsible for everything and anything that enhances the development of our performing artist’s career. From venue selection, simple staging suggestions, to complex negotiations, to long term career plans, Ground Up Entertainment lives the artist’s career every day behind the scenes. Our commitment to and involvement in our artist’s career is one hundred per cent.
As your personal manager we act as the driving force breaking through the barriers of frustration and difficulty so often encountered in the entertainment industry. We totally believe in and keep fighting for our clients when all others have given up. We’ll provide every possible musician resource that we can at all times.
At Ground Up Entertainment we believe that the relationship between us as your personal manager and you the performing artist is just like a marriage. It’s extremely important and we work unending to assure that the elements of trust, loyalty, and respect are present at all times within our relationship. Without this, it would be a bumpy road that we would just as-soon not be involved with. As an artist, those elements must be present always to keep things moving smoothly and on an upward trend.
At Ground Up Entertainment, we do not take responsibilities like that lightly, as a prerequisite to employment or association with Ground Up Entertainment, our personal managers must have the broadest of experience in the entertainment industry and strictly adhere to our core philosophy and the industry code of ethics on a daily basis. As an organization in general, we keep up to date and well informed on industry practices, standards, and regulations. We are always alert to the constant changes affecting the entertainment industry. Only with this experience and up to date knowledge can Ground Up Entertainment as personal artist managers benefit our artists under contract and those clients we work with on an independent non-contractual basis.
If you’re an unsigned artist, unsigned band, or singer-songwriter even if you’re already signed who is seeking professional artist representation and you truly believe you’re ready and have what it takes to accelerate your music career to the next level with a good record deal being your primary objective you may want to submit your demo and talk with Ground Up Entertainment.
Please Note: Because Ground Up Entertainment’s credibility as an unsigned band resource to major labels is paramount to us, we can only consider working with artists and bands that we feel have true break-through potential. This is why it is necessary for you to submit your demo or request an online review of your material for initial consideration. No it’s not like an American Idol Audition, we’re not American Idol … We can really help (HA)
If you have interest in being considered for management, demo shopping, or any of Ground Up Entertainment’s consultative or contract services, and you meet most or all of the following criteria:
- Your totally 100% serious about your music career,
- you have star-quality break-through potential (commercially marketable image and material)
- You have original, unique Radio-Hit songs or are willing to work with professional co-writers and attitude
- You have at least some sort of budget (small as it may be) to handle some of the extranious expenses producers
- You have backing and are free to pursue your career
- You’re willing to accept the counsel and advice of professional music industry veterans in lieu of major associated with promoting your career that are not traditionally covered by your management team
- You’re RED HOT … We can only bring the heat to the major labels … anything cooler then Piping hot won’t do …..
Then Ground Up Entertainment and it’s associates want to hear from you
Although we would love to be everyone’s band manager but for obvious reasons … we can’t. If we feel that we can’t work with you for any reason at all or just plain feel we can’t help you at all we’ll tell you and we won’t waste any more of your time. But if we like what we hear well then …. The stars in the sky could be the limit. If you have any questions you can contact us.
As an artist management firm, and career consultant, Ground Up Entertainment works to develop the careers of artists with break-through potential. We work with artists who have been signed to management or a production agreement with us or on an independent consultative basis.
Basically, with the consultative approach you reap the benefits of our professional music connections, artist management services and music producers but are not committed to any contracts. We work with you independently to help advance your career. This senario works very nicely for artists who feel they are not ready for professional representation, or to commit to one management firm or production house just yet.
Both work basically the same in that we work with you and promote in the same way independently as if you were under our band management. One of the core differences is that the consultative approach is fee-based, where management is commission based meaning that we receive an ongoing percentage of everything you do, now and in the future. If you make it, and sign a lucrative recording contract this could be substantial. As your consultant, it’s basically one and done. You pay a small monthly fee for the same services but have no contractual commitments. The fee structure is nominal and set up accordingly keeping your budget restraints in mind.
With this approach you basically have a manager … doing everything a manager does from P/R, Marketing, image and creative development, and shopping the record deal. All this for a nominal fee from a firm with intense industry contacts and reach and a multitude of resources
Some of the developmental services
we’ll work with you on are:
- Artist Development
- Core Focuses
- Creative development of your material
- Image creation and enhancement
- Promotion, marketing and public relations
- Tour support and booking interaction
- Artist’s Cutting Edge Web Site Design & Online Promotions
- Demo Shopping
- Record company negotiations
- And plenty more …
