I'd like to meet:
KEVIN R. MADDEN
THE BEGINNING
Behind It All was born in the spring of 2005 on the campus of Howard University. Behind It All started as a lecture series that strived to educate students about those individuals behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. In October of 2005, the series came to life as Kevin Liles, EVP of Warner Music Group, spoke to the students of Howard University about his journey from intern to president in the entertainment industry. In August of 2006, Behind It All was highlighted on BET’s teen show The Center as a unique positive experience for those aspiring to gain entry in the entertainment industry. In October of 2006, Behind It All introduced students to the “Women Behind It All†honoring Deidre Graham of Deja Star Productions, Lori-Ann Gibson of MTV’s Making the Band, and Joi Brown of Atlantic Records.
During my time managing Behind It All I also took on another project. When I was a sophomore at Howard University, I met this guy named Brandon Hines. He was a freshman and ironically, hung out with all of my younger friends from Chicago. Over the course of the year, we all became really close and I ended up moving in with one of his best friend from Detroit. One day Brandon was over the house and he started singing and I flipped out. “B! How come you didn’t tell me you sing?†He was so shy so he never sang for anybody – “I don’t know man.†At that point I gave him an index card and asked him to sign it. He was blown by that – “NO! I’m not no star man you’re crazy!†Me being me, I made him sign it and I told him that he doesn’t know it yet but he will be a star and I really meant that.
You have to meet him to understand but I truly believe that there is something special about this guy. Fast forward – Brandon began working with Miguel Graves and a group of producers/writers that go by the name of Heavyweight Entertainment. As the days passed and people became familiar with his music, Brandon realized his potential and began working on an album entitled Love Music: Falling In, Falling Out. He would soon ask me to be his manager- of course I accepted.
THE PRESENT
A lot has changed since those days at HU. Once I graduated, I moved to NYC to pursue my dreams. Brandon soon followed as we decided that if we were serious about conquering the industry, we had to move to NYC to make it happen. The grind began as we made our rounds at parties, met with industry executives, and rubbed shoulders with producers and writers. The beauty of NYC is that everything is at your fingertips. There are definitely some crazy ass people here but nothing can outweigh the progress that we’ve made, the people that we’ve met, and the story we’ll be able to tell.
THE FUTURE
I’m not a fortune teller but I will say that I believe. I believe that God will bless me far more than I know.
Robert Francis Kennedy once said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.â€