Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Taylor.
Tamara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I may be biased, but I like to think that my journey gives Cinderella a run for her glass slipper. I attended the University of Miami after graduating from Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park. During those 8 years, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I secured multiple internships ranging from accounting, law, and entertainment and switched my major 3 times. I ultimately decided on HR Management which I thought perfectly merged my passion for working with people and money. I applied for many HR Positions my senior year of college but I honestly did not feel prepared enough to run an entire department, and my ego at the time would not let me settle for an entry-level assistant position, so I decided to spend some time giving back while I figured it out. I joined the Teach for America program where I was placed in St. Louis as a Middle School Math teacher.
Unfortunately, 6 months in, I fell ill and returned to Chicago. Facing the same struggle of not feeling prepared but having an ego, I decided to apply for management training programs. I ultimately secured one that would place me back in Miami (my second home) for 6-12 months. I ended up being promoted from the program after 3 months to what I thought would be a permanent position in Orange County, California. Despite accolades in the West Coast territory as an individual responsible for the impressive operations and impeccable sales of 31 locations, I was laid off randomly. I was crushed, felt broken, and did not know what I was going to do.
Five days later, I met a man on a plane who would change my life forever. With no experience in the fashion industry, and only my organization, business, and excel skills/experience backing me, Law Roach (known as Luxury Law, Image Architect to the stars) hired me as his Business Manager. I spent months researching everything I could from how to start a business, to industry specific standards and developed a system to help him manage his business and employees. This led to him referring me to his colleagues and other artists in the industry and I began branding myself as a Business Manager for creative artists. Two years later, I decided to transition from a Business Manager to just offering management services as I enjoyed negotiating deals more than I liked balancing checkbooks. The Tuesday after Labor Day 2018 will mark 5 years of my mastermind journey and my company now focuses on not only providing management and brokering services for glam/grooming artists and talent, but also brand partnerships, project management, and event coordination services for an elite clientele.
In 5 years, I’m blessed to say that the client roster of the artists I represent have included the likes of Zendaya, Celine Dion, Taraji P. Henson, LaLa Anthony, Monica, Yara Shahidi, Ally Brooke, Kelly Rowland, Future, Rae Sremmurd, and so many others.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth and there were definitely struggles! The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to navigate in an industry that I was not only new to but also NEVER had an interest in, to begin with. I also did not know what it took to start a business (despite having a business degree) so it was tough trying to manage a client’s business while building my own at the same time. The best advice I could give is to ask questions and do your research. Do not be afraid to say what you don’t know, make sure you do the things you know how to do well, and never stop learning and growing. Whatever you do, don’t pretend to know something that you don’t. It never ends well.
Please tell us about Mastermind MGT.
My niche is management for creative artists. My clients are celebrity glam/grooming artists which include wardrobe stylists, hair stylists, makeup artists, and barbers. On a daily basis, I am negotiating deals, managing calendars, coordinating travel, and exploring brands for my clients to partner with. Some proud moments include my first magazine credit in Justine Magazine (Zendaya’s cover styled by Law Roach), my first movie deal which is an upcoming movie starring Taraji P. Henson (hair by Tym Wallace) and negotiating deals for some incredible Met Gala moments.
The main thing that sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and genuine relationships with clients. I am 100% dedicated and make myself available whenever they need me. I go above and beyond to make sure they have whatever they need because when they’re happy, I’m a little less stressed lol.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
This is interesting because this week I was actually speaking with a friend about female leaders and not feeling connected to any in this industry. Because I never aspired to be a manager in this field, I didn’t have anyone that I looked up to per say. As I learned more about the industry, I realized that there were agencies that represent glam/grooming artists, but not necessarily managers. I tried to expand my search to artist managers in the entertainment industry in general, and I’ve been having a hard time finding them aside from Mona Scott Young who’s career path is impressive and inspiring. It was actually mind boggling because many of the people I speak to on a daily basis in the industry are women, but they are not noted as the talent/artist’s manager. It seems like a lot of the women are behind the scenes (or I need to keep researching, lol), but I would love to see more of us in the forefront.
Contact Info:
- Website: mastermindmgt.com
- Email: info@mastermindmgt.com
- Instagram: @MastermindMGT
- Facebook: @MastermindMGT
Image Credit:
Shaun Andru (studio photos only)
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
