577 - Dave Shapiro

Dave Shapiro comes to us from the world of representation at United Talent Agency. From his early days behind the kit and as a tour manager to where he sits now in Beverly Hills, Dave's grasp of each component for his clients success is what sets him apart from other agents. By understanding the role of a mentor and creating his own lane wherever he worked allowed him to rise quickly through the ranks. In a world without seniority or privilege, it is Dave's strategic manipulation of human psychology that keeps him at the top of his game and continually confirming more deals for his diverse roster of talent. Learn to negotiate and find your creative value as we hear from a real life Ari Gold about fighting for the best deal on today's adventure. 

Talking Points

• Is UTA the biggest talent agency in the world?
• Finding representation with some leverage and what that means for your career. 
• It all starts with someone in a band. 
• Taking your hands on experience to the other side so you can completely relate to your clients. 
• From tour manager to drum tech to promoting to booking bands and getting them on the road. 
• Taking the talent on Equal Vision Records to the next level and get them an agent. 
• Going from short term goals to long term deals with a future. 
• Riding your boss and gaining respect both ways to create your own lane. 
• Three years, three job offers, and breaking out of your comfort zone to learn more. 
• From Devil Wears Prada to Nickelback in their "prime" years. 
• Mentorship instead of paid for degrees that mean nothing. 
• Getting bought into UTA and becoming a real dude with a real title at a real agency. 
• You are as good as you are today. Period. 
• Finding your Ari Gold. 
• Living in a high stress world while staying three steps ahead with or without personal outlets. 
• Delivering news the right way to change the conversation. 
• Greatest misses. 
• Good Cop and Bad Cop get paid... by working together.
• Mastering the art of flight. 
• Loop di loops, barrel rolls, and ghost riding the whip fifteen hundred feet above the ground. 
• Great rates at the airline pump, commuter planes, and bypassing airport security. 
• Going solo. 
• The first real flight by yourself and the soundtrack to flying high. 
• What do most people get wrong about owning a plane?
• The pains of flying commercial.
• Looking deeper at negotiations and the different approaches people take. 
• Using the phone to push people as far as you can based off their tone. 
• Psychology over dollars. 
• Know your audience and know your negotiation points. 
• Balance where you want to be and where you need to be. 
• Can you get over taking it personally?
• Managing expectations case by case to humanize the process. 
• Don't forget that you need an escape. 
• Percentages, discretionary bonuses, and hitting the not so straightforward factors. 
• What's next on Dave Shapiro's horizon?

Need more insider info on what's like in the music industry? Biggie runs Good Fight Entertainment managing bands and making the most out of their dreams.

On the other side of the fence form today's interview is the life of the talent itself. There is no better glimpse into some of that life than that of singer Anthony Green.

Tom Zutaut helped shape the world of rock and roll with his eye for the exceptional. Hear about the world of music before the internet brought it down on it's knees in AID 336.