Behind the scene interview

with Brian Springel Personal Manager

of R&B and Gospel artist Regina Bell!

By Beatrice Davis

Brian Springel has been a friend of mine for many, many years and he has been a road manager for world famous Regina Bell (R&B and Gospel artist) for a little over ten years. He just recently took on the new position of Personal Manager for Regina!

NSAEN: How did you get involved in the entertainment industry?

BRIAN: It was kind of an accident. I met Regina Bell’s manager and at that time her current road manager was just leaving and they needed some help. For me it was a great part time gig. My first gig, we went to Japan. Three cities in 10 days! That was back in 1996.

NSAEN: What are some of the challenges you have encountered as tour and road manager?

BRIAN: Personalities, definitely personalities! Dealing with personalities such as booking agents, concert promoters and the artist--not even the artist you work with, but the other artists you work with on the show. At times it can be a struggle to make everybody happy. To get that done is a big challenge.

NSAEN: You are now the Personal Manager of Regina Bell. What lead you to that position?

BRIAN: (laughing) I got tired being on the road. I left the company and she called me back and asked me to come back as her Personal Manager. I also branched out a bit in the entertainment industry, promoting concerts and booking other artists.

NSAEN: As we know, you have you established your own booking agency. Does your agency book only recording artists or other celebrities as well?

BRIAN: Currently, we are just booking recording artists, but we will expand in the near future into other areas of the entertainment field.

NSAEN: What is a typical day for you as a personal manager?

BRIAN: Because I am on the West Coast, my day starts at about 6 a.m. with phone calls coming in from promoters and booking agents or concert promoters, particular since we have shows coming up and need to organize and coordinate the flights, hotels and other important details. About 10 a.m. is when the phone really starts ringing when the artists start to call. I represent 3 artists at the moment: Regina Bell, Alysian Williams and Bill Perry. Bill and Alysian just got off the road and Regina has a new hit which is number one on smooth jazz radio.

NSAEN: Are you working hand in hand with booking agents and promoters or do you take care of that work yourself?

BRIAN: I take care of that personally.

NSAEN: What is the biggest challenge about managing Regina Bell?

BRIAN: Good question. Lucky for me that she is a pretty easy artist to work with and I know what she likes and doesn’t like, so it is easy to work with her. The biggest challenge right now is getting ready for the photo shoots for Regina’s new album covers. Her first gospel album is coming out and we are arranging shoots for that, as well as for her R&B album and jazz album. She is all across the board as an artist and working with gospel as well as R&B agents and jazz agents is a big challenge.

NSAEN: What are the qualifications and skills needed to becoming a road and tour manager?

BRIAN: The most important skill is to know how to follow up, time and time again, being sure that your agreements stand. People have to pay attention to details and I mean to the smallest details. It would be great to have a business degree and even better if you have already worked in areas such as hospitality and airlines to have a better understanding of how to handle people. Those would be the optimal backgrounds to have if you desire to work as a road manager. You will also need to learn very fast about who is honest and who is not-- those you can trust and those you can’t. A lot of people out there take your money and don’t come through with their promises. You have to learn very fast to weed out the good from the bad and to know who you can work and who you can’t.

NSAEN: How do you select your clients or does the client select you?

BRIAN: The majority of the time the client selects us. When that happens, you have to feel them out and see if you feel comfortable with the client. You should click with the client and do your homework. I had a couple of clients who approached me and, once I did my homework and we spoke a couple of times, I realized we would not be a good team. I always take the time to explain to the client why I can’t or why I prefer not to work with him or her. We have to harmonize as a team and that means a better shot at success.

NSAEN: From a manager’s and a personal perspective, what do you believe to be the future of the entertainment industry?

BRIAN: WOW-- it is tough out there, really tough. I believe that R&B is coming back here in the states. Rap is taking a dive at the moment, Gospel is growing and Jazz is very steady. Country and Western I am not really sure about since I don’t have much work in that arena. But just recently, I was approached by a couple of new up-and-coming country-western artists to manage them and still have to do more research on them. But I think it is growing market.

NSAEN: Do you think that the music scene is now more than ever very closely connected with the film industry?

BRIAN: Most definitely! Recording artists become movie stars and their music will be used in the movies for sound tracks. Yes, I would say it goes hand in hand these days.

NSAEN: How lucrative is the business of managing celebrities, artists or actors?

BRIAN: Financially????? (Laughing) It can be very profitable for a manager, if he is a good manager. But the main thing is, it gives you so many connections and puts you in a position to win. You will meet so many different kinds of people and if you build on those connections it can be very, very profitable. Plus you will receive your percentages, not only based on their general income, but also other ventures and businesses they build when you are their manager. So, yes, you can make very good money but it is also hard, and I mean hard, work.

NSAEN: What impact has technology had in your line of work?

BRIAN: Tremendous impact. In some ways it hurt the music business and in some ways it had incredible positive financial impact. The downloading of music resulted in losing money. Nobody pays for the downloading and the sale of records went down drastically. But, on the other hand, you now have the ring tones and other avenues to make up for it.

NSAEN: Are the any light hearted stories you like to share?

BRIAN: Yes I have one! My favorite story is about Luther Vandross. Regina Bell and Luther Vandross were on tour together in South Africa and the day we (Regina Bell and crew) arrived in South Africa, Luther was starting his rehearsal. I arrived at the moment when he just started rehearsing all of his songs (and I mean ALL of his songs). I was sitting in the first row in this huge venue as the only audience. I literally had my own private Luther Vandross concert. That was amazing!

The great thing is, we will be back in South Africa the end of November and we will be doing a tribute to Luther Vandross in the same venue where he performed. It will be televised in South Africa.

NSAEN: Do you see the touring business growing or do you believe it will become more of an internet broadcast?

BRIAN: In some ways the internet has hurt our touring business. People don’t buy as many tickets as they used too. Of course, it has a lot to do with the prices going up. It is easier going on the internet to watch your favorite artist from the comfort of your home. And you don’t have to pay for a ticket.

NSAEN: What advice can you offer upcoming managers or individuals who are considering becoming managers in the entertainment industry?

BRIAN: Wow, that is not an easy question...Lordy…I don’t know what to say. Make sure you know your artist and understand what your position is and realize that you have a 24 hour, 7 days a week job. You have to be good with people and you should know how accounting works, since you will be responsible for the daily operations. Also, know the travel industry. Make sure you put a certain amount of money aside for emergencies when the artist gets in a situation where you need to react quickly.

NSAEN: Well, Brian it was a pleasure speaking with you and thank you for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to sit down with us. We wish you future success! Perhaps one day we can come on the road and watch you in action…