I had a recent discussion
with a group of friends about what we would do if we were famous. Would we sing
or act, what would our image be, and who would be in our entourage? I had never
entertained the idea of being famous as my passion has always been behind the
camera but I played along. When it came to my entourage, I thought long and
hard from a professional standpoint on whom I would want in my hypothetical
professional inner circle. My fashion forward best friend would be my personal
stylist, my high school ex-boyfriend and recent law school graduate would
handle business affairs, and my friend who heads the social media department
for a major New York City advertising agency would handle branding and
marketing. When I came to who in my life would fill the role of manager, my
instinct was honest and alarming. My father! He always has my best interests in
mind, is great with connecting and talking to other people, has the business
training and education at the highest possible level, is hyper-organized, and is
the one who sparked my passion for film and television. Although the other
relationships could be complicated and potentially compromised in my imaginary
movie star life, the one with the most at stake would be with my father. In the
close and important relationship between manager and artist, I could see the
potential disasters that could result from employing my parent as my manager.
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| http://jezebel.com/5707501/how-kris-jenner-may-be-the-richest-reality-star-of-them-all |
“Momagers”, and in my purely
theoretical scenario “Dadagers”, are the newest breed of managers. New artists
breaking into the industry are looking to their closest family members to
protect their professional and personal interests while trying to brave an
uncertain arena. While in many situations this multi-dimensional relationship
could be beneficial, it could also be disastrous to a career and a family. It
is a too often relayed story of moms and dads who started with the pure
interest of helping their children reach their dreams only to end up exploiting
them for the sake of the brand and their own personal fame. There are the cases
of fame seeking mothers and fathers making business decisions that promote themselves
and solidify their own fortune such as Kris Jenner. Sara Farb of women’s
lifestyle website SheKnows discusses
the Kardashian family matriarch and the use of her children as a vehicle to her
own stardom. Her desire to change her name back to Kardashian in order to link
herself with her famous offspring, famously calling her own daughters “fat” and
consistently promoting her own QVC line. Then there are the “Momagers” who do
neither of the functions incorporated in the title. No protection of personal
or professional interests, promotion of a dangerous lifestyle, exploitation of
funds and image, and general abandonment as is the in the much publicized example
of Dina Lohan and her actress daughter and client, Lindsay. There is also the
story of a great manager who neglected the parent-child relationship that is so
vital to any young person, a la the stereotypical “stage mom”.
Not all “momagers” and “dadagers”
are cautionary tales of ruined careers and strained relationships. There are
examples of parents who exhibit genuine interest in their children’s career and
well being while still cherishing the role of a parent. Take Jamie Spears,
father of pop icon Britney Spears as an example. Radar Online describes that in 2007, he was witness to his daughter
suffering a mental and physical breakdown. After seeing his child slip into darkness,
he took control. He gained guardianship of Britney and all of her assets from the
court and asserted himself as her manager. He did this, not for personal gain,
but to save his daughter’s career and ultimately her life. He controlled what
appearances she attended, what business decisions she would make and who she
kept in her life. His management role holds a fair amount of the responsibility
of resurrecting her career and keeping her life on a safe and successful path.
The duality of his management philosophy is truly what a manager should strive to
attain.
In the end, there are many
more stories of successful and loving parent/child-manager/artist relationships
then there are negative. I would honestly and completely place the future of my
career and life in the hands of my father. I believe that his business savvy
would open doors and create opportunities while his unconditional love and
support would breed encouragement. I am, however, very glad that my path has
led me behind the camera to save me from having to make that decision.
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