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Sunday, October 28, 2012

“Momagers”: The new breed of agent (Dads welcome!)



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.
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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