3 career lessons from the music exec behind Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson
Few worlds buzz with as much ambition and ingenuity as media, tech, and entertainment. It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to be incredibly passionate about their work, with a sense of discipline and resilience that sets them apart from the rest. However, very few entrepreneurs are able to launch their careers while they still have a curfew.
Legendary music mogul Larry Jackson is only 37-years-old, but his career has spanned more than two decades. Before he became the Head of Content at Apple Music, he was a critically praised “diva machine” who worked with everyone from Whitney Houston to Lana Del Rey, with a Grammy win for producing Jennifer Hudson’s debut album.
In a hit episode of the KindredCast podcast (covering the news of media & tech), we sat down with Jackson to learn more about his decorated career. Here are some tips he shared with young hopefuls who wish to follow in his footsteps.
1. You’re never too young to chase your passion.
Thirty years ago, Jackson was just a kid with nimble fingers who loved radio call-in contests. “This was pre-redial, think like ’90, ’91. And I would just win concert tickets, you know, everything I was winning,” Jackson said. Eventually, a local radio station in his hometown of San Francisco got tired of giving away all of their prizes to Jackson, but they noted his passion for their work and offered him a tour of their studio instead.
Though he was only 14, Jackson leveraged this tour into a job opportunity, running errands and assisting the radio producers. Two years later, he became the music director of that station.
2. A source of discipline is essential to success.
Jackson’s education became less of a priority as his music career developed — he received his high school diploma only last year. With a job in the fourth largest radio market in the country, could you blame him?
Jackson was unfamiliar with the world of SAT and ACT prep, but he relied on the high school tradition of team sports to keep him grounded and build resilience. He attributes his strong sense of discipline to his experience as a cross country runner. “The psychology of that, when you’re in mile 13 and you don’t feel like running anymore, and practice is 18 miles that day… you gotta make it back and you can’t walk. If you walk, you’re a sucker,” Jackson said.
3. The relationships you build will follow you.
When Jackson wanted to leave RCA Music Group at age 29, he expressed concerns to his mentor, music executive Jimmy Iovine. Jackson had cultivated extraordinary working relationships with artists like Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis, and Jennifer Hudson, and was afraid to leave this work behind, to which Iovine replied, “You don’t get it. You’re your own fiefdom.”
Jackson didn’t understand Iovine’s advice at the time, but he grew to learn that he was talented enough that these relationships would endure. “If you’re that good, you can recreate it someplace else. And luckily I was able to see enough past my insecurities to be able to embrace that and believe that.”
Listen to the rest of Larry Jackson’s story on KindredCast, a podcast featuring insights from dealmakers and thought leaders in media, tech, and everything in between.
