Southern Rites
Carter executive produces (along with John Legend and Mike Jackson) this 90-minute documentary film, directed by Gillian Laub for HBO. The film examines race relations, a segregated prom, politics, and the killing of an unarmed young black man that joins the residents of two Georgia towns.
Cross Culture VC raising $50m fund
Carter and Nichols are raising a $50 million fund for Cross Culture Ventures, according to a regulatory filing. The fund will target seed and Series A tech startups.
USC interview
Carter shares his story and advice with University of Southern California students. He talks about his lowest point:
It was a really tough one and a half years of my life… I feel, as a human being, you can only hit so many lows before you are at your breaking point. I remember this one point when I was driving my car… and I had to pull over, and I just broke down and cried my face out. And after I did that, I said “OK, it’s time. Let me get back to work”. It was just one of those moments when I had to pull it out of myself… I’m a firm believer you got to work your way out of these problems and you always got to do the right thing.
Drexel University talk
Carter talks at Westphal College’s URBN Annex in Philadelphia.
I grew up 10 minutes from here. West Philly, born and raised. Grew up right around the corner from Jazzy Jeff.
On tech/music convergence:
There [are] so many similarities to managing artists and also providing service for entrepreneurs. So my job over the years in managing artists has become chief strategist on their team, but also a mentor in their lives. Now, we’re starting to see this convergence. Is a company like Netflix a content company or a tech company? What’s going to happen with SoundCloud or Pandora? My dream in the music business is to see our ‘products’ scale in the same way we have seen Google and Twitter scale.
On finding talent:
I’ve gotten really lucky in my life because I follow my intuition on people. I didn’t have any sort of formal education or anything like that, but I think I’ve always been good at understanding people and staying next to really talented people. And it’s the same thing with entrepreneurs.
On work/life balance:
My son’s first soccer game, I missed a luncheon with President Obama. I thought, my son only gets one first soccer game, I could probably get to meet the president again. I hope! I do meditate. My hobby, I love backgammon. So I play backgammon… nobody knows that.
Launches Smashd
Carter launches Smashd, (http://smashd.co/) an online news site dedicated to uncovering the personalities and trends in “tech, culture and hustle”. Smashd is the result of a six-month plan hatched between Carter and Kozlowski, a former writer-editor at Forbes who focused on covering entrepreneurs and the L.A. startup scene. Carter:
It came from internal conversations we’d been having around the office about where we get our news and information from in the morning. You’d go through blog after blog, and for us — living between the tech, music and pop-culture worlds — it just didn’t feel like there was one place where we could call home or a hub, especially as told through a very original lens.
The initial content is a mix of stories and videos that meet what Carter calls a mix of “Forbes meets Fader”
It’s very rare when you can get a real glimpse inside the life of an entrepreneur. So for us, most of the stories we’re gonna be covering, like through a series called ‘In Residence,’ will give a glimpse inside their environment.
Moroder, Carter chat
Carter and Moroder chat about music and technology at the DLD conference in Munich, Germany. Moroder talks about his upcoming album., digital recording, and recording Scarface. Moroder on digital:
I love digital. I think I was one of the first, if not the first one, to recorded a whole album only on digital. The album was called E=mc², which I recorded in Los Angeles, with a guy from Salt Lake City who invented the stereo digital, called Dr Stockham. I recorded the whole album in two days live. I have to wait for weeks for the computer to generate edits and cuts.
Billboard Year in Music ‘upstart’
Carter is quoted as an “upstart” in Billboard’s 2014 Year in Music, alongside Meghan Trainor and Nico and Vinz:
Last year, when people came to Atom Factory, a lot of it was on me to be able to deliver. I had to show up to every meeting; the focus was on me. And this year, I think the focus has been on us. We all understand that we’re only as good as the talent we represent.
The Influencer Economy interview
Carter is interviewed by Williams on The Influencer Economy. He talks about about hip-hop, entrepreneurship, life, failure, success and finding passion around your work.
In life in general, there are no guarantees. Failures are a part of life. As cliché as it may sound, the way I look at it is that there are no rewards without taking risks. We take a risk every time we step out the door, you know, every single day. Life is full of risks and failures, but at the same time life is full of triumphs and happiness.
I relate to entrepreneurs on a soulful level. I know what keeps them up at night. I know how those victories feel. .. And when you can’t make payroll, and you’ve got knots in your stomach, I know what that feels like too.
Forbes Under 30 Summit judge
Carter appears as one of three judges of the $400,000 Pressure Cooker Contest during Forbes Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia. The winners are a team called Enrou, with “an online conscious marketplace for the conscious consumer to find products created in developing countries all around the world”.
Platform Summit 2013 interview
Carter is interviewed by at the Platform Summit 2103’s session on Failure: The Surprising Critical Ingredient of Success. (Meet the Risk Takers.)
For a startup , in order to win big you have to swing big.
Social Good Summit
Carter speaks at the Social Good Summit in New York City. The Summit is a two-day conference examining the impact of technology and new media on social good initiatives around the world. This year’s theme #2030NOW, asks the question, “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?”
There’s a social call built into a lot of the businesses we are seeing. The partnership between entrepreneurs and the UN…there’s a lot we can do together. We’re probably at step one of many steps but it’s a great start for the UN.
NBC News interview
Carter is interviewed by Shriver for NBC News.
I know how to pick really good people. From great artists to great partners. I call it my ‘West Philly Spidey Senses’.
On women:
I attract really strong women! My wife is CFO of the company and the CFO of the house…and mother of five. My COO is a woman. The president of my company is a woman. I surround myself with really, really strong women.
Ice Bucket Challenge: Troy Carter
Carter takes the Ice Bucket Challenge in aid of ALS research. He nominates Daniel Ek of Spotify and John Legend. He says because of the drought that he will only douse himself with a glass of water. However, he is surprised by Stirling, who throws water on him from the roof of the building.
I was just gonna donate but now I feel the peer pressure.
Drexel U Professor of Entrepreneurship
Carter is named drexel University’s Close School’s Dean’s Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship.
Tips to Succeed as a Manager
Carter gives some tips to Rennie about how to succeed in the music business as a manager:
One I would say is you gotta have a real passion for it. It’s not an easy business, so that when times get hard you really stick with it. The other thing is that I have a real personal relationship with all of the clients i work with. It’s more than just a transaction and it’s more than just business I’m actually in their fight, and they are people I love and people I really respect. And when you have those things you don’t mind taking the late night phone calls or sacrificing time away from the family, because it’s bigger than just a commission check.
Hires Carter as manager
Trainor hires Carter as her manager. Carter will co manage with Stiklorius.
Credit Suisse Entrepreneur’s Summit interview
Carter shares his insights on the effects technology has on business and what he looks for when investing in startup companies.
Technology has always affected business. Always some kind of disruption… (need to) have that ability to live around the corner. And pay attention to emerging technologies…We do more investing in entrepreneurs than we invest in startups. It always starts with “who are we investing in?”… and whether this entrepreneur has the wherewithal to go the distance.
Named co-presidents
Erving and Stiklorius are named co-presidents of Atom Factory by Carter. Carter:
J and I have a long history, dating back to 2000 when we co-founded Erving Wonder Management. He has proven to be an exceptional deal maker and music manager. Ty has been an incredible addition to the team. Her strategic thinking and creativity has given the company and our clients a tremendous amount of added value. I’m looking forward to having the two of them help grow and scale our management business.
Erving:
Troy and I both grew up in Philly and have been friends since early on in our careers. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he has accomplished, and I am looking forward to adding value to the Atom Factory platform; whether it is in branding, technology, or management.
Stiklorius:
Atom Factory provides an innovative and creative platform for artists to thrive in, and I am pleased to partner with Troy and J to help lead the company in continuing to push the boundaries of what a forward-thinking artist management company can be.
Fast Company interview
Carter is interviewed by Fast Company. He talk about his split with Gaga:
I’m human. I went through every emotion. You go from fear to sadness…It’s like you wake up and you work with somebody every day, and then all of a sudden they’re not there anymore. I don’t think you’re ever prepared to sever that deep of a relationship.
Family:
Money doesn’t make me tick. This definition of success doesn’t make me tick. Managing some of the biggest stars in the world doesn’t make me tick. Making my family proud makes me tick…Will [Smith] was talking about how he still worries about being broke. And I laughed because I’m like, ‘Me too.’ It’s a thing from where we come from. A lot had to do with going broke as an adult too. So when you come from nothing and you work your way up and you make something of yourself, there’s always that sense that all of this could go away tomorrow
On investing with other artist managesr:
When you look at how technology companies are funded, it’s not a zero-sum game. It could be 20 investors in one company, and everybody has to work together for the benefit of that company. As we invested, we realized we need each other on these deals because my network is better when you’re in it.