Photography by Photo Will
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Abby Tobias of Sole Power Productions on starting an entertainment company. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Abby! Thank you for granting the interview. We’re excited to speak with you about starting a successful entertainment company. We know that a successful entertainment company offers a variety of services including music performances, special events, and more.
My company, Sole Power Productions, is a top entertainment and production company based out of Toronto. We provide multifaceted entertainment services and state-of-the-art production concepts and design. Our goal is to give customers a one-of-a-kind event management service experience. Sole Power is where conception meets completion and our roster is a collaboration of over 200 performers, managers, producers, technical directors, and event staff.
Entertainment is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. What separates success from failure?
Like most industries, mine is very competitive. In my world, the competition is elevated as there is an ease of entry into the game. For this reason, there are a lot of people “faking it, until they make it”. This makes it challenging for clients to see who is actually offering high-quality service. If they are not diligent in their vetting, it’s possible to end up with a less than a stellar provider. I always credit our success to hard work and a great team. Sole Power is filled with a very talented and dedicated group that helps handle the high stress, late nights, and demanding clients. In this business, you really have to love what you do, and fortunately, we do!
What is the basic setup of an entertainment company?
Sole Power is made up of administrators, managers, technical directors, talent agents, and peripheral staff. Each manager has their own team with assistants and variable staff. Structurally, my company is fitted where certain staff oversees their entire event. Meaning, we don’t separate the elements within the event (ie: entertainment, production, talent, etc.) One team handles its client’s needs from start to finish. We find that the model works best, as the client’s particular tastes, budgets, and visions are typically shared throughout the smaller sub-categories of the event. Keeping one lead and one team on an event allows those objectives to be met and satisfied across the board.
With so many companies to compete with, how does one create a niche market?
When you are good at what you do, word spreads. We built this from the ground up, and turned one client into multiple and then grew at a rapid pace. It’s important to maintain the same principles that we did when we only had a handful of clients as we do with our current client base of over 2500 annually. I think that is where some companies falter. It’s easy to give great customer service and attention to detail when you’re managing a small number of events. As you grow, the challenge is to maintain that level of service and care while you’re being pulled in several different directions. I think we’ve done a great job with that task. We continue to hire really well and make sure the team is filled with people who share our vision and goals. This way all of our clients can get the attention they deserve, the same attention I gave them when I started this in my mom’s basement over 17 years ago.
How did you choose talent to represent?
Sometimes we chose them, and other times they chose us. Once we became established we noticed many artists of all walks of life submitting and requesting to work with us. This isn’t always an easier path to drive down. It takes time to really asses an artist and give them a fair shake. The acts we chose to work with were (in almost all cases) people we built with from the get-go. Talented artists that we had immense faith in. One of my greatest strengths in this business is my ability to assess talent. I’ve had to learn over the years how to better assess the artist’s work ethic and commitment level. That is harder to see and define. But if they have great skills, but lack those other qualities, you will likely head down a path to failure. I pay much more attention to those qualities today than I ever did before.
In your opinion, how does your company bring something new to the industry?
Create! This is my favorite part. We always push each other (internally) to create something new. A new idea, concept, activation, etc. It’s easier than ever to scour online and find something cool that another company did in another market or country. But we frown on that. Our competition lives on that model. It’s easy and takes less time. But we are motivated by the creation. We get excited by it. I love when my team works together to build out something new and creative. As Bill Gates often said, “the journey becomes the reward”.
What sets you apart?
I think we work harder than most. We certainly have the luxury of a great reputation to execute as well. When clients come to us, they genuinely want to work with us. It wasn’t always that way. After years of building, it’s certainly luxury in today’s market. We don’t really need to sell ourselves. But as I’ve always said, you’re only as good as your last event. That resonates with my team. No egos or attitudes. We need to kill it this month, this week, and today!
What are the basic skills an owner of an entertainment company should have?
These skills are largely the same as any other business. You need to be hardworking, dedicated, fair, kind, patient, creative, etc. I’m not sure that is any more unique to this business as it would be to most. The people who only create or only evaluate talent can’t really get to the size that we wanted to be at. Those skills are key, but without standard good business practice, you really give yourself a low ceiling.
When looking back on your company’s launch, what resonated with you the most and why?
I started and immediately wanted to be the best. So I pushed for it. The first few wins were huge. I celebrated every client I got and every event I helped to make a success. It was addicting to me. It made me want even more success. That is very much the entrepreneurial spirit in me. I’ve learned to settle down where needed, lol. I try to not get overly emotional about the wins (or the losses). That keeps me focused on the larger picture now.
In your opinion, what is the best part of owning an entertainment company?
Owning an Entertainment company is very exciting. It’s fast-paced and it always challenges you. We deal with so many artistic people and we really need to stay on our toes. I like that. I’m never bored. I won’t allow myself to be. Even when clients want the same old, I push for new, exciting and different options. That’s my favorite part for sure.
What do you enjoy most about the talent you work with?
I love seeing talent succeed. One promise I’ve always made to myself is to treat the talent with the highest regard. This is their life. They only have one shot (typically). I don’t want to be a part of it unless I can add value and do as I say I will. I think a lot of people sign as much talent as possible in hopes that something will break through. But what about the other acts who don’t? This is their life. You can’t play with it. So for the ones that do garner success, it makes it even sweeter for me. I feel like I was a part of this and each time it’s very special.
Q12. Do you have anything else you would like to share about your company?
You can connect with Sole Power Productions online:
Web: solepowerproductions.com
Instagram: @solepower
Email: info@solepowerproductions.com
Featured Image Credit: Photo Will.
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