FAC Insights: Amanda Maxwell interview

FAC Insights is a forum for us to showcase long-form pieces looking at various parts of the music industry and the society that shapes it.

This week we spoke to She Said So’s Amanda Maxwell. Amanda spoke to us about her role as an artists manager and the various other positions she holds across the music industry, as well as how she feels about the current UK landscape.

Interview: Amanda Maxwell

Please give us a little overview about yourself and the work you do?

I am manager to Ellie Prohan the LGBTQIA+ Persian DJ, TV and radio presenter from West London who you can hear as one of the voices to the Apple Music’s Beats 1 The List and online daily for Foundation FM Happy Hour 5-7pm. Additionally I am the chair to the UK Music Futures board, The group brings together talented young individuals from a variety of roles and backgrounds across the industry which feeds into all the UK Music campaigns and reports into the UK Music board. Alongside this I sit on the BPI advisory group in matters relating to intersectionality with their work and our wider industry. Furthermore I have founded the collective Freelance Queens which is a community for freelance female identifying, majority people of colour membership. A community for employers to directly hire from having worked with the likes of Red Bull, Nandos and Bumble but a space for freelance women and small businesses to come together for advice, job roles, contacts and more. Not forgetting the women in music charity She Said So  where I sit as a community manager for intersectional issues that directly affect us and recently in light of the Black Lives Matter movement forming a community.

Perhaps you would like to tell us a bit about your thoughts on the current musical landscape and any particular things you have noticed that have changed or you feel strongly about?

I think the music landscape much like life is ever evolving, adapting and pioneering in terms of an industry. I believe between two pandemics COVID19 and Black Lives Matter it had no choice but to be shaken not stirred any more. It’s a really great opportunity for the business and human side of the industry to come together to do what is needed to maintain our industry but also support and recognise those that have been holding up the pillars for years in their struggles of intersectionality  - I truly believe it’s the time of the under dog.

Maybe you wanted to share some of your feelings around the current club culture, maybe a conversation around changes in the club landscape?

I am sad for club culture in the real life sense due to COVID 19 and the restrictions, redundancies, closures and more to come however I have admired as mentioned previously how small businesses have adapted, protected and reignited what our culture is about and made opportunities for at home series and more to happen for example Ellie has launched her new Eat, Dance, Discover series which aims to bring in her community, her artists/DJ/influencer friends and learn how to cultural dishes over IG live, Dance is mixes, playlists and live takeovers with brands and Discover is interviewing artists/DJ/influencer friends, Glo Guide Risque question and so much more!I think everybody has had to adapt in these different times especially those who rely on live as their sole income.

Would you like to tell us a bit more about your artist Ellie Prohan and how you started working together? 

Ellie is full of energy for anybody that has met her - her energy is infectious!We met at a She Said So and Flexx all female international women's day event.Ellie was one of the DJ’s and we kept on locking eyes as I was going round the room welcoming guests!I finally landed on Ellie and she explained what she did and I said about wanting to get into management alongside all my other work - we said about grabbing a coffee and spoke about management but Ellie’s closing line was even if you don’t manage me can we just be friends because you’re energy is sick. We decided to do just that and then after a little moment work and opportunities started to come to fruition and we just hit lift off from that moment and haven’t looked back since.Raised in a single mother Persian household, Ellie outplayed the odds by coming out with her sexuality and pursued her dream of being an International DJ, Radio and TV presenter. In a short span, Ellie has organised charity events for world mental health day, started a club night for the LGBTQIA+ community, created a series of DJ showcase nights and started her own cultural discovery show ‘Eat, Dance, Discover’.Ellie’s energy and charismatic personality makes her perfect for presenting, having interviewed the likes of Ari Lennox, Princess Nokia, Waka Flocka, Stefflon Don, Shaggy, Snoh Aalegra, amongst many more to hosting the primetime ‘Happy Hour’ show on award winning female led station Foundation FM.Ellies has captivated crowds from London to New York as well as an impressive festival circuit. Championed by brands such as Nike, Milk Make up, JD, Bumble, Puma and Flannels to name a few. You can hear Ellie live as one of the voices to The Beats 1 List show for London. The show is based on Apple Music’s The Beats 1 List playlist, showcasing the world’s best new music.As a highly talented gay middle eastern woman, the importance of being an active representation within the music and entertainment industry is of upmost important to Ellie. As her ambitious career continues to grow from strength to strength, she is one to watch.

On Ellie’s social media accounts she describes herself with #persian and #queer maybe you wanted to tell us a bit about that and if you have had to experience any challenges?

Ellie is of Persian descent which when discussing nuances around the term BIPOC (Black indigenous people of colour) is often a forgotten and otherwise a misplaced representation of ethnicity and culture. Culture is super important to both Ellie and I, her sexuality in relation to her culture would normally be seen as going against the grain of her cultural traditions. The definition of queer is that it’s an umbrella term used for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or cis gender. In relation to her identity and with her incredible attitude believes it’s important to be the representation of gay middle eastern woman within her industry as she did not have this role model when she was growing up. With this in mind we launched Ellie Prohan & friends which looks to equalise the industries it touches within the intersectionalities such as race, gender and sexuality. As an independent team who are not signed to a label, management, booking agent everything achieved thus far has been down to hard work and the belief of members of our community with the work we are trying to achieve. That makes the achievements all the more worthwhile and special but it does mean that it takes an extra level of passion to reach our ambitions when you are competing with those set up systems.

Is there anything else you wanted to share?

Ellie recently launched her new playlist with a new regularly-updated playlist curated for GAY TIMES and exclusively available on Apple Music that will spotlight, celebrate and support LGBTQ+ artists and our allies in hip-hop all in one place. Each month, Ellie will refresh the playlist with emerging talent, the hottest new tracks, and classic anthems that will empower and educate the listener on the intersection of hip-hop and queerness in the 21st century.