So, who exactly is Scott "Scooter" Braun?
Born in 1981, Scott was only thirty-one this year. Compared to the fifty-year-old Wall Street bigwigs, he was definitely an up-and-comer. He didn't look at all like the owner of a successful record company; he seemed more like one of those young people from Silicon Valley who came to the internet to strike gold in startups –
Like Mark Zuckerberg, born in 1984, who founded Facebook when he was twenty.
However, this young man nicknamed "Scooter" was a formidable figure who held a significant position in the American music industry.
Scooter had founded and managed several entertainment and record companies. The artists he had worked with included Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Hilary Duff, Demi Lovato, and many others. He had received Grammy nominations, been featured in Time magazine's Person of the Year issue, and even ventured into the television industry. He was definitely an ambitious guy.
As early as his freshman year at Emory University in Atlanta, Scooter had shrewdly begun his career.
Atlanta was a hub for countless major figures in East Coast hip-hop and rap, and it also nurtured a large number of rising hip-hop and rap stars. The resourceful Scooter quickly built a network of personal connections. In 2002, he successfully organized after-parties for top rappers Ludacris and Eminem.
After that, Scooter was introduced as an assistant to the prominent hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri and rose through the ranks alongside him. Later, when Jermaine Dupri became the president of a top hip-hop record company, the still-un-graduated Scooter was already able to connect with numerous high-level figures.
In 2003, Scooter took over the planning of the NBA All-Star Game after-party. In 2004, he worked behind the scenes on Britney Spears' nationwide tour. Then, he left Jermaine Dupri, who had personally promoted him, and officially went out on his own.
At this point, Scooter was only twenty-three years old.
Relying on the initial capital he earned through his collaboration with Ludacris, Scooter established his own studio and immediately discovered the twelve-year-old Justin Bieber on the then-emerging YouTube.
Scooter personally stepped in and used his persuasive skills to convince Justin Bieber's mother. He signed Bieber as an unknown and then used his connections to simultaneously reach out to industry giants Usher and Justin Timberlake. He then orchestrated a brilliant commercial negotiation, ultimately leading Usher to persuade Antonio "L.A." Reid, the president of Island Def Jam, to sign Justin Bieber.
Through the Justin Bieber case study, Scooter then partnered with Usher to form Raymond Braun Media Group. More importantly, he joined Island Def Jam, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, truly aligning himself with a major player. He then signed several other artists, including comedian Kevin Hart.
In 2007, Scooter officially founded his own company, SB Projects (Scooter Braun Projects), and subsequently established record and management companies, as well as a publishing company. Through Usher's introduction, Scooter also reached a business agreement with Universal Music Group to share some music resources, truly setting him on the path to success.
It only took him three years from graduation to reach this point.
And from 2007 to the distant year of 2020, over those thirteen years, Scooter built his own empire.
First, Scooter propelled Justin Bieber to the top, making him the first YouTube superstar of the internet age. After a long period of lows, he then successfully revived the career of this singer who had achieved fame at a young age, bringing him back to the peak for a second time. During this period, from albums to movies to global tours, as well as an endorsement deal with Calvin Klein, it was all Scooter's work.
Interestingly, after successfully managing Justin Bieber's endorsement deal with Calvin Klein, Scooter noticed the conflict between Kanye West and Adidas. After successfully intervening to mediate the interests of both parties, he then secured Kanye's management contract.
Secondly, Scooter helped Ariana Grande, Kevin Hart, and others successfully reach the peak of their careers, truly becoming top-tier artists.
Finally, Scooter also produced TV series and movies. The American TV show "Scorpion" was one of his productions. Then, in June 2019, Scooter acquired Big Machine Records, successfully obtaining the rights to Taylor Swift's first six albums.
Before the age of forty, Scooter had already become a major figure in the entire North American entertainment industry.
Looking back at Scooter's entire rise, he was skilled at building connections from a young age. Although his talent, aptitude, and personal abilities were average, with no particular music production skills, his business acumen, marketing strategies, and negotiation skills were absolutely top-notch. Relying on his resourcefulness, he built his own business empire step by step.
Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande are two of the best examples of Scooter's business acumen, truly capturing the pulse of popular culture.
Oh, and as a manager, the list of artists under Scooter's wing goes on:
Psy, who became famous throughout North America with his song "Gangnam Style"; Martin Garrix, who consecutively topped the list of the world's top 100 DJs for three years; the Black Eyed Peas; supermodel Karlie Kloss; as well as several pop-rock and indie-rock bands like The Wanted, Sheppard, and Rixton.
In short, Scooter is a very commercially savvy manager, and he is very good at understanding the trends of popular culture and business models.
As Maxim said, if they were to be noticed by Scooter, it would indeed open up opportunities on a commercial level and give them a chance to showcase themselves.
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In the year 2012, Scooter was still far from reaching his later peak and couldn't yet be considered a major figure. But no one could deny his powerful network. A year prior, Justin Bieber had just been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, which officially changed the way entertainment worked in the internet age –
Previously, "American Idol" was the best way for grassroots singers to realize their dreams. But now, the more accessible, popular, and simpler YouTube had become a brand-new path. Justin Bieber's sudden rise inspired countless young boys and girls and became a phenomenon.
Because Scooter always paid attention to independent bands, the idea of him coming to the full moon party specifically to enjoy the performances and scout bands made perfect sense.
No wonder the bands were all scrambling to adjust their performance times. This was probably a time to compete based on connections and inside information.