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March 25, 2024
March 25, 2024
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“We then found out the guys [Slander & NGHTMRE] were best friends and at that point it just made sense for Will and I to combine our strengths and form an alliance.”
– Steven Haddad
For this edition of Relentless Beasts, we’re bringing you Steven Haddad and Will Runzel, a dynamic duo that combined the best of their abilities and made it their solid foundation for the building blocks to their success. As the management team behind musical talents NGHTMRE, Slander, and JOYRYDE, there are many moving parts to Runzel and Haddad’s operation and we made it our goal to uncover some of the inner-workings of their day-to-day.
So, soak it all up: some true insight from two friends succeeding together.
How did the two of you meet? What’s the history of your relationship and how did you end up doing what you’re doing?
W: I was the talent buyer for a nightclub in Los Angeles; Steven was managing Grammy nominated singer Nadia Ali as well as some up and comers. I think we met at the club I was booking and then we ended up getting lunch at BLD on Beverly and we’ve been friends ever since!
What was the beginning of each of your starts in this industry? What did you do before getting into electronic music?
W: The first thing I ever did that related to what I do now, is when I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy, I picked up a job as a nightclub promoter to help supplement the stipend my parents provided me. Then I started a dance focused club night at my university and then I started booking rap concerts in college towns in the midwest.
S: Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up playing guitar, bass, and singing in various punk and ska bands in high school, then played drums in a live hip hop group while attending ASU. After a short stint working in real estate, then in the film industry, and then a failed tech startup, I landed a random job working for legendary country music managers Jim and Sherman Halsey. I spent 2 years learning the management ropes, traveling the US on tour buses with guys like Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam. Then in early 2012 I met Nadia Ali on the set of her music video and a month later signed her to my new management company, Hashtag Management.
You manage two colossal names in the industry as well as up and comer JOYRYDE. How did you get in touch with Slander & NGHTMRE to begin?
S: NGHTMRE and Slander came into our lives and were virtually the reason Will and I decided to merge our management companies. I was in the process of signing NGHTMRE just as Will had started managing Slander. We then found out the guys were best friends and at that point it just made sense for Will and I to combine our strengths and form an alliance.
With artists like NGHTMRE and Slander, the workload has got to be unreal. How do you guys successfully juggle everything that has to get done between the both of you and your artists?
W: Our not so little secret, is that Steven is incredible at everything that I am bad at, and vice-versa. So essentially we half the workload and stick to what were good at. The workload is still strenuous, but we have a great Day to Day Manager Adam Weiss who has been an integral part of our company and growth.
Both Slander and NGHTMRE are on tour together right now. Is managing during a time like this an entirely different process for you? What can you tell us about the Gud Vibrations Tour?
S: We’re really excited about Gud Vibrations as it will be the guys’ first bus tour. 32 US Dates starting November 10th through the end of December. It’s not so much a different process, as the management principles are all the same. There are just many more details involved in bringing your own stage and production on the road. That said, the creativity that’s required is always enjoyable and it’s very gratifying for all of us to know that we’re bringing the fans a new experience.
What makes such a demanding job rewarding for you in all that you do and to keep going?
W: So many things. 1) Watching artists grow. 2) Helping work on musical projects with people you are genuinely a fan of. 3) Making a living with your friends. 4) Being a part of the creative process.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned through this career?
S: You have to take risks to get ahead in this business. I’ve been reading this book called “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle and he quotes this Roman philosopher Tacitus who once said “the desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise”. If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, creativity, and enthusiasm.
What do you think is the most vital aspect of managing that is truly key to your client’s success?
W: Communication. The most time consuming task a manager has is passing along messages between different facets of the artist’s business network. Making sure nothing is lost in translation is extremely important to having a smooth operation in a rapidly changing environment.
Make sure to see Runzel and Haddad’s work in action when NGHTMRE takes over BOO! AZ on October 15th and when JOYRYDE blows up Global Dance Festival on November 19th!
