Amitabh Sharma, Features Coordinator

A genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration, said Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb. So too, the 'psychedelics' of entertainment.

To churn out and sustain a genius, there has to be a manager who puts heart and soul into the making of that star.

And, at this time, the role of a manager in the industry has become more critical than ever as their demand is on the upswing. This is not restricted to music alone.

"There are different areas one can look at," says Kam-Au Amen, lecturer, Reggae Studies Unit, Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Amen says that there is a demand for managers in areas related to tourism such as amusement and theme parks, gaming and wagering, audio-visual sectors including film and other media, music and the performing arts, and sports.

It would be an asset to have a degree, advises Amen. He says that budding managers should take a cue from professionals in the US.

Field requirement

"Many of them have degrees in business administration with concentration in accounting or management," the UWI lecturer says.

Amen says that business managers are generally expected to have knowledge of negotiating, accounting, investing, and a good knowledge of tax laws and other statutory obligations.

"In effect, one has to be properly equipped to provide strategic business advice to the artiste and the enterprises developed, like merchandise, endorsements and TV/cable shows around them," he says.

The field is open to anyone who wants to get in. However, in the final analysis it is your performance and the results that will keep you at the top, if that is where you want to be.

The Entertainment and Cultural Enterprise Management programme at the UWI was designed with these gaps and opportunities in mind, he informs.

"Graduates will be prepared to have full appreciation of the convergence of media, various communication technologies, and culture within the global context," he says. "I emphasise that a major focus of the programme is entrepreneurial development and innovation along these lines, if only because it is my conclusion that entertainment and culture represent one of our key areas of competitive advantage globally," Amen adds.

Traits and qualities

"Managers need to generally exhibit leadership and initiative," says Amen. He further stresses that one should be concerned about growing the enterprise of talent. "This is done by creatively directing the elements of marketing, finance, human resource, legal matters, among others within that environment," he adds.

Amen adds that one should be passionate, committed and resourceful. On the job, there is no nine-to-five regime, "You should be willing to work long hours," he says. "It is an advantage if youngsters display dynamic thinking and initiative," he says.

amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com