Mark Gillespie has been a huge name in the management industry since the early 2000’s. He is a refreshing presence in this industry, offering both a realistic outlook on the tenuousness of the business and a pension for moving with changing platforms. Since 2007, his company Three Six Zero has managed some of the biggest talents in the world, created its own record label, produced films and delved into actor representation.
In taking a look at the teams he puts together, it’s easy to understand why Music Business Worldwide has included him in their World’s Greatest Managers series and that he is a highly sought after business consultant.
Mark Gillespie grew up in Redditch, just outside of Birmingham, England.
His youth was spent outside the major cities of the UK, but not far enough to avoid being exposed to dance music and club culture. His roots as a manager comes from his days as an 18 year old booking DJs for the club GodsKitchen. After a lot of trial and error, and attempts to start a record label, Gillespie came across the page of a young Calvin Harris and decided to shift gears into management. Since that decision, and the birth of Three Six Zero in 2007, Gillespie and Harris have made their wildest dreams come true.
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris’ success effortlessly speaks for itself. His career began as a singer-songwriter before making an eventual shift into DJing and producing. Harris and Gillespie have always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. His first album, I Created Disco, was successful, but his second album enjoyed far more notoriety. Entitled Ready for the Weekend, the album topped UK charts. The list of collaborations the two have had is endless and star studded. Frank Ocean, Young Thug, Katy Perry and Travis Scott are just some of the amazing artists Harris has collaborated with.
Merging UK and US markets
Three Six Zero is originally a UK company, but Mark has recently relocated the company to Los Angeles. In an effort to both expand globally and increase the reach of Three Six Zero, he has founded Three Six Zero Recordings with Sony. The label’s primary goal is to bring emerging UK artists to the US market. We can see with the success of Calvin Harris that Three Six Zero is primed to do just that.
Recently, Three Six Zero acquired Westbrook Entertainment
The same management agency that represents the Smith family, Jada, Willow, Jayden and Will are now all part of Three Six Zero’s roster. This is a major collaboration for Three Six Zero and shows a deep interest in connecting platforms like music, television, film and social media.
In a post streaming world, artists and creators need to be prepared for what comes next. Mark Gillespie’s dedication to understanding the shifting sea of platforms and content shows that he is a manager well equipped for the new wave of the music industry.
