Anthony Sale on The Influencer Economy by Ryan Williams

Anthony Saleh is a talent manager, investor and a hyphenate kind of a guy. In other words, he is creative executive working with some of the world’s most artistic people, like the rapper Nas, whom he manages. While he also collaborates and invests with some of the most success venture capital firms in the world like Andreesen Horowitz.

Anthony does not do a lot of podcasts, and we talked in depth about what makes an exceptional talent manager and what makes an exceptional investor. And how those two world’s both intersect and are related. He also shares what makes artists like Nas so successful and how Nas would “give you the shirt off his back.”

We also talk about the importance of trust when working with people and how the support of his friends and family got him through a hard time when he was dead broke living in New York City. And now some of those friends work for him because that trust goes so deep.

We also got into topics on African American entrepreneurship and how he is shaking things up in Silicon Valley. He doesn’t care what the investment community thinks about minorities in the traditional tech world, and how the investment world is going to be more diverse and look a lot different in the coming years.

Quotes from Anthony:

“I think one of the some of the bigger lessons I learned pretty early is number one:  there’s no reward in life for being a jerk, you don’t get a gold medal for being a jerk.”

“Sometimes that it’s not just about winning the battle or losing the battle.  It’s also how you win or lose the battle that helps you properly for the war.”

“I really admire the way Nas approaches music. He like speaks from his heart and he writes his face off and tells stories. He creates these vivid pictures for you and the way I appreciate his art.”

• What it’s like having wins and losses as an angel investor before trying to start an investment fund and invest other people’s capital
• The differences between managing an investment fund and managing artists
• Why they named their Queensbridge investment firm after Nas’s home when growing up, which is one of the largest housing projects in North America.
• How he started working with Troy Carter at Atom Factory and their goal was to surround themselves with the smartest people that the world has to offer
• How he moved to New York for college at SUNY Purchase, and started living his life based on what felt right.
• Why he dropped out of college to continue pursuing what felt right.
• How not having specific goals helped him succeed and how people aim for specific prizes that often just get in the way of success
• Why he has hired trusted friends to join his team
• How he has lost patience for stupid people in the music business
• Why the ability to learn and loyalty are the two biggest traits that he looks for in allies and partners
• How in the modern economy, one job is not enough.
• Why Obama as President is important for young kids who only know a black President

Queensbridge Ventures:  http://qbvp.com/

Anthony on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Dude_Br0

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Links of companies and people we mentioned:

Steve Stoute:  http://www.translationllc.com/

Troy Carter’s Atom Factory:  http://www.atomfactory.com/

Illmatic:  http://genius.com/albums/Nas/Illmatic

Nas’s Time is Ilmatic:  http://timeisillmatic.com/

SUY Purchase:  http://www.purchase.edu/