West Management
My Role
Strategic creative partnership since the mid ‘90s. Helping artist’s articulate their visions, cultural and strategic research, new market development, music video EP’ing and co-commissioning. Co-founded by Marc Picken, West Management represents artists such as Massive Attack, Young Fathers, Soulwax, Richard Russell and producer Marcus Dravs (Florence, Björk, The Last Dinner Party, Wolf Alice).
Artist Visions
Projects with Robert Del Naja have ranged from the development of an AI-driven re-imagining of the Strauss opera Elektra, to feature documentary, movie, and tech ideas. I’ve undertaken cultural research / creative provocation for Soulwax (finding weird audience adjacencies for 2ManyDJs), Young Fathers (providing Heavy Heavy campaign inspiration), Richard Russell (exploring film x therapeutic technique for his Solstice Equinox record), and continue to spot opportunities for West and its artists across entertainment, tech, and new markets.
Music video
Kicking off at Virgin Records back in the day, I worked on all Massive Attack's videos for Mezzanine with the legendary Head of Video, Carole Burton Fairbrother. I also commissioned multiple videos for Massive’s Melankolic label. Between 2016-2018 I co-commissioned and creatively EP'd videos including Massive Attack’s, Voodoo in My Blood (d: Ringan Ledwidge), and Come Near Me (d: Ed Morris); We Are Shining’s The Wheel (d: Carl Addy), Killing Me (d: Ed Morris), and Road (d: Carl Addy); Mad Lifeline for Robert Del Naja's Battlebox (d: Ed Morris) amongst others. I also co-wrote and EP'd Young Fathers In My View (d: Jack Whiteley).
Massive Attack won UKMVA Video Artist of the Year (2016)
Young Fathers won UKMVA Video Artist of the Year (2018).
“Andy is an amazing creative and strategic collaborator and has been for years. He’s empathetic and patient with artists and can get the best out of them. He also knows a shit tonne of people who trust and like him across many different fields. That’s so useful. His network and frames of reference are ridiculously deep and broad.”
Marc Picken
