Jeanine McLean orchestrates the kind of success stories that redefine careers. As the President of MBK Entertainment Inc., she’s elevated her skills to identify and nurture talent, building paths for music superstars like Alicia Keys, H.E.R., and Omarion. Behind the scenes, her sharp instincts have turned names into household staples and chart-topping icons, with her expertise extending seamlessly into artist-brand collaborations with giants like Nike, L’Oréal, and Adidas.
Her entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t stop there. At the helm of Castlight Media, an additional marketing branch in her career, Jeanine curated groundbreaking projects like New Faces, Big Voices, a touring platform that gave R&B artist October London his national debut.
She’s also been celebrated by Billboard, ASCAP, and Ebony Magazine while mentoring the next wave of leaders through initiatives like Grammy U and Femme It Forward. Jeanine sits down with Her Agenda to discuss how she not only manages a talent-filled roster of breakout artists but also shares how she got her start in the industry and how she advises her mentees so that they can fill the same type of job role one day.
Her Agenda: What inspired you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, and how did you get your start?
Jeanine McLean: So my grandfather was a professional bass player. He’s a pretty well-known jazz quartet. And then later on in life, my uncle was a concert tour promoter. I got to see firsthand how to run major tours, arena tours, etc., and I took an interest in it. I had some early access.
From there, I built my own relationships, just kind of being out and about being the social butterfly and meeting people. And getting pulled into it with folks saying, ‘Hey, you have relationships, you have access, you should really pursue this. Why don’t you work with me on this project?’ So it just started to be just a natural progression to be involved.
Her Agenda: MBK Entertainment has been home to several iconic artists. What do you find are key elements to identifying and nurturing talent?
Jeanine McLean: Well, one of the key elements to identify in the artist is their hunger and desire to go the course. Obviously, yes, there are some overnight successes, which really aren’t overnight if you really think about it.
But it is that desire and passion you have to see in artists. And you see it in their work ethic. You see it in them practicing if they’re musicians. Sometimes you can call someone, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve been on vacation, just chilling.’ You know, not that there’s anything wrong with vacation, nothing wrong with chilling. But this is the industry that’s more about staying in your grind and hustle and getting it popping. So that’s what we look for, that grit.
Her Agenda: Can you give me an example of someone who really stood out to you and you knew they’d be good straight away?
Jeanine McLean: There are so many examples. I’m going to start with Allen Stone. When I met him, he was already making music, and he was out there, but just something about the songs he was making, the soul that was going into it, that passion that was in the writing and the delivery. So Allen Stone, for sure. Elle Varner, we discovered her, and she had just graduated from NYU. She just had that determination to make videos out of her one-bedroom apartment or a studio apartment. Just that passion, writing and just playing her instrument, and sharpening her voice. And obviously the artists H.E.R. and Alicia Keys. I came on when she was already on the label, but really everybody, to be perfectly honest, everybody’s just so amazing. I can go on and on.
Her Agenda: How do you balance creative freedom for artists while guiding them strategically in their careers?
Jeanine McLean: It’s their vision. It’s got to be their vision. It’s got to be authentic to them. Tone Stith, for example, I should have mentioned him a moment ago. He’s written mega hits for so many. He’s got that ability to tell his story, and that is super duper important. That’s something that not every artist can do.
Her Agenda: What do you find are key elements of a successful brand-artist collaboration? With the rise of influencers who are also music artists, what do you find are the key elements to that?
Jeanine McLean: We have to start educating brands more on that authentic connection, because all the times the brands will say, look at their numbers. They have a lot of followers. They’re the person. I’m like, well, but have you looked at their engagement? Have you looked at the types of things that this artist is posting? Have you really gone through their historical conversation and how they’re interacting with their fans? Like, what are they really saying? You know, it’s more than just the data and the numbers.
Her Agenda: What inspired you to launch Castlight Media, and what’s your vision for the company?
Jeanine McLean: I needed a marketing arm that could function independently and create some campaigns for artists even outside of the MBK roster. And it’s a free-flowing company. I’m putting one of the documentary films that I’m working on, I’m putting it through that entity. Also, I assisted a couple of artists with the sales of their catalogs. So I put that through that entity.
And then again, when I’m called in by an artist, a brand, or any other entity to work with them on building out any type of campaign if it’s a tour or festival or any brand building, it’s a bit of a catch-all for that.
Her Agenda: Your company’s “New Faces, Big Voices” series sounds groundbreaking. How did you conceptualize the project, and how has the response been?
Jeanine McLean: The response is amazing. What we do in music and entertainment is we’re always looking for that new big voice and that fresh new face. So to have a platform for these newer artists to have the ability to tour. You’re building that audience awareness. And that’s how you get artists to grow into the megastar. Start small, build out their visibility, and then they get to that upper pinnacle that everyone is striving for. It’s a simple moniker because everybody is always looking for that new big voice and that fresh new face.
Her Agenda: How do you see the role of artist management evolving in the next five years with tools like social media?
Jeanine McLean: I think that we’ll see more artists and managers, management companies, forming true partnerships. The relationship will be more of a partnership relationship versus a manager relationship. I mean, that’s really what it is anyway. You know, the opportunities are presented, or the manager creates opportunities for the artist, and you sit down with the artist and you go through it, you talk about it. ‘Hey, how does it make sense for the trajectory of my career?’ And then, how does that lead to the follow up step?
These are really partnership types of conversations, because it’s, again, it’s a long game, building out years from that point on, and it makes sense to be partners. Everybody’s got skin in the game. Whether it’s time [or] energy. I think, really, where it’s at a true 50/50 partnership, you split on the income. And you’re truly building that vision together side by side.
Her Agenda: Mentorship is an important element in your career. What have been some rewarding experiences as a mentor?
Jeanine McLean: Oh, my gosh, I love my little mentees, I can’t lie. Some are so far advanced in their career already. And I’m always so honored when it’s Grammy U or if it’s Femme it Forward, or others when they reach out, and they’re like ‘Hey, I requested you,’ my little heart flutters. I’m just like, ‘Okay, that’s great. We’re gonna have a ball.’
I like to connect with mentees, male and female, who know that this is not just a fluff game, that it’s not just fun. I’m tough. I don’t always create a soft landing. I’m like, ‘hey, get out there and figure it out. If you want to be where I am, you want to sit where I’m sitting, then you’ll have to figure some of it out on your own.’ It’s not just for me to say, okay, let me do all the work for you. No, no, no, no, no, we’re [going to] do this the hard way. We’re [going to] do this the way that’s truly going to let you earn your stripes and feel great about it. So, [out of] all the mentees that I’ve worked with there’s a couple that have said you’re a little too tough for me. And I can respect that. But most are just in love with the authenticity that I bring to the table with them. We hang out, and we go to events with them. I invite them to shows. I invite them backstage. I invite them to meet the artists. I invite them to sit at the table and kind of see what’s going on firsthand. So it’s very much an integrated experience with all the mentees that I work with. Very rewarding.
Her Agenda: What advice would you give to young professionals aspiring to work in artist management or entertainment?
Jeanine McLean: That’s an interesting one, and a lot of the mentees ask that. I tell them, get their people skills up because you’re dealing with an artist [whose] brain works from a little bit of a different side than those that are more corporate and by-the-book thinkers. You have to get your feel on how to converse with an artist and how to communicate.
Make sure that you’re on the same page. Learn strategy because that’s a big part of being a manager is strategy. You have to plot out steps A, B, C, and D. And, like I said, long game. What’s next? Always think about what’s next. I tell people to make sure that they have that type of mindset.
As far as knowing that you’ve got to be a people person, I’ve met some people who say I want to be an artist manager, but I don’t really don’t like being out [or] talking to people. Don’t really like talking to people? I was like, well, how exactly is that going to happen? Tell me how you’re going to be a manager without being out, without knowing what’s going on the scene. Whatever scene…on the music scene…the club scene… the touring scene, and fashion, especially when you’re new starting out, you’ve got to have your boots on the ground. You have to be out there communicating what’s going on. That’s really important. You don’t have to be in front of the camera all the time, but you do have to have a bit of a social butterfly ability in you.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
