Scooter Braun: From College Party Promoter to Music Mogul

In this week's Foundr newsletter, Scooter Braun, the music mogul behind Justin Bieber, Arianna Grande, and many more artists, shares his fascinating journey from almost giving up on the industry to helping identify and promote some of the world’s leading music artists.

Scooter opens up about his financial struggles in the early days, as well as his continued self-development efforts to improve his management style and approach to life. He recounts that fateful experience of discovering Justin Bieber and how he was able to leverage social media as a marketing tool before it became the done thing.

"Identifying talent is almost like falling in love. You can't look for it but when it shows up, you know." - Scooter Braun

Listen to our full interview with Scooter on the Foundr Podcast and learn how he was able to go from being flat-broke to being one of the most successful music managers of all time.

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Foundr Story - Scooter Braun

In the early 2000s, if you mentioned Scooter Braun’s name, you’d have a hard time finding anyone who had heard it before.

Today, Scooter is arguably one of the most influential figures the music industry has ever seen, with a life story filled with ambition, risk, and resilience.

Starting work life as a college party promoter, Scooter quickly realized his knack for bringing people together and creating experiences. This skill led him to the music industry, where he became the Vice President of So So Def Records at just 20 years old.

Despite early success, Scooter faced immense challenges, including financial difficulties and skepticism from others in the industry.?

However, his belief in the potential of digital platforms like YouTube helped him discover Justin Bieber, a then-unknown artist from Canada.?

In our most recent Foundr Podcast episode, Nathan Chan talks to Scooter about how his relentless work ethic and innovative approach to marketing, combined with his deep personal commitment to his artists, catapulted Bieber to global fame and solidified Scooter’s reputation as a leading talent manager.

Watch the full interview on YouTube here.

5 insights we learned from chatting with Scooter:

• Scooter’s ability to pivot during crises was crucial to his success.
• How he recognized the potential of platforms like YouTube and Facebook early on.
• The impact of Scooter's early life experiences on his business approach.
• The personal toll and sacrifices Scooter made to achieve his success.
• Despite his success, he spends a lot of time on self-reflection and personal growth to become a better leader and person.

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