Last night (May 18th) I attended my first music business networking event, and I must admit that I found the experience a bit daunting at first because I didn’t really know what to expect. But I needn’t of worried because I ended up meeting some positive and progressive individuals.
Yes I was having fun and was in a good mood.
However any feeling of happiness I felt disappeared minutes before leaving the venue.
A lady who greeted me when I first arrived on first impressions seemed really cool and friendly . I later learned that she managed top UK producer DaVinChe (amongst others) and runs her own music management company, Jackie Davidson Management (click HERE to view website).
Anyway while I sat waiting for the friend who had kindly invited me along to the event, I decided to take a quick snap shot of my friend while she stood ‘holding court’, sternly giving some much-needed advice to a few of her clients present.
After I took the picture this set the stage for the most ridiculous over-reaction ever, which bordered on comical.
Ms Management beckoned me over to where she was standing and told me that she didn’t want HER picture taken.
‘Err.. what???’
Confused? Yeah so was I!
At first I thought ‘this has to be a joke’, so I laughed and informed Ms Manager that I didn’t take a picture of her (WHY THE HELL WOULD I???). I was taking a picture “of “MY FRIEND, who is standing “OVER THERE” (Please note that she wasn’t standing anywhere near my friend when I took the picture).
But Ms Management refused to listen and stated again that she didn’t want me to take HER picture, and went on about people uploading images on social networking sites (e.g. Facebook), which was clearly a matter of concern to her.
I tried to reassure the woman that no picture had been taken of her.
My word obviously wasn’t good enough though, because she then demanded to see the picture that I had just taken with my Blackberry. I have never been any good at taking pictures with my Blackberry, so there was nothing to see. I told her this. But she still insisted on seeing the picture.
‘Can an individual really be this vain’ I thought while laughing. Vain enough to believe that I was actually taking her picture? Is she really this pathetic or was this her attempt at humour? Is she a comedian?????
The last time I checked The Voice wasn’t employing me to submit “exclusive” photographs of random UK industry folk at ”Urban” music business networking events. Neither have I developed a taste for taking pictures of randoms and posting them on social networking sites, just for the sake of it!
You would expect a delusional minor celebrity, or a member of their tiny entourage to behave in this fashion. They happen to notice the flash of a camera, stupidly presume their picture has been taken, and then attempt to draw attention to themselves by shouting “NO PICTURES! NO PICTURES! GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!”.
Anyway, still thinking that she had to be joking because at this point I found her reaction strange and hilarious, (and she gave the impression that she was joking), I showed her the almost pitch dark image.
A gentleman who had the misfortune of witnessing her bizarre behaviour walked over and gently explained that I did not take a picture of her.
I then added that if I was interested in taking her picture, I would have sort permission first.
It was then when I realised that this woman was in fact being serious. Serious like a judge folks!
Why this woman thought I would waste my Blackberry battery taking a picture of her is above and beyond me.
I thought I saw a flicker of embarrassment across her face, but she offered no apology for her ridiculousness. Instead she just mumbled “yeah alright…” (words to that effect) turned her back on me and resumed her conversation with a group of men.
I walked away thinking ‘what the hell was that all about?’ and proceeded to laugh it off.
It was just too bizarre.
But then not long after I soon stopped laughing (an annoying case of delayed reaction) because it suddenly dawned on me that I had just let this woman get away with affectively bullying me in to showing her an image (well there was nothing to see anyway but still!) stored on my Blackberry. My personal property.
(Hmmmm.. how would Verbs have handled this? lol)
Who does this woman think she is? Does she look in the mirror in the mornings and depending on the day see Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell staring back at her?
If at that time I failed to see the humour in it all, I would have handled her differently. But a part of me is glad I didn’t because I hate losing my temper and arguing in public. Turning in to a female Vybz Kartel and warring at an “Urban” music networking event held in the trendy Carbon Bar, would have just lowered the tone and killed a generally nice vibe.
Thinking back, at one point during the evening I sensed that Ms Management had taken some what of a disliking to me when we spoke briefly for the second time.
Why? I do not know. I didn’t know her backside from Adam.
Maybe she sensed that I was new to the whole ”urban” music networking scene” (which is true) and came across a little reserved/unsure, so decided to take advantage of that fact.
Or maybe she was just jealous of my new hairstyle courtesy of Afro/European Hair & Cosmetics in South East London.
Who knows…. who cares!
Perhaps I am just being paranoid but I definitely sensed a off-key/slightly aggressive vibe wafting my way during our brief conversation.
But Ms Management’s behaviour towards me over something that had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with her was rude and totally uncalled for.
This woman who up until last night’s event I’d never even heard of , went out of her way for some warped reason I feel, to embarrass me at what was supposed to be a relaxed and chilled networking event set in a social environment.
I sat on the train home mulling over our encounter and also came to the conclusion that this woman must have thought I was younger than my years. Hence the rudeness and dismissive attitude after I told her more than once that I wasn’t taking her bloody picture.
For the record I’m a grown woman not a naughty teenager.
I understand that Ms Management has worked and achieved a lot within a male dominated industry (well that’s what I was told), where when you’re a woman (a black woman in particular) you have to scream and shout to be heard.
But leave the bullying antics and damn right disrespectful behaviour in the boardroom. Don’t try to intimidate and embarrass others who you perceive as being fair game and beneath you, or try to exert your “power” over them.
And don’t bring it to my door.
Like I said at the beginning of the post, this was my first time attending a networking seminar of this nature. I don’t go to many industry events and I haven’t met many of the different characters who work within the industry.
Those who come across individuals like Ms Management on a daily basis will think nothing of what happened to me. They deal with obnoxious characters who behave bizarrely for no reason everyday.
I on the other-hand don’t! So it was a real eye opener for me watching a sad egomaniac in action.
I don’t take to kindly to being disrespected when I haven’t done anything wrong, and I won’t be in a hurry to attend this organisation’s next networking event.
My brief encounter with Ms Management has left a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s so bad right now that not even orange juice will succeed in getting rid of the bitterness.
I admittedly let my guard down on this occasion because of the environment I was in. But mark my words that won’t ever happen again.
