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The Man Behind the Music: The Early Years of Simon Fuller

Article Overview: In the quarter century that he has been doing what he does best, Simon Fuller has become arguably the most successful British music manager in history. He has managed everyone from the Spice Girls to David Beckham, and continues to work on creating new stars in the entertainment industry. With millions of records sold around the world and a burgeoning television franchise under his belt, Fuller has cemented his place in music history.

The Man Behind the Music: The Early Years of Simon Fuller

In the quarter century that he has been doing what he does best, Simon Fuller has become arguably the most successful British music manager in history. He has managed everyone from the Spice Girls to David Beckham, and continues to work on creating new stars in the entertainment industry. With millions of records sold around the world and a burgeoning television franchise under his belt, Fuller has cemented his place in music history.

Simon Fuller was born on May 17, 1960 in Hastings, England. Thanks to his pilot turned teacher father, who frequently traveled to build schools in countries far and wide, Fuller lived in both Cyprus and Ghana as a young boy. Once the family settled back in Hastings, Fuller’s father became headmaster of his grammar school.

Fuller’s business sense emerged when he was still a young student at college in southern England. He got his first job working for Britain’s Chrysalis Music, where he quickly climbed the ranks to become an A&R scout, searching out new talent. It was here that he realized he had a knack for picking winners, after he bought the rights to Madonna’s first smash hit single, Holiday. It was the first major score for Fuller, who got a taste of success and decided he wanted more.

In the mid-1980s, with just three years experience under his belt, Fuller quit his job at Chrysalis and set off on his own. It was a risky decision, but one that paid off when Fuller discovered Paul Hardcastle. Hardcastle had written a song called 19, which centered on the Vietnam war. With Fuller’s help, the song became a huge hit.

Fuller knew he was on the right track to success, and there was no turning back now. He celebrated the rising popularity of his new artist by naming his young company 19. 19 Entertainment was officially launched in 1985.

Up next for Fuller was Cathy Dennis, a singer-songwriter who Fuller believed could become the next big thing. He was right. In the early 1990s, Cathy Dennis rocked the top of the charts in countries around the world. His relationship as Dennis’ manager continues to this day.

Fuller was slowly making a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Still, he was hungry for more. He wanted to find that one big artist that would solidify his reputation as a hit maker. He wanted to create not just a star, but a superstar the likes of which the music business hadn’t seen since The Beatles.

That was when he got his hands on an unknown and struggling young band called Spice. The band was made up of five young girls who as of yet, had not found their big break. “On the first day I sat down with the girls, before we had a deal, and it was agreed that we would go for it on a worldwide basis,” recalls Fuller.

It would be a life changing relationship for both the five young girls and Fuller, who were simultaneously propelled into international stardom.

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Article Tags: british music, business sense, chrysalis music, david beckham, entertainment industry, first job, franchise, fullers, grammar school, hastings england, headmaster, man behind the music, music history, music manager, new stars, quarter century, simon fuller, southern england, spice girls, teacher father



Related Forum Posts
Hello from Toronto, Canada - Hello everyone! My name is Peter Fuller and I am a Controller for a group of Radio Stations across Canada. I am a Chartered Accountant and have an MBA from McMaster University. My main online focus is helping offline local businesses with their online marketing needs. I have already read some informative posts on this forum so I look forward to participating in the discussion. Peter Fuller MBA CA
Re: A New Innovative Website Concept – What direction to take? - Dear Simon Congratulations on your business idea. I'm a little confused. Is your invention hardware or software?
You Can Start From Some Where! - I have always found stories like these interesting. When you can see and understand that many famous, successful people like these usually start off in places worse than we're at. It think they brings our goals a little closer and makes them more tangible... * Dan Akroyd was a mail sorter for Canada's national postal service. * Jennifer Aniston was both a telemarketer and waitress before hitting it big. * Halle Berry worked at Higbee's Department store in the children's department. * Sandra Bullock worked as a bartender. * Before his big break, country singer Kenny Chesney worked as a valet attendant, telemarketer and mail sorter. * Chubby Checker plucked chickens at a poultry market named Henry Colt's. * Before Nirvana, the late Kurt Cobain worked as a janitor for Lemons Janitorial Service. * Diddy was an intern at Uptown Records where he did grunt work like washing cars & fetching coffee. * Bill Cosby shined shoes and sold produce when he was young. * Simon Cowell started out as a mail room clerk for EMI Music Publishing where his father worked. * Michael Dell washed dishes at a Chinese restaurant for $2.30 per hour. * Danny DeVito was a formally trained hair stylist before his break on Taxi. * Michael Douglas once worked as a gas station attendant. * Tom Hanks once worked as a hotel bellman and carried bags for a number of celebs. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that everyone starts at the bottom... * So what does this have to do with your business? You can add to the list!
New from UK - Hi Simon, There are only a few active members from the UK. It would be good, if you share this forum site with some of your contacts to come online too. I wish you well in your new venture. If you believe it is a gap in the market, I encourage you NOT to give up. All the obstacles will be worth it all. Regards! Beat "Unlock People's Potentials!"
Happy New Years! - Happy Belated New Years! Out of curiosity what are your new years resolutions for your business? Did anyone manage to honour their past resolutions?


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