Impact International: UK/Euro 2024 Honoree Nick Hobbs

“BE BOLD, CREATIVE & IMAGINATIVE“

Nick Hobbs, founder and CEO of Charmenko, has worked in virtually all sectors of business throughout his life, but his focus for the last 20-plus years had been “an overlapping combination of promoting, talent buying and artist agency,” as he puts it. It’s the business he knew he wanted to be in from 16 years old – Hobbs recently turned a still-sprightly 70 – although back then he had “no idea whatsoever about how to get there and what to do when I did.”

Now that he’s been fully immersed in the business of live for decades, he begins by “stating the obvious,” in his own words, namely that “promoting is weird. You work your arse off, risk a lot, and the day after the show, there’s nothing except a fading memory, and, if you’re lucky, some money in your bank account.”

Hobbs saw potential in touring East Europe in the mid-1970, when it was still a region far from being integrated into the European touring market. He’s proud to have done his bit in changing that, and thinks “the trend for more artists from outside the Anglo-Saxon lands to develop international careers is obviously healthy,” but adds, “there’s a long, long way to go, and it’s sad that English remains the overbearing lingua franca of popular music.”
Reflecting back, he wished he had had mentors along the line that could have saved him from some of the obvious — and not so obvious — pitfalls along the way. “The saddest being,” says Hobbs, “that trust has to be backed by contracts, yet even contracts don’t guarantee being paid.”

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been inspired by others in this industry. “I thank Alex Hardee for solidifying this idea with his mantra of being shamelessly open about your mistakes, and I thank Emma Banks for her mantra of making sure that you understand everything that passes through your hands,” he says. Over time, he’s added matras of his own, “like embracing responsibility, thinking of it as a way to grow; put the overall quality of the show before other considerations; look after the fan; be bold, creative and imaginative. Serve the whole not just your bit of it. Avoid like the plague boredom. Be a good listener and a good mentor. Beware of all forms of prejudice. Be open-minded, easy-going, steady under fire and generous of spirit. Be both visionary and practical. Be yourself and outspoken. Be reliable. Our word is our bond.”