Well before Sali Kharazi came to work at Full Stop Management four years ago as an entry-level assistant for manager Karim Karmi, she had already experienced the peaks and valleys that are hallmarks of most careers in the live music industry. While still in high school, Kharazi worked on street teams, including for a band made up of her camp counselors. She had stints at labels like Suretone and Bananabeat; and worked directly for artists including Shwayze (both Aaron Smith and the group with Cisco Adler) and Sky Blu of LMFAO while wearing an extraordinary number of hats, including manager, tour manager, production manager, social media manager, video location scout, van driver and so much else. “It literally taught me that there’s nothing I can’t figure out a solution to,” Kharazi, 30, says.

For many, however, taking a perceived step backward to really learn the business as an assistant would be too much to bear; but for Kharazi it was an opportunity. “I was like, ‘You know what, I’ll be an assistant. I’ll be the best damn assistant there ever was,’” she says. “I had this path that skyrocketed me to these crazy positions, but I never started in a mailroom, worked as an assistant or answered a phone. So I got the interview with Karim, went in, and two days later I got hired.”

Putting her nose to the grindstone at Full Stop, which prides itself on grooming and developing young executive talent and managing as a team, gave Kharazi front-row seats to the management business, working her way up to managing Meghan Trainor, Rei Ami and Eloise Alterman.

“Being able to work with incredible managers like Damien Smith, Tina Kennedy, Jeffrey (Azoff), Tommy (Bruce) and Karim, and everyone working at this really high level, I’ve taken what I learned on the street essentially and refined it. This is how you do it in the big leagues.’”   

Props From Above:
“Sali Kharazi is a one of a kind spirit who puts her all into supporting and managing her artists, it is a pleasure to get to work alongside her and experience her infectious energy daily.”
– Tommy Bruce | Manager, Full Stop Management