The deal gives APE a presence in Los Angeles with an office led by Telegraph founder Laurence Freedman.
Another Planet Entertainment’s management division is merging with Telegraph Road Management, giving the Bay Area promoter a new office in Southern California and a key partnership with manager Laurence Freedman.
Freedman got his start working with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Billy Idol’s veteran manager Tony Dimitriades at East End Management in Los Angeles. After Dimitriades segued out of his day-to-day role in 2018 following Petty’s death a year earlier, Freedman formed Telegraph Road Management and continued managing Idol, along with Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers. Joining Freedman at Another Planet is long-time East End/Telegraph Road manager Evan Bright, along with Telegraph Road clients Cherry Glazerr, Miya Folick and Advertisement.
"I have admired their management company and the people working there and we often exchanged ideas and kept in touch," Freedman said. "We were both looking for ways to beef up our resources to continue serving our clients and inject each other's ideas into collaborative projects."
Another Planet Management was created by Bryan Duquette in 2013 as an offshoot of Another Planet Entertainment, headed by chief executive Gregg Perloff. The roster includes Grammy nominated Tycho and Saint Sinner, Poolside, Amen Dunes, Madeline Kenney, Nap Eyes, Minna Choi as well as recently signed artists Drama and Brijean. Combined, the two companies will service 15 clients and include Another Planet artist managers Michael Bigham and Sarah Zweig.
"As promoters, ultimately our business is zero right now as everyone knows," says Duquette. "When you're totally stripped of nothing, how do you evolve and figure out how to do things differently? I think it's made all of us feel that way during COVID."
Another Planet Entertainment has not laid off any staff during the pandemic, which Duquette says is a testament to chief executive Gregg Perloff’s commitment to his employees.
"And since we already have a management company, this is a chance to focus on building that and finding new ways to increase our revenue streams with our artists," says Duquette. "It's important for all managers, promoters and everyone to be thinking about how we get more money in the artists' pocket."
The merger was brokered by Another Planet Management’s co-founding general manager Dan Kasin who has had a long friendship with Freedman and called the deal "a natural fit," adding "I look forward to combining forces so that we can grow our portfolio of artists by attracting new talent."
The relationship between APE and Telegraph Road dates back decades and began with Perloff working with Dimitriades to promote countless Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers shows dating back to the late 1970s.
"I have had the pleasure to work with Laurence while he was with East End Management and Tony Dimitriades and he’s one of the best managers out there. Not only does he understand artists with careers that span decades, but he also has a great ear for developing artists in the contemporary space," Perloff tells Billboard.
Recent highlights from the collective roster include Idol performing at the Super Bowl’s TikTok Tailgate with Miley Cyrus and a Poolside remix of Idol’s "Eyes Without A Face."
"With our teams combined, we’ll have access to a wider network to help inform what each of our clients are doing," Freedman said. "With so many different avenues to take into consideration when managing artists, this should only be beneficial to all involved.”
