Being a media maven (well not really but I am trying to get to that point), you are privy to some awesome opportunities to meet and chat with celebrities, record execs, publicists, etc. Within this world affectionately known as the “INDUSTRY”, you can find many sharks (brash and dangerous) and very few dolphins (kind and gentle). The cutthroat ways and sheisty deals are what made this male-dominated business what it is and it lives up to the expectations and assumptions many people have.
So when I met two southern ladies who were making their mark in the industry and proudly grinding against the norm, I had to pause! So much so that I decided to sit down with these fun and insightful women to rap a taste on what they are all about, what makes them tick, and how they have managed to succeed gracefully and positively in this sector of entertainment.
Introducing Shae Usher & Pat Johnson of SwitchHitz Entertainment.
SwitchHitz Entertainment, LLC (S.H.E.) circa 2007, was established in the heart of one of the country’s most talented cities, Atlanta, Georgia.
Owned by entertainment vets, Patricia Johnson and Shae Usher, S.H.E. is a music shopping and management company that focuses on pairing the industry’s hottest writers with the most talented producers to create an explosive and creative collaboration. S.H.E also specializes in shopping songs and tracks to the most influential A&R’s at major record labels, publishing firms, and executives within the soundtrack and film industry.
PATRICIA JOHNSON’S BIO
A veteran in the game, Patricia Johnson brings 15+ years of experience to the table. Her career initially began in marketing and promotions and led into opportunities with orchestrating national comedy tours, television production and artist management. During the last 4 years of Johnson’s career, she has worked along side Jonnetta Patton of JPat Management, managing Grammy Award winning, music icon and world superstar, Usher Raymond. Johnson says, “Working with JPat and Usher allowed me to really understand the intricacies of the entertainment lifestyle. I have been fortunate to take my career to the next level and have been able to maximize seen and unseen opportunities from one end of the spectrum, to the other. The opportunities to brand an image are endless and I’ve been able to experience that first-hand thru artist management, working with record labels, touring, event-planning, fragrances and more.” Since departing from JPat Management to follow her own entrepreneurship spirit, Johnson has recently united forces with another entertainment industry visionary, Shae Usher, to create SwitchHitz Entertainment, LLC.
SHAE USHER’S BIO
Shae Usher is known to the music industry as a “Rare Commodity” who brings 13 years of experience to the table.
In 1995, she started out as a freelance event planner, where she planned one of her most memorable events, a Celebrity Kickball Game. Impressed by the success of the event, an attendee put her in touch with Chris Tucker’s brothers, Norris & Dexter Tucker, who were throwing a huge birthday party for Chris and they wanted her help. Chris wanted Usher to perform, therefore Shae contacted Jonnetta Patton, Usher's manager and they instantly hit it off. Two weeks later, she had her first real gig in the music industry with superstar sensation recording artist, "Usher". Years later, Shae ventured into the touring industry, working as a production assistant on a 40-city tour with Ruff Ryder's and the Cash Money Millionaires. She effectively and efficiently catapulted her way into a working relationship with Jeff Sharp, who is one of the top tour promoters in the country. Under Sharp's direction, she planned several tours including the Scream Tours, R. Kelly-TP-2 Tour, WF- Cool Blue September Tour, Will Downing, and Chante Moore, just to name a few. She also managed the day-to-day business of Sharp's tour bus company, Custom Livery. Multi-tasking is a way of life for Shae Usher. She has successfully juggled Usher Raymond's production company and recording studio, all the while diligently working alongside super producer, JLack.
With such diverse and extensive experience in the entertainment industry, I just had to sit down with these ladies to find out how they have done it!
Q: Ladies, what got you to this point? What made you realize that owning your own entertainment company was the move for you?
Pat: It was a natural progression. We have been in the business so long and it is something that I kind of always wanted to do but I always knew that there were important things I had to learn. I have done everything in entertainment from sales and marketing event planning , you name it I have done it. It was also like a demand thing because with both of us working at J. Pat Management, we were always coming across writers, producers, artists who were asking “can you manage me?” We didn’t even think about it until last year. We considered it when we saw all of the talent come through that we didn’t want to pass up. We wanted to be a part of something new that was coming out.
Shae: It was so funny how it started too, because Pat brought the producers to me. And then I had a friend of mine (Sam Salter) to write to their tracks. And they created songs that were insane. So it pretty much birthed from there.
Both of our backgrounds are so extensive. I come from the touring, production, studio managing, and management with Usher.
Q: Even though all of these people were approaching you to manage them, did you ever have any apprehension about going forward into this area?
Pat: Of course! I think I was always like that. [Laughs]
Shae: Yeah she was always like that. But when we started, we were just trying to shop writers, producers, and songs. And we came across two writers Marlon Coles and Rasheem “Kilo” Pugh. {SIDEBAR: Kilo is a writer who worked extensively on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” project”}
Q: Do you work with only established artists or producers?
Pat: Well if they are new, they have to be really hot for us to work with them.
Shae: Yeah our writer Marlon is new. He has placements on Gerald Levert and Jimmy Cozier’s projects. But he is just now getting back into the game. He is so dope; writes really fast; can go in with any producer and just pump out hits! He is along the lines of a Ne-Yo, Shawn Garrett, etc.
Pat: Plus he is a singer too so he can demo all of his work. He can write for male and female artists which is key.
Q: How do you feel the industry has embraced you as women?
Pat: Its hard but I think it has always been that way. You don’t see a lot of female executives, A&Rs, etc. There are some out there but not many compared to the men. I think there is still a wall there and I feel that men put up the wall! They don’t think that women know what they are talking about when it comes to music.
Shae: I also think they definitely don’t look at our backgrounds. They look moreso at the pretty face. And I hate that more than anything. If I am trying to handle business, DO NOT ask me out on a date or a drink unless we are talking about deal points.
Pat: But they all do it…you just have to finesse it. And it is also a good ole boy network, like they will put their boys on before they put a female on.
Shae: But we have to give it up to Shaun Harris with Universal Music and Sylvia Rhone. Sylvia listened to Marlon’s Nothin like me and she loved it. As a result, Marlon was extended the opportunity to go in with [R&B up-and-comer] London ad cut “Crave It” on London’s new project.
Q: How do you feel like other women in the industry have treated you?
Shae: It depends. We seek out women like us. Like Rovella Williams of Versus Entertainment. Like Drexina. Like Saisha Beecham. Tamiko Hope. We look for women to do business with, that are like us. Drama-free. We don’t do drama at all.
Pat: And those that are about uplifting each other. Not tearing each other down. In the industry there is so much gossip too. We can’t do that.
Q: If you were not in the music industry, what other industry would you have been in?
Pat: If I wasn’t in music? Well I feel that I have been really in the entertainment industry, not just music. So if it wasn’t music, it would be another area of entertainment.
Shae: And for me, it would be the film and movie sector of entertainment.
Q: A lot of people are drawn to the entertainment industry for the wrong reasons (celebrity status, glamour, popularity, etc.). What drew you to this industry?
Shae: For us, we are driven by success. We came from huge successes like Usher. So we continue to be driven by that. We have seen projects go from zero to one hundred and fifty percent. We like to take a project from the baby stages and see it grow.
Q: What do you feel is the temperature of music now? I recently had an interview with Chingy and he said that he feel that the A&Rs are killing music because they shun what’s different and go with what is trendy.
Both: THANK YOU CHINGY!
Pat: It has always been a problem but it has become more prevalent now because everyone is chasing after the same sound. The A&Rs are supposed to find whats next and whats hot but they lost that.
Shae: They got lost into putting the same producers on the same project and even when you get to your higher ups, they want to stick to what created their success but they forget that you have to be innovative.
Pat: And always reinvent yourself.
Shae: If you think about the music from the 70s and the 80s we were able to party to Donna Summer and Wham and all we cared about was good music. Urban is almost fizzled out at this point, it is Pop now. Now people know that Pop is where the money is. Urban has become too trendy.
Q: Which artist do you feel is the epitome of re-invention?
Pat: Mary J. Blige. She is always willing to re-invent herself!
Shae: You also have to give it up to Usher. He is creative. Another person who is doing it is Chris Brown and he has been able to do it in a very short period of time.
Q: What are 3 things that women should do or know if they are considering getting into this industry?
Both: Experience, Experience, Experience
Shae: You can’t start as an intern and tomorrow be president of the label. And I think that is the biggest misconception of this industry- is that you can get there over night. No No No No! You have to be willing to learn. There is a wealth of information out there and you can’t be too prideful to do certain tasks.
Pat: What helped me a lot was that I started in business. So I applied my business experience to entertainment. If you have a good idea of how businesses should operate, that would help too. A lot of people in the industry don’t understand that aspect.
To learn more about S.H.E., please visit SwitchHitz Entertainment’s website.
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