We had the good fortune of connecting with Alicia Houston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alicia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Originally, I wanted to provide a platform for rising artists and help develop and promote them. I worked as a team with my clients to ensure that they maximize their earning potential and developed a mutual relationship between myself and the artist to work tirelessly to achieve success. My passion for creating events took over and now I create and execute experiential events for rising talent that also provides an ultimate fan experience. I also organize corporate events for B2B and B2C companies, such as organizing off-site conferences for remote teams, and virtual or in-person experiential events. Whether it’s a business, employee or fan experience, my mission is to create robust experiences that result in a high return on investment and customer loyalty.

Starting my own business gave me the freedom to be creative and push myself to the limits to manifest my dreams. Working as a marketing and events manager for large agencies did not allow me much flexibility to create the events that I envisioned. So I decided to take a chance on myself and start So Fly Management.

What should our readers know about your business?
So Fly Management was founded in 2013 as a talent management company, focused on artist management and development. Our mission was to develop talented artists and take advantage of every opportunity to catapult them to success. Our clients included emerging comedians, actors, producers and recording artists.
Since that time, we evolved into an experiential marketing and events management agency, specializing in domestic and International guest and employee experiences. We have created international events for well-known B2B brands, national tours for well-known artists and regional tours and events for emerging talent.

I dedicated the past ten years to honing my skills in experiential marketing and events, working with global marketing automation and customer experience agencies, creating marketing campaigns that have amassed over $10M in revenue. I started So Fly Management after earning a Master of Science Degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, a Master of Arts Degree in Media Management from Norfolk (VA) State University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Oakland (MI) University.

Even after spending so much time in college learning the business, once I actually started working my business, I experienced the real ups and downs of being in the entertainment business. From managing artists to planning tours, I learned the hard way how to stay firm and steadfast. As a brand new business owner, either no one worthwhile wants to work with you or someone is trying to take advantage of you. You really have to take the time to learn the business in the real world, network and build relationships, and not be afraid to fail. Plans don’t always work out, even with your best efforts and intentions, but being resilient and persistent is key. Most of my projects and campaigns are long term with long lead times, so sometimes it can be challenging to keep the same energy you had on day one all the way through to day 100, but that’s what it takes to achieve success.

Currently, I am focused on creating annual events in which I can showcase rising talent. In February 2023, I will be hosting the Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Comedy Experience in Cancun, Mexico. The 4 day comedy festival features the next generation of comedy royalty, such as Emmanuel Hudson, Zoie Fenty, Norman Freeman, Daphnique Springs and Mojo Brookzz. My goal is to make this an annual event, along with similar events in domestic and international locations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely recommend the Culture Experience selfie studio. I went there for a birthday photo shoot and it was amazing! Copeland’s of New Orleans has amazing food. I would also recommend the tourist attractions as well – the Georgia Aquarium (especially for Sips Under the Sea), the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the King Center. There are always festivals here, but One Musicfest is my favorite. One thing that I love about Atlanta is that there’s always something to do!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There were so many people that helped me along the way. I want to give a shout out to my entire family and my partner for supporting me. All of the artists that I’ve managed for trusting me. I read the 48 Laws of Power in grad school and in an abstract way, it really helped me when I was first starting out. I also want to give a shout out (in advance) to everyone who will cross my path in the future to help me along my journey.

Website: www.soflymanagement.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciahouston1/

Other: LOL Comedy Experience website: www.lolcomedyexperience.com Email: talent@soflymanagement.com

Image Credits
Photography Credits: Jerry Barnes (Atlanta, GA), Lsalm Photography (Montego Bay, Jamaica) and Smithalee (Greenville, SC) Event Flyers: Ceasar Graphix

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