\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tLast week, during Billboard Latin Music Week, three Latin music Power Players took the stage to discuss the role of managers in today’s industry. They were Jorge \u201cPepo\u201d Ferradas<\/strong>, president and CEO of FPM Entertainment; Rebeca Le\u00f3n<\/strong>, CEO and co-founder of Lionfish Entertainment; and Walter Kolm<\/strong>, founder and CEO of WK Entertainment \u2014 all managers with decades of experience who have helped launch the careers of some of the biggest Latin stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tDuring the conversation \u2014 titled \u201cThe Power Players: Managers Edition\u201d and moderated by Pamela Bustios, Billboard<\/em> Latin\/Espa\u00f1ol\u2019s senior charts and data analyst \u2014 the three executives reflected on the challenges they face in their careers and the selfless role of working to fulfill other people\u2019s dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tHow Arenas Are Driving the Global Growth of Latin Music: \u2018It\u2019s About Creating Experiences\u2019\t\t\n\t\n<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n<\/time>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"Kenny$ \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t
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\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tKenny MacPherson, Veteran Music Publisher and Big Deal Music Co-Founder, Dies at 71\t\t\n\t\n<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n<\/time>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"WASHINGTON,$ \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t
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\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tDiddy Moved From New Jersey Prison to Similar Facility in Pennsylvania\t\t\n\t\n<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n<\/time>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t“Being a manager is being a guide, having answers to many questions, and it’s super difficult. I don’t know if it’s for everyone,” said Le\u00f3n, who has represented superstars like Juanes and Rosal\u00eda and whose current roster includes Anitta, Danny Ocean, Tokischa and Aria Vega. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tKolm, manager of Carlos Vives, Morat, Emilia and Xavi, among others, highlighted the importance of having a strategy to achieve specific goals. “I always tell artists: ‘You pay us to tell you what we think, not what you want to hear,'” he said, emphasizing the responsibility of always guiding with honesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tMeanwhile, Ferradas, whose roster includes Camilo, Evaluna Montaner, Rauw Alejandro and Rels B, stressed the importance of reclaiming the manager\u2019s work: “It\u2019s the work that goes unseen. It\u2019s clear that it\u2019s not magic \u2014 the locomotive of the train is the music, the song and the artist. [But] behind that, there\u2019s a team.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tBelow are some of the best quotes from the panel, which took place on Oct. 21 at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOn being a manager:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tLe\u00f3n:<\/strong> For me, being a manager is having vision… Visualizing how the artist will grow, how that will develop. Always thinking months, years ahead; if you\u2019re in the here and now, you are late. Being a manager is being a guide, having answers to many questions, and it\u2019s super difficult. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s for everyone, because you\u2019re serving someone else\u2019s dreams, so there\u2019s a personal sacrifice \u2014 you have to set aside your own path to help this other person achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tKolm:<\/strong> What Rebeca says is key. I would add that we\u2019re also strategists; that\u2019s fundamental in an artist\u2019s career. Sometimes artists think the manager is the one who finds them dates or secures a show… No, the manager is the one who designs a strategy to achieve a goal, and that\u2019s what I believe we are. We\u2019re strategists with years of experience in the industry who understand from our own experiences, from studying and from observing the markets, which paths to take. We don\u2019t always get it right, but at least we\u2019re clear about the direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"Tatiana$ \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t
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\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAI-Generated Music and the Future of Creativity Discussed at Billboard Latin Music Week\t\t\n\t\n<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n<\/time>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\tFerradas: <\/strong>It\u2019s the work that goes unseen. It\u2019s clear that it\u2019s not magic \u2014 the locomotive of the train is the music, the song and the artist. But everything that happens around it seems like magic \u2014 it seems like no one\u2019s doing it. It seems like no one booked a good hotel, no one hired a quality vehicle, no one prepared the venue, no one ensured the sound and lights were ready. And it seems like no one brought the team of people who enter and sing the artist\u2019s songs. Behind that, there\u2019s a team. And leading that team is someone who plans the strategy and drives it forward. So I think the manager\u2019s role is very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOn the manager-artist relationship:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tFerradas: <\/strong>When we ask for discipline and work time, it\u2019s because we know it works \u2014 it\u2019s not about pressure. In the manager-artist relationship, there are always two questions: The artist will ask themselves why they hired this person, and we\u2019ll ask ourselves why we\u2019re spending all day pressuring you to do something that will benefit you more than it will benefit us. So I think it\u2019s important for us today to leave a small mark by thanking the artists who work and have worked with us for their trust, but also by asking for some recognition of our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOn the essential elements for building a sustainable career as a manager:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tLe\u00f3n:<\/strong> You have to have the ability to not take things personally. You have to be able to get rejected by somebody and have dinner with them the same day. You have to just have a very tunnel vision of like, I’m going after this goal, and I’m not going to let anybody distract me, and I’m not going to let any of the politics or the games or any of these things that can cloud your judgment. You have to be very laser-focused. And that requires a lot of growth within yourself… There’s never a relaxed moment. There’s no days off. I’m very grateful to have this beautiful \u2014 I think it’s a beautiful life, but it’s a very specific one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOn knowing when an artist is ready to conquer new markets:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tKolm:<\/strong> Everything starts with the music \u2014 let\u2019s not forget that this is a business of music and songs. The most important thing is, when the artist works on their repertoire, to see if that repertoire is one we believe has potential. Because many artists think everything has to work everywhere, and that\u2019s not the case. That\u2019s why, going back to the manager\u2019s work, we guide the artist. I always tell artists: \u201cYou pay us to tell you what we think, not what you want to hear.\u201d And that\u2019s what it\u2019s about \u2014 helping them see how to create that repertoire with good writers, with good producers, to first have the product. And of course, attitude is important \u2014 whether the artist is committed… has discipline. For me, that\u2019s the key word: discipline.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pepo Ferradas, Walter Kolm and Rebeca Le\u00f3n headlined “The Power Players: Managers Edition” panel at Billboard Latin Music Week 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3318,"featured_media":1236369411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"authors":[],"contributors":[],"styled_by":[],"_image_credit":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","pmc_selected_wwd_video_media":"","pmc_top_video_source":"","pmc_top_video_duration":"","wwd_top_video_source":"","wwd_top_video_duration":"","pmc_selected_featured_media":"","pmc_selected_video_media":"","pmc_selected_variety_video_media":"","variety_top_video_source":"","variety_top_video_duration":"","pmc_featured_media_has_alt_text":true,"_pmc_featured_animated_media_id":0,"_pmc_featured_video_override_data":"","_pmc_featured_video_override_url":"","_pmc_featured_video_response_data":"","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{},"pmc_list_item_description":"","primary_category":"","primary_vertical":"","_mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"","_pmc_opengraph_title":"","_pmc_opengraph_description":"","categories":8546642,"subcategories":8698843,"pmc-gallery":[],"thr_post_headlines":"","_variety-sub-heading":"","mt_seo_title":"Latin Artist Managers on Building a Career: Billboard Latin Music Week","mt_seo_description":"Latin artist managers discussed building a career in the music business at Billboard Latin Music Week. 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