Kim Glover
Kim Glover is an English music manager best known for overseeing the careers of PJ & Duncan (Ant & Dec), B*Witched, New Kids on The Block, Snap, Tiffany, Let Loose and D-Side, as well as helping to manage and develop the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, David Essex and others. She is also Chief Executive of Kim Glover Management based in London, which she founded in 1993.
Career
Glover started her career in 1978 at Magnet Records as part of the radio promotions team for Michael Levy (now Lord Levy of Magnet Records) handling artists such as Chris Rea, Darts, Matchbox and Bad Manners, where she was soon promoted to Head of TV and Radio. With her reputation growing, Glover left Magnet records in 1982 to set up her own independent radio and TV promotions company Girl Friday Promotions, where she promoted artists such as Michael Jackson, The Cult, David Essex, Scritti Politti, Toyah, Love and Rockets, Orange Juice, Catcherpaya, Men at Work, Altered Images, Jimmy Nail, Icicle Works, Barry Manilow and Meat Loaf among others.
In 1987, she was headhunted to join Arista's UK promotion team where she eventually became Head of Radio and TV reporting to Clive Davis. planning and implementing promotion campaigns for the likes of Whitney Houston, Carly Simon, Taylor Dayne, The Four Tops, Kenny G, Dionne Warwick, Grateful Dead, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lisa Stansfield, and the Thompson Twins.
Arista was taken over so Kim re-formed The Girl Friday Promotions Company and one of her first clients was from CBS who had a young American band starting out called New Kids On The Block. Kim travelled back and forth to the states to instigate the promotion plan for UK, and that was the first time she worked alongside Rob Stringer who was later to be a big influence on Glover getting B*Witched signed to Sony Music After the success of her first years work with NKOTB. Dick Scott asked Kim to join him on the New Kids On The Block management team. Dick also tasked Kim to scout for talent for their ever-growing management roster and she discovered Snap! who had hits such as Rhythm is a Dancer and The Power.
In the 1990s, Kim was appointed by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco as she was looking for a manager to help her launch her music career
One of Kim's most successful acts was PJ and Duncan - now known as Ant & Dec. They were co-managed by Kim together with their agent from Newcastle for three and a half years under her company Real Red. They had a number of hits including the eponymous Let's Get Ready to Rhumble. Kim was recently referred to in their autobiography [1] as being the only one to have ever seen the boys have an argument - in a lift! Kim met Ant & Dec through one of her artists Richie Wermerling of Let Loose who wrote some of the music on Byker Grove. After signing them she got them a record deal and put them in the studio with Nicky Graham and then began the promotion which took them all over Europe and Japan.
In later years, Glover discovered and managed many other groups including B*Witched, Let Loose, and D-Side
In 2005, she set up an agency with business partner Samantha Forrest under Band and Brand. This platform helps new talent with a host of music and branding opportunities. One major project for a teen fragrance company - created a band as a promotion vehicle for the fragrance. Such was the success of the project that Glover and Forrest secured finance from an Icebreaker fund to record and release an album. Further involvement also came from other leading brands such as Hush Puppies and Ubisoft game Imagine Girlband with the band featuring on a TV campaign with Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton. One of their proteges is Classical Pianist Daniel Grimwood who played at the Start event held at Prince Charles' home - Clarence House as organised by Live Nation UK.
In 2010, Kim was invited to Ireland to search and hold auditions to launch a new boyband with backing from a major Irish company. Auditions were held in Dublin and singers came from all over the country. Behind-the-scenes TV cameras filmed the auditions. Glover chose Britain's Got Talent sixth season (2012) finalist Ryan O'Shaughnessy as one of the four members of the group that was named MISSION 4.[2] Recordings were made for debut album in Dublin and London. But after some television and radio appearances,[3] and press coverage, the launch of MISSION 4 was halted owing to the current financial climate in Ireland.
Moving back to the UK music scene, in 2011 she signed Richie Wermerling (ex Let Loose) as an exclusive songwriter to music publishing company Bucks Music Group. In 2012 she signed RnB singer Kurt Collins working with Griminal and Nevamis who has worked with Wretch 32.
2013 has seen Kim Glover Entertainment, sign and represent Derek Moran, Channel 5 Milkshake presenter, and singer songwriter Amy Studt, who has an impressive pedigree having co written with Cathy Dennis, Guy Chambers, Sam Whatters, Connor Macdonald and Eg White. Her current writing credits include, Guy Sigsworth, and Henry Binns. In 2013, Glover also signed Jake Quickenden and immediately secured him a TV opportunity as presenter for The Chart Show Dance channel and The Chart Show. Jake auditioned and was chosen for The X Factor in 2014, where he was chosen by Mel B for judges houses. Jake had been on the X Factor in 2013 and was put through to judges houses by Nicole Scherzinger but didn't make it to the live shows that time. Jake Quickenden had a surprise early vote off from The X Factor, which enabled Kim Glover Entertainment to secure him a last-minute opportunity for him to join I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! on ITV.
Jake was runner up to Carl Fogarty and is recording his music and embarking on a UK tour as well as growing TV commitments
References
- ↑ "Ooh What a lovely Pair". Michael Joseph. 2009. P.45
- ↑ "Mission 4". Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ "Introducing...Mission 4". Retrieved 9 August 2012.
External links
- "Whose Inside D-Side?" BBC Top of the Pops
- link title "D-Side star lands his dream job" Sunday Mirror