Today we’d like to introduce you to Slater Colt.
Hi Slater, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Honestly, where does anyone start? I believe that when you truly embrace life for all that it’s meant to be, the real adventure starts to form in front of you. Back in 2018, I had a soul-shattering heartbreak following the end of a 6-year relationship that forced me to put back together the pieces tainted by 19 years of childhood trauma, in addition to trying to figure out how to become the greatest being on the planet before time runs out on me. The first step I took towards that was signing up for therapy. It took a lot for me to get to this point as I personally hadn’t seen therapy work for others, but I’ve heard it work for those outsides of my small social circle.
I began the process of understanding; understanding how we feel, how we react, how we heal, and how to communicate a lot more effectively. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but oftentimes understanding how to retrace our steps helps us to see the vision on where we need to go next. I decided to experience life on my own terms. Fresh out of college, the next two years became the start of me finding my inner child again and healing him. Following those 2 years, I had grown unrecognizable and had found friends who sang and made music.
Fast forward to the beginning of February 2020 and my circle of friends had grown to incorporate some of the most incredible human beings I have ever encountered. When Covid-19 hit, that entire summer I spent working and writing poetry with my musically inclined friends. By the end of 2020 where we had acquired a motley crew of 12 talented individuals, I realized that we had the key ingredients to creating the greatest creative team that the world had yet to see. I then wrote out a 4-year plan that outlined the steps to global success and I decided to lead and manage my team of friends towards those goals.
Throughout 2021, we learned the ropes of how to make more friends who felt the same as us, how to network and build bridges between communities, while also establishing a presence in a city that was bubbling with immense activity. By the middle of July 2021, we were standing at 19 members strong and had now founded LCD Entertainment, a Multi-Media Entertainment and Label Company dedicated to creating a better future for the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Hahaha, ohhh, man. If the road was smooth, then I don’t think it’d be as worth it. It also wouldn’t be as much fun and I wouldn’t be able to help as many people as I do to the depths that I’m able to help. Often times in our darkest corners, we find that we’re alone and we think there’s no way we can actually find light; however, it takes the courage of someone else to find their way through the darkness to you, to grab your hand, and lead you back up to the surface for us to realize that we were the ones holding ourselves down all along.
Growing up, I didn’t have a structured family or home life. I was in between homes with my dad in Las Vegas, and my mom and grandparents in Tampa. There was a lot of fighting, violence, abuse, evictions, restraining orders, you name it; but when I was 14 living in section 8 off East Flamingo in Vegas this one older man told me “Son, when you leave here, don’t ever look back, make the most of your life and you won’t wind up like us.” I took that to heart, not knowing how bad life was still going to get.
I had to start working at 12 years old to help pay bills and keep my mom out of debt; unfortunately, she had terrible spending habits and we only made about $15,000 a year. Learning how to make do with the bare minimum was my comfort zone growing up. I knew how to make money where it mattered, and I knew that life will always make a way for you. I got to experience a lot of great factors that came with growing up fast, such as a stronger sense of responsibility, heightened awareness from being in different environments that spanned several different areas of socio-economic communities, and most of all I learned how to connect with people from the lowest points of their lives to their highest.
At 19, I ran away from home and my grandfather told me “When you leave, don’t take any of this baggage with you. I’ve seen the chip on men’s shoulders ruin their life because they never know when to let go.” I had told him, “You know me, grandpa, nothing can ever get to me because it all runs off my back like water”. This was right before I learned firsthand how PTSD works haha, so life’s been a collection and journey of struggles, but I wholeheartedly understand that it’s what allows me to shine brighter and to draw people towards me. I’m able to live life unafraid of what comes next. Life has done an incredible job of preparing me for the highs and the lows and the joy that comes with living life on your own terms.
I became Slater Colt along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
LCD Entertainment is the home of the dreamers who work to bring their biggest ideas and imaginations and stories to life. What started as a group of creative friends has turned into a fully functioning company that focuses on developing every individual to tap into their passions to benefit themselves and those around them. We work by understanding what we can bring to the table to add to the bigger picture. The more of yourself that you put in, the more that you’ll get out of the journey as we figure out how to heal the world one idea at a time.
My name is Slater Colt and I work as the Manager and Owner of LCD Entertainment. I specialize in Artist Development and Career Progression. When I look at my team and hear what I’m known for, Ron Mercy (one of our incredible producers and rising DJs on the team) says I’m “known for bringing the best out of people, I’m always there to listen when someone has a problem and I provide the right solution for them”. Kia Shaw (First Lady of LCD and larger than life icon) says I’m known for “believing in people, sometimes more than they believe in their self”. One time I was walking down the street in Ybor during a festival, and someone shouted at me saying “Yo look! It’s Mr. Manager of the Year!”. I always enjoy the appreciation, but I never take it to heart or let it get to my head. I believe that the people you allow into your life as well as how you treat them are the most prominent and important factors when considering your overall health and wealth in life, both in terms of success and happiness.
I’ve also been told that what sets me apart from other managers is that I truly and honestly care. I’ll be honest in saying I have no clue as to how other managers work. A lot of them bore me, and I find that I don’t concern myself with how others move beyond a few initial curiosities since I’m still young and learning. The more that time goes on though, the less concerned I am about other teams and what they’re doing. I love my team and we take care of those around us as we work on ourselves. We still have an initial 4-year journey to cross before we open up to the world!
I would say I’m proudest of my team. I can’t speak to our brand or how others interpret us because, at the end of the day, we’re focused on developing our skills and understanding more of how to bring our ideas to life. As time goes on, our brand will see us envelop communities from across the globe to bring the entire world together, regardless of what you look like or where you come from. One thing we always say about people is “if you’re dope, your dope!”. One of the things I love most about LCD is how open and in tune we are with the world and ourselves.
I currently manage 21 members in LCD Entertainment, ranging from musical artists to creative directors, as well photographers, videographers, choreographers, actors/actresses, and models too. I always know what I’m looking for when I see it and trust my instinct to let me know when it’s in front of me. Lately, we’ve been curious as to who the 22nd member of LCD will end up being, so I’m excited to see who they are in the future because I know they’ll find a place they can call home with LCD Entertainment. For the rest of the world, get ready because we’re going to transform the limits of expression and art as we know it today one project at a time.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I love this honestly, to anyone starting out, just do it. Jump into it and don’t look back, you’ll know if it’s for you, and you’ll definitely be able to tell if it’s not. To those who are unsure but curious, try it out, you may find a new door opening after a few steps in the wrong direction that wouldn’t have opened otherwise.
This goes for anything in life, not just artist management. Take it from someone who has seen quite a few parallels in life, move with genuineness and watch out for people who try to take advantage of you whether they realize it or not. Set your boundaries and be ready to give it all that you got, life will embrace you with open arms and you may feel exhausted at some points but if you’re meant for it then that fire will keep burning at the back of your mind to churn you towards where you’re supposed to be. To say that it’s worth it is a huge understatement…
Also, don’t take life so serious, enjoy it and let it breathe but never stop doing what you feel led to do and be prepared to make some of the biggest sacrifices you could ever have imagined. Never stop loving yourself and those around you, and be open to meeting new people who are entirely different than you, life is an adventure waiting to be taken.
Contact Info:
- Email: teamslatermgmt@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcd_entertainment/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/slater_michaelc
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/slater.colt/
Image Credits
Ariana Saucedo
Kia Shaw
Cyan Eswin
Chan Lukas
Gomez Marc
Edwin Riguad
