Meet Rapidly Rising Young Lion Jake Moritt, Vice President of Proper Loud
As Vice President of celebrated talent management agency Proper Loud, 24-year-old Jake Moritt is making his mark as one of the youngest entertainment industry executives in the business. Practically raised in the business both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, this young lion brings literally a lifetime of experience to his role of managing and guiding talent through the maze of the entertainment industry.
Practically raised in the business? Yup…raised by his mother, Actress/ Comedian Krista Allen, at age 8 he was featured in George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s HBO mock TV documentary Unscripted and caught the attention of the LA Times which touted him as the show’s breakout star. Following this highlight, Moritt fielded multiple offers for major film roles but opted to enjoy his childhood instead.
Moritt would later return to the industry behind the camera on film and television projects which gave him another perspective on how things worked. His slate would include time as a PA (Production Assistant) on The CW’s comedy series “Significant Mother”, going on to intern at Phoenix Pictures where he spent time under the tutelage of seven-time Oscar-winning producer Mike Medavoy. He would also put in time as a PA on shows such as ABC‘s The Rookie, and Apple+‘s The Morning Show. Before the age of 21, Moritt would find himself elevated to Assistant Director where he began to delve into the world of budgeting for shows. Not one to sit still, he found himself in the position to become a Line Producer and produced his very first movie for Showtime, continuing on this path for the Hallmark and Lifetime networks under the Ninth House Films production company.
Though seemingly thoroughly ensconced in the film industry, Moritt would take an intern position with the aforementioned Proper Loud (formerly Premier League Music), under Mams Taylor a celebrated British singer, songwriter, and producer to fill the time between films. While expanding his industry education under the watchful eye of Taylor, it wasn’t long before Moritt caught the music industry bug, particularly artist management, and began bringing clients to the agency while still an intern.
One of the mandatory skills Moritt mastered under Taylor was networking. His mentorship under Taylor put him in contact with a vast array of industry leaders which helped him cement some key relationships in the business. Soon he was closing deals with household name brands like Fashion Nova, Fenty x Savage, Dominos, Toshiba, and the like. His meteoric growth placed him on the goto wire for consultancy jobs with multiple independent record labels in addition to his own artist roster.
Currently, Moritt’s client roster includes the likes of 12x platinum and GRAMMY award-winning producer Diego Ave, world-renowned actor/musician/comedian King Bach, multi-platinum songwriter Ivory Scott and. influencers Will Got the Juice and OliviaGOld of GoldJuice to name a shortlist.
Instrumental in Proper Loud’s growth and influence and having helped increase client levels, revenue, notability, and chartings, in 2021 Jake Moritt became Vice President of Proper Loud and one of the youngest executives in the music industry.
Mams Taylor, CEO of Proper Loud exclaims, “Jake has blown me away with his work ethic, maturity, and pure drive. He is destined for great things.”
Wanting to get his take on his journey and career, The Hype Magazine got Jake Moritt to weigh in on a few things.
From the inside looking out, who is Jake Moritt?
Jake Moritt is a hustler that’s trying to take over the world. I’ve always had big dreams and I feel like there’s a new milestone every time I finish one so I’m never bored. I’ve always been the type that doesn’t like to sit around and if I’m not working for more than a few days I start to feel like I’m losing out on something.
What was the defining moment that brought you to the industry as a career?
I 100% thought that I wanted to be a movie producer at the beginning of my career. I wanted to be like Jerry Weintraub. I met him when I was a kid and saw his documentary later in life and he was such a hustler. When I was working in movies, there were always 1-2 month breaks in between projects. I was extremely bored and started trying to find a way to fill the time and make some extra money. Mams Taylor (CEO/Proper Loud) said I should come to the office and see if I could put together any deals. I had a little over a month before I had to start my next project so I went into PLM every day and fell in love. I realized that what I liked about Jerry Weintraub wasn’t the fact that he produced movies but it was his mentality on business overall and that you can turn anything into something. When I was working in the film industry I felt that there was a ceiling and even though I was moving up really fast I felt like at some point it would go flat and there would be no more room to grow. When I started working with Mams I saw Jerry Weintraub’s energy and realized that no matter what I did with him there would be no roof. I left a top position in the film company I was in to intern for Mams and 3 1/2 years later here I am.
Part of your journey has included time both in front of and behind the camera, how did those experiences mold your growth into an industry executive?
The good thing about me being in front of the camera when I was young is that I can understand where the talent is coming from and how they feel. I also understand how ridiculous they are sometimes which gave me a skill on how to reason with the unreasonable. I think the best thing that I took away from being in front of the camera is how to deal with the talent.
What’s been the most satisfying for you thus far in your career?
The most satisfying thing I’ve done so far is closing my first 7 figure deal for a client.
As you navigated the maze of the industry, what was the biggest surprise for you?
The most surprising thing I’ve seen so far is that talent isn’t the only thing you need to succeed anymore. because of the power of social media you need to already have a buzz to get anything done. Not many people take a new artist or producer and build them because it’s not worth it anymore.
You’re now one of the youngest industry executives at 24, what does that mean for you?
Being a young industry executive means that I’m competing with people that are twice my age sometimes. I never tell people my age but I don’t hide from it. I grew a beard and now everyone thinks I’m in my mid-30s and are surprised when they find out how old I actually am.
In true grinder fashion, you rose from intern to Vice President of Proper Loud, one of the rapidly rising talent management agencies in the business, tell us a bit about that journey.
It all started with the mentorship of Mams Taylor. I always was a hustler but I learned from him how to hone in on my skills and execute what I was doing. I sat in on every call of his when I started working with him and learned how to pitch deals and learned the ins and outs of the industry. When I started working with him I was in film for 5 years before that so I knew absolutely nothing about music. Over time I became more and more of value to the company started bringing clients in, bringing deals for his clients, and opening up new revenue streams for the company.
It’s quite obvious from your trek through the industry that you found something inside yourself that drove you to go beyond the norm, what was that motivation?
I have big dreams for myself and sitting around isn’t going to get me there. I don’t work on a 9-5 mentality and I’m on it 24 hours a day. If I can grind out as hard as I can in my 20s, by the time I’m in my 30s I’ll be further along than 99% of my age.
As a talent and management professional, what do you look for when you are considering whether to work with someone?
Overall I need to have the time to handle them. it doesn’t matter how talented someone is or how much money they’re making I don’t ever want to sign someone and they just be a name on a list. I talk to all of my clients every day so I have to look at it as a marriage. If someone is a wreck and difficult to deal with then I would rather not deal with the headache. I have to prioritize a lot of things so if you’re falling at the bottom of my list consistently it’s probably not working out.
Are there any special communication skills you employ when you might deal with a resistant personality?
The best way I deal with a resistant personality is by figuring out why they are being resistant and somehow using it to my advantage. Every case is different.
In your role, you kind of have to be part psychologist, part friend, and part motivator as well?
You definitely have to play psychologist, friends, and motivator as a manager. The best thing to do is not go too deep in with your clients. It becomes unhealthy when you’re too much of a friend. At the end of the day have fun but business is business and you need to guide the client in the right direction with no emotion.
All the hard work aside, what’s the most fun for you about what you do?
Even though I work crazy hours I love what I do so with all the stress it doesn’t seem like actual work. It truly makes me happy and feels good when I close a deal.
More importantly, WHY do you do what you do? Would you do it for free?
If I’m obligated to do anything in life it’s not going to be for free. It doesn’t matter if it sitting on the couch and playing with my dogs all day was my job. When I started doing this work and learning I was doing it for free. I’ve done many internships in music and outside of music where I made no money but there’s no point if there’s not an end goal.
You’ve been covered by quite a few media outlets, what’s the question we as journalists have missed asking that you might want to answer?
I have no idea on this one lol
Any keys to success you’d like to share with our eager readers?
Be easy to work with, save your money, and don’t waste people’s time.
What’s the most important thing you’d like us to know about you?
I love animals. If I see anyone hurt an animal I’ll never talk to them or associate with them again
Last but not least, what’s been your funniest WTF moment thus far in your career?
There’s a lot but can’t say I don’t wanna piss anyone off lol
Find out more about Jake Moritt by following his links below
Instagram: @jakemoritt
Twitter: @jakemoritt
Facebook: @JakeMoritt
TweetAbout the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
