When I Make It to LA with Brad Lambert
July 25, 2020 | Courtesy of WIMITLA https://wimitla.com/made-it-to-la/brad-lambert
A departure from our usual musicians and entertainers, Brad Lambert gives us an all-access pass behind the scenes of Hollywood. A producer, talent manager, and international speaker based in Los Angeles, Lambert first worked in the sports industry for ten years, working with some of his favorite athletes, top sports franchises, and global brands before transitioning to film and entertainment. He found early success as one of the managers for Warner Bros’ digital marketing campaigns, but he’s since accumulated quite a few notches on his belt, winning 3 CLIO Awards for his work. Now, he works independently but in conjunction with some of the industry’s biggest names, from Disney to Marvel to Sony to Universal. We recently spoke with Lambert about his first tastes of fame, career amidst a pandemic, and more!
You’ve produced, talent managed, and spoken around the world. Which is your favorite?
I’m sure this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but I honestly love each of those things for different reasons. When I’m producing, I get to be creative and also dive into the business side of things. I get the opportunity to collaborate with many different people who are experts in their own fields, which is fun, challenging and ultimately I learn a lot in the process. When I’m managing talent, I’m doing whatever I can to help someone else achieve their dreams and making sure they’re not just worried about the short-term, but also their future and planning accordingly. When I’m speaking, it’s all about value, inspiration and positivity. I’m able to travel around the world telling stories, giving advice and helping people in a specific field or subject. When it comes down to it, if I can say or do something that impacts someone else in a positive way, what’s better than that?
Which one is the most taxing?
Each one comes with their own specific type of “stress”, but when you’re managing talent, it’s not about you. You literally have someone else’s life and future in your hands, so that definitely makes it more stressful. But I enjoy helping people and seeing others happy, so I welcome that stress because the positives far outweigh the “negatives”.
Can you describe to us the first moment you realized you were famous?
Haha I appreciate the kind words, but I don’t look at myself as “famous”. As you grow in the industry, you have experiences and interactions that let you know your brand is getting attention and that you’re heading in the right direction. I’ve had a few moments like that recently: I was walking through a Best Buy and one of the workers stopped me and asked if I was “Brad Lambert” because they followed me on Instagram, that was a unique experience for sure. Another time, I was speaking with USPS on the phone because a package of mine had gotten lost and I gave them my email for updates and the woman on the phone was like…“Wait a minute, I recognize that ‘bradrlambert’, are you the bradrlambert from Instagram?” If anything, these experiences let me know that I have significantly more reach than I did before; people are watching and it’s up to me to make the most of the opportunity and hopefully impact their lives in a positive way.
What’s been the most rewarding experience of your career?
Finding happiness in my day-to-day “work” and impacting others in a positive way are my most rewarding experiences. Specifically, working on things I’m passionate about, like the marketing campaigns for “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” with Disney, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures last year was definitely special. And most recently, collaborating with Gary Vaynerchuk, The Russo Bros., Chris Hemsworth and The Pittsburgh Steelers on the ALL IN Challenge, which helped feed the hungry during this pandemic. We all have one life to live, why not live it doing the things you love?
What adjustments did you have to make when transitioning from the sports industry to Hollywood? What inspired the move?
I loved my time in the sports industry, but an opportunity to work with Robert Downey Jr. and his incredible team arose, so I dropped everything and came out to the west coast to chase my passions to the entertainment industry. The opportunity was essentially my “shotgun intro” to Hollywood and I don’t have the traditional “film school” background like most people out here, so I learned a lot and quickly adjusted to the ins and outs of the entertainment business. I’m so grateful for the opportunity because I would not be where I am today without it!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? How about the best piece of advice you can give?
I was raised with the mindset to lead with kindness and if you have the opportunity to do something nice for somebody else, do it. That has been my mindset from the beginning and I can’t stress how important and beneficial it is on multiple levels. It impacts you personally, increasing your reputation and your own personal happiness all the while impacting someone else’s life in a positive way…it’s a no-brainer. In regards to advice, I would say lead with kindness, add value as much as you can in as many situations as you can, surround yourself with people who you admire and who inspire you, build genuine relationships with others, dream BIG and NEVER settle…
If you serve as a producer on a remake of any movie, which are you picking?
I would love to be a part of the remake of “Jerry Maguire”. One of my all-time favorite films that inspired me to get into the sports industry initially. Due to my background in sports and entertainment, it would be a dream to be a part of a project like this and I would love to bring this story to modern times.
How has the pandemic affected your career?
The majority of my work is based in/around the entertainment industry so it’s been challenging. Most things are closed temporarily, delayed or cancelled indefinitely, so that has made things a bit complicated. I’ve had to shift my mindset and priorities to focus more on the development side of things since events, campaigns and productions aren’t a viable option right now. I’m being creative and “scrappy” finding new and alternative ways to make progress on my goals and projects.
What’s something you want to accomplish in the future?
You’ve produced, talent managed and spoken around the world. Which is your favorite?me and hopefully leave a positive mark on the industry as a whole and to those in and around it. Specifically, I have a few film and TV projects I’m working on that I’m very excited about, so I’m looking to have updates to share in the very near future.
Instagram: @bradrlambert
