Michael Solomon is an established entrepreneur with a strong desire to help people and a desire to make a difference. The six organizations he’s helped found — for-profit and nonprofit alike — share a common goal of improving people’s lives. He has a passion for personal and professional growth and views optimizing himself and all that he works on as a personal mission. He is the author of Game Changer: How To Be 10x in the Talent Economy (HarperCollins; September 2020), which reveals the secrets to becoming a “10xer” for anyone in any industry.

It’s what he’s lived and it’s what he loves. For more than 25 years, in partnership with his childhood friend, Rishon Blumberg, he’s harnessed that spirit to create and lead successful organizations based in tech, entertainment, and the nonprofit sphere — finding new solutions to long-standing and emerging challenges.

He began his career working with Jon Landau Management on several Bruce Springsteen tours, followed by a three year stint at Epic Records and Sony Music. Then at age 25, his entrepreneurial spirit took over and he’s never looked back. He co-founded four companies, three by the time he was 30.

10x Ascend

10x Ascend has grown out of the 10x Management practice of representing high end tech freelancers. Over the years, 10x clients have been coveted by the companies they have freelanced for and often those companies made W2 employment offers to our 10x clients. When this happened, we have helped them negotiate their compensation packages and it quickly became clear that this service was valuable and impactful to our clients but perhaps most importantly, sorely needed. It was this experience that lead Michael and Rishon to create a stand alone company whose sole focus is to help senior level tech talent obtain the most favorable employment terms possible. 10x Ascend has been featured in TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal.

10x Management  

In 2012, Michael co-founded 10x Management with Rishon, as well as a third partner who exited the company in early 2016. By bringing decades of experience managing musicians, directors, and other creative entities to the technology sector, 10x has created an entirely new concept in that sphere. Regarded as the first talent agency for tech professionals, 10x has rocketed to the forefront of the tech industry, carving out its place as a trusted and exclusive resource for companies seeking the best and most coveted freelance tech experts.

10x’s story,  “Rock star managers who now manage the new rock stars” has been heralded by several national media outlets, putting Michael at the center of the conversation about the tech talent shortage, and what the future of this work holds. 10x has been featured in The New Yorker and The Economist, and Michael frequently appears on MSNBC, Bloomberg, BBC, Al Jazeera, and other television networks.

Brick Wall Management  

In 1995, Michael co-founded Brick Wall Management with Rishon. What started as a music management company that managed, marketed, and shaped the careers of musicians like John Mayer, Citizen Cope, and Vanessa Carlton, now includes a consulting business that touches nearly every angle of the arts.

In 2007, Brick Wall expanded its roster to include award-winning and chart-topping songwriters, producers, and directors like Marshall Altman, Michael Counts, Jarett Bellucci, and Adam Landry. Entertainment consulting clients include Young & Rubicam, The Rock Boat, Jon Landau Management, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Natalie Merchant, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Human, The Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at New York University, Miramax, and more.

Brick Wall helped produce John Mayer’s music film, Any Given Thursday, which was certified platinum. It also produced TV specials for its clients, including Operatic Heat for PBS. Collectively, Brick Wall’s roster has earned more than 12 Grammy Award nominations and four wins, multiple Emmy Award nominations and two wins, and more than 10 million albums sold, resulting in multiple platinum and gold records.

The Kristen Ann Carr Fund  

Michael co-founded and serves as the pro-bono administrator for The Kristen Ann Carr Fund (KACF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding treatment and a cure for sarcoma and improving the lives of all cancer patients. It’s a cause close to his heart — it was founded in 1993 after his girlfriend of four years, Kristen Carr, lost her battle with sarcoma.   KACF has raised more than $25M as of this writing.

Musicians On Call  

KACF inspired Michael to co-found Musicians On Call, a nonprofit that brings live music to hospital patients at their bedsides and has played for more than 1,200,000 people since 1999. MOC currently has programs in 18 all 50 states and is the largest supplier of music to health care facilities nationally. Michael has been featured on countless news and entertainment programs (Nightline, The Today Show, Access Hollywood, Turning Point) talking about MOC. Michael remains an active member of MOC’s Board of Directors.

We Are All Music Foundation

When Michael moved to Montclair in 2014, he began an informal music industry networking group which has now grown to almost 200 people. As an offshoot of that, he along with some other local executives founded The We Are All Music Foundation which is modeled after The Robinhood Foundation providing grants to the best in class nonprofits using music in 1. Health and Wellness, 2. Education and 3. Underserved Communities.

Entrepreneurial Endeavors

• In 2010, Michael and Rishon partnered with Bruce Springsteen to create the first-ever official app for Springsteen fans.
• In 2013, Michael and Rishon partnered with filmmaker Josh Franer to produce a short film that educates kids and parents about child sex abuse. My Body Belongs to Me, which has been viewed more than 750,000 times, is now one of the most successful and useful educational tools in its field.
• Michael Currently sits on the advisory boards for startup’s:  A-Plan Coaching, AltaClaro, OurVinyl.tv, mpathai, among others.

Accolades and Awards

Michael was featured on NY1 as a New Yorker of the Week.  and he received the 2014 President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for his work with MOC. He was honored at the Kristen Ann Carr Fund’s 20th Anniversary Night to Remember in 2013 as the honorary chair for their 20th Anniversary. In 2019, Michael was honored at Musicians On Call’s 20th anniversary celebration with the Lifetime Achievement Award for co-founding the non-profit. Musicians On Call also re-named their volunteer musicians award to the Michael Solomon Volunteer Musician Golden Ukulele in 2020.

In The Media / Public

Michael and his companies have been widely featured in publications and across media. Select outlets include: The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, MSNBC, ABC, Nightline, The Today Show, Wired, TechCrunch, Mashable, Huffington Post, The Guardian, The Economist and Inc. as well as being featured in the 2011 best selling philanthropy book, The Art Of Giving, the forthcoming release Connected Capital.

Michael’s diverse management and marketing expertise makes him a sought-after voice. He has spoken at The Kennedy Center, SXSW and taught workshops on music and philanthropy at New York University. He’s also been a mentor and speaker at the Founder Institute, and appeared at numerous other events and conferences.

Personal

A born and bred Manhattanite, Michael moved to Montclair, NJ in 2014 with his awesome wife, Jenny, and two fantastic kids, Lucy and Rainen.