Introducing... Robin Weil!
Cue the epic dramatic music (preferably something Hans Zimmer, thank you) and enter… SUPER REPORTER SOPHIE!
Earlier this week I donned my journalist cap and caught up with our company’s Founder, Robin Weil, and grilled him on all things MSH…
Robin Weil, MSH Founder
When did you start up MSH and why?
I launched MSH in 2010. I was about to go into my 2nd year of uni at Manchester and I'd made a bit of money in my first year gigging with my string quartet. Initially I wanted to get more work for my quartet but quickly decided that I wanted to get more work for all my musician friends.
What is your musical background?
I started playing the violin when I was 7, switched the viola when I was 15 and haven't looked back! I'm used to the viola jokes and I think I've heard pretty much every single one! I went to Junior Trinity on a Saturday before going to study Music at Manchester University.
How did you grow the musician base?
I had lots of great musician contacts studying with me at University and at the RNCM nearby! All musicians, particularly students are looking to make some extra cash so signing them up was easy. It seemed to be a no-brainer for them!
When did bookings spread out of Manchester?
Quite quickly, because we were getting lots of weddings and many great venues are out of the city. Before we knew it, we were sending musicians for gigs around the North West.
Was moving the company from Manchester to London difficult?
Surprisingly not! I thought that was going to be the tricky part but building a musician and client base in London ended up being one of the easier challenges to overcome.
What do you think is MSH’s place is in the music industry [compared to other agencies]?
Good question. My experience is that musicians are great at what they do (performing) but they can often do with some help with the other areas like communication, marketing, general admin. We're here to help young musicians bridge the gap as they move into the professional world. Our clients love the idea of having younger musicians playing at their events.
What are your favourite memories with MSH over the years?
My favourite memories are really around some special gigs we've provided musicians for including over 30 acts for the 2012 Olympics and a 1920s band for a Ridley Scott film. More recently, putting a 50-piece orchestra together for an advert at the last minute was a challenge but really exciting to be a part of!
Tell us about your other company, Wedding Planner!
So WeddingPlanner.co.uk stems out of my experience arranging musicians for weddings. It's a great platform helping couples plan and book their weddings. Completely free for couples to use and walks them through the whole planning process.
What are your future plans for MSH?
It would be fantastic to take MSH abroad. We've just launched WeddingPlanner.co.uk in Sweden so maybe we'll look to expand there in the near future.
Do you have any general advice for booking musicians for a wedding?
Make sure you book live music. Music has always been at the core of a party and I think all couples who don't have live music at their weddings regret that decision.