A year ago today, we lost Yusef.
For anyone who didn’t have the pleasure of knowing him, Yusef was the heart of Big Bang Talent. He joined Steve Markbride not long after Steve founded the agency in 1986, and over more than three decades, he became one of the most recognised and trustworthy agents in the entertainment industry. He treated every booking as if his own name was on the line. Because it was.
When I took on the agency just over a year ago, I did it for one reason. Big Bang was Yusef’s life’s work, and I wasn’t going to let it stand still.
This year has tested me in ways I never expected, but I’m so proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve given Big Bang Talent a new look and a new website, brought the agency properly online for the first time in years, and welcomed new people to the roster that now exceeds more than 80 artists. We’re building relationships in places Big Bang Talent has never worked before, and the phone keeps ringing.
What means the most, though, is how often Yusef’s name still comes up. Promoters, venue owners, artists and managers who worked with him certainly haven’t forgotten him – I hear and cherish new stories from years gone by every week. His standards are still the ones we work to, and his reputation still opens doors for us. I know he’d be happy to see where things are heading. I like to think he’d be proud.
To everyone who has supported me and the team this year, thank you so much. Your kindness has carried us further than you know, and I know Yusef will be forever grateful.
Yusef, we miss you every day. Everything we build from here, we build in your name.
Charlie Reid Mohamed
Managing Director, Big Bang Talent
