Rishon is, first and foremost, an entrepreneur. It’s what he studied — graduating from the Wharton School of Business with a degree in entrepreneurial management.
It’s what he’s lived and it’s what he loves. For more than 25 years, 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 has a keen business sense that drives him to find the best talent and make a lasting impact.
He began his career in concert promotion — first at Nederlander Concerts and then Delsener/Slater Enterprises, which later became Live Nation. He has founded three companies and completed his first book, Game Changer: How To Be 10x in the Talent Economy (HarperCollins Leadership), which reveals the strategies companies and individuals can take to become 10x.
When Rishon left the live music world to see things from a fresh perspective, he co-founded Brick Wall Management with close childhood friend (and Game Changer co-author) Michael Solomon in 1995. 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, and entertainment consulting clients like Young & Rubicam, Bruce Springsteen, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Miramax, and The Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at New York University.
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.
In 2012, Rishon co-founded 10x Management with Michael. By bringing decades of experience managing musicians, directors, and other creative entities to the technology sector, 10x is credited as being the first-of-its-kind tech talent agency. 10x rocketed to the forefront of its industry, carving out its place as a trusted and exclusive resource for companies seeking the best and most coveted freelance tech experts.
In 2019, 10x Ascend grew out of the 10x Management practice. It’s not uncommon for the contracting companies to be so impressed by the quality of freelance work that they end up making W2 employment offers. Whenever this happens, the freelancer will typically ask 10x to help them negotiate their salaried compensation packages. Seeing how valuable and impactful our negotiation help had been in these instances led Rishon and Michael to create a standalone company with the sole focus of helping senior level tech talent negotiate the most favorable employment terms possible.
Rishon remains at the center of the conversation about the talent economy, and what the future of this work holds. Because of that he was asked to present at TEDx in the fall of 2015, publish an article in Harvard Business Review in early 2016, and was featured on the cover of the Wharton Alumni Magazine in 2017. 10x has been featured in The New Yorker and The Economist, and Rishon frequently appears on Bloomberg Television, BBC, and other television networks. In addition, Rishon has presented at SXSW, NYU, and for the Wharton Alumni Association.
Rishon thrives on doing good and improving people’s lives. He helps administer The Kristen Ann Carr Fund for cancer research, and serves on Musicians On Call’s advisory board.
He spent many years coaching his kids’ sports teams to victory (or otherwise) — arguably his greatest achievements to date.
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