Whole proudly employs a group of bright, engaging, intelligent and creative staff.
Ross Patel They/Them
Co-founder / CEO
Favourite Album:
Daft Punk – Discovery
Favourite Gig:
Rage Against The Machine at Reading Festival, 2008
Favourite Festival: Glastonbury, Lost Village, Secret Garden Party
Co-Founder and CEO of Whole Entertainment, Ross has been responsible for diversifying the company into a full-suite talent management and consulting agency supporting a roster of creatives with world-class management, business and label services since it was established in 2016.
They have a wealth of experience creating and overseeing events for thousands of people, with stage and venue management and lineup curation roles at renowned festivals such as Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Love Saves The Day, Boomtown, Outlook and Dimensions as just a few certified examples of expertise.
In addition, Ross has been an integral part in some of the elite brands and projects within the music sector. 3500 capacity venue Motion Bristol / Bristol In:Motion and Eton Messy are shining examples of this, and as a Senior Manager at Grade Management, Ross worked across global talent including Roni Size (incl Reprezent Live and Full Cycle Records), Seth Troxler, Groove Armada, Joris Voorn, Ben Pearce, GotSome and more.
Now at the intersection of music, media, tech and climate action their professional ambition is rooted in spearheading a new-age movement aimed at fusing the power of culture, low carbon, low impact and commercial business into an intersectional beacon of a harmonious sustainable lifestyle.
Jamie Hole He/Him
Co-founder / ChairPERSON
Favourite Album:
Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers / Ten – Pearl Jam
Favourite Gig:
The Pharcyde at jazz cafe / Jay-Z and friends (Nas, Chris Martin, Beyoncé and Gwynyth Paltrow) at the Royal Albert Hall
Favourite Festival:
Glastonbury
For his last three and a half years at Universal, Jamie was responsible for the international exploitation and planning from all of Universals UK labels (Virgin EMI, Island UK, Polydor UK, Decca and Capitol UK).
He was personally in charge of the global plans for Sam Smith, Emeli Sande, Robbie Williams, Iggy Azalea, Disclosure, The Vamps, John Newman, Jack Garratt, The 1975, The Lumineers, Aurora, Chase & Status, Krept & Konan, KSI and many others.
Prior to that Jamie was International Marketing Director for over 4 years for Universal’s US East Coast label Groups which included Republic US, Island Def Jam and Motown Records. During his time in this role he was a key player and creator of global launch plans for the likes of Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Bon Jovi, The Killers and many more.
Now a Chairperson and Co-Founder of Whole he uses his wealth of experience in music, entertainment, digital media and sustainability across all of his clients and endeavours. His understanding of global business frames everything he does with talent management all done with a friendly and polite manner.
Max Hole CBE He/Him
Non-Executive Director
Max Hole CBE is the former Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International. As head of central functions at UMGI’s headquarters in London, he was responsible for operations in territories and regions worldwide and played a pivotal role in Universal’s £1.2 billion acquisition of EMI.
He was referred to in Billboard as “a serious contender for title of ‘most powerful label executive outside America.” and was dubbed ‘one of the most successful music executives in the last 40 years‘ by Music Week in 2017.
Simon O'Kelly He/Him
Strategic Consultant
Favourite Album: Where The Light Is – John Mayer
Favourite Gig: RHCP Live in Hyde Park (2004)
Favourite Festival: Reading & Leeds
Simon is an entertainment entrepreneur. He co-founded UMA Entertainment Group in 2016 which is now Chaired by legendary concert promoter, Harvey Goldsmith CBE (Live Aid).
At launch, UMA Entertainment was a platform that created and produced a televised award ceremony for independent artists (where it recognised and championed talent such as Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender and Maisie Peters on the verge of breaking) but has since evolved into a project-based business spanning a number of verticals, with a more global outlook. Its raison d’être is to progress social good and environmental sustainability through the power of music, live events, broadcast and technology. Examples of this include multi-day events at COP26 in Glasgow, COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and the soon-to-launch HERO app.
UMA Entertainment’s key upcoming project is Earth Aid Live, an international stadium concert series for the planet, slated for 2024, and is being developed together with Harvey, Jamie, and Ross (also Directors of UMA Entertainment).
Alongside his experience in business leadership, Simon is also a passionate ‘techie’ having built and launched various web and native app products which have raised multiple rounds of investment along the way.
He continues to consult for a number of companies in the private and third sector (with Whole Entertainment being one) on strategy, leadership and operations.
Alice Kirby she/her
LOGISTICS COORDINATOR &
Artist Manager Assistant
Favourite Album:
RY X – Dawn
Favourite Gig:
RY X & London Contemporary Orchestra – Live From The Royal Albert Hall
Favourite Festival:
Glastonbury Festival
Jamal Chalabi he/him
Manager
Favourite Album:
Electric Ladyland – Jimi Hendrix
Favourite Gig:
Siouxsie and the Banshees, supported by Magazine @ Tiffany’s Coventry 1979
Favourite Festival:
Fuji Rock
With 30 years of touring and production experience at all levels, and across every continent, Jamal has had the great privilege to work with amazing artists of all genres from all over the globe: from pioneers of Punk & Hip Hop to Rock legends and Mega DJs. As Tour & Production Manager at Backlash Productions, Jamal has worked with artists such as DJ Shadow, Pendulum, Bring Me The Horizon, Massive Attack, and James Bay.
Jamal is also Sustainability Facilitator for the UK’s Tour Production Group (TPG), where he aims to open up an industry-wide dialogue to raise awareness and to share guidance, tools and good practice for more sustainable touring.
Jamal and AGFs collaboration on the Bring Me The Horizon Tour has highlighted some of the incredible sustainability improvements that can be achieved when bands, promoters, venues and production teams work together to reduce the environmental impact of their Tours.
Hannah Vincent she/her
PRODUCER & ARTIST MANAGER
Favourite Album: Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge – My Chemical Romance
Favourite Gig: Twenty One Pilots – Wembley Arena, Green Day – BST Hyde Park
Favourite Festival: Reading Festival, 2000 Trees
Hannah started her life in the music business as a sound engineer which gave her the pleasure of working with the likes of Royal Blood, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Blossoms, Tom Grennan and Pete Doherty to name a few.
After finishing up with tours, she began writing for a variety of music magazines and working at PPL, until an offer to work at Parlophone Records as an A&R Coordinator came about. That led to working directly with signed artists Vant and Ratboy on their projects, alongside assisting the whole roster with their campaigns.
After Parlophone, Hannah moved to Bucks Music Group where she worked as a Day-to-Day Manager for a roster of Producer/Writers, Topliners and Artists. Hannah was also taken on as an A&R where she had two direct artist signings; Sick Joy and ZAND, both to worldwide publishing deals.
Hannah then created Miloco Management, over at Miloco Studios. She signed a number of highly sought after and successful producers, mixers and writers to the Miloco Management roster, including Grammy nominated Sam Harper (Tion Wayne, Lady Donali, WizKid), Jonny Breakwell (Tendai, PinkPantheress), Henri Davies (Emeli Sandé), James Mellor (Ama Lou, Louis Dunford, Polar States) and Jonathan Hucks (The Rills).
Now landing at Whole, Hannah brings her wealth of experience to the team and her passionate, creative approach to expanding our clients careers further.
Adam Gonzalez he/him
Head of Marketing, PR & Growth
Favourite Album:
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness
Favourite Gig:
Vans Warped Tour 2011, Pomona Fairplex, Pomona, CA
Favourite Festival:
Glastonbury
Introducing Adam Gonzalez, a highly accomplished music industry professional with a multifaceted skill set as the Head of Marketing and Growth at Whole Entertainment.
With an exceptional talent for strategic marketing and brand development, Adam has played a pivotal role in the success stories of renowned artists such as Pitbull, Ava Max, Magic!, Saint Jhn, and The Weeknd. His innovative campaigns and growth strategies have propelled these artists to global recognition and chart-topping success.
Throughout his illustrious career, Adam has collaborated with major record labels including Capitol Records, Atlantic Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and more. His extensive industry connections and insights have allowed him to curate partnerships and opportunities that maximize an artist’s potential.
As the Head of Marketing and Growth, Adam’s visionary approach has consistently delivered exceptional results. His keen understanding of emerging trends and cutting-edge strategies ensures that our clients stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving music landscape.
David Swartz he/him
Artist Representative &Business Development Consultant
Favourite Album: Outkast – ATLiens / Salsoul Classics (Volume 2)
Favourite Gig: White Stripes at The Gorge (August 2005)
Favourite Festival: Coachella, Roskilde, Glastonbury
Originally from Los Angeles and now based since 2015 in Berlin, David Swartz has spent over two decades working around the music industry, primarily in an entrepreneurial capacity.
Over the years, he’s gained a wealth of experience doing work with a wide spectrum of artists including: Tricky, Kele Okereke (of Bloc Party), Justin Tranter, Patrick Wolf, Macy Gray, Mykki Blanco, Skylar Grey, Digable Planets, DJ Shadow, Atmosphere, FaltyDL, Saul Williams, Pop Levi, KRS-One, Steve Aoki, and many more.
Going back to the early 2000s, David got his start promoting concerts and underground raves across Colorado while he was a full-time university student. Following his graduation, he moved back to LA where he parlayed his experience as a promoter into building up a booking agency that had a roster which focused mostly on representing hip-hop and electronic acts. After several years as an agent, he recognized that he was taking a significantly more involved role with a few of his early-stage clients and he started to find his way as a manager.
He went on to start Kosher Management in 2009 and took off running with it from there. This position of looking after a smaller roster of artists but being more deeply invested with them across their entire career suited him well. He cut his teeth working with developing acts and was often the first member of an artist’s team, something that has come to be a defining element of his management work. During this chapter, he represented a slew of independent rock and electronic acts like Villains (DIm Mak), El Ten Eleven (along with their Fake Record Label imprint), Pop Levi (Counter / NinjaTune), Kid Karate (Spirit Music Group), and Slow Magic (Downtown Records).
While on a trip with one of his bands (Taymir, who he signed with Sony in Germany), the magic of the unique magnet that is Berlin blew him away, and he decided very shortly thereafter to make the jump across the world to set up his new homebase in Berlin. After almost a year there, he met with the founder of !K7 Music on the recommendation of his longtime mentor Merck Mercuriadis and took a position leading the company’s artist management team. Mykki Blanco was the top priority from the jump, and David oversaw the full cycle of Mykki’s debut full-length album campaign, then moved right on to take over managing legendary British trip-hop pioneer Tricky through a full album cycle. In his time there, he went on to play a key role in signing several new management and label services clients such as Kele Okereke, Lotic, and LAFAWNDAH; and he also helped to guide the careers of several other artist clients there such as Niklas Paschburg and FaltyDL.
After realizing that it was time to move back into a position running his own operation, he left !K7 in early 2019 to launch Singular Arts Group (where he initially brought on the prominent photographer and filmmaker Matt Lambert as the company’s Creative Director). Mykki Blanco and FaltyDL followed David from !K7 to form the basis of the roster along with a young new gem called Finn Ronsdorf. In addition to the work of management, David partnered with AWAL to activate a label to release recording projects for the management roster – Finn Ronsdorf was the first new artist launched via this Singular Arts Group imprint. And beyond this management / label work, David has also taken on a few different consulting projects, such as establishing the foundation of Homo-Centric Records with Gideon Berger (aka GIDEÖN, known mostly as co-founder of Block 9 and booked for their namesake area of Glastonbury).
David has now joined the team at Whole in a role where he will be consulting on business development, contributing to the management strategy of our existing talent roster, as well as bringing in new clients and projects. He is the first member of our team based outside of the UK, so he also serves as our first set of boots on the ground in mainland Europe representing Whole Management; and as he spends a few months of each year back in the States, he will also give us a footprint across the pond as well.
