Profile 009: Chris Chambers, Founder of The Chamber Group
If you’re looking for the one of top PR and publicity consultants in music for strategic image branding at a luxury level, Chris Chambers should be at the top of your list. Founder of The Chamber Group, Chris and his team have shaped the careers and public images of Drake, Lil’ Wayne, J. Cole, Teyana Taylor, Erykah Badu, Naomi Campbell, Jill Scott, and more. They are a company that works at the intersection of music x fashion, and it’s Chris’ unique vision and experience that drives the success of the team. We sat down and had a deeply honest discussion about his personal and professional journeys, the importance of mentors and champions in the workplace, and how he came to trust himself and uphold his boundaries.
Chris, what is the fullest description of all that you do?
I would say that my job is PR/Brand Building Specialist.
And how did you find out about the role?
Long story short, I was a journalism major at NYU. Living in New York, I thought I was going to be like this big newscaster, journalist, whatever. But trying to get an internship at any of these stations was so competitive.
I ended up getting my first internship at a small boutique firm called Set to Run Public Relations, and they just happened to work with all the labels at the time like Def Jam and Sony Columbia. It was such a great experience because the company was small, and they really wanted their interns to learn and understand the basic ropes of PR. When I entered the program it was, I believe, their first year of starting their own internship program. It was just a great experience. They offered me a job at the end of the internship, but I was finishing the first half of my junior year. Of course my parents were like, "You're not taking no job! You're finishing school."
So, in between, they kept calling me back to help out on special projects and then when I was graduating, they were still like, "You know, we have a job for you if you're interested." And my thinking was oh, great, I have a check coming in, I can start paying back my student loans, blah, blah, blah. And that's really where it started.
So, you start there and how have you watched your role evolve? And you have your own business now - how did you even get to this point?
After spending years in PR at labels like Interscope, Sony, and Arista, it got to a point where, for me, I never felt like I was the music person. I totally enjoyed PR. I loved being part of building the public image; shaping it, molding it. My last role at the label was Senior Vice President of Media and Artists Relations. I oversaw the PR departments that were on the BMG side of Sony BMG. So I've worked with Jive, RCA, all of the PR departments on that side.
But then, Sony BMG told me, "Oh, we want you to work with the creative department”; which entailed all the creative departments that made the album packaging and the videos. I thought that this was going to be a total creative situation, which was what I wanted. But I was so far removed into upper management that it was a lot of managing budgets. It was a great learning experience, but it wasn't totally what I envisioned. But I stayed in that role for three years and then I just one day said, you know, I think I need to challenge myself again. I need to figure out what that next thing is. And I didn't really know what that was gonna be, but I knew that I had another year left on my contract and they treated me so well. I said to myself, let me let them know now that I most likely will not go into renegotiations because I think I need to figure out what's next for me. I told them a year before my contract ended that I most likely was going to leave, and then I remained at the label for the year.
During that time I was meeting with MAC Cosmetics, Ralph Lauren -- just really seeing what was out there and where I could fit in. And the response was really positive because I was talking to people that weren't in music. And they got me! They understood what I could contribute to their environments. And that kind of opened me up and made me at least feel like these years in music weren’t a total waste. And then I remember Ralph Lauren had a men's PR position open and [I] met with David Lauren. And at one point, he was just like, "I don't understand why you don't open up your own business and do a little bit of fashion, do music, do everything that you talk about. Just turn it into a business." And my response was, "I don't want my own business," because I really didn't. But anyway, my contract came out and I was leaving. This was, like, May or June of whatever year that was; 2008 or 2009.
And then because I didn't renew my contract to remain in house [at Sony BMG], Clive Davis, who was my boss at the time, said, "You know, we would love for you to consult with us still and still work the acts that you were working, like Outcast and Usher.” All of that. And so basically, that's how the Chamber Group was formed. They gave me such great work that I had to bring my assistant, and then hire freelancers, and that's how the company was formed. I had no business plan. Didn't have offices, nothing. Just like, okay, let me figure this out. I don't really know what I'm doing, but...
I mean, I think that's phenomenal, right? Because obviously you have such a high power role, but you start to go outside of it and other people are seeing you in a different way. And that allows you to then see yourself differently.
Exactly.
And [you] have to rise to the challenge. So was that the biggest turning point for your career, would you say?
I think so. Because I think I finally realized that I was proud of the things I accomplished. Because apparently along the way in music, I didn't box myself into that idea of [music business] being the only thing I do. And I kind of knew that but, again, when you're in a certain community and environment you start to really think well I guess this is my skill set or this is what I do. Sometimes you don't really see yourself outside of that.
Another person that was very instrumental while I was in the music industry was Steve Stoute. He was one of those people that was in my ear towards the end of my run in music, saying, "You know what, you're bigger than this. You're bigger than some of the artists that you're working.”
He was pushing me to step out and take a leap of faith and do my own thing. I think I resisted it so long until I actually began having conversations with people outside of the industry and the universe just kept showing me that this is the path we have for you. I'm thankful that I didn't allow fear to keep me in one place. I followed the path that was already laid out, and thank God, it kind of just came together.
Another turning point that happened early on in my career -- and when I look back, I'm happy in terms of the timing that everything occurred -- I was working at Mercury Records, which was part of Polygram and I had a boss that literally did not….she didn't make me feel good about myself. She barely talked to me. Like if she wanted to have a meeting with me, she wrote it on her stationery, gave it to her assistant, her assistant gave it to my assistant, and it would say, “Oh, Dawn would like to meet with you at two o'clock,” or whatever. I mean, can you imagine being in your early 20s and having a boss that didn't make you feel like you were part of the team, didn't really build you up, didn't nurture you in any way? And one day, I'll never forget this, a good friend of mine, Danyel Smith, who's a respected journalist came to my office and she just simply said, “How’s work?” And I literally burst out into tears. Just tears, flowing. That's when I realized and recognized…[this working relationship was] unhealthy.
And so I went to therapy, and thank God, I learned through therapy that the treatment that I was enduring wasn't really about me. This was a woman that was so threatened by this 20 something year old Black boy that the President of the label in meetings would be like, “Chris, what do you think?” And she was one of those people that [would say], “Why would you care what he thinks?” So what I was receiving was her own insecurities. And then what I learned through that whole experience is that I had to understand my own value. And from there, as I said I was glad when I look back that it happened so early on in my career because then it made me realize that I didn't have to really put up or tolerate that from any job. And thank God she wasn't able to remove me. I one day just went in and said, oh, I have an offer and I'm leaving.
I sought therapy after that experience. I think that often we as people don't realize that sometimes we have to take a second to pull ourselves back a little bit, and be okay in even entertaining the idea of therapy and going through that process. It’s okay. It doesn't mean that something is wrong with you. It’s just the idea of having someone help us check in with ourselves, because that's all therapy is. It’s just having this person help you to actually be honest with yourself; to look at yourself and be really honest with yourself and take ownership. And recognizing that sometimes it’s also not just your burden.
Because we've kind of covered so much of my questions already, I'm gonna dive a little deeper, if you don't mind.
Go all over. [laughs]
So you talked about Steve Stoute, Clive Davis, and David Lauren. Were there other people who saw you first before you saw yourself, or were those the three key people?
I had very close friends that were part of my journey career-wise that saw the things that I accomplished and definitely saw me beyond music. I think everyone close to me saw that [the] music industry was not my last stop. But I think for me there was nothing that was pushing me out the door or [any of] those challenging moments that literally make you feel like okay, I give up, it's time to move on. No. My run was amazing. I mean, I worked with real artists that I can be proud to say that I was a part of their teams. I've worked with Prince, I've worked with OutKast, I've worked with D'Angelo. I was spoiled, in a sense, where I was part of a time in music where there was real artist development, real thought of building superstars and careers. The one person that I also have to mention that was a huge part of me from a career standpoint: L.A. Reid. Because L.A. was, and is, that figure...before working for him, I did not have that figure of this black man with class, elegance, the last of the star builders. It was such an experience working with someone that moved with such elegance and could spot a star head on, saw that thing in people, and knew how to engage his team to build this person into a superstar. It was such a great experience working for him and just having a black man in front of me, showing me that it's okay if my story isn't the story of a lot of people; a lot of brown people in music where - and there's nothing wrong with this story - but it’s that scenario of, I came from the hood, I was fortunate the music industry helped build me. But I didn't come from that.
My family's from Jamaica, education was a huge part of coming up, hard working middle class...and that was it. There was no “music thing.” My family couldn't understand why I was in the School of Arts and Sciences instead of NYU School of Business. That's what I came from. So to have someone like L.A. move the way he did and to see the icons that he helped nurture into these superstars... it was a great moment.
And I also heard that L.A. really champions black executives.
Oh, totally. Totally. And would prop you up and recognize your hard work and your voice and give you enough freedom to voice your opinions and thoughts. He really encouraged the few of us that were in the room.
So those few people that I mentioned, they definitely helped encourage me and I think also believed in me. And that was something that took awhile for me to really understand within myself; to really get to that place of, well Chris, if you worked hard for someone else, you'll work hard for yourself. Even harder. You won't allow yourself to fall. And I think I had to build myself to get to that place emotionally and mentally to really take that chance and step out and do my thing, but I have no regrets.
How did building your own business and stepping out force you to evolve as a soul? Or even as you began to evolve and grow, how did that influence your work? And here?
You know what I think? The one thing that I will say in the beginning that I made very clear within myself was that even though I was starting my own business - and we all know for the most part you have to make money and have revenue - I made a promise to myself that I would never work with people that I didn't really respect or that I really didn't understand what they were doing, because I wanted to still enjoy what I do. And I have to believe in the person and really respect their art for me to come on board and do what I do. I think that's one thing that definitely was in the forefront of me personally evolving because I feel like once I decided I was going to have my own business and I started the business, that self-respect went to another level because I was not going to ever put myself in a position to disrespect myself. And then I think that over the years, through the constant challenges of running my business, I have evolved as a person and in many ways. I can tell you right now...I will be 50 on April 14. This past Christmas break was the first time I did a staycation, didn't travel anywhere, and I stayed home. It was one of the best things I've done for myself because I feel like I knew I needed to stay still for a minute to realign and center myself again. And I came into the new year feeling so good because I'm very clear; right now is my favorite word and feeling is boundaries.
I am very clear that I am a grown ass man.
I am a grown up.
And I also am clear to myself that I do not need to tolerate certain things. And I'm unapologetically okay with letting people know that now.
I'm very confident in making it clear that there are things that I do and don't do. And I think I'm also at a place of protecting my energy. And that means that if I have a hint of something that is going to or try to move my energy into another space -- an unpleasant space -- I won't take part.
Most people would talk from a personal standpoint, but [for me] that also means in business: I won't put myself in that uncomfortable position with a client, with a coworker...no.. Because I realized that at this point in my life, it's about living a healthy life. Mentally, spiritually, physically. That's my priority right now. Love my business, love The Chamber Group, love the people that I work with. Feeling blessed that I am able to work with the people that I do and have a successful business, but what I'm very clear on is I will not put myself in a position where I feel like I have now endangered my space. My personal space. And I think that took a long time for me to get there, but I think how I got there was watching close friends or business associates fall off. And when I say fall off, I'm not talking about material and career, but illnesses...mental stress. This environment that we live and thrive off of...when the illnesses and certain mental disorders come on board, this [environment] cannot save you. So, you have to find a place where you take control of your being. Not everyone will agree with that, or it may not even be in their thought process. But for me, I've been doing this a long time. So, I'm very clear at this point where I envision my life and where I want it to be. And I'm fortunate; I have an amazing family, I have a core group of great friends that I consider family. If you're a friend, I do consider you family. So, I'm just at a place where I know what's really important to me, and everything else will work itself out.
And that's it.
That's such clarity. Even going back further - because that's such insight into yourself - when was the first time you saw yourself, and saw yourself with that same level of clarity and understanding? Or, is it ever evolving?
I think it's been evolving. I think that for me, every decade I can honestly say I felt like I was getting closer and closer to a point where I felt solid. I tell people all the time, when I turned 30, I feel like that's when I really started to feel the difference or see a difference in myself; where at 30, I felt like I started to actually look at myself a little closer and realize that it wasn't about the parties that I was at, or the look, or the great vacations, or whatever. I really felt like 30 was that mark where it really is about what's going on internally. And then it just started to evolve even more, because I think..I mean, I hope...that as we all get older, you just start to slow down a little bit in terms of paying attention to yourself. Because sometimes we're on this race of accomplishing all these things that we're not really paying attention to what we need, what will make us happy, what are those things that actually don't feel good and whatnot. But I do think that as the years go by, you slow down a little bit in a sense of actually being a little bit more in tune with what works for you and what doesn't. And I think that's really what has happened over the years.
I've paid attention to myself a little bit more. And also too, I think because I witness so many young people around me pass on as well, that has also affected me in a sense of just being very grateful and thankful for waking up every day and breathing and understanding that that really is the gift. I know everyone now says that and it's almost trendy to seem like you're so connected and zen, but I know for me personally, outside of waking up every morning, to me that's just the greatest gift. After that, everything else is like gravy; little added values. But just being able to wake up and experience life another day, to me there's nothing after that. When I speak like this, again, it's not to preach to others. I'm just speaking on where I'm at. And that's it. That is all. You'll never hear me say, oh, every person needs to live like that, or you need to think like that or feel like that. No, because I didn't.
I didn't always feel like this. I didn't always feel so connected to myself. It evolved. It happened over time. I think I'm fortunate because my family is a big part of my life and they're around me a lot. And for me, they've just never been caught up in my career and what I've done and what I've accomplished. I think they remind me everyday that just having your health and mental health and those basic things in life are the greatest gifts.
It's the key. It allows you to enjoy everything. You can have all the money but if you don't have your health, nothing else will flourish. So in this new place, with that level of clarity, what inspires you? What are your favorite things about your role, understanding even the boundaries in this business?
I think working with people whose art I really believe in inspires me. Since I was a kid, I have always been interested and thrive on the arts. Across the board. Whether it's fine art, film, photography, fashion, music...there's a feeling that I get when I see and discover something that just moves me. And art, in those different forms...I just love that feeling that I get when something stimulates me from a visual or a sonic place. It's a feeling. So that's what keeps me going.
I thrive and excel when I'm totally in a creative environment. I really do. I noticed that with myself. I love being around artists of all different areas. To see someone have this natural gift and watch them develop it and put something out there into the world that not everyone's going to get. I'm always just so fascinated by where it came from inside this person. It's fascinating, even writers. Whether it's a songwriter or a film/TV writer or someone that's in more publishing...for you to be a storyteller like that and be able to...it's just fascinating.
If you look back over your life, are there moments in your childhood that gave you a hint that you'd be here?
Totally. My grandmother's sister was an artist. She painted. I would go to her home and she would have her beautiful works all over her home. I watched this woman paint in front of me. She was that early catalyst that introduced me to the arts. And then my mom - I was lucky that I have this Jamaican mom. She encouraged me and exposed me to everything. And I always say Jamaican mom, because again, my mom came from Jamaica [in] 1968 or '69. And I just find in her and my immediate family that they've always been so open and so interested. And I think that's where a lot of it really started for me. I was fortunate enough to not grow up in a place where it was just about doing one thing or being exposed to just what you know. That's what it was. It was always about discovering. Growing up, I traveled so I was always introduced to different cultures and people and things. It's just something that has always been part of my life from the very beginning. My mom, in a few weeks, is going to Singapore. And this is a woman who has gone to Australia for three weeks, gone to Beijing, and this [and] that. She's traveled the world. I look at her and I'm like, "Wow, here it is." You would think that coming from this small, but beautiful island, she wouldn’t really be interested in knowing the world, but she's always been that person. I only know theater and whatnot because my mom keeps up with all that. So it's just been there.
When have you felt the most authentic and expansive in your role? Whether it's here in the one that you've crafted for yourself or when you were at Sony BMG? Are there a few moments?
I don't know if it's a particular moment, but I feel like once I realized that I was in rooms and people that were more senior than me wanted my thoughts and opinions, that's when I felt like I was moving in a direction that I almost didn't see for myself, but had cracked the code. Because I think for me at that point it was like, oh well, you want my opinion when, in my mind, you know more than me?! But then I realized that I was fortunate that I got to a place in my career where I carved out a space where people realized that I genuinely knew what I was talking about, and they respected my voice and my thoughts.
One thing about me is I was always honest about what I understood and what I didn't understand and would give my opinions because I always felt like we were in these rooms, sharing ideas and thoughts and trying to build something and if I wasn't honest there, then I'm actually failing. And I think understanding that made me realize that that's when I felt the most successful - when I realized that my voice mattered.
Interesting. And would you say there's a vulnerability in that? Is there room for vulnerability in your work? Does it come out in those moments? Or are there other moments when there's more vulnerability?
I think definitely there's that feeling of vulnerability, but I think also being okay that it is part of the process. So I think the vulnerability comes when you think too much of being right or wrong or saying the right thing or whatever, where it should just be about expressing yourself from a very authentic place. And once you do that, it's already out there, and then you let it go. And it takes a minute to understand that because, of course, I went through those periods of, hh, should I have said that? Or maybe I shouldn't have expressed my opinion because now they see that I don't agree with them, and now I'm the one on the outside. But I realized that it was okay because even when I wasn't in agreement with everyone else or my thoughts weren't part of the majority, it still allowed me to gain that level of respect.
I think people, even if they're like, “Ah why did he have to, or why is he, going against me?” that there's a level of respect that comes with that because then the group around you realizes that you're coming from a very honest and authentic place. And whether you go along with my vision or not, at least you have another thought, another opinion to balance it all out, and hopefully have a sketch or a place where we're moving in, hopefully, the right direction or smart direction.
And that's important. It's really critical.
Because I do think that if you don't get to that place of speaking your truth, you eventually get to a point of not feeling worthy, not feeling like you matter, not feeling challenged, just not growing. I think even now, in my own business, I am very clear with clients: if I cannot be honest with you, then we shouldn't work together because I hope that when you hire The Chamber Group and you want Chris and his thoughts and opinions, that also comes with honesty. And we may not always agree, but know that my honesty is coming from a really authentic place, and that means actually that I care. I really care. There have been a few instances where the person couldn't see that and then it didn't work, which I totally understand and respect, but I definitely will never take someone's business and not share my knowledge or my thoughts and opinions because I feel like you've hired me for that. You hired me to give guidance and to be a consultant and to consult the team on my thoughts of your brand. And I have to do that. If I'm not allowed to do that, then I actually feel like I've not only failed you, but I failed me.
It doesn't work.
And to your point, it's the boundaries idea. It goes back to that.
Exactly. And I also feel that I realized, much later on, that I also have a brand. And so if I'm working with you and I'm not able to do my job, and if certain things out there look or [are] perceived a certain way that don’t also go along with my brand, then that's a problem. And again, I think there's certain times where people think that they're hiring me, but no: I'm hiring you, too, because I've chosen to work with you.
Exactly. And you have to protect that.
I have to protect that. It took me a long time to understand that and get to that place, but I realized it's very important for me to offer any business owner/entrepreneur to understand that because you have built a business or [are] building a business and your name is attached to certain things.
And you can't say yes to everything. My financial advisor gave me a book when I was leaving Columbia called The E Myth Revisited, which talked about [how] business owners have to have a manual. You have to have a manual for your employees about how you want them to look, dress, speak, email because they're an extension.
Exactly. It's a brand. I think in the past or over the years, there are some people that get it and then other people that were just, "Oh, Chris is just being Chris," and whatever, but no. Especially for me. How many black men out there in PR that have their own firm, doing what I do, and being able to move through different circles and rooms and whatnot? And part of it...and I'm not stupid, so I know over the years that it was the image that they understood that allowed me to be in certain rooms, whether at Conde Nast or so forth. But it allowed me to get in a room and then drop the knowledge.
But then also too, as you said, people, I think, are very clear on what my brand is and what The Chamber Group brand stands for. And it has allowed me to work with amazing people, amazing artists of all areas, and also has helped mark what we do best and what we don't do. And that's okay, too. I'm very much a person who says it with no judgment: I don't do reality stars. The Instagram model girls that have PR and they're doing it. Again, it's not passing judgment. I just know what I'm good at. And there are certain things that I know just aren't the right fit for me and what I do, and what I do is I consider myself a brand builder. And I know that most people come to The Chamber Group when they understand elevation, going from A to Z. It's building and it's a certain kind of build. I understand a strong image, I understand an intelligent image; I know how to shape that. I know I'm very much a person that likes to see intelligence in things myself. There's a certain level of class that I like to see. I feel that we're striving towards greatness. And I'm just not that person that's about dumbing things down or making things [mediocre]....I don't know that level of okay.
And that's sometimes a problem for some people. When someone says they want to go all the way and they want to take it to that place, that's what I do. The few times that there's a disconnect with a client is half the time because we see you bigger than yourself. So when we're bringing certain opportunities to take you to that place, you don't even understand it because you, yourself, haven't envisioned yourself in that space.
That's a message. And my final question to you: what is the legacy that you want to leave behind? That you're building?
That's, I think, perfect timing because I've been thinking about that. And I honestly just hope that when I do step out or back from all of this, that people remember my work and it was impactful enough that they recognized it, they understood it, they were like, "Oh, Chris Chambers was synonymous with greatness."
The thing that makes me feel the most proud right now is when I go out and young people or just people say, "I've been following your work" or "I've been following your career." And in my mind, I'm always like, why? But it makes me feel good that somehow not me, but my work, stood out because I definitely am one of the few out there who’s not doing PR on myself. You're not seeing articles on me everywhere and so forth. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it does make me feel good that people know of me through my work. It makes me feel like I'm somehow on the right path to the kind of legacy that I want to leave behind because at the end of the day, and I say it in here to the team, you don't need to worry about your own PR and building your profile because if you just do good work, that's your PR. That's gonna make you known before any of the articles and the pictures and the pitches with the artist and so forth. Just do good work. Do good work and be thoughtful of what you're putting out there and how you want people to perceive you.
Because the thing that I also stress around here is that you want to walk into a room where people feel and know that you respect yourself. Because then you're telling them that you also expect that from them when they are approaching you or when you're doing business with them. And that, to me, is key. I think a lot of times we forget that the way we move and through life sends the message to others in terms of how you want to be approached and dealt with. So if you're not carrying yourself with high regard and a certain level of respect within yourself, how do you expect others to deal with you? It's so funny because a client of mine -- we were having dinner -- and she was like, "Chris, you don't realize. You walk into a room, and of course you're extremely warm and nice, but there's a very intimidating presence about you." And I'm like, "Really? Because I feel like I'm so not that person." And she's like, "No, it's not something that you're doing on purpose, but you walk through life, at least so it seems, extremely confidently; you're very clear on who you are." And honestly, it's so interesting to hear someone describe me like that because my movements and the way I interact with people definitely isn't something that I think about beforehand. I think what this client is seeing is someone that was raised from a place where in my family, it was about education and respect, respect for yourself. So if you are not showing that you respect yourself, how do you expect others to respect you? And that's all. That is what I grew up with. Period. Nothing else.
And so that permeates and it leaks into other places. And it's the basis, the foundation.
That's it.