Innovation Crush

Fresh off a 2019 Billboard 100 nod, and multiple 2019 Grammy nominations to boot, CMO of the Blueprint Group, Al Branch joins Innovation Crush. As partner and CMO of Blueprint/Maverick, Al has been legendary in catapulting some of music industry talent into superstardom and beyond. From his early days with Jay-Z and Roc-a-fella to a current portfolio that includes acts like Nicki Minjaj, G-Eazy, The Roots, Jill Scott, and more, Al has had an uncanny knack for understanding how artists become iconic brands, and how important brands work with iconic artists. Whether pairing Drake with Sprite, or Kanye with Nike (pre-Yeezys) or Lil Wayne with Samsung, Al is an expert team building, creative visioning, cultural anthropology, and does it all with a smile. On this installment of the show, Al talks about passion versus talent, waiting outside of a record label for weeks on end to get an internship, his vision for the future of the talent management business. we.co/crush