Members of the entertainment industry gave audience members a glimpse into how important it is to build and foster personal relationships to advance within the music industry Tuesday night on the University of Wisconsin campus.

The Black Student Union sponsored the event, titled “Minds Behind the Business,” at the Microbial Sciences Building. The event featured a panel consisting of Vashawn “Rap” Strawns, a rap promoter who has worked with Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Akon and Drake; Kristi Henderson, a publicist liason for Bryan Michael-Cox and Carol Daughters; and Rashad Tyler, a manager for songwriters who wrote hits for Keri Hilson and Chris Brown.

All three drove home the point that the industry is business first – and that no matter where one ends up, it is all about having a business built on personal relationships.

Strawns emphasized this point and added that everyone in the entertainment industry needs to be business savvy because the business is becoming more transparent.

“Become a people person,” Strawns said. “Incorporate that with other talents, [and] the sky is the limit.”

Tyler then spoke on his personal experience, emphasizing the importance of these relationships.

“You can have a desire to be in this thing, [but] you have to allow the concept of business to be really front and center.”

Tyler said he started out in the industry when he was 22. He had connections and learned how to play the business side of music fairly quickly. Now, he owns a management firm where his two main clients are Kevin Cosson and Kendric Dean.

The relationships he built at the beginning of his career largely contributed to his current success, Tyler said.

Henderson also spoke on her past experiences. Henderson founded the 2fifty Seven Group and is working with a nonprofit, Women in Entertainment and Empowerment Network.

She stressed the importance of being money-smart, saying that knowing how to handle money at a young age can make it or break it for some people.

“We don’t know how to manage money [or] learn when to get in and get out,” Henderson said.

Henderson also stressed the importance of having a mentor within the music industry. She said that women, especially women of color, have to be careful of how they represent themselves.

This, she said, involves being on one’s “A-game” and staying conscious of the message being conveyed.

“Ladies, you have to be even more laser-focused and on top of your drive,” she said. “It’s very much a male-dominated industry.”

All three panelists agreed that race was a major issue that needed to be worked on in the industry.

UW junior Wole Aregbesola said images of African Americans in the media affect everyone.

He said attending the panel was an insightful experience and it was interesting to get the “inside scoop.”