It was a time when the music mattered. I was 14 and had a band. I played guitar. Lots of kids played – the British Invasion led by The Beatles inspired kids everywhere.Back then musicians were the center of the universe; leading a social and cultural revolution. Music had power and gave a fresh voice to new ideals. It was where everyone wanted to be – the Silicon Valley of its time.As much as I enjoyed playing, I enjoyed the business of music even more. I booked most of my bands’ gigs. That led me to launch Master Talent just as I started college. I booked rock acts throughout New England. That’s how I paid for college. I stayed with it after graduating. I loved finding great musicians, singers, and songwriters who had something to say and bringing their talents to the marketplace. That set me on a path for life – working with talented people whose ideas helped shape the world.I sold the music part of my business after a few years and decided to focus on speakers. With that, I’d found my passion. Over the years I loved working with and learning from prominent newsmakers, #TopBusinessSpeakers, top #GlobalAffairsExperts, #BestsellingManagementExperts, America’s top journalists, the world’s best #MotivationalSpeakers and more. The experience changed my worldview – that’s why I’m so passionate about this work. Speeches do indeed have the power to change the way people think.In 2012, after years of playing the role of agent, I returned to my roots and created the D’Amelio Network – a speaker management firm that coordinates the speaking careers for a select group of experts. I explain what I do now this way – agents “date” their clients – managers “marry” them. I enjoy working closely with and being the advocate for my speaker clients; helping them bring their ideas to audiences all over the world. The best part about this work is it keeps me engaged in the world in ways few other careers can. Every day I learn something new that amazes or informs me. What could be more exciting than that?