Michael Solomon is an established entrepreneur with a strong desire to help people, a sharp eye for business, and a desire to make a difference. The four organizations he’s helped found — for-profit and nonprofit alike — share a common goal of improving people’s lives. He has a passion for personal and professional growth and views optimizing himself and all that he works on as a personal mission.
It’s what he’s lived and it’s what he loves. For more than 25 years, in partnership with his childhood friend, Rishon Blumberg, he’s harnessed that spirit to create and lead successful organizations based in tech, entertainment, and the nonprofit sphere — finding new solutions to long-standing and emerging challenges.
He began his career working with Jon Landau Management on several Bruce Springsteen tours, followed by a three year stint at Epic Records and Sony Music. Then at age 25, his entrepreneurial spirit took over and he’s never looked back. He co-founded four companies, three by the time he was 30. Most recently, Michael Solomon is the author of Game Changer: How To Be 10x in the Talent Economy (HarperCollins; September 2020), which reveals the secrets to becoming a “10xer” for anyone in any industry.
More than 20 years ago, Michael co-founded Brick Wall Management with Rishon Blumberg, his close childhood friend. What started as a music management company that managed, marketed, and shaped the careers of musicians like John Mayer, Citizen Cope, and Vanessa Carlton, now includes a consulting business that touches nearly every angle of the arts.
Its expanded roster includes award-winning and chart-topping songwriters, producers, and directors like Marshall Altman and Jarett Bellucci, and entertainment consulting clients like Young & Rubicam, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and Miramax. All told, they’ve sold more than 10 million albums, earned multiple platinum and gold records, and racked up many Grammy and Emmy wins and nominations.
10x Ascend has grown out of the 10x Management practice of representing high end tech freelancers. Over the years, 10x clients have been coveted by the companies they have freelanced for and often those companies made W2 employment offers to our 10x clients. When this happened, we have helped them negotiate their compensation packages and it quickly became clear that this service was valuable and impactful to our clients but perhaps most importantly, sorely needed. It was this experience that lead Michael and Rishon to create a stand alone company whose sole focus is to help senior level tech talent obtain the most favorable employment terms possible. 10x Ascend has been featured in TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal.
In 2012, Michael co-founded 10x Management with Rishon, as well as a third partner who exited the company in early 2016. By bringing decades of experience managing musicians, directors, and other creative entities to the technology sector, 10x has carved out its place as a trusted, exclusive resource for companies seeking coveted freelance tech experts.
Michael remains at the center of the tech-talent conversation, frequently appearing on TV (MSNBC, Bloomberg, BBC) and in print (The New York Times, Mashable, The New Yorker, Forbes, and The Economist).
His extensive non profit work includes serving as the pro-bono administrator for The Kristen Ann Carr Fund (KACF), which was founded after his girlfriend, Kristen Carr, lost her battle with sarcoma. KACF has raised more than $18M to help treat and cure sarcoma as of this writing.
KACF inspired Michael to co-found Musicians On Call (MOC), a nonprofit that brings live music to hospital patients at their bedsides. MOC currently runs in 28 cities nationally — and counting. Volunteer musicians have played for more than 500,000 people nationwide since MOC’s first performance in 1999. Michael remains an active member of MOC’s Board of Directors.
From creating an essential educational video for children to incubating a web platform, Michael has a passion for personal and professional growth and makes it his mission to optimize himself and all of his diverse endeavors.
This dedication also earned him many honors, including the 2014 President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for his work with MOC and a place in the 2011 best selling philanthropy book, The Art Of Giving.
A born and bred Manhattanite, Michael moved to Montclair, NJ in 2014 with his awesome wife, Jenny, and two fantastic kids, Lucy and Rainen.
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