Mark Gillespie is a British talent manager and investor. He is the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles, California-headquartered Three Six Zero.
Earlier in his career, Gillespie was a Talent Booker and Clubs Director for Godskitchen in the UK.
Mark Gillespie: Career history
Mark Gillespie began his career at the superclub brand Godskitchen as a Talent Booker and Club Director from 1998-2006.
In this role, Gillespie would find and book DJs, music acts, and other talent for Godskitchen events. He would also monitor all of the company’s nightclub operations.
In 2006, Gillespie founded Three Six Zero, a management and entertainment company that works with music, film, and television talent as well as independent content creators. Gillespie manages such acts as Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, Louis Tomlinson, and Cesar Milan.
In 2014, Three Six Zero launched an in-house label, Three Six Zero Recordings.
Famed British DJ Pete Tong has served as President of TSZ Recordings since 2019. The label is a joint venture between its distributor, Sony Music and its parent company, Three Six Zero. TSZ Recordings primarily focuses on expanding the reach of British talent internationally.
In 2018, Three Six Zero released its first feature film titled VOX LUX, featuring Natalie Portman and Jude Law. It received mixed critical reviews, scoring a 67% on Metacritic and a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2020, Gillespie brokered a deal between Vine investments and Calvin Harris to sell Harris’s publishing catalog for over $100 million.
Throughout his career, Gillespie has worked in partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment, Jay-Z, Roc Nation, and Westbrook Entertainment. Most recently, Gillespie was named as Senior Advisor to Ditto Music’s blockchain platform, Opulous.
Mark Gillespie: Professional philosophy
In a 2019 interview with Music Business Worldwide, Mark Gillespie said: “I’m definitely not looking for mass scale [for Three Six Zero] – I’m not trying to be the biggest anything ever again. That’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my career so far; being the biggest is not necessarily being the best.
“Continually re-assessing what success means to you – especially after you have prolonged success – is the most difficult bit of running a business, but it’s essential.”
“That’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my career so far; being the biggest is not necessarily being the best.”
Mark Gillespie
In the same interview, Gillespie nodded to Michael Rapino (Live Nation) and Rob Stringer (Sony Music) as two key mentors of his early career in the US.
He added: “On the subject of mentors, no-one comes close to my mum. She was an entrepreneur and raised three kids on her own. We didn’t have a lot, but she managed to get us into a place where we all had enough.
“Redditch [where Gillespie grew up] is a very ‘normal’ place; part of it’s really nice, part of it’s shitty, and the town center is ‘burger, fries and two black eyes’.
“It’s not South Central, but it’s not Kensington either. She’s been an incredibly good example to me that if you work really hard, you can achieve important things.”
“I may seem biased but I think [Calvin Harris] is the best writer/producer of his generation.”
Mark Gillespie
Discussing Calvin Harris’ global success to date, Gillespie said: “His successes broadly speak for themselves. I may seem biased but I think he’s the best writer/producer of his generation.
“I love him as an artist and a person. He’s ridiculously hard-working, always has been, and he’s a huge a supporter of mine. His drive has definitely helped pushed me along over the years.”Music Business Worldwide