Nathan Sauramba

How has the impact of Covid-19 affected you and your business?
In a nutshell, Covid has slowed down time – allowing my team and I to retrain and gain valuable skills which have been crucial to rebranding and strategising to build Waverton Corp more. Nevertheless, it was a tough period. A lot of people, including myself, lost their jobs, but I’m glad to have positive figures and mentors in my life who told me not to treat this as a loss but as a gain.

What is the worst aspect of it all for you?
The worst aspect of Covid was probably not being able to network physically, and not being able to see people. I would say I’m quite sociable, so that was the worst aspect of everything.

Did you have to let staff go?
The opposite happened, in fact – I was able to hire some interns for additional help, and was able to help them gain some experience virtually.

People with high rent or with large borrowings have been worst hit. How have you been?
Financially, it was a mental struggle. But the more you stress about a thing, the less you actually do about it. So once I let go, it resolved itself pretty quickly. But I do wish there were more funds and grants available to young entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Were you in a position to try anything new or different?
Due to the loss of my job, I had a lot of free time which I used for self-development and skill development. But most importantly, it offered me the chance to relocate and be closer to my artists. Working with them up close and personal has played a massive role in their growth.

Mental health has been a huge issue for a lot of people involved in music. How has your experience been in that regard?
I’ve been extremely lucky in the sense that I have a very large support group of friends and family who constantly were in contact with me, and helped me get through everything – so my mental health wasn’t affected much.

How important is it to you, to get back to work?
It’s quite crucial – there is only so much one can do indoors with restrictions and limited resources.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
I’m super optimistic about the future. The Irish music industry is bubbling – it’s only a short amount of time before it blooms and starts to flourish. I’m super intrigued to see how everything pans out.

• Nathan Sauramba is an artist manager, music publicist and CEO of Waverton Corp – working with Irish hip-hop, drill and R&B artists including Offica, A92, Alicia Raye, Evans Junior, R3D, Breezy iDeyGoke and more.

'Music Industry in Ireland: Where To Next?' is a special feature in the current issue of Hot Press, running to over 20 pages, featuring music industry professionals as well as artists including Moya Brennan, Jess Kav, Luka Bloom, Fia Moon, Kneecap, Gavin Glass, Mick Flannery, King Kong Company, Mary Coughlan, Rosie Carney and many more.