Marketer and CEO of Nue Agency Jesse Kirshbaum ’01 wants to toast to the class of 2001.
“I think it’s a very Wisconsin thing, for us to all cheers each other — 25 years out,” Kirshbaum says. “I’m very grateful for my college experience. I feel I had the ultimate college experience.”
Kirshbaum graduated from the UW with a degree in marketing and spent 10 years as a talent agent representing new musicians. In 2008, he started the creative music agency Nue Agency, which he runs with his brother Alex.
Today, Kirshbaum’s work connects musical artists with brands for project collaborations. He works with companies such as Sour Patch Kids, Nesquik, Snapple, General Electric, and Spotify to develop artist- and brand-driven advertising campaigns. His work with Sour Patch Kids to create the limited-time emerging artist platform The Patch received a Clio Music Award in 2015.
Favorite late ’90s or early ’00s music?
I was obsessed with hip-hop. My friends and I helped bring Funkmaster Flex to the frats at the UW. We helped bring Run DMC to the Kohl Center. I remember seeing Phish for the first time at the Kohl Center. I remember the great hip-hop artists of that era, like East Coast and West Coast rap, with Biggie and Tupac, who had just passed. That reminds me of college.
Then there was Blink 182, and then all those great football songs like “Jump Around” and the Wisconsin jock jam classics. Anytime I hear those, they bring me back to Madtown.
Favorite late ’90s or early ’00s movie or TV show?
When I was in college, I wasn’t watching many TV shows and movies, but I was into 90210, Melrose Place, and Saved by the Bell. Those were the classics of our time.
Favorite late ’90s or early ’00s tech?
The big thing for me was Napster. We had all of this music at our fingertips. It was a game-changing technology. All of a sudden, you could just have every song burned on a CD. You could just download music and share it. This was still pre-iPod and iTunes, but you could feel it was the start of a digital revolution.
Favorite campus-area hangout?
The Memorial Union is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s my happy place. Then there was Stillwaters, Flamingo Bar, the KK, and Einstein Bagels. Some nights we’d go to Essen Haus, and that was unbelievable. We’d always get a boot to pass around.
Memorable late ’90s or early ’00s trends?
Those big baggy pants; fitted, backward hats; visors; and dyed blonde hair. Eminem was a big artist in that era. Was Slim Shady copying us, or were we copying him?
Did any UW courses or professors have a lasting influence on you?
Professor Henry Boyd JD’05 taught an entry level marketing course in Grainger Hall, and he was really cool. I remember, in the final lecture, the final thing that he told us was never, ever, ever, ever give up. He just pumped us up, and that tenacity of being an entrepreneur still stays with me.
Best memory from your time at the UW?
I went to the 1999 Rose Bowl, and it was the best 24 hours of my life up to that point. It was really awesome. I was a sophomore, and I met up with some of my good friends at the airport in L.A. We went to the welcome party on New Year’s Eve, to the parade in Pasadena, to the Badger tailgate, and to the game. We beat UCLA, and it truly felt like we owned the day.
How did your time at the UW shape your career path?
People always ask me how I got into the music business, and it started because I was doing live events in college and started booking artists and DJs to play them. I didn’t play any instruments, I wasn’t in a band, I wasn’t a music producer, but I knew how to put on these events people enjoyed. I understood the live experience, and I understood how important music was for making these live experiences better. My event promotions in college really gave birth to my career in the music business.
What accomplishments are you most proud of from the last 25 years?
I love that I’ve had a chance to represent some amazing artists, and that I have an illustrious career today, travelling the world and working with amazing talent and brands.
I think what I’m most proud of is that I found a career that really matches my personality and my interests, and a lot of that was developed at the University of Wisconsin, like my love for events and bringing people together, understanding the power of music at these events, and how important it is to know people and to bring people together. I learned so much about who I am from my experience at Wisconsin. I’m proud of the fact that I live a life and have a career that sits really true to who I am.
Describe your time at the UW in five words. Adventures, learning, marketing, friendships, cheers.
