As ECE continues to grow, so does its ownership group. Today, the company announces Matthew Thomas has been named to the partnership. Matthew becomes the tenth person to round out the board.

A native of Atlanta, GA, Matthew started his career in the entertainment industry as a musician and performing artist for more than 15 years. As a singer and guitarist, he played in several bands that toured throughout the southeast and ultimately led his own band, playing a wide variety of music from blues and jazz to Motown and dance variety.

In 2005, Matthew began his career at ECE as an agent and event producer. Initially focusing on the college market, he soon shifted focus to the corporate and social markets as they enabled him to better showcase his creativity and offered him the opportunity to work on large-scale productions featuring well-known headline artists. His passion for designing custom event entertainment and production has been the driving force of his success.

“Matthew is the perfect fit as our tenth partner. As we are going through such tremendous growth, I feel very lucky to honor his 12 years here at ECE in this way. To be able to add a partner that adds so much in terms of critical thinking, professionalism and loyalty will be a huge asset to me personally and to our company,” states ECE President and CEO, Doug Daniel.

Fellow partner and ECE Atlanta Managing Director, Rick Stowe, adds, “Matthew has been a long time valuable member of the ECE Atlanta team. He is a talented producer with a solid customer base. I’m excited to have Matthew in a leadership role and look forward to our continued success.”

We caught up with Matthew to ask him about this new endeavor.

QUESTION: What does this partnership mean to you?
MATTHEW THOMAS: Joining the partnership means a great deal to me. To start, it gives me an even greater sense of purpose with having a leadership role and a hand in the direction and the continued success of the company. As a leader, it also gives me the opportunity to help bring the newer and younger agents up in a nurturing environment. Their success, in turn, leads to the company’s success.

Having just celebrated ECE’s 40th Anniversary, to look back over the past 12 years of my career and see how far we have come as a company and how far I have come as agent and producer, becoming a partner is a significant reward.

QUESTION: What excites you most when you think about the future of ECE?
MATTHEW THOMAS: Honestly, the unlimited potential. We have such an amazing team of people.

Our admin team keeps the ship moving at full steam without missing a beat despite the incredible volume of business, contracts and transactions processed every week – I’m amazed they are able to keep up. They are invaluable.

Our agents are motivated and enjoy what they do a great deal – and it shows.

Our artists are the best in the country. The level and volume of talent we have on our roster is unmatched by any other agency like ours in the country, maybe even the world. The level of professionalism and ability of the musicians and performers we work with day to day is phenomenal. I’m so proud of them. They represent the company in such an amazing way.

All of this leaves a path to unlimited potential and growth, and that not only excites me – it thrills me! I can’t wait to get started on the next project every day!

QUESTION: Is there a person at ECE you would consider your mentor?
MATTHEW THOMAS: Rick Stowe has been an integral part of my career here at ECE. He showed me the ropes as a young agent and taught me the value of rolling up your sleeves and getting involved in every facet of an event. He helped to greatly expand my knowledge of audio and lighting production far past what I had learned leading my own band and producing my own performances.

Watching his incredible success in the same role and moving into the role as a partner early in my career also helped me to see the potential and the opportunity I would have with dedication and hard work. It has paid off. I owe Rick a lot. He was actually who I cold called in late June of 2005 to see about an opportunity with ECE and he welcomed me with open arms. With a little bit a selling myself on my part, of course.