Sandy Dworniak established the writer and producer management company This Much Talent in 1991 and, over the years, the company has developed an internationally renowned roster of clients, known for their involvement in some of the most groundbreaking projects of the past 30 years.

This Much Talent’s early achievements with clients Nellee Hooper and artist/composer Craig Armstrong included collaborations on albums with stars like Massive Attack, Foo Fighters, Kylie Minogue and Björk, all of which helped to establish its reputation. The company also branched out into music supervision for film, working on Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet – awarded Best Achievement In Film Music at the Bafta Film awards.

Since then, This Much Talent and its ever-growing stable of producers and writers has seen success with the likes of The Prodigy, Arctic Monkeys, The Temper Trap, Kasabian, Adele, Marina And The Diamonds, Sophie-Ellis Bextor and Ed Sheeran, amongst other household names, working with producers such as Grammy Award winner Jim Abbiss, Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), Richard X and Barny Barnicott. Dworniak and her all-female team at This Much Talent continue to also nurture the next generation of award-winning producers and writers with names such as James Greenwood aka Ghost Culture, Jolyon Thomas, Frank Colucci, Danio, Fred Abbott and Emma Rohan, collectively racking up huge streaming numbers on their work with artists such as Stormzy, Little Mix, Noah And The Whale, Confidence Man, Goldfrapp, Ashnikko, Royal Blood and Willow Kayne.

In 2017, Dworniak set up This Much Talent’s sister company Twisted Talent with business partners Ged Malone and Simon Burke-Kennedy, branching out into artist management – representing emerging talent such as Gia Ford, Jessica Winter, Pete Ferguson (Wuh Oh), Jules Konieczny (SWO), Public Order, Scratchcard Wednesday, Jack Wilson, Fickle Friends and Chris Andoh. In 2019, she was awarded the AMA Producer & Songwriter Manager Of The Year Award in 2019.

This Much Talent is long established as one of the most innovative producer management companies in the UK, and the rosters across both Dworniak's companies represent some of the most original and progressive producers, songwriters, mixers and artists today.

How do you feel about joining the Music Week Women In Music Roll Of Honour?

“I’m very happy! It's always lovely to be acknowledged by one’s peers – especially by my female peers. There's still too few of us, so it feels extra special. I’m also thrilled to be on the Roll Of Honour with some incredible people, some of whom are really close friends. I think it's really important that we have an awards ceremony for the women in our industry, as although things are way better since I started my career path, we still have a long way to go and this is the only event that is purely for the girls!”

How do you look back on your early years getting into the industry?

“Well that's a very long lens… My early years were pretty much a sharp learning curve but an exciting one. I’m Australian and when I started in the industry I hadn’t been living in the UK for that many years, so I was finding my feet in a new country as well as learning how to be a manager, so I took every business opportunity whilst making new friendships. I basically blagged my way into quite a few of my early jobs in the business, as I just wanted to get ahead. It wasn’t really calculated, but I guess I had the classic confidence – or arrogance?! – of youth, so I just believed I could do anything. I also had bosses back then, so I was beholden to another person’s vision! I did realise early on that I definitely wanted to be my own boss.”

Did you have a mentor at that stage? 

“I’ve had a few, the main one being Barbara Jeffries, who employed me twice; firstly to run one of the then Virgin Studios – Townhouse 3, then later to assist her in running her own producer management company Smoothside. Barbara taught me everything about running a business and how to be a music manager.”

As a creative yourself, what made you want to set up your management company, This Much Talent, in 1991? And how have you seen the role of ‘manager’ evolve since that time? 

“Well, as I mentioned, I always wanted to be my own boss and the first and only step onto that path was being made redundant from Smoothside. At first, I joined Terri Hall at her company which was This Much Talent, but a couple of months later she moved on to take over the PR company Hall Or Nothing, so it was just me, and I had a management company that solely belonged to me. I’d already had my own clients at Smoothside, and most of those opted to join me at This Much talent, so it didn’t take a lot to get going and within a year I had 10. Some of those clients are still with me to this day.

“I don’t think the role of a manager has evolved that much over the years. Obviously the business landscape has changed a lot, especially since the advent of streaming, but we still run the working lives of all our clients in every way – just what we’re negotiating on their behalf has changed. Many of the terms in current contracts are based on outdated models so a lot of what we do now is to try and bring them into the 21st century. We also do a lot of the work that labels used to do – that can be rewarding as we have a lot more control of the outcomes, but it’s a lot more blood sweat and tears than it was in the past.”

The UK Misogyny In Music report last year spoke about how the “dated perception” of a manager being most commonly a man is still very much prevalent. Do you feel that the sector has become more diverse and equal in the time you’ve worked in it? And how have you navigated building your own career in a male-dominated area of the industry? 

“We do work in a much more diverse industry than the one I started in, but there is still a predominance of men and men in very senior positions, and there is still a lot of misogyny. Fortunately, I seem to have been spared a lot of dated, sexist attitudes that could have been directed at me on my own career path – or I should say I haven’t had any directed at me to my face! But to be honest, I’ve never been afraid to stand my ground, especially in the face of adversity, or take a risk, or call out bullshit behaviour, and that has helped with the navigation of building my own career in a male-dominated industry.”

Your current roster includes writers and producers who have worked with the likes of Little Mix, Stormzy and Ashnikko. What are you looking for in new signings? 

“I look for talent first and foremost, for people that can move with the times and have a lot of determination and drive. It’s also important that I get on well with a new potential client, as things can get tough in this industry, and times can get lean, so it’s important to me that we have shared ideals, a strong vision for future success and we like each other as people.”

The role of manager is so multifaceted. How do you see it evolving over the next five to 10 years?  

“More and more, we are creating projects from scratch, without any label involvement or funding. We source talent and make records from start to finish, and I can’t see that changing. I think over time managers will become more like business partners with their artists and songwriters across the board, sharing ownership and being a bigger part of future successes.”

What’s your biggest achievement so far? 

“I really couldn’t pinpoint a singular greatest achievement, as I’ve had many great achievements that I’m super proud of. I’d say that really, the fact that I’ve been in business and my own boss, and continued to make a living doing work that I love, for over 30 years, is my greatest achievement.”

What advice would you offer young women about enjoying a successful career in music?

“Be brave, take no shit and never be afraid to ask questions.”

What’s the best advice you’ve ever had?

“That in this business, creative people can turn on you in a heartbeat, so always keep a piece of yourself apart from any working relationship, no matter how solid you think that relationship is.”

Is there a young woman you'd like to shout out who you think is a rising star in the industry?

“My right hand, Gillian Maguire, who I’ve now worked with for over ten years. She’s an incredibly gifted musician, as well as an extraordinary young manager in her own right. There aren’t many who can wear both of those hats, but she does exactly that, extremely well. She’s an inspiration to me and many others.”

Similarly, is there a young woman artist whose music you're enjoying right now/excited about?

“It’s great that there are quite a few female-fronted bands at the forefront of the indie guitar scene right now, I’m enjoying that a lot. I’m also incredibly excited about the emerging artists on my own roster, Gia Ford and Jessica Winter, both of whom have already achieved a lot in just a couple of years. I’m thrilled to be working with them both and I expect great things to come.”

Finally, what’s your biggest lesson from 2024 so far? 

“In this business, never forget to expect the totally unexpected.”