OSCAR GUITIÁN JR. EXPLAINS IT ALL
Walter Kolm's WK Records is feeling festive these days. The company recently tapped a new CEO, Horacio Rodriguez, and launched new Mexico-centric division WKMX. All this takes place around the label's one-year anniversary, so it seemed timely to ask GM Oscar Guitián Jr. to field a few questions. Dealing with us was not the anniversary gift he was hoping for.
What are your reflections on this anniversary—what do you consider the key benchmarks of the last year?
It’s great to take a moment and look at what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time as an independent label. To have had the top Latin song in the world, with “Fiel” [by Los Legendarios, Wisin & Jhay Cortez] for six weeks, out of all the record labels, is huge. We share this accomplishment with our partner La Base. They make the hits and we distribute them.
Tell us about the relationship between the WK label and the larger Walter Kolm Entertainment enterprise.
WK as a whole is a big family. We’re always there for each other; we work together and support each other. We’ve done collaborations with artists on both rosters and plan more in the future.
What’s your day like? What kind of duties land in your lane?
No two days are the same, but every day I look out for new business ventures, sign artists, review recording contracts and oversee operational tasks.
What are some of your current projects and whom do you expect will be the next act to break big?
We are super-excited about Alex Rose, Foreign Teck and Seven Kayne. Each of them had really promising first years with streaming and charting, and we only expect it to go up from there.
Tell us about the global aspect of the company and how you work with different territories.
We are constantly expanding our brand and relationships and adding new members to the team from all parts of the world. In our first year, we expanded the team to Argentina, Mexico, Italy and Spain, with digital marketing experts and publicists, among others.
What can you tell us about Walter’s management style?
Walter’s management style is very supportive and encouraging. He is always there for support and the help we as a team need to grow while allowing us the flexibility to take things and run with them. He trusts in his team immensely, and it pays off 100% of the time.
