David Bolno is a popular entertainment business manager based in sunny Los Angeles. Bolno’s client roster reads like a who’s who of chart-topping icons – Justin Bieber, Drake, Post Malone, Pharrell Williams, Will.i.am, etc. And through his long time of experience in advising those megastars behind the scenes, he’s developed a sturdy philosophy about what it takes to cultivate true, sustainable resilience in this rapid-paced, unforgiving enterprise.
Always Stay Hungry to Learn and Improve
First and foremost, Bolno emphasizes the critical importance of maintaining an intense drive to continually sharpen your skills and expand your knowledge base, no matter how much success you’ve already achieved.
“The second you get complacent or think you’ve peaked is usually when you start getting lapped by hungrier up-and-comers,” Bolno advises. The most resilient artists are lifelong students always striving to elevate their crafts further.”
For musicians, that means relentlessly honing your instrumental abilities, diving into music theory, and exploring new production tools and sounds. For actors, it involves taking workshops, studying different acting methods, and doing vocal or movement training. That growth mindset and work ethic provide resilience and relevance when others get complacent.
Cultivate a Dynamic Online Brand and Presence
Equally important in today’s digital age is cultivating an active, smart, and authentic personal brand through web presence and social platforms. Bolno stresses that having strategic online visibility and direct audience interaction has become absolutely vital for any entertainer’s longevity.
For clients like Justin Bieber who grew up as social media proliferated, Bolno helped design content strategies that allowed the pop star to evolve from teenage heartthrob to respected adult artist on his terms. Others have used the platforms to drop exclusive material, share a window into their lives and creative processes, charitably give back, and above all – stay part of the cultural conversation.
Those enduring fan-creator bonds can provide crucial stability no matter what turbulence or hiatuses happen behind the scenes. For Bolno, smart branding is inextricable from resilience.
Be Mentally Prepared for Rejection
Of course, bouncing back from failures and rejections is also a huge part of cultivating perseverance in entertainment. In an industry this oversaturated with phenomenal talent, getting turned down is inevitable – even for already successful artists. The key is developing the right mentality to push past those ego bruises.
For true superstars, rejection becomes just another milestone to push through on the longer journey. They don’t take “no” for a permanent answer but treat it as feedback to incorporate while persisting forward with self-belief fully intact.
Surround Yourself with a Support System
Another key tactic for maintaining resilience according to Bolno is assembling a trustworthy team and support system around you – including mentors who have navigated the industry’s challenges. They’ll tell you hard truths, share wisdom from experience, and help recenter you when you start getting an inflated sense of self.”
For Bolno’s clients, he aims to play precisely that role as an experienced voice of reason and strategic counsellor. He takes a big-picture view beyond the day-to-day noise and optics.
Master Smart Money Management
On a more pragmatic level, Bolno emphasizes the importance of getting your financial affairs and wealth management in order to build true long-term resilience and stability. Too many entertainers with fleeting fame end up blowing through fortunes just as quickly as they arrived due to reckless spending, lack of planning, and misinformation.
“We help our clients create robust budgets, investment portfolios, insurance policies, estate plans and more so they don’t become another tragic story of star-making money disappearing overnight,” says Bolno.
Lean Into What Makes You Unique
At the end of the day though, Bolno believes the most resilient entertainers are those who remain fiercely true to their unique identities and artistic visions rather than letting external noise determine their directions. On some level, it all comes back to maintaining that unshakeable sense of self-awareness and conviction.
“The greats don’t chase what’s popular or try to be something they’re not,” Bolno states. “Instead, they double down on what makes them very special and resonate with audiences authentically. That’s the defiant self-belief that carries them past any temporary setbacks.”
For any aspiring entertainer dreaming of building a sustainable career filled with impact, Bolno’s advice is clear: Never stop refining your skills, embrace new platforms to amplify your voice, develop a resilient mindset around rejections, build a strong support system, get your finances solidly in order, and remain steadfastly committed to what makes you stand out in the first place.
It’s a challenging path that demands tireless dedication, adaptability, grit and self-determination. But for those willing to cultivate those qualities alongside their raw talents – resilience becomes a superpower for long-term excellence.
