If you were to ask today's music industry superstars how they achieved their high-powered status, most will say talent, others will say determination. Yet, only a select few would readily acknowledge the people behind them: enter Venus Brown, the accomplished music industry veteran behind some of the biggest selling albums over the last 5 years including, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Sergio Mendes and Macy Gray.

"I grew up with a love for music and a desire to work in the entertainment industry. While still in high school, I hosted my own radio show on WKYS in Washington D.C. and earned a coveted internship on Video Soul at the still developing BET network. There I learned all aspects of television production and talent coordination and honed my writing skills crafting scripts for the show," Venus reminisces. Venus' knowledge of good music and his writing prowess got considerable notice which led to his writing for acclaimed artists, notably his writing and co-producing of Patti Labelle's hit single, "Feels Like Another One" featuring Big Daddy Kane, from her album, Burnin which won a Grammy in '91.

Throughout the '90's Venus continued to collaborate via writing, producing or remixing, with artists such as Big Daddy Kane, MC Hammer, H-Town and Boyz II Men, to name a few. He further developed his resume by working alongside Russell Simmons to score Russell's first movie, Def Jam's How To Be a Player. "I had a lot of fun making music and touring as a musician, but one of my most memorable moments as a Hip-Hop head was DJ-ing for Rakim on the Tonight Show, while I was managing Truth Hurts for Dr. Dre," says Venus.

"It was back in '98 while I was touring in Europe, where I met the Black Eyed Peas. Will.I.Am and I formed a strong relationship right on the spot, but I never dreamed that our friendship would've lead to me being asked by Will.I.Am, to head up Will.I.Am Music Group, his label under Interscope Records," says Venus. As the President/G.M. of Will.I.Am Music Group, Venus was responsible for managing Will.I.Am as a producer, signing acts; contract negotiation, A&R'ing records, developing marketing plans and managing recording budgets, as well as negotiating the use of music in films, television and advertising campaigns. There he would release award winning, multi-platinum albums by Black Eyed Peas and Fergie as well as critically acclaimed releases from Sergio Mendes and most recently, Macy Gray.

"I created the concept for "My Humps", Venus admitted. "Will.I.Am and I were walking down the street and we see this girl. I'm staring because she's thick and Will.I.Am looks at her and says, damn, she's crazy! I've gotta go talk to her. I looked at him and said, 'What're you going to do with all that ass?!' I said it just like that. Will.I.Am started laughing and said, 'what'd you say?' And I said it again, 'what are you gonna do with all that ass?' We continued walking down the street laughing, joking and bullsh%tting. Later on at the studio while working on the song "Messiah," we came up with the song "My Humps" together. We recorded it, added stuff and it ultimately became the song out today. "My Humps" is arguably the biggest Black Eyed Peas single to date. That's something that I helped to create, that's not just business partner stuff, that's the line that I came up with and I didn't take any publishing or anything," Venus stated proudly.

During the Black Eyed Peas' Elephunk and Monkey Business albums, Venus forged valuable relationships with Justin Timberlake and producer Timbaland. Timberlake recognized Venus' ability to guide an album to success and asked Venus to A&R his next project, which became the multi-platinum, Grammy award winning, FutureSex/LoveSounds. Timbaland also recognized Venus as the "Go-To-Guy when you want a hit." "I remember being in Virginia Beach with Timbaland listening to the song which would become [Nelly Fertuado's] "Promiscuous." I was the only one in the room who had Timbaland's back on this song," remembers Venus. "I knew the record was pure fire and sure enough the song "Promiscuous" was a big hit and that helped both of us see that we could work well together. Timbaland asked me to get involved with his career and to help re-define his image and negotiate his new artist deal with Interscope." That deal led to the successful release of Timbaland's album, Shock Value.

After monumental successes with an impressive roster of clients, Venus decided it was time to focus his efforts on his own company, Buddah Brown Entertainment, a full-service record label and multi-media outlet that specializes in artist management and film and music production. "I am very excited for the first release off of My label; R&B duo, Ty & Kory. The group will drop their debut album in Summer '08 with me serving as executive producer," Venus announced.

Whether in the board-room or in the recording studio, Venus Brown has the expertise, innovative ideas and work ethic to lift artists and brands to their optimum level. Who knew that an intern would one day wield such industry clout? Venus and his Buddah Brown Entertainment has quickly become one of the most sought after names within the entertainment industry. In essence, whatever Venus touches turns to Gold, or should I say, Platinum...