Meet Nathan "Mogul" Nakhmanovich, The Man Behind NYC’s Biggest Billboards

Born of Ukrainian parents, digital marketing strategist Nathan Nakhmanovich has played a part in some of hip-hop’s most impressive projects the past few years. Better known as Mogul, the 25-year-old runs a marketing agency called Plug Talk Media, which previously worked with Safaree and 6ix9ine to name a few. Mogul is a dot-connector and he does a pretty good job at it.

In our recent chat, we spoke about his adolescent years, working on hip-hop’s greatest billboards, and digital marketing agency amongst other things. Check out the full conversation below.

Walk me through your childhood, where are you from and what was it like growing up for you?

I come from an immigrant family with an incredible story and I’m a first-generation American. Growing up, my Ukrainian Jewish parents taught me certain values that I’ve successfully carried forward. Work ethic was always a center point for how my family determined success. Thankfully, I’ve kept the work-hard spirit going! I grew up in the suburbs of New York in the Hewlett-Woodmere school district. From a young age, I was enabled to explore my sense of creativity and was given the opportunity to seek my true leadership potential. My childhood was well-traveled, and I always hung out with an older crowd; unironically, I was frequently considered wise for my age.

What’s your role in the music industry and how did you get started?

My current foci in the music industry are as follows: Media buying from the standpoint of OOH Advertising (Billboards), consulting on music release strategies and promotion, artist management, and a whole lot of dot-connecting. My start in the music industry was at 19 years old when I founded my independent record label Spotted Records while in college obtaining my bachelor’s degree in accounting. The label worked primarily in the Dance Music space and helped create a community for budding producers. We helped formulate a platform for international talent, and then procured licensing deals, upstream deals, and other promotional listenership opportunities.

At that time, I found my current management client John Turabian and helped him craft his project. While looking for opportunities to promote his music, I created a large network of independently curated Spotify playlists. When I saw how well that tactic converted for Jyye’s releases, I started offering playlisting (listenership growth) as a service to other artists. That kicked down many doors and helped me formulate relationships with key figures in the scene. A lot of those relationships have translated to the present day with my current initiatives.

You are the man behind some very big billboards in New York, who are some artists that you’ve enjoyed working with?

Overall, working in this space has become my prime passion for business. I feel blessed to have worked with so many amazing people already, and I’m just getting started. One of my favorite projects was for Lauv. The placements we did for his billboards in LA were my first touch with static ads and any ads for that matter outside of New York. All of my previous campaigns were digital billboards in Times Square, NYC. When he posted my work on social media I was over the moon!

You also happened to do one for 6ix9ine recently, how did that collaboration come about?

That was a spontaneous and fun project! Working with the teams at Create Music Group and 10k Projects was a dream; I have a lot of love for those guys. Their marketing genius for 6ix9ine is unparalleled.

This project was a textbook case study of how branding, strategy, and outdoor advertising can translate to digital presence. Despite the minimalistic presence of foot traffic in Times Square, media coverage was overwhelming. Publications such as Billboard, The New York Post, Complex, Rolling Stone, and many more mentioned or displayed the ad. Our initiative played a pivotal role in 6ix9ine’s overall marketing rollout.

For those who are just getting introduced to you, talk a bit about your company Plug Talk Media.

Plug Talk Media is a full-scale marketing and advertising agency based out of New York. We don’t advertise our business, and everything we work on is acquired through word of mouth. For anyone with specific questions, they can ask someone who’s previously worked with us, or submit a form through our website.

What are some of your short-term and long-term goals? And how do you plan on achieving them?

The word “mogul” is definitely a name to grow into. For the foreseeable future, I’d like to continue servicing the music industry and innovating in the music and advertising spaces. Beyond work, I hold strong family values. My long term goal is to create a family that is as loving and supportive as my own.