Foundation

Shannon O’Shea founded SOS Management in the late 1980s with a focus on long-term creative careers rather than short-term cycles. Her work has consistently centered on recognizing potential early, encouraging artistic range, and supporting producers, engineers, and artists as their work evolves over time.

Beginning her career in London, O’Shea worked across underground and mainstream music during a period of rapid cultural change. While pop and grunge dominated the commercial landscape, she looked to alternative and experimental scenes for artists and producers whose work could move fluidly across genres and formats. Her roster over the years has included producers and artists such as Butch Vig, Sean Beavan, Tony Visconti, John Fryer, Danny Saber, Jack Dangers, Marc Waterman, Stephen Lironi, and the late Jimmy Miller — relationships often built over decades rather than projects.

An outspoken advocate for artists’ and producers’ rights, O’Shea was a member of the inaugural steering committee of the UK International Manager’s Forum and the only manager invited to participate on the producers-only steering committee of the Record Producers Guild in the United States. She has appeared as a panelist and speaker internationally, including for South by Southwest, the International Manager’s Forum, and the Producers Guild, and has been featured in numerous radio programs and documentaries, including VH1’s Behind the Music — Garbage.

After laying the foundation for Garbage in the UK, O’Shea relocated SOS Management’s headquarters to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s to better support global strategy. Today, SOS Management continues to reflect her long-standing commitment to career longevity, creative range, and thoughtful evolution — grounded in listening closely, building trust, and supporting work that endures.