Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Julien.
Hi Scott, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started in the music business locally here in Orlando, working in pirate radio. It was a completely uncensored Hip Hop station that eventually brought hip hop events to downtown Orlando due to its overwhelming success and audience reach. From there, it was a matter of figuring out where to fit in and pursue my love of not just music production but the music industry as a business in general. It was the time when artists and entrepreneurs slowly began figuring out that independently they could be more profitable if they could produce and market the product themselves. I was finishing a marketing degree from UCF by day and doing anything I could to put myself in a music studio at night, just absorbing everything from those around me.
After years of doing every odd job this industry has to offer, I began to know and understand the business side just a little more than many of the artists I was meeting in the studios. Random conversations turned into consulting. I started writing business and marketing plans that mapped out and budgeted what it took for an artist to work, promote, and generate revenue in a multi-market region statewide. I saw too many “street” artists wasting valuable money on things that had zero return on investment from a sales standpoint. Unfortunately, the music industry’s revenue stream changes every few years and having to adapt is absolutely mandatory for survival. When the main source of revenue for a small independent record label is primarily CD sales, and those sales disappear when streaming began to take over, your options become limited.
I was always a fan of the live show in general and had experience putting small shows together while working with artists over the years. I started to work with artists less and less and began noticing the rise of EDM and the pay scale of these DJs. This was when the industry really started to take off and become more mainstream with the large festivals. I loved the stage production more than the music specifically but hated the fact the production was so over the top that you never actually saw the DJ. I grew up in Hip Hop and learned the basics of music production early on from turntables, beat matching, mixing and scratching, which are skills most of the EDM DJs at the time did not possess. I wanted to try and combine the stage production of EDM but keep it, Hip Hop, using live instruments, and be more theatrical rather than just strobe lighting people’s eyes out. The only problem was, I knew absolutely nothing about the stage production I was seeing. This began a very long journey of learning step by step everything from set design, video mapping, lighting design, labor, transportation, and budgeting a full on-stage production.
I was drawing up designs on paper, getting advice on what all equipment was needed to execute, hiring pros to help me see the vision come to life and borrowing money to try over and over again, learning from every failed attempt, and there were more failed attempts than successes early on. However, those failed attempts and commitment to finally get it right was what eventually got me where I am today.
The ability to be able to create and execute a live show began to open up more doors and opportunities to use the skill to help tell stories for not only artists but brands in general. Unfortunately, with 2020 completely shutting down the live event industry, we had to adapt once again and took the same creativity and technology with the sole purpose of telling one’s story, but put it online and started streaming and making content that tells brand stories, but online versus in person.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing of this journey has been smooth and you actually learn to feed off the uneasiness of being uncomfortable. A specific story of a bad day. Early on when learning how to build and execute an amazing live show, there comes the inevitable moment where you have planned on paper everything you envision, now it’s time to execute. I knew what I wanted to build, produced the music, designed the stage, learned everything I possibly could of the lighting equipment, consulted everyone who would talk to me about this process, and was ready to do it. The challenge with this particular industry is that everything is expensive. You need to rent space, rent equipment, and hire qualified techs to handle each element of your vision. It’s 100 moving pieces all at once to cohesively create art. It’s very easy to take for granted what all goes into an incredible stage show when your just a spectator.
This was to be my shot at doing a demo of my live stage show vision. I was going to execute it once, capture it on film, and use that to sell and package and go on tour. I took savings, tax return money, even borrowed money from friends and family and set off on my business plan. I had enough money to rent everything for exactly two days. One day to set up, the other to execute and capture. The truth was, as much as you plan, you just can’t plan on the unexpected, which is what I’ve learned and now embrace as a positive. I had never actually seen these gigantic lights up close. I never actually ran miles of cables throughout a rehearsal space before. It was overwhelming. After one insane 20 hour day of finally getting everything set up and operational, the following day was to be the payoff. Finally, seeing what has lived inside your head for so many nights actually becomes a reality. You’ve spoken this into existence and people who don’t necessarily understand everything you’re saying believe in your passion.
After a few hours of sleep, and we are back for the final day and ready for this to work. I had interviewed countless lighting techs and finally hired who I believed saw my vision and could bring this to life. I had the studio rented for the final 8 hours to make magic. It only took a few minutes to realize that I hired the wrong person. He said everything I wanted to hear without having any of the skills to deliver. He could no more program a light show than I could, and I could not. Watching the clock tick down with thousands of dollars of equipment hanging on the truss in front of you and not seeing any of its capabilities flourish was excruciating. Hour by hour went by and even simplifying my requests for salvation purposes still ended in disaster. Time was up. I had nothing. Weeks and weeks of prep, every penny now spent, I had nothing to show for it. I had people on-site for two days all believing in me and my ability and I had to tell them this was a failure. To make matters worse, I still had to spend another few hours breaking everything down and loading it back up to be returned the next day. All time to torture yourself on what went wrong. It’s easy to say there was no gain, but there was. Lessons to be learned and not repeated. I was in over my head. I did not know how to decipher between a good hire and a bad of a very specific skill set. It wasn’t even the loss of time and energy or even the money that still keeps me up at night. It’s having to tell those that believed in you that you messed up. That feeling to never relive is a driving force to this day.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As much as I perceive myself as business forward-thinking, I’m creative at heart. I’ve been able to combine art and business. I believe everyone has a story and sometimes they just need a little assistance in bringing it out. Everyone I speak with or reaches out has an idea, a goal, a passion, but usually is just missing a small piece to make it a reality. My job is to help them make it a reality. When you spend so much time being a creative or artist, it’s easy to forget fundamentals like who your audience or how to reach them. Their job is to be creative and make the product. To be truly authentic, you have to be vulnerable, otherwise the audience sees right through it. I try to encourage embracing that vulnerability and tell your story, whatever it may be.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Learn all you can about the industry you’re in. There is no shortage of information these days. Watch interviews, read books, absorb as much information you can by learning from those before you. You can learn from their mistakes, so you don’t have to make them yourself.
Contact Info:
- Email: nostalgiashow@gmail.com
- Website: www.TheSparkExpo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/scottyjewlz
