INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN SCOLES FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK
KEVIN SCOLES, 31 (Palm Desert, CA)
ARTIST RELATIONS & EVENT MARKETING (Ernie Ball)
YEARS IN MUSIC: 16
ON THE WEB: ernieball.com
DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE? When I was about 20, I decided that whatever career path I chose would have to be something that held my interest, something that I truly believed in, and something that I enjoyed doing.
WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU FIRST GOT STARTED? I was 22 when I first started working for Ernie Ball, and at the time my primary goal was to feed myself and pay for school. I was a guitarist, and I knew that the Ernie Ball headquarters was located just minutes from my house at the time in in San Luis Obispo, CA, so it was a great fit. Shortly after starting my job there, it became evident that I wanted to work in the music industry and make a career out of it, and I had a better chance of succeeding by working for a company like Ernie Ball than by being in a band. So my goal then flipped from trying to make a living playing music to succeeding in the A/R department here at Ernie Ball. There is always one root goal in everything I do, which is to do what makes me happy. Sometimes that is very difficult to recognize. But I try and keep that in mind whenever making life-altering decisions and setting goals for myself. Along the way, there have been tons of mini-goals, and it’s helpful to break things down and really concentrate on the smaller goals that make up the bigger picture.
HAVE YOU ACHIEVED THOSE GOALS? Tough question. In many ways I feel that I have met my goals, but there is still a fire that burns inside of me, that feeling that I could have done more, or made some better decisions. Luckily you can use those situations when you get older to make better decisions for your future.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED? I think I’m more focused now on my root goal than I ever have been.
WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE? Time spent with family members, friends and loved ones.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS? I think it’s two-fold. I get a thrill out of seeing something through, being challenged and overcoming obstacles. So I’m always inspired by an inner drive to not only to do a good job but to also go about it the right way. I’m always inspired by the people around me, seeing their creativity come to fruition. The key is having friends that inspire you, who you can hopefully inspire in return.
HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK? 50% talent 50% hard work and an extra 10% for luck.
HOW HAVE YOU MEASURED YOUR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? By the respect I’ve received from my peers and people I work with on a business level.
DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS SO FAR? Nothing worth writing home about.
DO YOU THINK THE BEST BANDS IN THE WORLD TEND TO GET FAMOUS, OR TEND TO STAY UNDISCOVERED? One of the true musical mysteries left in the universe!
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Read Kevin’s answers to 50 questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com
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