We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Samantha Lauren RP. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Samantha Lauren below.
Samantha Lauren, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I think we all are building resilience by every day that goes by and we work through life’s obstacles. Like everyone, I have had to struggle with loss and hardships. I have really made it a priority to not let them hold me back. Continuing to grow and learn to try and exceed where I am currently at everyday is a mission of mine. I often remember the little girl, growing up in Oklahoma as a promoter. I had so many odds against me, I was not allowed to have a phone or any social media accounts. I was only 15 years old booking hardcore and pop-punk shows in the middle of the country. I didn’t let any of that stop me, I made the fake Facebook account so my parents couldn’t find me, I downloaded the texting apps and I kept pitching for shows until I was booking full time in Oklahoma City. It’s a time that I remember being so afraid I would get walked all over because of my age in the music scene, but I kept on and was successful for many years until deciding to branch into this new side of the industry.
Now that I am 28 and not that little girl, resilience has an even bigger meaning. I have lived all over the country, had to work really hard to provide for myself as well as my family. Lost my brother who was my absolute best friend, ended a long term relationship and had to figure out how to continue on and make life make sense. This is where I believe we all are building resilience every day as well as are connecting through what we had to go through to be the strong individuals life has molded us into.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Oh goodness, this part is always so odd for me! I currently work as the head of operations at Outlast Records as well as the Social Media Manager at Shelter Music. I have a super unique story getting into the music industry so young. I started at just 15 years old, booking 4-7 concerts a week on average. I was always big on hospitality, how could I take better care of the artists driving through? I would roll up to some shows with a grill and cook out! Giving artists a place to stay and a warm meal in the morning.
Because of that, I feel as though it has lead me to be very artist based with my position now. I love to be able to be collaborative with the musicians I work with and help line them up for success. Any role I get to play in getting them closer to their end game, I am honored for. I am lucky to have gotten and get to work with a ton of talented artist(s), some of which include: JordyPurp, Veil of Maya, CHEZ, Dance Gavin Dance, GARZI, Honey Revenge, Love Under the Sun and Dying Fetus to name a few. Each artist is unique and has different goals which makes it so fun to get to help grow their careers and be along for the ride with them.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being resilient through unstable times, patience and kindness. I think the term, “Rome wasn’t build in a day” is very true. Every day we grow in some capacity. Being able to be patient and trust the process is so crucial. Not comparing your success to others success and to always show kindness and keep going. Some of the best advice I got from a friend was to, “just go for it.” I would always be so afraid of failing or not being as good as my peers, it would hold me back, the pure fear of something I had no idea if I would succeed or not. I also am a big believer in showing kindness to people, you never know what someone could be going through, having the extra conversation, connecting them for an opportunity, even a simple “hope you have a good day, thinking of you” text goes such a long way.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I could never possibly narrow this down to one person. I am super lucky to have a tribe of people around me to learn from and look up too. I have families I have worked closely with, while being a behavioral therapist that have loved me as one of their own. I am fortunate to have them as bonus family members and role models. As well, coming into an industry that always has something going on, I am lucky enough to have some really awesome people to be able to call my friends and get to work closely with. Seeing some of their successes and victories is super inspiring. They are all always aiding in my growth and cheering for me from the sidelines.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthalauren_/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-lauren-789a132a3/
