We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katia Kianpour a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katia, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. How did you overcome imposter syndrome?
What an interesting question… I honestly don’t think I’ve overcome this quite yet. I have learned to live with the knowledge that I will always question my work and question my competency. I rarely have truly loved something I have made and put out into the world first myself. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. It’s almost as if I self sabotage everything and break it apart into pieces convincing myself it’s not good enough. Or that it can be better. Or that someone else can do this better than me. No matter how hard I work on something or how well it is received. Maybe I’m a cynic at heart but It’s a really hard world to please and impress these days. Especially as a creative. But as I’ve gotten older I have learned to quiet those thoughts that always creep up in my mind each day. I’ve gotten better at accepting the fact that I do deserve to be here. That I did earn this. That the time I have spent on this project, or this relationship, or this job was well done and well within the best of my ability. You almost need to surrender to those anxious thoughts. Especially as a woman these days in male driven industries. Everyone deserves to feel accomplished for the work they put in. To feel equal and accepted. You deserve to be here and be heard and succeed just as much as everyone else when you put the time and work into something. Again, I don’t think I’ve overcome imposter syndrome in my work and life just yet. Maybe I never will, but I think I can learn to live in harmony with it more than I used to before.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I own a brand & company here in Phoenix that celebrates the music and artists we grew up to and love. Focusing on the music and artists across the entirety of the rock genre. I think the thing I find most special about this is it’s purely a passion project of mine. The entire idea came from my love of concert going and music. I make decisions and choices and build these events based on the things I grew up to and loved myself, almost as if I build shows that only I would want to attend. I’ve been attending live concerts since before I could drive. My mom was taking me to shows and sitting in the bleachers waiting for me until I was ready to go so I know a thing or two about what I personally view as a good live concert experience. I try to build my events based on those experiences and stray away from things that don’t work for me or haven’t worked for me in the past. Our main “Riot Night” takes place seasonly so 4 times a year. I throw a winter, spring, summer, & fall party where we fly in celebrity guests within the music scene and throw intimate private parties with them and their fans. It was always about taking away the barricades and creating that VIP experience that sometimes costs $100’s for fans for mere moments with their favorite artists. At Riot Night, I bring these special guests in and they spend the whole evening in smaller spaces and I incorporate a lot of local artists from music scene as well. Sometimes they perform live or acoustic, sometimes we have meet & greets, sometimes they DJ… it really just depends on what I can afford. I try my best to keep the cost low for the fans while still creating these bigger experiences and events and not breaking my own bank. I am also trying to grow my “Riot Night Presents” vertical of the brand. More focused on promotions. Where I book tour packages and I try to sprinkle those in between during the year. We’re getting busier, we’re getting bigger, and I only feel excited for what is to come. If you follow our socials or check in on our website we have plenty of future events & plenty of upcoming parties to continue this brand going and growing for the Phoenix music scene.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence is huge. I have wanted to quit time and time again. The odds are usually always stacked against you. But if you truly love something and believe in it, no matter how many times it lets you down or you get let down. You will find a way to push through. Definitely my biggest piece of advice is to stay persistent and believe in yourself. Secondly, stay humble. Humility is huge in this world. It’s getting harder and harder to find truly humble people. No matter how big you get, always remember who was there with you first. Everyone you come in contact and work with are assets and have helped in some way shape or form even if it’s a negative experience.. they helped get you to where you are right now. Stay humble and people will want to work with you and see you succeed. Third, I recommend stepping back sometimes. Looking at something or working on something until you are blue in the face will hinder its quality and build resentment. It’s good to step back or away from a project and revisit it later. Don’t push if it isn’t working or the stars aren’t aligning in that moment. If you can learn to step away and revisit with a fresh perspective later more times than none the outcome will be better in the end. I think if you can develop and focus on those 3 things you’ll be ahead in the game.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Definitely! All the time! Every single day! Whether it’s local artists, promoters, brands, partnerships, sponsors, radio stations, etc… I would love to collaborate. I would love to expand. There are so many avenues we can take this brand and I am only one person.. At the end of the day collaboration, partnership to help reach the most we can is the best way to expand and grow. Please feel free to reach out anytime with ideas, pitches, upcoming collaborations. The sky is the limit and I am ready to work!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.riotnight.net
- Instagram: @riotnight
- Facebook: @riotnight
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/katiakianpour
- Twitter: @riotnightphx
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@RiotNight
Image Credits:
Julius Aguilar & Lyonica Productions
