What i've Learned: Scott Romero

As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Scott Romero knew he had something to live for. He obtained a healthy cultural background from New Orleans and a strong business background from his family, and he currently lives his dream as the sole owner of Soul of the Boot Entertainment, an Austin-based independent entertainment firm, thanks in part to ACC.

Romero grew up in Louisiana as the youngest of two children and moved to New Orleans in 2002, but when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, he and his family were forced evacuate.

When the area was deemed safe, they returned back to their home, and with the belongings they were able to obtain when they evacuated, they made their way to Austin, Texas.

"It was an extremely heartbreaking decision for me because I've always considered New Orleans home, even though I wasn't born there," said Romero. "But when you're raising a family, you have got to do what is safest for them. So we ended up here. Austin felt like it could work, and it has. We have been here ever since."

Romero then decided to go to school for his newly acquired passion: music.

"There has to be something here education-wise that will allow me to be a business-minded person, and yet, learn that side of the art industry," said Romero. "And that's when I came across the commercial music management program at ACC, and I just dug in."

He started to research what was courses were available, and found that many of the classes covered both of his desired subjects, business and music.  

Romero took classes varying from concert promotion to venue management while at ACC.

One of the things Romero likes about his classes was that all of the courses were taught by industry professionals.

"No one had a bachelor of arts. They were people that were actively managing bands and actively engaging in the industry," said Romero.

Romero described his learning experience at ACC as straight-up teaching, meaning he received a valuable experience that came in many forms.

One of his most memorable experiences at ACC came from his most challenging class, the Legal Aspects of the Music Industry taught by his mentor, Buck McKinney, a current music attorney in Austin.

"He definitely was a real world teacher," said Romero. "I was able to develop my own skill set by taking what he had given me, and then adding more to it."

Romero's passion for music began when he moved to New Orleans.

"During my time in New Orleans, I discovered that you can actually work in the music industry and not be a musician," said Romero.  "I knew that before, but I was someone that had an aspiration to be close to something, but did not know how to actually get involved."

"For me, it was refreshing and euphoric to be in New Orleans where I could actually start breaking out of that [business] mode," said Romero.

Romero always knew that he wanted to start his own business, since he came from an entrepreneurial family.

"I've always had it in me, but the program catapulted me to a position where I was ready to create an entity that would be me. One that would represent where I am now, where I am from, and where I wanted to go," said Romero.

Becoming the owner of Soul of the Boot Entertainment has given Romero the opportunity to co-author the prospering monthly event Night Fever, allowing Romero to make his dream a reality.  

Romero describes Night Fever as his brain child,  because it has given him and his partner Jeff Strange a presence.

He hopes to soon own his own venue, that way, he can actively do what he does best as frequently as he wants.