We recently connected with Joe Giuliano and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Joe thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Ah, the backstory. Let me attempt to be as concise as possible without neglecting to mention the key influences (disclaimer: I’m never concise). I’ve spent almost 2 decades learning from the best in the music business – a handful of mentors that deserve recognition if I’m going to take credit for anything I’ve accomplished, whether it be personally, in my career, or through my collective, Soulestial.

My first boss in the business, Brad Coombs, was one of the concert promoters that revolutionized the industry by first bringing touring artists to county & state fairs and local festivals. He helped create an avenue for anyone to experience the joy of music, regardless of whether they lived in a major city or in the middle of nowhere. I’ll never forget the lessons he taught me, throwing me into the deep end and trusting that I could not just learn to swim but survive amongst the sharks.

My next boss was his former business partner, Brad Parsons. Brad #2 welcomed me to my new home in Los Angeles, treating my job interview like a casual hang due to my history with Brad #1. He was humble in spite of the fact that he was another innovator in the business, having created a company that convinced arenas to develop theater setups with smaller capacities in their very large venues. Again, this revolutionary way of thinking allowed more fans access to more entertainment. The lesson that things could be done differently regardless of historically rigid business practices was not lost on me.

After that, would be ElizBeth Jones, who is probably the one most responsible for my diverse spectrum of interests in the entertainment business. She co-founded a boutique agency that represented non-traditional entertainment and has recently gone on to develop touring properties in this same space, revolutionizing the way people think about Broadway & Touring and how they can be intertwined. Her love for Vaudeville and stories rich in history & character development opened up a new world to me that still influences the acts I book for my shows & festivals today.

I should also mention that throughout this time in LA, I moonlighted for an incredible music journalist, Kevin Bronson – the locally-loved founder of an online SoCal music rag. Kevin inspired me to take my love for writing to the streets, so to speak, and I began covering semi-underground electronic music festivals. I owe much of my confidence as an occasional journalist to his patient oversight & advice as I evolved my psychedelic writing style into something more polished for the masses – without losing my Gonzo flair.

Lastly, my current boss, Kelly Kapp, is a continuous source of inspiration. As one of the most prolific bookers of hard rock & metal and burlesque, I’ve learned firsthand how to balance high volume without sacrificing integrity & attention to detail. It’s an exhausting lifelong endeavor that has its fair share of frustrations but thankfully, an overwhelming amount of gratitude & celebrations as well. Kelly has been one of my biggest champions while I juggle my personal endeavors outside of long work hours, allowing me to pursue passion projects in my free time (like producing festivals for Soulestial, occasionally traveling to places like India or Saudi Arabia with the DJ & Producer I manage, Crescendoll, or running the 50k Ultra Marathon at Burning Man, of all places!)… instead of limiting me like many other bosses would do. Our mutual respect for each other & the job is part of what makes our team so strong.

These bosses & mentors are the context that paved the way and helped mold me into the person I am today, which leads me to the answer to the initial question: The most meaningful project I’ve worked on would have to be my first festival for my side venture & passion project, Soulestial. My business partner and I, along with a great collective of co-creators, put on a major festival production worthy of thousands of people – for an audience intended & expected to be MUCH smaller – on the weekend of my 40th birthday. The real challenge was the endless effort to make sure that friends (and ticket purchasers) understood that I was using my 40th to make a better festival – not the other way around. In the end, my 40th was of course celebrated, but the real achievement, in my opinion, was the collective efforts our community put forth day in and day out, in their free time, to ensure that everything went as planned, safely & successfully. I’ve never met a group of people so selfless & loving and I wouldn’t be able to pull off festivals & shows in my “free” time if it weren’t for their relentless collaboration & assistance. And, I’d go as far to say that we exceeded our goals with that festival! Afterall, we’ve co-promoted 2 more festivals and done countless shows since then and I don’t foresee stopping anytime soon.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have 2 main goals in this life:

1. Bring joy to as many people as possible.
2. Live creatively/celebrate creativity.

I wouldn’t say I necessarily knew exactly WHAT I wanted to be as I was navigating college and the early years of my careers, but I definitely knew WHO I wanted to be. I got a degree in Spanish with focuses on Literature & Psychology and I worked in Management & Personnel for years (surprisingly not using Spanish) before I stumbled into the Music Biz. Even back then, it was already my goal to treat my co-workers as instrumental & meaningful contributors to a team with greater purpose, rather than nameless cogs in the machine. (I owe much of that mentality to my boss at the time and now long-time friend, Rick Goethals.)

This infinitely important characteristic has carried with me across the country, through countless ventures, and has been instrumental in building Soulestial. To me, life is about truly caring about community, acting with integrity, and uplifting others for their creativity – without asking for anything in return. None of us are perfect, myself included, so the endless pursuit of growth & knowledge in this space is part of the beauty.

I may have received praise for the vibe curated at Soulestial events, but to me, it’s about praising the talented musicians, artists, & performers that share their gifts with us, along with the co-creators with whom I share the endless responsibilities. I may have received compliments for my writings, but the intention has always been to write the artists’ stories so well that they feel seen and that the reader feels like they were present, even if they weren’t. Of course, I’m grateful for and proud of the recognition as well when it feels earned.

Before moving on to the next question, I should probably address how I “stumbled into the Music Biz.” – After graduating from Michigan State University, I continued to work as a Personnel Supervisor for the facilities at the dorms. I was living the life of a starving artist (writing, mixed-media, graffiti, and graphic & web design) in the evening with one of my best friends and fittingly, one of my favorite artists, Travis Gillan… and then attempting to live a professional life in the daytime. It’s safe to say that this lifestyle was not going to last, so I started looking for a career change that would satisfy my need for creativity. I applied for countless jobs and ended up at the home of Brad Coombs, where he worked in his basement office so he could still spend as much time with his kids & wife as possible. I don’t know if he even knows this, but I had no idea what job I was interviewing for when I showed up. I just knew that after he explained to me what it was, I had to have it. Brad took a chance on me and my life has been forever altered for the better ever since.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I wouldn’t go as far as separating people out as “non-creatives,” but I think the hardest thing for anyone to understand about this particular journey is that it has nothing to do about money, status, or fame. I’d rather lose money than jeopardize my integrity and I’d rather uplift the creatives around me than be uplifted myself. I want to see the “struggling artist” lifestyle evolve into a “succeeding artist” world and I’ll do anything in my limited power for the limited time I have to help do whatever I can to make that happen.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This phrase gets thrown around a lot, but I stand by it: “Support your Artist friends.” Buy their music and pay to go to their concerts. Buy hand-made art and go to their galleries. Buy concert tickets instead of trying to get on the guest list. If you’re low on funds, show them love on social media for free. Ever since I started throwing my own events, I’ve been blown away by the disproportionate amount of strangers supporting artists compared to the artists’ own friends. More often than not, it’s the friends asking for things for free and staying silent on social media. We need to re-write this mentality & these practices. If we can’t pay for our own friends’ art or promote their livelihood, how can we keep hoping that they find success? It’s that simple.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/soulestialcarnival
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulestialcarnival/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulestialcarnival
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulestialcarnival4473