We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful CALEN SCHAEFER. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with CALEN below.
CALEN , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
I am firm believer in everything that I have done has lead me to being where I am today. However, I would put more focus on myself vs letting others get involved in my business. On the surface it seemed like a good idea, but when you are used to making all of the important decisions yourself and you find yourself suddenly allowing others to inject their view points and opinions into the conversation it takes things out of your control.
I am thankful for almost all situations that have come my way but I can say I’d much rather have taken longer to get where I am instead of leap frogging a few steps due to others involvement. Leap frogging might not be term cause I still had to put in massive amounts of work to make things happen, but it put more eye balls on my business quicker and when that period of time past it was back to the slower grind, which I honestly prefer.
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 started out at age 17 in a singing band while in High School and this honestly is what got the writing juices flowing. I’d spend hours in my room writing and listening to music. I don’t know how I morphed into rapping but that is what came next. After graduating HS I went to College with ambitions of being a Sports Broadcaster and then in my first 301 intro class, I was introduced to a recording studio and I fell in love. I stayed under the same Major but just shifted my focus. I was the only Freshman at that point in all of the advance classes and was (at the time) one of the youngest people to get a full time job running the recording studios on campus.
To be honest, if I had known what would come after college, I would have stayed doing sports broadcasting but I am a firm believer in how things unfold in life based on your decisions, so in all reality, I’m super happy things went how they did.
I graduated and moved to Florida and spent about 3 months looking for a job in a recording studio, which I eventually landed due to the fact that most of the people in those areas that are looking for jobs in studios all came from Full Sail University. The studios that I was interviewing at disliked that because they said all the kids came out of school with egos and ideas of what the business was like. I got my first studio job at a place called Morrisound Recording in Tampa and boy did it suck. My official title was “Assistant” engineer but that was just a nice way of saying, be here 2 hours prior to a session, stay 2 hours after, go get coffee, empty the trash, go get food, etc. But whatever, I was down to put in the time.
My biggest challenge of this job were 2 things. The first, I was paid like shit. I am pretty sure I made under mim wage and the second was that I learned everything in the box while at school, which means everything I did was digital on a computer screen and all of these studios worked in both digital and analog. Big SSL consoles with outboard gear and patch cables. The concept is exactly the same but there was a difference mentally between clicking a button and physically patching in a compressor to a channel on the console. The first solo session I ever did with the head engineer did not go well and he was super frustrated with me. I started to watch the other assistant sessions and take notes so I could get up to speed.
2-3 months later, a job that I applied for while looking for the studio gigs, called me for an interview. It was paying $12.00 an hour and would give me a set schedule. I took the interview and before I knew I knew it I was employed by Marriott International and would go on to work in Seattle, WA and Minneapolis, MN. Every time I moved though, I had to re-start my base of operations for music all over. Find new places to perform, find other artists, and even fans. This was mid 2000’s so internet based streaming was not a thing at all. I was one of the first people I knew on CdBaby.com.
Fast forward to Minneapolis and things started to click for me as an artist. I started working with a crew of awesome artists and we all supported each other. I started to put up money to bring artists in, learn the backend side of shows, and I started to tour. After doing that for a few years, I started to put on more shows and started to tour the country even more.
When I moved from Minneapolis to Kentucky in 2013, I knew this was my one last chance to either be an artist full time or stop. Over the next 3 years I did more in the business than I had ever done before all while working a day job as an AV tech for install companies.
2016 hits and my promotional company CLM Presents is starting to get some traction. It peaked the interest of some other parties who wanted to get involved by pumping capital into the business and bring in more notable national acts. From that point on things moved extremely fast.
Jump to the end of 2022 and now CLM Presents is a staple in the Midwest. I took every opportunity that I was given to expand and grow my business but what I really learned is that no matter how many people wanted to be involved, how much money they had, or how many great ideas they had… all of the progress that happened and would ever happen always occurred due to my hard work. It is my name, my brand and no one cares more than me.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My reputation is solely built on being a good business person and doing what you say. I hate people who talk just to talk. I hate small talk. I’d rather listen and learn than run my mouth making people think I am smarter than I am.
CLM does this in a way that I believe is the most fair to artists in each market. We work with acts and give them chances to showcase their talent on stages in front of new fans with the opportunity to make real money.
Most promoters take the performers money and treat them like shit. I like these acts to know that they are apart of building not only the show they are on, but a base in the cities they come and perform on.
Oh and I also don’t take shit from anyone. Being in this business will either crap you out or you will have thick skin.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Oh man, this game is all about flipping money. When I first moved to Minneapolis, I started working with Prince Carlton of Pledge Empire Records. We had different ideas on how to run shows but after doing a few together, collaborating on the ideas, we decided to put up some money to bring in an artist by the name of NaPalm. I think it was $4000 to bring him in. I didn’t have the money to put up but a co-working of mine name Victor who was a painter loved my passion and wanted to help me. He gave me the money to bring in my first act and after paying him back, I just kept that same concept. One show at a time, keep flipping the money until you have enough to make a bigger splash and a bigger splash.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clmpresents.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/clmpresents
- Facebook: www.facebok.com/clmpresents
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/clmpresents