We were lucky to catch up with Simon Cantlon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Simon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I worked in the corporate entertainment industry for over 15 years including work with Showtime and Fox television as well as music artists, sports icons, brands and more. I have found in the last twelve years of being self employed and pursuing my own dreams, visions and projects that I am most fulfilled flying solo. I make my own hours and pursue my own interests in everything I do. Sometimes I think it would be easier to go back to the corporate world and clock in and out for a steady paycheck and consistency, but then I remember all I have achieved in the last decade and what I would be giving up. I like the challenges, creativity, adventure and new experiences that this life affords me. I truly love what I do and also am good at what I do which makes it even easier to continue to pursue this path.

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 am the owner and producer of Vive Le Rock Productions and produce a variety of festivals and events. For the most part I am a team of one and juggle many aspects of my business being self employed. I started off working in the entertainment industry for over twenty five years. I worked in radio, publicity and marketing before transitioning over to digital media and working in the television and music industry on many hit television shows and with major music artists. I left that world behind when I turned forty and dove into the world of being self employed and building my own business and brand.

I sort of fell into producing events and festivals by working on a Route 66 documentary that brought me to an iconic Route 66 town that inspired me to co-create and co-produce a festival called Rockabilly On The Route which we did for five years in New Mexico. With that push into event producing I started the Rockabillaque Festival which is now in its 10th year in Charleston, SC and 4th year in southwest Florida. I built the festival, a midcentury americana celebration, from the ground up into what is now the biggest event of its kind in the south drawing crowds over 20k annually in attendees at each location. I have also developed in partnership with a local business collective a LGBTQ+ Pride Festival called Park Circle Pride, in North Charleston, SC which is now in its 3rd year and has grown in attendance every year and has become one of the most diverse pride events in the south with over forty events over six days. I have many further plans to create other new festivals and events as well as bring back some previous projects.

One of the most important aspects of my business and brand is that my events and festivals have a unique spin and are not just cookie cutter events. They are always action-packed and feature something for everyone including all ages activities when applicable. I want people to leave having had an amazing time, not feeling ripped off and wanted to come back for more! I also always try to have my events and festivals be charity benefits and will always try to make sure they are either free to attend or have low cost tickets. In today’s society there is not much that is free or affordable and I always want to give that to anyone attending my events.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

The Rockabillaque Charleston festival gets the majority of its funding from sponsorship money which covers everything from the production to part of my producers rate, Sponsor fundraising is done annually, so I lean heavily on this model which helps to keep it a free festival. This was a business model I relied on heavily for the majority of my events and festivals pre covid shutdown. Post covid the production expenses have risen exponentially so after this year’s 10th anniversary I will reevaluate this festival to find the best version of it that I can produce moving forward.

Rockabillaque Florida is in partnership with the Seminole Casino which is also where the festival takes place. This is a business model that works best in the current financial aspects in order to retain the free aspect of the event and gives it the ability to draw bigger talent and grow annually. Going forward my festivals will have major backers and partnerships in order to rely less on sponsorship money and continue to grow the brand.

Ticketing for some of my future festivals and events that are in the works will also be inevitable but I plan to always keep ticket prices low when that might be a necessary option in the future. Retaining free or low cost events for the general public is an important part of my business model while also needing to ensure I am able to make a living off of it as well. This is a balance I have done successfully so far and plan to continue to do so. It is what sets me apart from many of my competitors.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first left my career in the corporate entertainment industry at 40 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I worked on a documentary on Route 66 which I dove into headfirst, did freelance work, odd jobs, contract work, client work and so on but nothing seemed to stick as far as what I wanted to do next. I also travelled around a good bit the first year or two trying to find the best city I would next land in and ended up falling in love with Charleston which is where my family was at. Around the same time I was working on the documentary I fell in love with the southwest and stumbled into co-producing my first festival, Rockabilly On The Route in New Mexico.

The first couple of years were lean, I went from a six figure salary to basically making barely anything. Those were some tough years when I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I also didn’t want to go back to what I was doing. I was a bit lost but once I found my passion I knew my direction was producing festivals and events and I was all in. Within a year I was co-producing the New Mexico Festival and solo producing Rockabillaque Charleston. Within two years both festivals had grown exponentially in size, scope and attendance and my career path was clear.

I have to say finding my co-producing partner, Ungelbah Davila, at the time for my New Mexico festival helped get my gears turning as she and I were both new to this, though we both had extensive marketing backgrounds, we had never produced a festival. Having her by my side, as a business partner and friend, as we built Rockabilly On The Route helped fuel me to dive in and create Rockabillaque Charleston and grow my brand from there. I feel truly lucky to be able to do what I do for a living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vivelerockproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockabillaque
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockabillaque

Image Credits
Mark Staff Photography. Ariana Abrams Photography, Sally Grey Mahon – Open Aperture. Other photos are also licensed and approved.