blackrimglasses.com

Icon

Music + Technology + Random Nonsense from the Music Industry by Ethan Kaplan, VP Product, Live Nation

Origin Stories: Pedigree or Passion?

Last night at an event I had to introduce myself to a few people and as I’ve been doing since I left WMG, it goes something like:

“I worked as the head of technology at Warner Bros. Records and Warner Music Group until I left in January”

That is a pedigree origin story.

A friend who I was with admonished me however: “Tell the real story!”

Now, the real story I’ve always been a bit embarrassed by, and proud of.

“I ran a fan site for R.E.M. since I was 16, and started working at their label in 2005.”

That is the passion origin story.

This begs the question: what matters most, pedigree or passion? Is it better to be defined by what you did, or why you did it?

I don’t have the answer to that.

But I suppose I’ll have to get used to answering the question of “what do you do?” with “well, when I was 16, I was really bored one evening….”

0saves
Save
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

4 Responses

  1. hunter walk says:
    August 1, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    passion. Because it’s a litmus test – the folks who are only attracted to your pedigree will not be the ones you want to spend time with

  2. Mike Fabio says:
    August 3, 2011 at 7:58 am

    Both.

    If anybody is shallow enough to completely define you based on a one-sentence explanation of your entire professional life, you have no reason to fret over whether passion or pedigree is more important.

    Passion and pedigree are both important, and both should fall in your elevator pitch. But when someone asks “what do you do?” they should be fully prepared to hear the whole story. Nobody is driven by their pedigree, and likewise nobody is capable because of their passion.

  3. whitneymcn says:
    August 3, 2011 at 8:37 am

    To me the what is usually far less interesting without the how and why: “I started an REM fan site when I was 16, which led to a job as head of technology for Warner, their label.”

  4. Clyde Smith says:
    August 6, 2011 at 11:16 am

    I guess to me the REM story is becoming increasingly precious over time and speaks to your passions as a younger man that don’t necessarily reflect who you might be today.

    And since fan clubs have now morphed into social media relationships, which don’t seem to be your forte, it seems almost quaint.

    But it does personalize things which is probably a plus for your personal/professional brand.