Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Romo.
Hi Sam, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always been around music, musicians, hard workers, public speakers, and teachers in my life that helped guide me and build me into the person I am today. A good amount of my extended family are musicians or singers and that includes my great grandparents, grandfather, my mother, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and more. I was also raised in a church community where my mother lead worship and my father ran the soundboard in the back during their performances and then he would preach after. My sisters were involved in choir and from the age of about 6 years old I was helping my dad run the sound and that is where my obsession with sound and music began.
Every week I would get to witness my family perform or put in the work for their loved ones when they would go in early for practices and it was something I was always in awe of. They were always in service of their community and that kept them disciplined and expressive. It was beautiful and familiar and something I realize now as an adult that it was something not typical and something I am proud to embrace and look back on fondly as reference for my future life and plans.
Moving into my high school years, we eventually left the church I grew up in and I started going somewhere else with a friend of mine from school. I was much less involved at that church compared the one before but around that time was when I chose my first trade class to take, not just as an elective but as a serious look at an industry I would want to pursue.
I submitted an application to join the audio-video production class called Media-Tech after my sister had highly suggested it after taking it herself. I was given the opportunity to join the class in 10th grade under the wonderful teacher Nancy Noyes. She is still my favorite teacher of all time and I cherish all of the hours spent in that classroom over the 3 years that I was in it.
I learned several skills that I still utilize today in that class from my editing and organization habits, to how to write a proper resume, to how to be an effective communicator. Ms. Noyes and the TA at the time James North inspired me to work on my own movie at the time, enter my work into several competitions, start my own wedding videography business, and to go after leadership roles for the class and more. After I graduated, I went to Mountain View and Brookhaven community college where I continued my education but unfortunately got distracted, dissuaded, and eventually derailed from my career path. I had started working while being a full-time student and my professors that taught the classes related to my audio-video production career were not very optimistic or excited about what the industry had to offer. This started to turn me off from wanting to invest my future in a path that would not guarantee me a career or consistent paycheck, so I started focusing on saving up and figuring out what things I need to focus on to get my life in order by my terms.
I eventually went back to school about a year after leaving and studied public relations and marketing instead which moved me into my career with FASTSIGNS as an outside sales rep and eventually the General Manager. I maintained my focus on learning how to work with businesses and network effectively in the real world, how to be a better communicator and leader, and just made sure I was saving. The biggest pivot in my work life came in 2020 when everything with COVID started. Half of our market is events, so we were affected quickly, and I also had a lot of time on my hands, so it made me look back on all of my investments and see where they are today. It made me reach out to friends and people to sew new seeds, but it also made me look at my own roots and see that I had invested years into production work and music and that I need to honor that time, work, and community that gave me that chance to do something.
So, I started my podcast Music Mythology in November of 2020. I realized that it required every skill that I had acquired in my life from producing a show, building and maintaining the website and social pages, designing the logo and building the brand, networking to form and curate a strong cast of relevant guests, and to honor the topics with grace and to make sure I am working in a community that works with me. To be seen is a beautiful gift in life, and I really appreciate the opportunity I have had this past year to interview and become friends with some of the best musicians in the DFW area and more.
I have put a good deal of work into this production, but I know there is much more to do and I am all for it.
As a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and media junkie I am always excited to talk and break down a piece of work and get someone’s perspective or hear the reality of how it came to be. I also just like to talk so that’s a big part of it, I won’t lie. I look forward to growing and expanding the show more by getting more guests from different backgrounds and industries and I also plan on releasing music of my own this coming year as well so there’s tons to do!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Currently, my show is a side hustle so sometimes it cuts into plans but it’s just something you have to prioritize and maintain. It may take years to become a success or get that one holy grail of a sponsor that ramps things up, but I know this will take work and discipline, just like anything else. Plus, after researching and meeting many hard-working people I know that sometimes it takes ten years to be an “overnight success.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the host of the music commentary podcast Music Mythology where I interview musicians, producers, venue owners, and more about their work or favorite works. We have episodes that focus on interviewing the creators and we also have some where I sit down with a friend or family member and review an album track by track as a conversational album review. It gives local musicians in the DFW area (and more) to show where they come from and to promote their work and whatever else they want to discuss. I keep it pretty casual, kind of in the same vein as The Joe Rogan Experience where it is open conversation with very little editing, so you get a very genuine look at the artists and myself.
Honestly, I am proud of the network that I have built. I have so many people to bounce ideas off of and to get advice from that keeps me dialed in and motivated to do my best just like they are every day. We are momentum machines, and we need something to keep us moving, and having a strong community is the cornerstone to that kind of endurance.
I am also proud of the amount of content I have been able to produce by myself over this last year and my overall branding and design. I am hoping to get some merch produced soon and to get some ads for the show in some local record stores and venues.
I hope this doesn’t sound too corny, but I think one thing that sets me apart is my genuine curiosity and consistent respect.
I didn’t make this show to judge or tear anyone down. It is a place to express and open up about why you love music. It is just so vibrant and has so many beautiful things to appreciate and to do that and communicate outwardly is a wonderful thing, especially nowadays I feel. But I am sure one thing that will set me apart more as time goes on is how I curate the show through the topic and guest selection. I want to keep it varied and interesting!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think the main qualities would have to be my desire to communicate and understand and also my love for music. Music really is the air I breathe. Sometimes I have to build a soundtrack for my life, other times I want to build a song of my own to get my inner feelings expressed. It all involves work and a strong sense of observation too, so I take it seriously and I just want to honor it and the people that have been involved.
Contact Info:
- Email: musicmythologypodcast@gmail.com
- Website: musicmythpodcast.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/music_mythology/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicMythPod
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV09p09d63kYhQhp-HxbHrg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ci73qIGk6yxO5zv2BdG35?si=WF-WXr6xS4q1GZxBBQ6pww&nd=1
