Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve “BowTie” Bryant.
Hi Steve “BowTie”, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Previously I was selling cars and my friend recommended karaoke as a form of stress relief. We had fun at karaoke and started going weekly. After only a few months the host asked me if I could cover for him when he went out of town. A few months later he sold me some of his equipment that he was no longer using and I started running my own weekly karaoke in Hamlet, NC. Interest rates were rising in the car business where I picked up the nickname BowTie because I was the only sales person allowed to wear a bow tie. My sales decreased to the point that the car lot let me go but another venue in Southern Pines was looking for a weekly karaoke host. I looked for a new job and new venues at the same time until I realized that five weekly venues was a full time job and BowTie Entertainment was born. I exceeded five shows a week and took on a business partner who we call Boston C she is like a daughter to me and really helped me market to the younger crowd of karaoke singers. We added DJ services and Music Bingo to our menu of services and have recently added Open Mic as well and added Heather Lavender as a host. In addition to our social media presence we have recently acquired a TV channel called Talent Zone USA that is available for free on Roku and FireTV as part of our ongoing efforts to promote local talent. BowTie also is the State Representative for North Carolina for the Karaoke World Championships and is taking 10 winners from two state finals to compete for the National title in Las Vegas in August. BowTie makes monthly visits to Senior Centers in Hamlet and Fayetteville. He even makes a yearly visit to Nashville, TN where he does karaoke at the Tennessee School for the Blind. He also has an upcoming trip to Fort Blunt in Fayetteville TN to sing for the troops along with his friend Danny Pigg on the 4th of July.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Unfortunately some employees along the way decided to go behind my back and offer to run karaoke at venues that I was already running on a regular basis for less money.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What started as a karaoke business is transforming to a business that promotes musical artists. We regularly do podcasts featuring musicians from around the Carolinas.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I’m not as financially successful as I would like to be but I am successful in giving people a chance to show of their talents whether it’s to their friends, the Carolinas or even the United States. I measure my success in what I am able to do for others.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1asBGb6hp9/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@stevebowtiebryant457?si=-tY1YdM0XZhTi8jC
