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10 Questions with ... Ken Pittman
August 1, 2017
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1) What made you want to get into the music business?
From the very beginning the idea that I could go to shows and get free music and be a part of the music scene seemed like a dream.
2) I understand you actually started in radio back in Lincoln, NE programming Alternative KKNB. What years did you work there and tell us about that experience?
I'm still fiercely proud of KKNB (The Planet); I worked with some amazing people and saw first-hand what kind of impact music and a radio station can have on a community.
3) How did you make the transition to radio promotion and what was your first label gig?
I got an offer from Mike Jacobs; I thought he was joking with me actually. For a very brief time I worked and lived in Austin, TX, and that whole time was a blur for me.
4) Give us the rest of the labels and positions you had after that first gig with Way Cool/MCA in Austin?
I fell in love with the MCA staff and Mark Gorlick who was running the promotion dept. When Mark went to Dreamworks, I had to follow and from there I moved to L.A. (where I live to this day) and was fortunate to work with some really fantastic people at some great labels -- Mike Easterlin, Greg Dorfman, Elektra, Lava, Roadrunner and then Downtown.
5) You had quite a nice run working for labels up until you started your independent company Motor Promo back in 2008. Can you briefly share with us some of your "artist-breaking" highlights from all those label years?
Oh man, where to even start? Jet, Gnarls Barkley, Panic at the Disco, Paramore, Jason Mraz, Cold War Kids.
6) You launched your own independent promotion company Motor Promo back in 2008. What were the reasons for setting out on your own back then?
I became a father, and I realized being out on the road two weeks out of the month wasn't working with being the dad that I wanted to be.
7) As you approach your 10th anniversary of Motor Promo next year, what are some of the most successful projects you've had a hand in since you started your company?
I am the luckiest guy on the planet. I've had really amazing times helping to break, Beware of Darkness, Joywave, Dreamers, A Day To Remember, Night Riots, In This Moment, it was so awesome helping Mark Czarra hit #1 at Alternative with Cold War Kids -- a band I've been working with for almost a decade! Right now we are on the way to breaking Fozzy at Active Rock.
8) Congrats on your current success with the Fozzy record. It looks like Motor Promo is really busting out a hit at Rock radio with the single "Judas" on Century Media. What's the latest with Chris Jericho and this project?
Chris is truly a once-in-a-lifetime star, best-selling author, and obviously he's a wrestler who takes everything and everybody around him to the next level.
9) What other Rock projects is Motor involved with now and how are they doing?
On the Alternative side, I'm pretty excited about The Academic and I love some of the new music we are working from bands that defy genres like The Picturebooks and Palaye Royale.
10) Finally, what other Rock records does Motor have in its future that you can tell us about?
I think it's totally cool that I've come full circle (again) with one of my old successes. We are rolling out the new Josh Todd and the Conflict on Century Media. I have great memories (and a Gold record) of working with Josh on his first Buckcherry record.
Bonus Questions
I know you are a huge motorcycle enthusiast. Is that where the name "Motor" comes from? And secondly, what is one of your most memorable biking adventures?
Yes ... I am a bit of a motorbike fan lol. The motor is the heart and the soul of a machine. Motor is me; my life has been and is an amazing adventure and I am the motor. I spent a couple days over the Easter weekend alone on a motorbike out in Death Valley. The Universe must have plans for me or I wouldn't have made it out of there and wouldn't be so fortunate.
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