Going to DU we are all fortunate enough to be in close proximity to Red Rocks and have endless amounts of concerts happening on any given weekend. But could you imagine attending concerts every weekend as your job? For this DU student, it is.
Meet Drew Carey, a sophomore double majoring in strategic communications and communication studies, from Dallas, Texas. Drew not only manages his double major and minor in marketing, but also runs a multi-faceted website, Electronic Colorado, that both promotes and takes photos for EDM shows in the Denver area. A fun fact about Drew is that his current favorite artist/album is Kanye West’s “Life Of Pablo” album as well as Big Grams. When asked about his early interest in music Drew offered, “I have absolutely no musical talent, but because of that I have always been interested in being a part of the behind the scenes aspect of music. I did however pretend/try to play the trumpet when I was younger to get out of gym class.”
Electronic Colorado had humble beginnings according to Drew: “Electronic Colorado started out as just a calendar for music shows so that people would know when their favorite bands or artists are playing in the area. It then quickly grew into doing free ticket promotions and previews for shows when venues realized that we had a big following. Now, we get to do press related work for shows, interviews with artists and live event photographs.” Despite his job sounding like all fun and games, Drew explained that being a promoter is actually tough work. “Its fun but it’s a lot of busy, time consuming work that involves bugging your friends and sending out massive amounts of Facebook invites. But in the end it is pretty awesome since you do get to go to a lot of concerts for free.”
Drew not only works as the manager of the Electronic Colorado site but is also involved here on campus with the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity as well as the DU music and culture club. Being a part of ZBT, as it should come as no surprise, means that Drew has the awesome task of single handedly running and creating ZBTahiti this year. ZBTahiti is ZBT’s annual philanthropic event that comes to us in the form of a paradise themed concert. When asked if it is challenging to balance school and work Drew said, “Yes, doing press for shows basically takes up all of my weekends right now. I don’t really get to have the social college experience that everyone else does. I basically have two different workloads to handle.”
In terms of the future, Drew has some pretty awesome goals that he wants to accomplish. “I am trying to go to the University of Southern California’s music business graduate program post DU. My goal is to get working for record labels and managing artists since I have always been interested in the culture of music and the impact it has on people.”
Finally, if Drew could give any career advice to students trying to jumpstart their dream career it would be this: “If you have an idea, you should pursue it with a ton of effort because even if it falls through at least you tried. Go in with a positive mindset – if you are negative, you will fail. It’s better to try and fail than not try at all.”
Keep your eyes peeled for Red Rocks season coming up soon, where Drew will be working as the resident photographer, and don’t forget to go to ZBTahiti in May! Also be sure to check out the Electronic Colorado site for more info about upcoming shows and events.