We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Callahan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Personal Integrity is the principle that matters most to me. I am involved in 2 businesses. One being the music business, which can be cutthroat with many people clawing their way to either fame and fortune on the artistic side, or fame and fortune on the business side. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting it all, but where you choose to compromise matters. your personal values that make up who you are as an individual should remain steadfast, even when it means losing out on something you may desire. My other business is in the Martial Arts, and the irony is that the martial arts Budo philosophy should be paramount and in the forefront of one’s behavior. Humility is one of the pillars of this martial philosophy, but more often than not, in the west especially, given the sporting aspect, many have developed massive egos and have compromised the fundamental principles of Budo. I am generalizing of course on both, but I try to be hyper aware of my own shortcomings in this regard.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started out as a musician starting to play professionally at 18 years old. At 21, I moved from Boston to LA to give it a shot. after touring for @ 5 years I decided to hang it up and got the record business in 1986/87. My last label gig was with Virgin Records and resigned to start my own company in April of 1992. That was a scary but exciting time. I was coming off some success at Virgin and it was a great company to work for, but left because I felt too constricted with what I was able to do creatively, With my own company, I was able to do more varied and creative things. Management, production, radio promotion and working more closely with artists. Because of my prior background as a player, I always felt I had something a little more special to offer artists…because I had been there. My focus was always to help the up and coming artist, and equip them with knowledge, which would empower them to reach their potential and to avoid many of the pitfalls I encountered. I get great satisfaction watching them succeed based in part of what I could do for them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I moved from Los Angeles to Boulder, Colorado @ 6 years ago. I was familiar with this amazing town because I also spent some time here in the 1990’s. Boulder is a foodie town with many great restaurants and bars. I particularly like the rooftop bars overlooking the incredible mountains we have here in the warmer months and love some of the cozier fireplace type vibes in the wintery cold months to hang. There are obviously some amazing hikes here, and one of the things Boulder is known for. I would definitely (and I often do) take visiting friends for some short but gorgeous hikes. (can go too far because of the altitude most people tire easily and can get lightheaded. I would also take them on a road trip through some of the most spectacular scenery in the country, going out toward Vail or out toward Aspen etc.. And you can’t stay a week without going to the best venue in the United States; RED ROCKS! to see a show.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is a great question and at the age of 62, I have many who have inspired me throughout my life in music and martial arts. I would have to say overall encouragement and support, and someone that always believed in me with everything I have attempted, has to be my brother Kevin Callahan who is a very accomplished artist in his own right. In the music business, I never had a mentor per se, but I have had many that I have looked up to and have learned from. It’s sort of a silent observational study. In martial arts, it all comes down to having good teachers. I have been fortunate to have had some of the best instructors from all over the world as well as some awesome inspiring training partners. I have tried to take what I have learned from them and pass on this knowledge as well as my own perspectives and knowledge acquired over the years.

Website: www.indieadvance.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/indie_advance www.instagram.com/world_budo_arts

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/tomcallahan-771294

Facebook: Tom callahan

Youtube: @shihantomcallahan

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