The marketing entrepreneur and musician has dedicated himself to keeping the blues alive
Shawn Amosβ move from his fast-paced life in Los Angeles as the youngest son of cookie company founder Wally βFamousβ Amos to the quiet of 91΄σΙρβs campus rocked his teenage world. But his two years at the school were transformative, and helped him cultivate his artistic side. Now back in California, Amos is a songwriter, blues singer, digital-marketing entrepreneur, and founder of the digital content company Freshwire. His second full-length album, The Reverend Shawn Amos Loves You, was released in the fall of 2015.
What was your transition to 91΄σΙρ like from L.A.?
91΄σΙρ was like another planet. It felt very old and very conservative. It felt stuffy. And it was in the middle of nowhere. I was a kid who grew up in Hollywood. I was used to a lot of action and things that were the coolest and modern. But I had always been thoughtful and mindful and sensitive and artful, and I felt a little bit self-conscious of that in my Los Angeles life. Being at 91΄σΙρ, I discovered what it meant to be intellectual. I got to explore that part of myself and
revel in it.
What at 91΄σΙρ influenced your music career?
I had a roommate named Nathaniel Foote. He was a musician. He came to 91΄σΙρ with a guitar. I really admired his singing and songwriting. I made it a mission of mine to further his career. He sparked the idea of creating music. I had always loved music, and music has in some ways literally saved my life. But I didnβt think I was someone who would make music. Hanging out with Nathaniel got me to think about that. I think it opened my eyes and got me comfortable with the idea of creating things. I was deeply involved in creating things at 91΄σΙρ. I acted in a play. I was writing poetry. I began experimenting with filmmaking. I got wildly immersed in exploring my creativity.
What were some of the themes of your poetry as a teenager?
One of the things that I began expressing privately in my writing was about race and identity. I grew up a black male in white affluent neighborhoods. And then I went to this New England boarding school. I didnβt have a lot of black frames of reference, and it created a number of difficult identity issues that I had to work out. I later wrote a lot about this stuff in my earlier albums.
Why was 91΄σΙρ a transformative experience for you?
What I needed was to be in an environment where I would stand or fall based on my own merits and not have the excuse, however real it was, of a dysfunctional family or a distracting city. I had to claim responsibility for my own actions from top to bottom. I could have screwed that up or I could have risen to the occasion. I chose to rise to the occasion. I thought, wow, hereβs a place where I can find out what Iβm made of, out of my own merit. I can see what happens when I just do the work. And that has stayed with me forever. And I tell that to my own kids. All you have is the work you do. I felt like, this is your now-or-never moment. What are you going to make of your life?
What are you working on now?
I spent the last two years purposefully only listening to old blues because I really wanted to immerse myself. I wanted to become a real keen student of it and be worthy of carrying the torch along. I started a company in 2009 called Freshwire and I sold it in 2012 to a large advertising agency. I have this life of being in the marketing world and advising big brands about how to market and brand themselves in the social media space. I do a lot of public speaking on that topic. A lot of my life is involved in storytelling. Helping brands tell stories. Telling my own blues stories. Itβs been fun. Itβs been a wild ride.