Mary Matthews, a 6-year resident of Charleston, has always dreamed of working in the music industry. Like many who share this desire, she initially experienced the conflict of perceptions about whether or not a career in the music business was a “real job path” or just a long shot dream. Ultimately, she decided that this was a dream well worth pursuing, and she has immersed herself in the industry ever since.

An Arts Management major from the College of Charleston, Mary knew that she wanted to work behind the scenes, and stacked business sense and corporate relations onto the artistic side with a second major in Corporate Communications. While attending CofC, Mary was given the opportunity to intern with local radio favorite 96 Wave in the promotions department.

It was here that Mary first experienced the exhilaration of putting together and managing a large scale concert. Working alongside the promoter for Wavefest, an annual music festival featuring many local and national artists, she recalls that she “couldn’t get over the feeling of bringing such an amazing musical experience to hundreds and thousands of fans.”

This experience was strong enough to push her in the direction of concert promotion as her focus. Upon graduation in 2003, Mary interned at Sound Events, a concert promotion company owned by Grace Bouldin and Paul Channing. It was here that she was referred to Rob Lamble, owner and manager of the rapidly expanding promotion company Ear for Music, and in February 2004, she went to work as his assistant.

It was here that she began to delve more into concert promotion and learn the trade of talent buying. Since starting her career, she has used her past experience and education to choose new talent for the venues handled by Ear for Music (primarily Wild Wing Café), provide entertainment for private parties and weddings, assist in the promotion of concerts through EFM, and handle many accounts in the talent buying area.

Personal Statement: “I am learning continuously and applying myself everyday. I have finally come to a point in my career where I can start doing what I have always dreamed of doing. Each day, I work alongside an experienced and outgoing individual who continues to teach me and allows me to grasp new opportunities everyday.”