The Place: Jo’s Coffee on 2nd

The Cup: Coffee, black for Tom and coffee with cream for me.

Background: 20th Cup, Chad Goldwasser told me about Tom and emphatically insisted I needed to meet the guy.  Chad had nothing but great things to say about Tom, so I was excited when he accepted the request to meet a stranger for a cup of coffee.  Turns out this wasn’t the first time he’d done so and the last time around turned into something incredible.  More on that in just a bit.

If you are a lover of music, Tom Gimbel has a life you’d probably envy. In Austin, he’s known for his role as General Manager of a little thing we’re pretty proud of.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.  Austin City Limits. Yeah, I know – cool, right!?! So how did Tom get here? Let’s rewind just a few years and take a look.

Tom was born in Philadelphia to parents who had married very young and divorced before Tom’s first birthday. His mom remarried when he was three or four and his stepfather – a follower of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation relocated his new family to Fairfield, Iowa when Tom was in second grade. As Tom describes it, they lived in an almost commune like environment at the Maharishi International University. We get to this discussion point in reference to the question “What event has shaped you most as a person?”

Tom tells me that while he can think of many life impacting events, this is one that had a profound influence. He describes the southern Iowa community around the university as conservative, Christian and right-leaning. And then the university itself as this amazing pocket of people from all over the world who came to study at MIU. Being in this environment between grades two and ten – which most would agree is a fairly profound developmental period, shaped him in many ways. He tells me it impacted him creatively and spiritually,  it opened his mind, taught him about prejudice, about hate and about independence. When he was younger, he rebelled because all he really wanted was to be like everyone else. But looking back now, as he recounts the lessons and impact this life experience has had for him I can tell it’s a part of his past he is grateful for. Although it would be nice to think of a childhood free from prejudice and hate, we all know these are realities and for Tom at least, he was able to turn the experience into an appreciation for the journey each person is on. Rather than finding flaw and judgement, Tom sees a fellow seeker.

Tom got to Austin, like many before him and after, via The University of Texas. After graduation he made a decision that altered the course of his history forever. And while he does agree it was ultimately a good choice, there is a faint residue of “what could have been?” that lingers. While Tom’s buddies opted to take jobs at this fairly new tech company called Dell, he decided to go to work for a small independent record label.  It was 1992 and in hindsight, spending a little time at Dell during those years yielded some pretty remarkable returns in terms of stock options. Tom’s choice had him looking for work when the label folded a short time later. It also caused him to have to leave his beloved Austin and head to the East coast. But as we’re about to see, things are about to get exciting for our man, Tom.

After the record label failed, Tom found himself in New York where he landed a gig with Arista Records. For many music lovers, this could be seen as an incredible accomplishment. Shortly after beginning his career with Arista, he was named Regional Director and at age 25, he was the youngest person in the history of the company to achieve this. Now that, without question, is remarkable!

When I asked Tom about the best piece of advice he’d ever received, he tells me about the best, worst and funniest advice and tells me it was when he landed this Regional Director job that the wisdom was passed down to him.  It came in three parts and here they are. 1) Never wear plain black dress socks – they should always have a pattern or some color to them. 2) Always carry a rain coat. 3) Always carry Arista mailing labels with you as they make the prefect lint removers in a pinch.

He didn’t get any other piece of advice or training and off he went to his new office in Dallas where he met his new boss.  She had nothing else to offer and in fact, didn’t even give him a key to the office or a parking pass.  So armed with the worst advice (which he admits did not once prove helpful during his 10 years with the company) and zero support, Tom had to find his own way and write his own field book. Which is why the worst advice he ever got, was also the best. Because for Tom, the lessons he had to learn on his own were far more valuable than anything anyone else could have provided.

After Arista, Tom spent several years doing some incredible stuff.  He had managed a performer, Daniel Johnston, over a 20 year span, in 2006 he started his own label as well as a social media company.  And then, in 2010 he got a phone call from a stranger who asked to meet him for coffee {I like this guy already}.  That stranger was Bill Stotesbery, CEO of KLRU and he had a pretty big proposition for Tom. He knew that Austin City Limits was a tremendous brand and an incredible asset and he was looking for the right person to monetize that brand for the benefit of the station.

I didn’t ask how quickly he said yes, but I do know that he’d say yes again and again every day until the end of time.  Yes, that’s how happy Tom is at his job. He says, “I couldn’t be more fulfilled or happier. There are no more rungs on my career ladder. If they’d have me, I’d do this forever.” I wonder how many people feel that way about their jobs and hope like hell it’s a bigger number than I suspect.

Over the span of Tom’s career, he has observed a lot. He has a keen awareness of what it takes to find success in the business. Tom explains, “For an athlete, the path is clear. If you excel at each level you will succeed.  As you move up, the percentage of people who have what it takes to move on gets smaller and smaller.”  It’s different for musicians.  Tom tells me, “You don’t automatically succeed because you are the best. They have different trials; ego, girlfriends, finances, 15 hours in a van with guys you might not like.  There are so many pitfalls. Success helps you keep it together.  Success makes it easier to put up with the negatives.  But there is this period when they haven’t yet achieved success and I’ve seen guys fall apart here because they just can’t hold it together.”

What do the folks who make it have in common?  A strong support network and talent. Tom tells me, “When you write a great song, the paths clears.” People want you to be successful and they do what they can to support you.  And to know how you’re doing, music is a business with immediate feedback – good or bad.  When you do a show, how many people show up?  In a few months when you come back to the same town and do another show, are there more people in the crowd?  New faces?  Then you’ve got it.  When you play a show that impacts people, they talk about it and then it spreads.

Speaking of success, I ask Tom what the secret to his success is. Does he have a daily ritual that contributes to his overall awesomeness?  He sure does. And he shared the secrets with me and I’m going to share them with you. Put a bow on it, because it’s your holiday gift!

1. Keep a journal.  In the front of Tom’s journal he has a list of that which he is seeking and that which he is grateful for.  Love that!
2. Exercise every day if possible.  And for Tom, it’s best if he can do it in the morning as it sets the tone for the day and gives him energy and a clearer mind.
3. Work off of lists.  Tom has a huge master to-do list and each day he gets out an index card and takes a few items from the big list and moves them to the “get done today” card.  Tom explains that the giant list is great, but it tends to overwhelm him. The small lists keep him focused and on track.

If Tom had 30 seconds to address the world, here are the things he’d like to say. “Care about others, work to improve yourself and do what you can to promote a global consciousness. We all share this planet and we should all take care of it and each other. It is not “us” and “them”.  We are a global community.”

I am touched by Tom’s empathy and desire for things far greater than a new house or another rung on the career ladder. I reflect on a sentiment Tom shared about about achieving success in music.  He remarked that when you write a great song, the path clears. I have to believe that when enough people can find a way to get outside of themselves and recognize the truth in Tom’s message to the world – that we are all the same, a global community, then our path will clear as well. And that path will lead us all to a place where kids don’t have to learn about prejudice and hate because when you are all the same, there’s nothing to hate.

To learn more about Tom, check him out on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.