Special thanks to The Scene for photos and captions
For the past nine months, Jennifer Broich has produced The Scene, a cable-access show that can be seen every Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) at 12:30 AM on Time Warner Cable channel 20. An all-inclusive music show, The Scene covers local as well as national musical acts (ranging from jazz to death metal). But it's a lot of hard work--something that, Jennifer admits, can be a bit daunting at times. But in exchange for her efforts and sacrifice, she has gained her own "kick ass" show, a devoted crew, and friends all over the country. In the following interview (done by email) we talked about her musical roots, the show, and the steps she has taken to succeed.
Let's start from the very beginning. What types of music did you listen to while growing up?
Let's just say I've been a rocker since I was a kid. My parents and uncles used to be into the old classic rock and metal. Basically, it grew from there. As far as I can remember, music was such a huge part of my life, it reflected how I lived, how I dressed, who I hung out with, how I thought and acted. Every song I know has some sort of memory, some sort of thought that brings me to some point in my life.
Getting into the music business started when I was in high school. I knew I wanted to do something in music. I bought all kinds of books about the music business and different careers you could have in the field. I started college and got into marketing/business so that I could open up my own record store. Then what do ya know, in college, I finally got a job at a record shop.
Wherehouse Music is where it really started to consume me. I worked there for 3 1/2 years and did a lot of networking, promotions, and marketing. I even got a job working for TVT Records as a field marketing rep in San Antonio. I joined street teams for labels and got myself out there. Right before Wherehouse closed, a friend of mine who worked with me (now a part of my crew) introduced me to this guy named Robb Chavez. He had a show called Robb's Metalworks. He asked me to do interviews for him and I was really skeptical at first as I am really camera shy. But I figured this was the way to go so I started doing interviews for Robb. I started being on TV, making even more connections, and learning about the media aspect of music.
Things didn't last with Robb. He took another path and so did I and Matt Mirabella, a camera guy of his. I didn't want to stop doing the show so I thought of doing my own show. Along the way came the rest of my crew, little by little, and we started The Scene. Everything just kind of fell into place and the rest is history! Now we have a great crew and team and The Scene has taken on great success in San Antonio.
How did you get into the heavier, more underground types of music?
That came from Wherehouse Music, I started really getting into all kinds of rock while I worked there. My supervisors and even some of my co-workers really started schooling me on rock, metal, classic rock/metal and from there I just started getting into everything. Started learning the names behind the music, the details of the bands I liked, and history of the music.
As a young woman, were your ideas for a new show taken seriously? Who were your early supporters?
It was definitely was a challenge but, you know, I really didn't have much trouble. I was very confident in it and I really knew my shit (excuse my cussing) so I wasn't intimidated by anyone, or at least if I was, I wouldn't show it. I believed in myself and because of that I got people to take me seriously. I didn't just talk the talk, I walked it. I give much credit to my crew (Matt, Gonzo, Lanni, Will, Larissa, Carol, Guillermo, Raul). They have helped me put this show together and make it a serious media outlet that has given us the name and reputation we have today.
Gonzo & Jenn in a drunken metal bliss at a show!
The Edge Magazine has been one of our biggest supporters. They have really taken us under their wing and Toni has really been a great mentor for me. We work in conjunction a lot of time with The Edge Magazine. So, as much as they support us, we support them and all they do. They are one of the biggest music media outlets in Texas and we are proud to say they are The Scene's biggest supporters.
Rock City Bar and Bonds 007 Rock Bar have also been big supporters of The Scene as well as Mike of MT Productions, a local promoter. We held our premiere at Bond's 007 and had a great turnout. [We] also had my birthday bash this past October there and the turnout was remarkable. It was absolutely inspiring to see how many people support The Scene and me as the producer, we are very thankful for that.
How would you describe The Scene to someone who’s never seen the show?
The Scene is a public access music TV show that covers all of the San Antonio & South Texas music circuit—not just the bands but everyone who contributes to the scene. You have the people that own and run the venues, record the local band's music, promoters, production companies, [and the] radio stations who put on shows and play the music on the radio—that makes up a music scene. You also have people that are involved like The Edge Magazine and SA Rocks who take a big part of the SA music scene by helping support local bands/outlets and distribute information to the public. There are so many things going on in the music scene, so many people that are involved in some way or the other, not to mention there are different types of scenes: the punk scene, metal scene, college music scene, etc. That is what The Scene is all about, we want to document on TV who these people are and what they do to make up a music scene.
Matt interviews Trevor of the Black Dahlia Murder
Do you have any interesting stories about the very first episode that aired on March 15, 2005?
Well, I will say this: having the opportunity to interview Slayer, Killswitch Engage, and Mastodon for one of our first shows, even before we were on the air, was a huge honor and an interesting story to tell in itself. We thought that was the best way to kick off the show and show [everybody] that "Hey, if The Scene got Slayer, then they must be pretty cool and important" haha...Well, at least that is what we had hoped for people to think about our show.
We actually should have aired sooner than March 15. But what happened was since it was our first time doing this, my editor, Will Shipley, didn't put the show in the right format speed. And so there we go: having to pick up the tapes from TWC, then re-record them onto VHS in the right speed, then drop them off again, and wait another two more weeks for our show to finally get aired. We were definitely at the edge of our seats by this point. We were so anxious!
How do you decide who’s featured? Does a band have to play heavy metal?
I make the schedule every month. My co-producer Matt usually helps me decide. We go over what footage and what bands we've covered so far and then just kind of take it from there.
I actually like to schedule the local bands with a national act that is similar to their style. Reason being, I have to send out copies of our episodes regularly to the record labels and publicity companies to keep them updated on our show. I figured this is a good way to help out the local bands here. You never know when a record label is checking out our show one day and may just take interest in the local band we are featuring. So I make that a point to pair up national acts with local acts. I also take more consideration to the local bands we cover that show interest in being on the show—those who follow up and take an interest in when their episode will air. I try my hardest to get those more deserving bands on air faster.
We cover all kinds of rock music. So, no, they don't have to be heavy metal. We have even covered a jazz band called Alex Skolnick Trio and an all-cello band called Apocalyptica. I would like to diversify the show by covering different styles that are in some way related to rock or, for example, blues, jazz, Latin rock/pop, punk, alternative, ska, rockabilly, metal, industrial, etc. I'd even like to do a feature one day on DJ's and show them spinning and putting on their mix!
How much work actually goes into producing an episode each week? Do you have weekly meetings/brainstorming sessions with the crew, editors, etc?
There is a lot of work, believe it or not, that goes into putting an episode together. Lanni Harrison, my primary editor, takes at least 12-24 hours a week to put an episode together. It isn't the easiest of work, and many times you have problems w/sound, lighting, etc. She has to try and get things right and that is what is time consuming. We used to have weekly crew meetings but with everyone's schedules conflicting, it's difficult to get us all together once a week. We correspond frequently through emails and by phone. We also see each other and discuss the show at shows we are covering.
Matt & Lanni shoot commentary for an upcoming episode
Come the new year, we are going to recruit more people and will be more consistent in having, at least, bi-weekly meetings. But it is definitely important to communicate when having a show like The Scene. That is a vital part of our team, communication. Matt and I usually meet once a week to go over upcoming shows we have booked and scheduling. Gonzo and I meet once a week as well to go over the website and updates on what's coming up. We update our website every week so Gonzo, our webmaster/photo goon puts in much time a week on the website.
Have there been times where you felt completely overwhelmed by producing the show, saying to yourself something along the lines of "What did I get myself into"? What do you do to de-stress?
Oh yeah, definitely. There have been times when things have been a mess or my crew isn't getting along or something isn't getting done—and then it all gets thrown on me. I hear it all and I am the one who has to clean up the mess, so it is extremely stressful. I never have thoughts of regret but there have been a couple of times that I just felt it wasn't worth continuing and just wanting to quit. When things get that hectic, I take a deep breath, throw on a good tune, and remember why I started the show in the first place, and that's my de-stress method. I am a very laid-back person, usually pretty mellow, so I tend to handle things well.
I take care of my crew, if there is anything they need, I do my best to compliment their needs and even wants. I make sure conflict doesn't arise and if there is even a hint of it, I try to resolve it before it gets out of control. I take care of my crew and they are important me so they know they can come to me with anything.
Tell us about a moment within the past eight months where you felt that all the work, stress, and sacrifice was really worth it.
My birthday bash at Bond's 007. When I saw how many people showed up and the turnout we had, that made me feel so good. I felt so accomplished. It was so great to see how known we were and how recognized The Scene had become. That was our first time putting on an event. I picked five bands and they all agreed to play the show. I got my friend Mike of MT Productions to book the show and get it together and he did a great job.
We did what we could to make it a great event. We gave away free stuff and had some great live music from local Texas bands! It was a great and memorable night (well what I remember of it, haha!). I was also very proud when we had our first annual Halloween Hellfest at Rock City Bar, we had an excellent turnout for a Tuesday night. The place was really packed and in our appreciation to those who showed up and supported us, we gave away free Jell-O shots, liquor shots, and free prizes & swag.
Are you satisfied with the time slot for the show (Tues. night/Wed. morning at 12:30am)? If not, are there any steps you can take to change it?
I am not 100% satisfied but I am grateful we are at least on the air. I would like our show to air either Sunday nights between 10:30-11:30 or sometime during the week around that time. Our time slot is too late for some folks, so I'd like to have an earlier slot. There is really nothing we can do about our time slot at Time Warner; every year you go through a raffle with all the other shows and what ever time slot you get is pretty much what you get. The cool thing about it being after midnight is we have no restrictions; we can show anything we'd like, be it nudity, explicit language, drinking, etc. No barriers after midnight!
What can you tell me about the parties The Scene has hosted around town? Are there more parties in the works?
Like I was saying earlier, we just had a couple in the month of Oct. which were our first. They were both a great success with killer turnouts. We are in the works right now of planning our annual Christmas Party. At our parties we like to have live bands play, give-a-ways, and we also film and take photos for our show and website. We are going to be working on our new intro for the show so we tend to put clips of people hanging out in the scene. Also on our website, we put pictures of people partying or hanging out in the scene. We also give away copies of our episodes at the parties so people can check out the show.
Speaking of the website(http://thescenerocks.com/), I was very impressed with its design. What can people expect by logging on?
Thanks. Gonzo takes much pride in that website! He puts forth much effort and a lot of work in it. He is always open to ideas and is pretty [much] on top of keeping it updated. People can expect to get an idea of what our show is like. It also entails the latest news in the music world and gives people a heads-up on what events/shows are coming around town. We also have a message board on there in case people want to post. You also get bios of the scene crew and get to know us a bit.
Gonzo takes a picture of crew member Renee for the website
What plans do you have for the future of the show?
Too many to mention! I just plan on doing more to the show, getting more people involved and making it more successful…Maybe even create short feature documentaries of different aspects of the music scene. We are always open to new ideas.
A very special and heartfelt thanks to Jennifer Broich for taking the time to fill out this interview and for sending the pictures (as well as captions). Be sure to catch The Scene every Tuesday night(Wednesday morning) at 12:30AM on Time Warner Cable channel 20.
The Scene's schedule for the rest of the year(borrowed from the website):
December 6: Uli Jon Roth, Judas Priest
December 13: Opiate for the Masses, Bleeding Through
December 20: Pigface, Empathy's Gone
December 27: Suicide City