Scott Scovill Releases New Book ‘Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams’ [Excerpt]
Scott Scovill
Scott Scovill, founder of Moo TV, has released a new book, Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams, out now via Forefront Books.
The book distills Scovill’s journey from rock bottom to industry leader into a roadmap for others. Part memoir and part motivational guide, Tenacious shares the unfiltered stories behind his rise, alongside insights from a range of contributors, including Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Olympic champion Scott Hamilton, Peter Frampton, as well as NASA astronauts, elite athletes, CEOs and a Navy SEAL. More than a memoir, Tenacious is a playbook for anyone looking to build a life fueled by grit, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of what matters most.
An early chance encounter with U2’s crew and a gutsy stint as a stowaway on their “Joshua Tree Tour” changed everything early on for Scovill, who almost didn’t graduate high school because of fear of failure. That U2 moment launched him into a whirlwind career working with legends like the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul and Ozzy Osbourne, implementing cutting-edge technology on the world’s biggest stages. When Alan Jackson hired him as a video director, Nashville became home, and his creative work grew into a thriving empire as the founder of Moo TV. Today, he owns multiple award-winning companies, employs hundreds, performs across Europe and has even checked “Antarctic expedition” and “NASA Zero-G training” off his bucket list.
Scovill’s portfolio includes directing live concerts and producing high-profile projects, including a CBS special starring Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. His technical and artistic prowess has earned him a CMA Touring Award for his work with Brooks and “Visual Designer of the Year” honors for Paisley’s world tours.
On the pages of Tenacity, readers will learn how to cultivate tenacity – even if it doesn’t come naturally, turn rejection, setbacks and failure into fuel for growth, seize opportunities when they come (and create them when they don’t), and build a career and a life that reflects their passions and values through the wisdom of world-class performers and pioneers.
Abbreviated Excerpt from Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams by Scott Scovill. Reprinted with permission of Forefront Books.
In addition to attending college, at this point I was holding down three jobs. One of them was waiting tables at a Howard Johnson’s. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, HoJo’s is a mid-level chain of restaurants and hotels that sprouted up along highways. This one was located off Interstate 90, the main route from upstate New York to Boston. Being a waiter at Howard Johnson’s wasn’t my ideal job, but I needed the money, so I endured. I stood just inside the entrance, waiting for my first customers to arrive on what would be another long, tedious day. Was this really me? Was this my life? Was this all I would be?
I dreaded working my shifts. I had all of this pent-up energy and desire. I am even tempted to say I had ambition. But ambition for what? I knew I wanted to be more. I knew I was tired of failing— tired of being afraid. I had all the fuel but no spark. What I didn’t realize then is that I wasn’t excited enough about anything to inspire the kind of hard work necessary to rise above my circumstances or shortcomings. I was deeply depressed and lost.
Just then, something caught my eye. It was a glint of shiny steel outside the restaurant window. An amazing-looking bus had just pulled into the lot. It had a massive space shuttle painted on the side of it. I have always been a space nut. Did the people inside work for NASA?
I rushed over to the hostess and asked her to please seat the bus passengers in my section, and she agreed. As I watched them exit the vehicle, my anticipation quickly fell to disappointment. They were all dressed in black, and several of them had long hair. They did not look like they worked for NASA.
I took their drink orders, then asked, “Why the bus?”
One of them spoke up in the thickest of Irish accents. “We work for the band U2.”
Holy cow! I was taken aback, but coolly replied, “Oh, OK.” Then I walked to the kitchen to collect myself, my mind buzzing.
Why was my mind buzzing? Let me give you some perspective. This was during the peak of U2’s explosive popularity. This was 1987, their album The Joshua Tree had just been released, and it was phenomenal. I played the album incessantly. It was the soundtrack to my life, but, more than that, the music was a comfort, the songs almost a place where I could hide from my hurtful reality. These guys worked for U2? Still incredulous, I went back out to the table with their drinks. I had a lot of questions.
“Hi, how can you guys possibly work for U2? How is that even a thing? I thought you’d have to be Bono’s cousin or something to get a job like that.”
The table cracked up. With the ice broken, my questions must have seemed endless. The picture coming together in my mind was wild. These guys worked for U2, my favorite band ever, and this was actually something you could do with your life. That was beyond fascinating to me. Traveling around the world with Bono, the Edge, and the boys, getting paid to go to shows? Wow!
By the end of the meal, they actually insisted that I come to the next show. It was in Worcester, Massachusetts, a few hours’ drive away. I hesitated to say yes—I didn’t want them to think I was pretending to have fun with them just to get tickets. My pride wanted me to say no, but I was too intrigued…
The U2 guys had suggested that I come early, so I did and was able to park right by their bus with the space shuttle image on it. As I was getting out of the car, one of the crew was stepping off the bus. He smiled, waved me over, and took me backstage to get my ticket. As we walked, we ran right into Bono and the Edge. Holy shit! The Edge had a question about the show for my crew escort, who answered him and then introduced me.
They both had a great demeanor: cool, but approachable and real. The wild thing is, as awesome as it was to meet my heroes, I was even more intrigued by the industry I was discovering. As the crew member and I continued walking, I peppered our conversation with a bunch of questions about touring. He answered them all, and I was riveted.
When the doors opened I headed straight for the sound and lighting consoles. I was so curious! I was in awe of the technology, and every answer they offered brought two more questions. It was amazing to learn about all that it took to put a show like this together.
I was especially interested in the lighting console. I was watching the opening act, Lone Justice, when their lighting director noticed my fascination. He gestured for me to come close and demonstrated to the beat…
I stood in the middle of the arena processing this exciting lifestyle. Then it happened . . . arguably the biggest moment in my entire life. The lights went out and the crowd went wild, really wild. There was no safety lighting back then—it was pitch black. Thousands of people screaming together produced the most incredible sound. I stood there in the dark, overwhelmed by the roar, and it hit me:
THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE! You love music, technology, people, and travel—this is what you are going to do with your life!
These people roamed the world, implementing incredible technology, making the music happen. The product they produced was the roar of the crowd. The sound of joy. They made people happy for a living! Not just happy, but so happy that they screamed!
