Today we’d like to introduce you to Bolton Sanford
Hi Bolton, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Charleston, SC, and have always spent a lot of time on the water whether that be boating, surfing, kiteboarding, etc. After going to UVA most of my buddies went to Wall St to get jobs they hate. I wanted to see if there was a way to combine finance and the stuff that I loved back home in Charleston, SC. I lucked out in finding a job where I buy and redevelop marinas in Charleston. I am still young and my office is at Seabreeze Marina so thought it would be fun to buy a tugboat and live on it. I had no clue what I was doing but have had fun with it. I know I won’t have it forever so try to share it with as many people while I’m blessed to have it. In that light, I ended up partnering with my good friend and video producer/director to start a live music series on the boat. The first one was with a band called Colony House out of Nashville, TN, and from there “The Tugboat Sessions” were born. There is no money in it hahaha but we are having fun and it’s really fun being part of the creative process with a variety of artists that are passing through town on tour. Jack does a great job creating the content and the artists love having a unique break during their tours.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The struggle has been convincing completely random artists that you have no connection to take a leap of faith and come spend time on their busy schedules with a group that originally had zero following. Thankfully some cool groups took a chance with us and our following has been building with every session. It’s still tough for groups to fit a session into their tour schedules and many have had to pass even though they wanted to try to make it happen. I just never realized how busy their schedules are… They will perform in Virginia the day before and be performing in Florida the day after their concert in Charleston. Artists have gained a lot of respect from me from their grind on that front.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For over the past 3 years, I have run acquisitions for The Quarterdeck. We have bought 6 marinas in Charleston, SC during that time. Our goal is to really pump money back into them and revitalize many of these worn-out properties. Our goal is to make them more of hospitality businesses rather than purely “self-storage.” We are working on creating multiple new waterfront restaurants around the Charleston area, which I think is very needed. Thankfully our company is a local group, if it wasn’t us some group from New York would have bought them up and raised rates and not pumped any money back into the properties. These are special places in my heart and we want to do right and really be good stewards of them.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
As for “The Tugboat Sessions” please reach out to any artists that you know who are touring through Charleston and please spread the word to help us get more Instagram followers and youtube subscribers! As for folks that happen to boat by a blue tugboat with a band playing on the front, please wave me down from a distance, and between songs I can wave you in to tie up and enjoy a fun surprise concert!
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thetugboatsessions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TugboatSessions
