SANTA BARBARA BOWL
Long-time Executive Director and Founder of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, Sam Scranton, is doing his final load-out. After 19 years of employment with the Bowl, Scranton is ready to pursue other interests.
Scranton first came to the Bowl in 1979 where he was the General Manager for one year. Even at that time, Scranton knew the Bowl was something special. The next year, 1980, he and a few other concerned community members founded the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation in order to save and renovate the Bowl. The original Bowl Foundation members faced an almost insurmountable task but rallied around Scranton’s vision of creating a world-class performing arts venue in beautiful Santa Barbara.
Scranton was then hired again as the General Manager in 1991, working for the County of Santa Barbara until the current lease was signed in 1994 giving management of the venue to the Bowl Foundation. Since then, the Bowl has done over $23 million in renovations including permanent public restrooms, updated artist amenities and the centerpiece of the current American Classic Capital Campaign, The Pavilion. My proudest accomplishment according to Scranton has been the saving and renovation of the Bowl creating the world-class venue that I knew was possible back in 1980. Though he is departing before the full completion of the Master Plan, with only three major construction phases to go, he knows that he leaves the Bowl in good hands. Assistant General Manager, Rick Boller, will step into the roll as the new Executive Director. Boller has worked with the Bowl since 1993.
Scranton’s musical experience started at a young playing in the first surf band in Laguna Beach. “After moving from keyboards to guitar, I played in more bands that I can remember between Los Angeles and San Francisco.” This was the basis for Scranton’s career in the music business. He was tapped to be the manager of Sons of Champlin in the mid-seventies while playing keys and guitars with a variety of stars. The Bowl was never far from his thoughts or his heart, though, as he produced five legendary New Years Eve parties with musical legends like Kenny Loggins, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmidt, Joe Cocker, Toto, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel (members of The Band), Jeff Baxter, and Russ Kunkel, all of whom donated their time and talents to raise funds for the fledgling Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation during the 1980s.
Seeing his fair share of changes in the music industry like rising ticket prices, larger productions, the introduction of video, Scranton is ready for the next big change. He is looking forward to helping another worthy cause or mentoring some rock-n-rollers. It seems appropriate that the man who helped pull off the release of two legendary concert videos at the Bowl, Joni Mitchell and Bob Marley, would be leaving the year after Radiohead web-streamed their live performance from the Bowl.
“Sam’s vision and perseverance have been major factors in transforming the Bowl from a quaint local facility to one of the finest concert venues on the planet.” – Paul Dore, President Board of Directors, SBBF
Without Sam Scranton’s efforts there would not be a Bowl as everyone now knows it. Because of him it can accommodate the biggest and most desirable bands in the world. This once funky 1930’s amphitheatre is now a world class venue that is known around the globe. Moss Jacobs, Vice President of Booking, Nederlander Concerts.
