Sibley Scoles : True influence isn’t measured in numbers of followers or popularity rankings.
The power to inspire action and create spaces where none previously existed is a measure of influence.
The Business Of Being Sibley Scoles: Get Paid To Be Yourself
Pioneers who change paradigms and reshape industries are motivated by a desire to live their truth rather than a need to be validated.
Being shameless and purposeful allows you to connect on a level that differentiates individuals of interest from people of power.
The most significant asset any brand can have in an era of instant recognition and social popularity is authenticity.
The minute intricacies that make a brand storey unique, offering perspectives that challenge convention and provide a voice for audiences without a platform, are where real power is found.
Sibley Scoles is one multimedia personality who has embodied this attitude.
Sibley, who grew up in the Bay Area community of Fremont, recognised early on that she had a diverse set of interests.
She had a true love for sports, competing in everything from basketball and hockey to soccer and karate, despite her strong interest in fashion and style.
Sibley developed an expansive taste for music while immersed in the Bay Area’s flourishing hip hop movement and inspired by seeing rock bands racing around the world touring.
This enthusiasm grew into her initial desire of being a performer, and she went on to join a band, release songs as a solo artist, and play on stages all across the country.
With her characteristic blonde mohawk, punk rock demeanour, book of poems, and free-spirited attitude, Sibley embodied a counterculture that would serve as the best instrument for building the job she desired.
Scoles followed her passion for music into the world of television, becoming one of the first on-air anchors for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ cable music network Revolt TV in 2011, where she co-hosted the network’s flagship live show with DJ Damage.
Sibley had to immediately become a student of the game while developing her voice and carving out a path after taking on the role with no prior broadcast experience.
Following a successful tenure with Revolt TV, Sibley changed gears in 2014, joining E! News as an on-air journalist to cover lifestyle and pop culture.
Since joining the network, her responsibilities have grown to include anchoring segments and exclusive interviews, as well as hosting original shows, covering live red carpets, and becoming more involved in NBC Universal marketing efforts.
Scoles recently presented NBC Upfront, E! News’ live coverage of the Billboard Music Awards, and Oxygen’s new show The Battle of the Ex Besties.
She’s still a frequent on E! News, giving her opinion on current events in the entertainment world, and she’s also an on-air correspondent for E! News’ So True, So False Facebook Live feature.
Sibley and I talked about being courageous, overcoming uncertainty, and creating a dynamic career based on authenticity.
How would you characterise the Sibley Scoles brand? The best brands in the world aren’t companies; they’re the spirit or foundation from which enterprises are built.
Sibley Scoles: My mantra is simple: I have no idea how to be anyone other than myself.
You’ll meet me, not someone else or anything contrived, if you meet me.
It doesn’t matter if I’m having a good or poor day; it’ll always be an accurate reflection of who I am.
Where did that attitude and curiosity originate from? You’ve always had a varied range of passions and interests, as well as the courage to just go after what you want.
Sibley Scoles: I’ve always had a spirit since I was a child. Whatever I wanted to do, I just did it, and my parents were always supportive of me.
When I was younger, I would take ballet for a month and then go to karate for another month.
I pursued these many endeavours because I’ve always had a natural desire to follow my goals and see how far I could take them.
I’d acquire a brown belt in karate and thought it was a great achievement, but then I’d want to go for the black belt.
I wanted to try hockey after karate, and then I joined a bowling league.
I’ve never been one to limit myself to a single activity. I was never someone who didn’t have many friends because I was involved in athletics, but I preferred being alone.
I’ve never waited for someone else to attempt anything before declaring that I want to do it now as well.
I was always antsy as a kid, and I still am as an adult. So, I’m not sure where the spirit comes from, but I’m grateful for it.
It drives me insane at times, but I’ve come to terms with why I’m like this.
I can’t see becoming complacent and doing only one thing for the rest of my life.
You’re brave in your independence, but you’ve always wanted to work in a company with structure and tradition — what have been some of the most difficult obstacles you’ve had to overcome in your career?
Sibley Scoles: It was all about my passion for music when I initially started making it.
All I wanted to do was travel around the world and perform. That is all there is to it.
It wasn’t about collecting prizes or being a well-known figure in the industry.
What I’ve discovered is that it’s a difficult shift. I had no trouble with music because I knew how to take up a microphone and perform.
It’s different once you’re in the industry. Coming from the music industry, it was much easier to transition to Revolt because I was already familiar with the environment.
The shift to E! was difficult because I had to figure out what pop culture meant to that network, and their perspective on pop culture differed from my own as a kid.
It was much more difficult because no one had ever taught me how to do this task, and I had never gone to school for it.
It’s something I just went after, it happened the way it did, and I’m grateful to be here.
The difficulties arose from the fact that I was transitioning from having a live programme with DJ Damage to no longer hosting a live show – I had to hit the ground running.
There isn’t a lot of preparation involved. You may have four interviews in one day, plus a red carpet appearance later that evening, and you must be prepared.
What was the pivotal or defining moment when you overcame your fears and felt entirely at ease in your own skin?
Sibley Scoles: It was the first time I was placed on one of the live red carpets.
I thought live was the most amazing thing since it made me feel at home when I was at Revolt.
To me, it felt like I was acting on a stage. You can’t edit it because it’s live; this is it, and you must perform in that time.
So, when E! hired me for the live carpet for the first time, I felt like myself and had the opportunity to let my real personality shine through.
After receiving excellent feedback from the executives who were present, as well as being hired numerous times for more live events, I understood I could be myself and they would fully support me in doing so.
That’s when it dawned on me: let your guard down, don’t stress about it, and stop trying to be a host and just be yourself.
What are some of the advantages or lessons you’ve gained from remaining true to yourself and embracing your independent nature?
Sibley Scoles: My personality has served me well because being in whatever location I’ve been in my life or job, whether I succeeded or failed, has taught me that I can truly relate to people as a human being.
At the end of the day, we’re all the same. It’s good that I’m approaching you and wondering who you’re seeing, but I’m more interested in making genuine connections with individuals.
Yes, this is my work, but I’m also going to treat you like a human being, respect you, and try to establish some common ground with you.
Being able to find common ground with anyone has also been a significant benefit of having my personality.
It makes no difference what their social status is, how much money they make, or where they originate from.
What has changed in your perspective of being in the business when you initially started?
Sibley Scoles: I felt a little out of place when I first started at E! because I was so different from everyone else.
I was frightened since I didn’t dress like them and didn’t look like them. For example, when I first came in, I had a mohawk, and E! is a reputable news station.
However, I still imagined this opportunity for myself and believed it was the next logical step in my career.
Going from music to pop culture and lifestyle was a natural progression for me.
But once I got into the job, saw my space, and took ownership of it, everything fell into place.
I let down my guard and realised that I’m not going to be like everyone else, and there’s a reason they hired me in the first place.
So I had to put myself in that mindset and quit berating myself.
How did you deal with the fact that you didn’t have the years of experience or formal training that many others assumed you needed for these positions?
Sibley Scoles: Getting out of my own head was the goal. I was thinking about how I didn’t go to college for this, that there were so many people applying for this position, and that I didn’t even have any experience hosting.
However, I had to cultivate the mindset that there is a reason I am here, and doing so shifted my outlook.
Interns now want to come to me first and ask questions, since they sense something different in me.
That’s why I’m focusing on dealing with younger children and being open about my process.
I made the decision to be honest, to be myself, and to not be concerned with how others saw my path.
Who’s to say I would be here right now if I had done it the “correct” way? Nobody but you, I’ve learnt, can determine what the correct path is.
What advice would you provide to folks who aspire to be in your position but don’t understand the process or haven’t worked in the industry?
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