Editor’s note: This conversation was adapted from the Polywork Conversations podcast series that took place in 2022.
Steven “Stevo” Dingle has taken an "informal" path to his multi-hyphenate career. Whether it is taking on A&R responsibilities with UnitedMasters or dipping his toes into the unknowns of angel investing, he admits his professional journey has never touched any single category.
“I’ve just felt like my resume couldn’t be put on paper,” Dingle says of his sprawling career across media and more.
It hasn’t come easy, though. Years of understanding his own needs and boundaries has helped him maintain balance in a multi-faceted career that at least to an outsider, could look unsustainable.
“I don't wanna say it doesn't come with this level of difficulty, but it's not as overwhelming as people might think. It doesn't mean that I don't work hard, it's just when you have a method of how you do things, I think you just make it work,” he says.
A DIY guide to building lasting connections
Dingle’s methods aren’t centered around the typical blood, sweat, and tears (although he’s shed his fair share), but rather building long-lasting connections along his personal and professional journey combined with a heavy dose of fearlessness when it comes to meeting other creators he respects and admires.
“You don't need to be best friends with Dame Dash in the five minutes you meet him,” he says. “My thing was, I never was ashamed. I'm great with names and faces, like I can remember where I met you, almost what you had on what was going on, et cetera. But then I also will remind you if I'm not afraid of like, oh, you don't remember me? Oh no, I met you at South by Southwest 2012 during this show. Yeah. Like, and then even if you don't remember me, you'd be like, dang, I was at that show, and I'm just gonna keep reminding you.”
Focusing on the present journey, not the outcomes
Dingle says that this mentality has taken him on many paths, and whether it is in the music or investing business, it’s less about the outcomes than staying present with the current journey he’s on.
“I'm gonna see how this goes, whether it's good or bad and, and you know, I'm always hoping for the good,” he says of his foray into angel investing. “I'm just riding it out for a bit to see how this journey is. I don't want to do it again before I even know what the first journey looks like. So I don't even have a time limit of what that looks like. I just know I wanna ride the journey out. So where, when it's the next one, I know what to expect of the journey, not the result, but just of what this journey entails.”
There's no endgame with any of this. I think my overall goal for myself is just kind of to be a facilitator. Like I just want to help dope things to happen.
While he admits he’s learned (and still learning) a lot along the way, there’s no specific endgame other than to raise the bar for himself and help others around him.
“There's no endgame with any of this. I think my overall goal for myself is just kind of to be a facilitator. Like I just want to help dope things to happen,” he says.