We all like Scott’s Q&A posts right? You know, the ones where he asks questions to himself? Well I thought it’d be cool to do a Scott Kelby styled Q&A post about Scott himself. Here goes: (Warning – My jokes are much worse! ;))
Q. Come on Matt, you’re not as funny a guy as Scott is. Do you really think you’ll be able to pull off a Scott Kelby-styled Q&A?
A. (Cat sound!). Hey! Starting off by insulting me won’t get you anywhere. You’re probably right though, but I’m gonna give it a try anyway.
Q. OK, I’ll give you a shot and continue reading.
A. That’s not a question, but thanks – you’re all heart.
Q. So is Scott really as funny in person as he is on the blog and on your podcast?
A. Absofreakinlutely! Actually I think he’s funnier. Whenever we sit down for a meeting, the first 10-15 minutes (or 45 minutes sometimes) is just a lot of joking. You can only imagine what it’s like to plan a Photoshop World keynote event. It makes it hard to keep a schedule at work, but it sure makes for one fun place to come to every day.
Q. What time does Scott go to sleep?
A. How should I know? What kind of weirdo do you think I am?
Q. Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you?
A. It’s OK.
Q. Really?
A. No. That’s actually your second strike between the “not as funny” comment above and this whole weird bed-time thing. One more and I’m outta here.
Q. Really?
A. No. I’m the one writing the questions. There probably won’t be a third strike.
Q. OK, then let me rephrase this so as to not upset you (you seem cranky today). It seems like Scott must be up until all hours of the night?
A. I’ll let the “cranky” thing slide for now :) Honestly, I think it varies as it does with a lot of people. When he’s in the midst of writing a book, I’ve seen emails come in from him as late as 3:30am. When things are slightly slower (which they never really are) I’d be willing to guess he turns in between 12-1am on most nights.
Q. What could he possibly being doing up that late every night?
A. Working. You’ve got to remember that Scott is the co-owner of a 75 person company. During the day he’s pretty much hit with meeting after meeting and lots of other things that need to get done to keep the company running. Besides being a business owner, he’s also a content guy. So that content (books, DVDs, articles, blog posts, videos) needs to get done at some point. When every one else is asleep is usually a good time to do it.
Q. If he’s always that busy, how does he ever see his family?
A. Family is his #1 priority. As much as he works, he spends just as much time with his wife and kids. It’s kinda like the old saying “Work hard, play hard”. He’s often in a meeting at 4pm and looks at his watch and says “Gotta go to my son’s soccer game” and 20 seconds later he’s in the car. He’s chaperoned his kid’s field trips, and makes it a point to pick his little girl up every week from pre-school and have lunch with her. They take frequent family vacations (and I mean the whole family – grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and all) every summer. So yeah, he works hard but he also spends a lot of time with the family in ways that the typical 9-5 job doesn’t allow for.
Q. I’ve heard rumors that Scott plays Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360. Is that true?
A. Sadly yes. A bunch of us here in the office play (and Scott’s son too). We usually get on at night and kill each other with the M16 Assault Rifle (with the Red Dot site and attached grenade launcher of course). Scott’s the kinda guy that takes personal pleasure in launching an AC-130 attack against his employees.
Q. Is Scott any good at the game?
A. Can you define “good”?
Q. You know, it means the opposite of “does he suck”?
A. Oh! Um… yeah he’s really good!
Q. Do you have to say that?
A. Yup :)
(I’m totally kidding – he’s actually gotten very good)
Q. OK, moving on. Scott seems to write a lot of stuff. Does he use a ghost writer?
A. No way! That’s a common question though because he cranks out so much. I have to admit, when I first started working here at Kelby Media Group nearly 6 years ago, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I thought I’d be doing some writing for Scott and other various things. I quickly came to find out that you are responsible for your success here. If you do it, YOUR name goes on it. Plain and simple. He writes all of his blog posts (unless otherwise noted) and he writes all of his books. If there’s a co-author you can bet that he split the work 50/50. And if he uses excerpts or ideas from other people you can be sure they are thanked gratuitously throughout the book.
Q. OK so he writes a lot. But who’s Scott’s favorite author?
A. Without a doubt, that Matt Kloskowski guy :) But besides Matt, Scott likes any book by Seth Godin.
Q. Does he wear any color shirt other than black?
A. Only on Tampa Bay Bucs game days. I’ve seen a few non-black Bucs shirts but that’s about it.
Q. Does he wear any t-shirts without logos?
A. Nope. I’ve even heard that he sleeps in an “MPIX Rocks!” t-shirt.
Q. What’s Scott’s favorite drink?
A. Coke Zero I believe.
Q. No I meant alcoholic drink.
A. I know. He actually doesn’t drink alcohol. I’ve never seen him have a drink other than a small glass of wine. In fact, a story goes that he was in Japan with his buddy Dave (not Dave Cross) meeting on some training opportunities. Apparently singing Karaoke and drinking saki is customary at night. In hopes to not offend any of his hosts who were pouring saki shots for him, he secretly gave Dave the drinks (while Dave was also busy drinking his own). Dave was totally hammered that night (and may have not known his name) but Scott remained 100% sober :)
Q. OK, can you give me 5 things that most people wouldn’t know about Scott?
1) Scott’s a black belt in Taekwondo
2) Last concert seen: Bon Jovi
3) He doesn’t fluently speak another language but he practices Spanish a lot
4) Favorite Burger is from In-N-Out Burger (but I’m trying to win him over to Five Guys).
5) He does a killer French accent. Heck, he does about 5-6 accents that sound dead-on to the real thing.
Q. Sounds like you think Scott is a good guy?
A. Honestly, from a career standpoint Scott has helped me more than I ever thought possible. Bigger than that though, you know what makes working with him so cool? I’ve gotten one heck-of-a good friend in the process too. He’d give you the shirt off his back (as long as you liked black) if you asked him. We talk business a lot. Partly because we both love the business that we’re in, and partly because there’s just a lot to talk about. But it’s the times where Scott has me and a bunch of the guys over on a Sunday to watch the Bucs play, or 1:30am at In-N-Out Burger, or driving through the Arizona desert somewhere that we have the best time. He’s just fun to hang out with and anyone that knows him thinks the same thing.
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend everyone!
Great post Scott…eeer…I mean Matt!
I love the self interview format.
No Matt, not even this is going to allow you to wear the move tool makeup. You just have to be happy with who you are in the band. ;-)
I’m so glad you didn’t get the third strike! What would the equivalent of striking yourself out in a self interview? Anyway… just glad you were able to recover from all the self imposed harrassing.
Thanks for the insights. It’s great to see the value on family and friends show through in all you guys do.
I may not miss Scott after all. Matt did a great job.
Kudos to Brad and Matt!
Good job Matts ! Looking forward to Scott visiting us in England soon. We have tiny horses here too.
Nice one ;)
great post matt. hope to meet scott once in my life. who knows, maybe 2011, when we are in florida.
take care
ingoman
No way! I’m keeping you FAR away from him :)
Hope you’re doing well man! I still have great memories of that sunrise shoot in Dubai with you guys.
so do I. hope to post the “shot with the woman @ the beach” somewhen soon :-)
Great post Matt! Did a great job!
Matt, anyone who has been following Scott, buying his books and worshiping ( ;) ) him as long as I have knows everything in this blog……EXCEPT……who is the other co-owner?
Ken, I think that would be his wife… was mentioned by Scott in a post a while back I think around the end of December.
His wife?
Odd…I didn’t see JL’s reply until I posted mine.
Hi Matt,
I agree, Scott is everything you said. In fact, I think the culture he brings to NAPP and all of Kelby Enterprises a success. I simply mean that “Every single employee” I have met through PhotoshopWorld or one-day seminars are extremely kind while bending over backwards to please every person present. That said, all of those who work expos have the same mindset too.
Thanks for being there for all of us who want to learn,
Mike
No need to hurry back, Scott…this Matt guy is a hoot! Great job, Matt!
(j/k about not hurrying back, Scott….Matt IS a hoot, tho!)
Hey Matt,
Thanks for that. A good fun post. And I’m not even going to talk about how late I stay up!
Back to writing I go..
Sean
Matt, you hit the Kelby nail on the head in describing Scott. There are some in this world who can’t fathom that someone as successful as Scott could possibly be as kind, generous, warm and GENUINE as Scott is; but, he’s everything you’ve said and then some. He’s also one of the most principled persons I have ever had the good fortune to call a friend.
All of us could use a lot of Scott Kelby in us.
I agree!!
Hey Matt,
Well, done … cracked me up! Thanks for the insight on Scott! Sounds like a great place to work … do you need an old retired dude to push a cart around? :-) Great stuff!
Thanks again, Matt!
Dennis
What, Scott’s not a big jerk? :)
Nice job Matt. So then can we expect Scott to do a Self Q&A on Matt Kosklowski when he returns? Only seems fitting. Matt, I’m sure he’ll make you regret not taking more pot shots at him.
LOL at Scott’s big French accent !
Please make a video, I wanna hear it !
Great post Matt…..I’ve actually met all of you “Photoshop Guys” a number of times at Photoshop World and seminars and you all seem very down-to-earth. Personally, I think everyone should think like Scott, keep the people happy, they’ll stay loyal. Thanks again, Matt!
Psssst… Coke Light.
Coke Light? Yuck!
I haven’t had it, but Scott raves! C’mon!
Q: Well Rich, what did you think of today’s post?
A: For starter’s Rich, may I call you Rich? I already feel like I know you. For starter’s, Matt is much funnier than he lets on, and he clearly knows that Scott fellow pretty well.
Q: Yes, And…?
A: More than that, it was insightful, and well, kind of heart warming. It’s a good story. A story about personal growth, life, friendship, & family. I mean, who can’t get down with that?
Q: I thought I was the one asking the questions.
A: Uh, you are.
Q: I’m so confused.
A: Could be your split personality manifesting itself again. You may want to get back into therapy.
Q: Hey, don’t be giving these good folks the wrong idea.
A: Oh, I think they can judge for themselves just how strange you are from this post.
;-)
Rich
Very good Rich!
Love the interview Matt! You make me laugh…you guys are just the best! Keep up the good work! Blessings, Brad
Great job Matt!
What a great start to my blog-reading day. Thanks for the uplifting post.
Awesome post Matt! It’s always fun to get to see behind the curtain and learn more about the wizard.
1:30am at at In-N-Out Burger???!!!?? In FL???? No way! CA, AZ, or NV maybe! Oh – so now I know why PSW West is in Vegas – gotta be the closest at In-N-Out Burger to you! ;-)
Or Utah now…
Great job Matt.
You guys seem to have a really close and fun relationship.
However, you never mentioned whether he allows you to care for his prized miniature horses :)
Seriously, I met Scott at one of his seminars and had time to speak with him, he is as genuine as his comes across on this blog and on Photoshop User TV.
Great job, Matt. What a wonderful way to start off the day. Can’t wait to see Scott’s comment when he reads this ;-).
Great post, Matt!
It also seems that “Absofreakinlutely!” is becoming, or has become, one of your signature trademarks… kinda like Scott and his black logo t-shirts :).
Cheers!
DC
Great job Matt. Really makes it sound like Kelby Media Group is a great place to work. Maybe you guys should have a contest to bring someone in to the Kelby Media Group for a week to see what really goes on. I would love to spend a week (or more) following you guys around to learn from you.
Matt, that’s a prettty fun and creative post! I loved reading it.
Loved the interview, great job! I’m with you on 5 Guys to.
Me thinks Matt is looking for a raise!
This so reminds me of my boss. He can’t help but make bad jokes in meetings and he never knows when to quit working. He’s a big family guy too. And getting emails at 3:00 am from him isn’t unusual. Matt, I think we could tell each other stories that we would both relate to.
Great post Matt, I have no trouble believing all of the wonderful things you say about your boss. It all comes through in his books and actions. (real life, not photoshop actions) All that is except the black belt. The big guy just doesn’t look like an athlete. Go figure! lol
Just as I imagined…Great Blog. Thanks
Matt,
I think this post was a great idea. Thanks for doing it. Speaking of ideas… I would like to add another observation about Scott to this post.
I have never met someone who has so many ideas… and I mean ALL THE TIME! Not only does he have ideas, all of the people that work for him do, too! That translates into ever-evolving great stuff for everyone else. Take the last PSW for example… The theme and the opening video are just fantastic.
Scott not only accumulates these ideas but he makes them happen. Too many people have great ideas but never follow through… Scott follows through! That’s the big difference! He makes these things come to life. It’s just really awesome to have someone like that “driving the bus”.
Now I have to look into getting an XBox 360 thanks to a conversation with Scott in Chicago recently! Oh boy! :-)
Scott
Thanks Matt ,
I enjoyed reading this thread , you are very fortunate to have Scott as a bud and a boss.
I read his writings and I feel like he is my friend too ,he has away of expression that is very personal.Thanks for your movies and books too Matt ! I am in to your Layers book right now…for the THIRD TIME !
What about Scott ‘s guitar work ? you did not bring that up…..
Great post Matt!
Amen to 5-Guys! It shouldn’t be a hard sell him on those burgers.
Hey Brad, What’s up with Kelby Training. I haven’t been able to log on all day.
Matt, Great post!
It is always refreshing to get some behind the scenes insight about Scott or any of the faces of Photoshop User TV. I truly enjoy watching and reading everything Kelby.
If Scott is as fun, inspirational and downright genuine as everyone says, maybe he could start a rental business where we can rent him for a birthday party or have the party hosted at Kelby Media, the adult version of a party hosted by McDonalds ;-)
Well I used to think the world of Kelby but come on – In & Out Burger? It’s got to be Five Guys! As president of the horizontally-challenged photographers of America I should know. Take it from a fat guy. Five Guys makes the best fast-food hamburger (if not best hamburger period) in the world. :)
Matt, the next time you guys are in the DC area drop me a note and we will hit one of the original 5 guys.
I enjoyed reading that one!
—
DT.
Nassau, Bahamas | Miami, Florida
Hey Matt!
A most excellent job on the interview with yourself about someone else. Is it bad, you think, that I have those queries in my head all the time? Constantly.
It’s been busy since I got back from PSW in Orlando, but I wanted to say that it was cool hanging out with you (and Zack Arias) late (late) one night at the Rosen. It struck me as curious as how everyone was just chillin’ there and not very many people came over. I’ve found that you learn a lot from just hanging out and shooting the breeze with your peers, sometimes more than in a classroom… just a thought.
Thanks again!
Zac
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Thanks Zac,
Yeah, I had a good time that night too. That’s one of the cool things about Photoshop World. Sure you can get a lot of training online, but you don’t get out there and get to hang around with the people doing the same thing like we did.
We probably didn’t have more people because it was 2am wasn’t it :)
Matt K
We busted out of there around 3:15am… :O when Larry came up and threw on the emergency brake by making some really random, late morning comment…haha! I remember walking away and checking Twitter and @zarias was tweeting something about it being really late.
Also, hung out with Syl Arena, that dude is pretty crazy…
Thanks Matt
Amen Scott!
:)
– Matt K