18 | FORTY UNDER 40 2016 PUBLISHED BY BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER
AGE
39
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SCOTT EMSLIE
or an extended moment, Scott Emslie had a professional career in volleyball. After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta, where he became one of just a handful of people to be named both an Athletic All-Canadian and an Academic All-Canadian, the founder of Wet Ape Productions headed overseas to play his sport in Europe “I was travelling around, basically chasing summer, playing on these different beach circuits. That was the start of this transition into starting to produce my own events,” Emslie said. His first foray into event production was Volleyfest, which was Emslie’s response to the lack of beach volleyball festivals being hosted in Canada at the time. After pulling off the inaugural event in 2007 with some DJs and some sponsors, Emslie wanted to do more. “I wanted to have this multi-sport festival. That was the birth of Center of Gravity.” Nine years running, Kelowna’s Center of Gravity now attracts sponsors like Monster Energy (Nasdaq:MNST) and has hosted some of the biggest DJs and artists in the world, including Calvin Harris, Skrillex and Ice Cube. The festival has grown organically to welcome crowds of over 24,000 annually, Emslie said. Beyond Center of Gravity, Emslie’s company has several other events under the Wet Ape portfolio. Ape, he said, stands for athletes, productions and events, while the “wet” part was meant to make it more fun and creative. “It was a passion project originally; I wasn’t really expecting it to become a career.” Among his other events are Harvest Haus, a Vancouver ode to Oktoberfest
Birthplace: Calgary Where you live now: Vancouver Highest level of education: Bachelor of science, mechanical engineering Currently reading: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
40 Under Forty 2016_60 pages_11.07_132.indd 18
Founder and president, Wet Ape Productions
RICHARD LAM
that draws around 10,000 people per year, and Unbuckled, an experiential country event in Stanley Park that debuted last year and returned in September. “It’s really powerful when everybody’s on the same page and everybody’s completely united and you feel like you’re part of a moment,” Emslie said. “That was for me the driving force behind continuing with event management and building these festivals:. these moments that we were creating at these events.”
Currently listening to: Scared, The Tragically Hip When you were a kid, what you wanted to be when you grew up: Professional athlete Profession you would most like to try: Property development Toughest business or professional decision: Having to discontinue the Keloha Music & Arts Festival because it wasn’t
It was a passion project originally; I wasn’t really expecting it to become a career
financially sustainable. It was a festival my staff and I were very passionate about and it was a great experience for all the artists and fans who attended Advice you would give the younger you: Focus on your strengths and what you enjoy doing and then hire or outsource for the rest. Your potential is much
greater when your attention is focused on the right things What’s left to do: Professionally I hope to start and/or build two or three successful companies over the next 20 years. I don’t know what industries the businesses will be in, but I do look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead
2016-11-23 1:12 PM