CSUF alum John Pantle’s career in entertainment is all about relationships, and the one he’s had with his alma mater has been long and fruitful.
Pantle ’94, ’21 (B.A. communications-radio/TV/film, M.A. communication-tourism and entertainment) is a talent manager with more than 30 years of industry experience.
A singer and trombone player, Pantle grew up in Anaheim hanging out with members of Sublime and No Doubt. He also served as a manager for ska punk band Reel Big Fish.
When he attended Cal State Fullerton as an undergrad, there were few clubs or venues for the shows he and his friends wanted to go to and put on with their bands. So Pantle used connections in the hotel business, where he worked as a bellman, to book ballrooms for concerts.
“I just got good at it, partly with trial and error, and partly because it was something I knew how to do that nobody else was doing,” he said.
Throughout his career, Pantle has worked both independently and for large companies such as Live Nation. In his current role with London-based firm One Fiinix Live, he manages and arranges tours for such talent as Japanese singer Ado, video game Stardew Valley, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas and Los Angeles-based band La Santa Cecilia.
While he had a natural affinity for the music business, Pantle said CSUF gave him more tools to excel in his work. Studying communications at CSUF taught Pantle how to create an elevator pitch, persuade artists to work with him, conduct research and apply his knowledge to support clients.
When he was earning his master’s degree, Pantle took a class with CSUF Professor of Communications Henry Puente, who said the talent manager has an “unquenchable thirst for knowledge.”
Pantle has served as a client and mentor for students in the capstone entertainment and tourism class, and Puente asked Pantle to write the live events chapter of a textbook he’s updating.
“He’s highly energetic, very knowledgeable in his area and has lots of passion for the artists he represents,” Puente said.
Pantle’s career was well established when he returned to CSUF for a master’s degree, but he tries to stay humble and wants to always be learning.
He likens his job to being an air traffic controller: keeping up with the news, problem-solving, taking calls with clients and talent managers, checking in with his team, and scouting and developing new talent.
He said the key to his success is building and maintaining relationships with a wide array of people and knowing how to speak their language, whether it’s English, Spanish or Japanese; restaurants, architecture or football.
Pantle’s work is rewarding because people crave experiences that unite them, like seeing their favorite artist perform, and he makes those experiences happen.
“I feel tremendously happy that I can help create something that allows people to get together and be in the moment.”