It is possible to become successful no matter where you are from or how your grades perceive you? A perfect example of this situation would be Joe Heden, Evergreen Park Community High School Alumni from the Class of 1997. Raised in Evergreen Park and now living in England with his wife and son, Heden works as a road merchandise manager at Live Nation, a multi-million dollar entertainment company that hosts concerts for celebrities. 

On Wednesday, September 18, Heden had revisited EPCHS to be interviewed about his job and talk about his experiences. Currently working with the Jonas Brothers on his average shift of 15 to 18 hours a day, Heden details his success and the education he received to get his job.  

“I was a C+ guy, maybe a B-, but more of a C student…I’ve been dabbling in different avenues of the music industry…I didn’t go to college for what I’m doing. I didn’t get a master’s education degree, but I was in a bunch of programs,” Heden states. He had attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and graduated in 2001, which back then the school was perceived like a community college. Despite not having a degree for his line of work, his involvement in the programs managed to gain him connections that eventually helped earned him his successful career. 

As he works for Live Nation, his job also consists of meeting and getting to know big name celebrities.“I worked for Madonna, Coldplay, Springsteen, Drake, Maroon 5, Kiss, Britney Spears, Adam Levine.” Heden also says he’s worked with Justin Timberlake, Harry Styles, and much more. 

Heden says that in addition to meeting celebrities, his job also brings him to multiple cities and countries. Traveling often made him like a few places in particular: “I like Vancouver, Toronto…Tokyo…Sweden…Australia is nice, too.”

With a job that takes him to places all over the world along with celebrities that have a huge fan base, Heden’s career at Live Nation is far from small. Heden is a great example of the old saying “You never know what the future holds for you.”