Kevin Kazlauskas
What do an Eagle Scout, nanny, filmmaker, and a raving Phish fan have in common? Nothing. Unless you're Kevin Kazlauskas, our East Nasty of the Week. Born on D-Day (ahem:that's June 6th.seriously who was your history teacher?), this 33-year old entrepreneur grew up in a Mormon family in Rhode Island--his father was and still is a Bishop at the church where his mother teaches. Second of four boys, Kevin became an Eagle Scout after collecting over two tons of clothing for the needy. As an adult, Kevin was even the Boy Scout leader for a troop of 2nd generation Dominican boys, and made a hobby out of filming and editing the troop's adventures. Not so shabby.
In 2009, Kevin moved to Nashville and became an equity partner in the electric scooter manufacturer, eGO Vehicles: a company that promptly tanked later that year. Don't feel bad for him; I'm not done telling this story yet. Just wait. It gets good.
Kevin with EGO
Meanwhile, Kevin got an offer to come check out East Nasty in 2009, from a former ENOW, Graham Stoner. While running with East Nasty, Kevin was introduced to Jeff and Melissa Snyder-- who promptly invited Kevin to live with them, help with their one-year old son, Jack, so he could pursue his dream and start his own film making business. I imagine that conversation happened after a particularly long run, or a particularly long night at 3 Crow: either way, Kevin said yes, and moved in.
During the day, Kevin would care for Jack, and at night, he'd film bands at random, and then turn around and sell them the quality footage (is that not brilliant?). As his business began to grow, Kevin realized that his clients were all stemming from one remarkable pool of fit, intelligent, community-focused runners. East Nasties.
"East Nasty has been integral in growing my business," Kevin says, pointing to the fact that he's filmed for a number of East nasty weddings: the Millers, Puncochars, and Harris' to name a few. He's created video for I Run for the Party and KIPP Academy, too: all connections he made through running on Wednesday nights. "This is a dynamic body of people," he says, explaining that every week, there is an enormous amount of business that is created just through running. "It's because people care. They care about each other, the community, and the quality of what people are doing."
Kevin does't limit his running to East Nasty, though. He ran his first Country Music marathon in 2009, followed by the Disney Marathon in 2010 and 2011. You'll be glad to know that Kevin is no longer a part-time nanny--he moved out of the Snyder's house about a year ago. But he is a full time Phish fan, and enjoyed every minute of their set at Bonnaroo.
Oh yeah. I couldn't fit this factoid in, but it's worth mentioning. Though Kevin makes a living with film, he has never paid a cable bill in his life, because he doesn't watch T.V.
Check out this video Kevin made for I Run for the Party, the company he now shares an office space with. Starring: little man Jack, Jeff Snyder, and Kevin Kazlauskas.
ps. Make sure to congratulate Kevin on his induction to the ENOW hall of fame!
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