ABOUT US

Company Profile

Dave Kaplan

Music Business Entrepreneur

Acclaimed for his work as a music manager, the head of an independent record label and for promoting ocean awareness and preservation, Dave Kaplan has managed the careers of entertainment industry legends UB40, Brian Setzer, Dave Stewart, Gary Hoey, Butthole Surfers, BulletBoys, and many more artists.

Life and career

Dave Kaplan graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Santa Barbara business school and received the elite Salutatorian award of his class of 1981. He gained status as a Certified Public Accountant in 1984. Though raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Kaplan took his first steps into the Pacific Ocean in Mission Beach, San Diego at a very early age and has since set up permanent residence in San Diego. He played in rock n’ roll bands since the age of 14 and played on the college bar circuit in Southern California.

After beginning his career as a CPA, a college friend called and asked him to join his father’s entertainment firm in Los Angeles based on Kaplan’s business training and experience, combined with his music sensibilities. Kaplan accepted and became the Vice President of the firm, which produced and sold rock and roll t-shirts and other items for entertainment icons including Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Bette Midler, and other music superstars. Then in 1985, at the age of 25, Kaplan was selected to co-manage the world renowned British reggae group, UB40. He oversaw their USSR tour (the first-ever tour of Russia by a Western band) which resulted in the documentary UB40 – CCCP by acclaimed director/photographer Anton Corbijn. When his management-business partner left to work for Arista Records, Kaplan founded Dave Kaplan Management. He managed the hard rock band BulletBoys, before moving on to manage the careers of many others including Brian Setzer, Gary Hoey, Dave Stewart, Butthole Surfers, and Stray Cats among others.

Niels Schroeter

General Manager

Niels has been with Dave Kaplan Management and Surfdog for 20 years (and has 22 years overall experience in the music business). Niels grew up in Redwood City, CA (just south of San Francisco) and was a music nut from an early age when Kiss, Rush, and Skynyrd posters covered his bedroom walls. As soon as he was old enough to drive, he was heading up to "The City" every weekend to hang out at legendary local rock clubs such as the Old Waldorf, The Stone, and Wolfgang's.

A graduate of UCLA, he got his start in the business as an A&R scout at Capitol Records prior to moving over to hardcore label, Metal Blade Records for a year-and-a-half stint. Early on, Niels realized that he wanted to be an advocate for artists as opposed to being on the other side of the table, and knew that management was the area in which he would flourish. He met Dave during DKM's search for a day-to-day manager for a Jeffrey Katzenberg Disney-backed dance/pop teen band. Even though the job interview centered more around stories about Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin (!), Niels hit it off with Dave Kaplan and was immediately hired.

Since that day in 1990, Niels has been a part of the evolution of the company as the group of entities have taken on seemingly just about every kind of gig/project/ambition imaginable in the entertainment business! Launching from the early platform of Dave Kaplan Management, other divisions Surfdog Records, Surfdog Marketing and Surfdog Music Publishing, all born out of the style and entrepreneurial approach of the management company, have provided an endless array of initiatives where Niels has and continues to apply his skills. While playing a major role in staff management and day-to-day operations, Niels also has significant responsibilities in all of the companies' business affairs and financial workings.
 

Scott Seine

In 1995, while studying broadcasting at Humboldt State University in Northern California, Scott began his career in the entertainment world as a radio deejay and promoter. As well as becoming an avid record collector, he also got into surfing during his time there. He went on to work for a CBS News affiliate as a cameraman, audio technician, and technical director. Seine then moved to San Diego to become a Director for an audio/visual production company in San Diego.

He has been with Surfdog / Dave Kaplan Management for seven years and acts as head of licensing for film/TV/advertising as well as an executive on the management team.

In addition to promoting and marketing bands for Surfdog, Seine helps manage Surfdog Entertainment, a youth lifestyle marketing and consulting company, whose clients have included Pepsi, Best Buy, Mervyns, Warner Bros Records, Intersope Records, the US Open of Surfing, Surfline, and many more. As Senior Director, he oversaw a multi-year, extremely successful grassroots campaigns for Pepsi by ushering them into the urban youth car culture movement.