Tobi Parks and Thomas Kutz never thought they’d be living in Iowa.

A New York City record label professional with a decade’s worth of experience? Not a chance. An archaeologist-turned-lawyer from Wisconsin? No way.

“There can’t be a music scene here,” recalled Parks, a self-described “East Coast elite” at the time.

Kutz remembered: “I had no real interest in coming to Iowa, let alone staying here for an extended period of time.”

That was until they discovered something that would change their lives forever: Between the archetypal corn fields and stretches of highway lived an artistic community worth fighting for.

So they decided to start fighting for it.

That's what makes Parks and Kutz two of the Des Moines Register's 2018 People to Watch. The duo collectively runs Station 1 Records, a Des Moines-based non-profit label that plans to help Iowa talent cultivate a sustainable career in music. Founded by Parks in 2015 with Kutz joining in 2016, the team aims to build a platform that internationally showcases and continually builds locally-grown talent.

Related Coverage:Learn more about current and previous People To Watch

Along with the label, Parks and Kutz plan to open an arts venue — “laboratory,” as they say — in the Drake neighborhood next summer, an effort they believe will continue to grow the artistic expression in Des Moines and create diverse experiences outside of downtown.

Going inside Station 1

Both Kutz and Parks walked away from lucrative, steady careers — Parks leaving her job as director of copyright for Sony and Kutz giving notice at a boutique law firm in West Des Moines — to chase the mutual passion of artist development.

It’s a decision, for Parks, that comes down to living life by a “plan A” standard. The two moved to Iowa for family and education purposes, and met through mutual connections in the community.

“If you have that plan B, even if it’s in there anywhere, you’ll live that plan B,” Parks said. “I think that people in this day and age should say ‘I wanna be a musician. I wanna focus on my art. I’m going to work hard at my art. And I'm going to make a living doing it.’ ”

Kutz, 31, a Des Moines Music Coalition volunteer and former intern, said: “It’s terrifying but it’s also amazing. “It’s a ‘choose your own adventure.’ I wake up in the morning and I’m 100 percent in control of what my particular path is for the day.”

So ... what exactly is a non-profit record label? It offers artists the marketing, publicity and financial backing most seek from a label, without being tied down to the big-money expectations that come with for-profit endeavors.

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Yet to operate at a profit, Station 1 revenue from album sales, shows and merchandise is invested back into the artists, Parks said. During this developmental phase for the label, Parks and Kutz freelance industry jobs and teach music industry courses at Drake University; Parks additionally is studying law at Drake.

“Any (money) that’s made goes right back into making records,” Parks said. “There’s no payout for stockholders or corporate parents.”

"We are just taking the leap 100 percent right now."

Station 1 works on artist-friendly contract models. In a typical major label deal, artists earn 10 to 12 percent of royalties after production costs are recouped by the label. Additionally, the label takes ownership of all master recordings by the artist.

In a Station 1 contract, artists are typically paid 50 percent of royalties after recouping production costs and own the master recordings — with Station 1 holding exclusive distribution rights for five years.

“(We want to) make them viable artists in the sense they can make a living out of their art, make a career out of their art,” Parks said.

Still, fundraising is “absolutely” the biggest challenge facing the organization, Parks said. Except for a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines and $5,000 from Bravo Greater Des Moines, the project’s been primarily self-funded from Parks with occasional help from private donors.

Putting the proper resources — such as studio time, marketing and distribution — behind releasing a record could cost up to $25,000 per artist. The label’s latest release, a four-song EP from Des Moines-based Lily DeTaeye, cost roughly $10,000.

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Investing in individual artists, said Brandon Clark, chair of the copyright entertainment and media law practice group at Des Moines-based McKee, Voorhees, and Sease, is a financial long game. There’s a communal gain, though, in exposing artists to the behind-the-scenes work in the record industry, he added.

“(They) really want to see the industry and everybody here grow. It may not show up this month or next month but, over time, being exposed to those opportunities and people and experiences, Clark said, “that provides incredible value to Des Moines.”

Or, in the words of DeTaeye, it's "humbling" to have a team of professionals invest so deeply into her career.

"They help me a lot with putting a value on my art," Detaeye said.

'This place is just as cool'

The team's ambition only begins with releasing records. During her major label years in New York City and long before, Parks dreamed of opening a space catering to artistic collectives, where a community experiences art in an intimate setting.

And, in 2018, she plans to make the dream a reality.

Enter xBK, a roughly 200-person capacity arts and music venue Parks, Kutz and Parks' wife Janée Harvey plan to open in summer 2018.

The venue, at 1159 24th St. in the Drake neighborhood, is envisioned as a laboratory, Parks explained, for local and regional artists to experiment with acts of comedy, theater, film and music.

The name comes as a subtle dig at Parks’ former stomping grounds. Parks and Harvey purchased the $335,000 building with money from the Brooklyn home they sold earlier this year.

“Part of it is saying, ‘you know what? Brooklyn is hip and cool (but) it’s not as cool and awesome as what people believe it to be.’ This place is just as cool, just as awesome, and has just as much creative energy and talent,” Parks said.

The intimacy of the room is intentional. Parks and Kutz want to create an environment that channels the ethos of do-it-yourself art collectives in cities across the world; a space that’s small enough and with such little financial overhead that they don’t lose money on a night that sees 20 people through the door.

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In designing the space, they want to ensure show-goers embrace the artistic experience. They’ve gone as far as to discuss eliminating bar stools to guarantee each patron’s energy is focused on the stage.

The team partnered with Invision Architecture for the 2,848-square-foot project.

“It’s very much a room built around the idea of making a good listening experience while being very intimate at the same time,” Kutz said.

The plan for the venue comes backed by Drake University president Marty Martin, who said in a statement to the Register he believes the addition will continue to make the neighborhood “vibrant and inclusive.” The university partners with Station 1 on internship opportunities for students.

“Together they advance the role that arts and culture play in enhancing our quality of life and driving economic development,” Martin said.

Still, with months planning ahead, these ambitious arts enthusiasts know the battle to make both projects a staple in central Iowa is only beginning.

“I’m scared,” Parks said. “But I let fear guide me to plan B for forever. And I’m not doin’ it this time.”

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Tobi Parks

Age: 41

Lives: Des Moines; from St. Louis, Missouri; most of adult life in Brooklyn.

Education: Bachelor's of Arts in Mass Communications from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, 1998; Master of Arts in Media Literacy, Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, 2002; Juris Doctor candidate, Drake University Law School, Des Moines, 2019.

Career: Executive Director, Station 1 Records (May 2016-present); Director, Business and Legal Affairs — Copyright Administration, Sony Music Entertainment (May 2006-Aug. 2017); Marketing consultant — Music with a Twist/Columbia Records (Sept. 2006-May 2008); Director of community relations and marketing — In The Life Media (June 2004-Jan. 2006); Adjunct faculty — Webster University (2000-2004); Independent marketing consultant (1998-2004); On-air talent and promotions and programming coordinator — Clear Channel Communications (1998-2000).

Family: Wife: Janee Harvey, 40; Sons, Amari11, and Travis, 8.

Thomas Kutz

Age: 31

Lives: Des Moines; originally from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Archaeological Studies, University of Wisconsin- LaCrosse, 2009; Master of the Arts in Archaeology, University College London, 2010; Juris Doctorate (Law Degree), Drake University, 2015

Career: Independent field archaeologist and lab technician 2007-2012; tax, estate, and transactional business law clerk 2013-2014; attorney 2015-2016; Director of operations and general Counsel for Station 1, 2016-present.

Family: Paris Knox, partner.

Meet the Station 1 Records artists

Act name: Andre Davis

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri; a Drake University graduate.

Latest release: Station 1 debut to come in 2018.

Favorite record of 2017: "XXX" - Kendrick Lamar ft. U2.

If you could gig with any act, who would it be? Nas.

Act name:SIRES

Hometown: Waterloo.

Latest release: Full-length album "Soul For Sale."

Favorite record of 2017: Har-di-Har — “we will will you."

Favorite non-musical thing to do in Iowa? Make films.

Act name: MAIDS

Hometown: Des Moines and St. Louis.

Latest release: These Days EP.

Favorite records of 2017: “Aromanticism” by Moses Sumney and “Half-Life” by Rostam.

Favorite non-musical thing to do in Iowa? Getting outside; finding a bike trail and then a patio.

Act Name:Lily Detaeye

Hometown: Clive

Latest release: "The EP:

Favorite record of 2017: St. Vincent — "Masseduction"

If you could gig with any act, who would it be? Honestly, playing a show with the Maytags would be a dream come true. You watch them perform and you know they love what they do. They have so much fun. I want to play a show with people as passionate about music as they are.

Act name: Motide

Hometown: Des Moines and Sioux City.

Latest release: Station 1 debut coming in 2018.

Favorite records of 2017: CloZee — "Harmony," Bonobo — "Migration" or Lusine — "Sensorimotor."

Favorite non-musical thing to do in Iowa? Corn mazes and making homemade foodstuffs.

15 People to Watch in 2018: About the Series

These are central Iowans in business, arts, nonprofits, civic activism and unelected government positions who are expected to make a difference in their fields of endeavor in 2018. Readers were invited to submit nominations. Selections were made by Des Moines Register editors and reporters. Look for profiles through early January.