Scott Watson is an arts and communications professional with over thirty years’ experience producing and advancing public appreciation of cultural events, having worked in close coordination with artists and arts organizations across a range of disciplines and scale.
As Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Charleston, Scott leads a team of nine full‐time employees charged with producing large‐scale events (Piccolo Spoleto, MOJA Arts Festival), facilitating citywide public celebrations (Holiday Magic in Historic Charleston), and managing ongoing initiatives that enrich the community’s quality of life (Charleston Farmers Market, City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Cannon Street Arts Center). The Office of Cultural Affairs additionally serves as an advocate and resource for regional arts constituents, and publishes a comprehensive online and print calendar to cultural attractions in Charleston. A member of the City’s senior staff, Scott is responsible for guiding policy and advising the executive office on issues impacting the creative sector and local artists.
Before moving to Charleston in January 2013, Scott was Marketing Director of Gluckman Mayner Architects, a New York City‐based architectural practice specializing in spaces for the creation and exhibition of art. Scott has previously worked for the Brooklyn Academy of Music and New York Theatre Workshop, and from 2001 to 2003, he was based in Ireland as Executive Producer of the Dublin Fringe Festival.
In the late 1990s, Scott worked with a varied roster of cultural and not‐for‐profit clients while an Account Executive at a boutique public relations firm, The Kreisberg Group, where his projects included national media campaigns for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The New 42nd Street/New Victory Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, Aaron Davis Hall/Harlem Stage, and the renovation of Grand Central Terminal.
As a consultant and freelance publicist, Scott has worked on the planning and communications management of public events for The New York Times (Arts & Leisure Weekend, TimesTalks, Great Read in the Park) and for American tours by international performing arts ensembles and companies including the Bolshoi Ballet (Moscow), Gate Theatre (Dublin), Druid (Galway), and Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), with productions visiting venues and festivals including Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and The Kennedy Center.
In addition to his Bachelors of Arts degree from Wesleyan University, Scott holds a Masters of Arts in Eastern Classics from St. Johns College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a 2024 Fellow of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland and has served since 2015 as an Adjunct Professor for the Arts Management program at the College of Charleston.
