Throughout time, there have always been a select group of people who possess the unique ability to foresee the trends of the future. Webster's Dictionary defines such people as visionaries and the rock and roll industry defines one such man as William Aucoin.
What most distinguishes Aucoin's career from his musical predecessors and counterparts is his rare ability to harbor, develop and recreate success with new talent he pioneers. He was the first to realize the marketability of cross-collateralizing the record industry with other entertainment oriented venue to create multi-million dollar potential.
Never having been confined by the limitations of practicality and more so guided by his intuitive sense of anticipating successful ideas, Mr. Aucoin single-handedly created and managed not one but three of the most internationally renowned rock acts in the annals of the entertainment business: KISS, Billy Idol and Billy Squier.
As a Northeastern University graduate, Aucoin began his entertainment career as a television cinematographer. While attending college he cultivated and honed both his skill as a cameraman and developed interest in directing. Amid these years he apprenticed at WGBH television in Boston, Massachusetts where he continued to work until graduation. There, he was an integral component of the production team who conceptualized the show entitled "Julia Childs' French Chef" as well as "Folk Music USA".
Upon graduation, Aucoin immediately began full-time employment in New York City with Teletape Productions. There he was hired to direct television commercials for major New York advertising agencies which garnered Aucoin several CLIO Awards and an Art Director's Award. Various other credits include a network special for Barbara Streisand, documentary footage on President John F. Kennedy and commercials in conjunction with the presidential campaign for Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
During the time it became evident that within Aucoin's innovative directing approach lay an infinite reservoir of new fledged ideas and he began developing television pilots. "Saturday Night at the Movement", a pop culture oriented program whose subject matter enveloped the changing attitudes of the country was one such idea. Unfortunately, its program concept had been created for late night programming, an idea of television viewership considered too volatile for the market and it was declined by the networks. Ironically, years later, using Aucoin's basic format from "Movement", a new hit show debuted on NBC entitled "Saturday Night Live".
Another "first" accredited to Aucoin occurred during the filming of his television show "Flipside". This show was bought by NBC owned and operated affiliates as well as syndicated to another 114 stations. A musically oriented program, it was the first series whose audio was aired throughout the NBC Monitor Radio Network. It was at this point in his career that William Aucoin's interest switched from the television industry to the music business.
Having gained insight to the music business from his television series, it only seemed a natural progression of events that Aucoin found himself directing musical talent. Combining his directorial background, music sagacity and his shrewd marketing ability, William "Bill" Aucoin discovered, developed and propelled a New York band named KISS, into internationally recognized superstars that generated commercial revenues of $119,000,000 during the 1978 fiscal year alone.
Bill Aucoin, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Joyce, Neil Bogart
The most interesting and little known fact behind this extraordinary feat, is that there was little or no money available to promote KISS' first tour. But because he so strongly believed in the strength of his vision, Aucoin used his personal American Express card to fund their tour, secure in the belief that he would be reimbursed by their success. Having become well compensated for his efforts, he then formed "Aucoin Management Inc.", where he again used his visionary abilities to transform the talents of Billy Idol and Billy Squier into multi-million dollar careers and internationally known superstars.
Having innumerable requests for his advice involving the development of new artists, in addition to being consulted on the career paths of established talent, William M. Aucoin's intentions are to once again revitalize an industry that has become mundane and formula. He is currently developing and managing two acts that hail from Florida, but are clearly worlds apart: one, an Electronic-Metal outfit with a postapocalyptic, cyborgenic onstage persona known as Crossbreed; the other a Miami based foursome who could just as easily have been exports from the fashionable London Brit-Rock scene otherwise known as Nothing Rhymes With Orange.
Additionally, Mr. Aucoin is co-producer of "Quad", a full-theatrical production of The Who's classic rock opera "Quadrophenia" about a young man coming of age amongst the riots spurred between the mods and rockers in early 70's England.
In an ironic twist, fate has once again reunited William Aucoin and his first supergroup, KISS. They will jointly release a DVD of KISS live footage from Mr. Aucoin's personal archive that takes a peek into the group's early club days as well as never heard studio tracks and behind the scenes banter and photos.
If asked his secret to success, Aucoin is modest claiming he just follows his instincts. If anyone else needs to ask the secret to success in the entertainment industry, the answer is simple — they should follow William Aucoin.