Lou began his career in entertainment managing bands and promoting shows in High School. Lou DJ’d at local clubs including the early days of Playskool. He found his way to college radio while attending school in New York where he also continued to DJ in local area clubs.
Upon returning to California Lou wound up working on several specialty shows for the ground breaking 91X FM in the late 80’s. By 1990 Lou was producing and programming various specialty shows on 91X and turning on L.A. A&R to the best in new music out of San Diego. The 91x Loudspeaker show, the longest running local music show, helped give San Diego the buzz as “The Next Seattle” nationally within the music industry.
Over the next 6 years Lou’s show was a platform for a wave of bands to get signed. Lou was the very first to play Artist’s like Lucy’s Fur Coat, aMiniature, rust, Blink-182, P.O.D., Rocket from the Crypt, Three Mile Pilot, aMiniature, No Knife, Steve Poltz/The Rugburns and many others as well as Jewel who’s first demo tape was her live performances on his show.
Lou spent time coordinating, marketing and managing over 40 U.S. tours and landed in Los Angeles in the late 90’s doing A&R and publishing for a UK and Japan based company.
Lou then moved to an indie label started by the William Morris Agency where he quickly rose from A&R to Vice President. Lou oversaw development, production, budgeting, touring, distribution and various marketing phases for annual budgets of several million dollars. He coordinated and managed productions in Sweden, North Carolina, Chicago and Los Angeles. He also oversaw and budgeted over 40 U.S. tours including artists’ tours with The Black Crowes, Goo Goo Dolls, Tonic and Japan dates with Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar.
Lou continued his work promoting bands and building their exposure with his own company North Bound River A&E. He elevated the careers of Rochelle Rochelle, The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Tom Freund, to name a few, by securing strategic radio play and utilizing Marketing, PR, Showcases, Tours and Festival Shows.
After having a miracle child, Lou and his wife Carly dropped their careers in Los Angeles and moved to Oceanside, CA to raise their son and be closer to family. In 2005 Lou and Carly started Love Machine Films to build a company that would use their talents to create projects each year that make a difference in the world. Today the Award Winning Love Machine Films has produced over 150 films and partnered to raise many millions of dollars for causes and non-profits. LMF has an award winning feature documentary and two other feature docs going to festivals.
Lou is currently Executive Producer at Love Machine Films, promotes music and cause related events with Machina De Amor and is a Co-Host and Segment producer on 91X Loudspeaker.
Lou is also producing webisodes about local music; “91 Seconds with Lou Niles” and “In Your Neighborhood with Lou Niles”. Lou can be seen interviewed in the new hit documentary “It’s Gonna Blow!!!: The San Diego Music Underground 1986-1996”.
Love Machine Films is an independent film company based in Oceanside, CA, founded on the ethos that Love Can Conquer All. Love Machine was built on the mission to create films that tell important stories about causes, with a purpose to make a difference in the world.