Workforce Wednesday: Brent Williamson, Alamo Drafthouse
Brian Tinsman
Digital Properties Manager
Meet Brent Williamson, bartender at Alamo Drafthouse in One Loudoun since September. Like many people who live, work, play and learn in Loudoun County, there is more to Brent than meets the eye.
“I’m probably the only bartender in One Loudoun with a master’s degree in philosophy,” he said. “I got bachelor’s degrees in history and philosophy and I knew I was going to graduate school in something. I got accepted into a really good program. Miami was top-20 in the country in philosophy at the time, and I anticipated I would teach at the university level at the time. It’s what you do.”
But it didn’t end up being the right fit for Brent. Feeling a bit disenchanted and burnt out, he found a way to combine his background in philosophy and love for beer.
“[I use it] every day—it’s the best education I could imagine having,” he said. “Just having a really good understanding of logic helps in everything you do and every conversation you have. You pick out arguments, you figure things out a little bit quicker.”
As for the bar—that’s the best part.
“Bartending in this bar is super fun. We serve mostly beer here. I love beer. I love to talk about beer,” he said. “So what drew me in is that this is the best beer board in Northern Virginia. This was my favorite bar before I worked here.”