Wed - April 18, 2007

In your shoes: Matt Bronleewe, Songwriter, Producer, Author





I recently got to shoot Matt Bronleewe's author photos. Matt's first book; Illuminated is part one of a three part series and will be in stores soon. I'm very proud of Matt for finishing his first book, it's about time he broke out of that day job. Matt's day job includes writing with and producing for Natalie Imbruglia, Jars of Clay, Plumb, Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St. James, Steven Curtis Chapman and for all you Heroes fans, Hayden Panettiere among others. I don't know when he has time to write books. He proves my theory that creativity stretches across disciplines and I knew he'd have great things to say. Here's the interview:

1. how did you get to where you are now? Was it an intentional process or did you fall into it?

I have intentionally been passionate about the creative life, and intentionally not taken for granted the opportunities that have come along the way, but that's where my intentions stop. Any door I've tried to pry open has sealed even more shut. The blessings have come when other people have gone out of their way to help me. I hope to do the same for others in return as the journey continues!

2. What inspires you to create?

It sounds backwards, but the very act of creation is what inspires me. I think it's a trait passed down from the Great Creator, the Great Author who stirs my soul to follow in his expansive footsteps, to try in my own way to make something new and unique and beautiful and lasting, though much of the time it is none of those things at all. Which is exactly why I try again and again and again, never quite achieving the perfection I know lies just beyond my reach.

3. What inspired you to write a book?

Good books and bad books. Good books inspired me to try and do the same, to touch the unimaginable, to allow people a tiny reprieve from the chaos of life. Bad books inspired as well...I just kept thinking, "surely I can do better than THAT!" It's a foolhardy reason - writing any novel, even a bad one, is an incredibly difficult task. But maybe my novel will inspire others as well, people who will read my book and say "surely I can do better than MATT!"

4. What are the obstacles to your creativity?

Time. There is no greater obstacle. Having enough hours in each day to get everything accomplished. I'm looking into adding an 8th day to the week, as well as a few extra hours. And cloning seems like a good option too, though I fear the "cloned Matt" may break away and become a fierce competitor. So, to sum up, the obstacles are: TIME and CLONES.

5. If you were teaching a class on the Matt Bronleewe guide to life, what would the first lesson be?

Find another class. My life has been a series of failures and blessings, all of which have been incredibly rewarding, and none of which could be duplicated.


You can get more from Matt's head over at infuzemag.com where he has a blog. Co-incidentally, I'll be joining him there and this blog will start appearing over there too, so we'll be saying hi to a whole new crew. See ya over there soon.

Posted at 02:17 AM    

Wed - May 3, 2006

In your shoes: Nick Ferrara: Music Attorney




I've recently had the privilege of working with attorney Nick Ferrara. Nick came highly recommended by Sam Loeffler of Chevelle and while he's a crack negotiator, he's also completely approachable and very down to earth. Nick has worked with a lot of great acts including: The Corrs, Creed, Pantera/Damageplan, Savage Garden, Collective Soul, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, Gavin DeGraw and Saliva. His firm Serling, Rooks & Ferrara LLP also represent Maroon 5, Moby, Fallout Boy and John Meyer. Nick handled our deal with Columbia and needless to say, if I am ever in a white bronco being chased by police down the highway, the person I will be calling will be Nick Ferrara.

Nick graciously consented to be interviewed:

Tell us what it is you do, so all of us non music attorney types can understand.
There are essentially two roles that I play.  In one role, I am very proactively involved in procuring deals for my clients.  These deals may, depending upon the respective client’s needs, include Recording Agreements, Publishing Agreements, etc.  In the other role, I advise and guide my clients with respect to all of their contractual endeavors in the industry.  For example, if the client is a recording artist, I will, in conjunction with the artist’s manager, negotiate the aforementioned agreements, Producer Agreements and various other agreements.  Frequently, I will also represent the artist with respect to the negotiation of such artist’s agreement with the artist’s manager.  In all instances, I will seek to obtain the most favorable terms (with an eye on both the short and long range) for my client.    
 
Tell me about an average day (if there is such a thing) you get up in the morning, you come to work and....
 Fortunately (and occasionally unfortunately), in my opinion, there really is no such thing as an “average” day.  In this fast-paced industry, fortunes (and careers) change very rapidly as the tastes of the general public shift.  Any given day can present any number of challenges, foreseen and unanticipated.
 
A typical day will consist of numerous e-mails to send or respond to, phone calls to make or take, meetings to attend.  And, of course, the meat and potatoes of the job: negotiations.   
 
What do you love about your job?
 Assisting a talented artist in achieving the fullest of their potential.  The music industry, at its finest, offers the rare opportunity for all involved in an artist’s career to enjoy the benefits of success.  In an ideal scenario, the artist, the label, the manager and the publisher, all can happily reap the benefits.  Of course, unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out so smoothly.   
 
What do you hate about it?
 Dealing with individuals who insist on making the ultimate objective (success for all concerned) unnecessarily difficult to achieve.  Negotiations do not need to be a “zero-sum” game, where one party only wins at another party’s expense.  Individuals who live by that standard might be better suited to a career in litigation.
 
Advice for anyone looking to do what you do?
While the job can be quite fulfilling, like any job, it’s not for everyone.  I suggest that an individual who is contemplating a career as an entertainment attorney obtain as much experience in the field as possible via internships, etc. while they are in law school, or preferably beforehand.  One should make sure that this is the path they truly want to take.  While law school teaches an individual to “think like a lawyer,” it does not teach one to practice Entertainment Law.  They only real way to get a feel for what the practice entails is to be a part of it to the greatest extent possible.
 
Advice for a new band?
 These days, with competition being fierce, labels are demanding the whole package before committing to an unknown artist.  For better or for worse, image is crucial, so too are having a polished demo and performing excellent live shows.  Being aligned with established, respected professionals (management, attorney) is also often a key factor.  Anything in addition that distinguishes you from the pack is also helpful; radio play, independent record sales, great popularity on Myspace.com, etc.  An interesting story/background never hurts either.     
 
Any good stories you'd like to share?
 Due to confidentiality guidelines and discretion, unfortunately, I’ll have to remain silent on this question.

Posted at 11:54 AM    

Mon - March 20, 2006

In your shoes: Painting




Jody is a wonderful illustrator and a talented painter, which is getting tougher to find in these days. Based out of Chicago, she did some time at Big Idea before going freelance. You can find some samples of her commercial work here: http://www.jodynilsen.com or here: http://www.creativehotlist.com/portfolios/12444/portfolio.html.

Now, onto the interview.

What inspires you to create?
There are several ways. Sometimes by seeing other people’s work. Most of the time, I get an idea that I want to do and I look for some reference to push it along. Sometimes I'll go to the museum till I'm inspired to run home and create something. (Editor's note, it's important to feed your creative process)

How do you beat creative block?
good question, if you find out, let me know!
Actually, forcing yourself through a deadline will sometimes override the block because you know if you don't get done, your creative director will yell at you, which you don't want, and then you will be blacklisted. Not good.

Talk about your creative process.
Well, If I don’t shoot my own reference, (picture to paint from) it all depends on finding the right reference to go by. I usually have an idea in my head so sometimes, I don’t need to sketch out the idea to too much of a degree. I use illustration board and I try not to mar the board to too much. Once I start an illustration, it’s important for me not to really mess it up so if I DO need to erase something, I either do that in Photoshop or I use a really cool battery powered eraser to get rid of the offending mark. It important, also, that no one is looking over my shoulder until I’ve “solved” all the problems. I’m like that in paintings. I don’t really need people’s opinions until it’s done. Once I get started, time flies and I forget to eat. I just want to finish it but not over do it. There’s nothing worse to me than an overworked illustration. At that point, I don’t even want to see it anymore.  I do what I can to get something done as nicely as possible. I try to keep things as clean as possible.

Deadlines? Hate them or need them?
Absolutely need them. If I don't set some deadline for myself, nothing I want to do will ever get done. I have proof; paintings without deadlines lying around the apartment. If I try to get back into them, it’s almost like I’m repeating the past. I see them complete in my mind and if I don’t hold to that, going back into them is almost depressing. Of course, it’s great to finish something. You feel better once it’s done like there’s some mental checklist you have and if it’s not done, you don’t have that much pressure.

If a deadline is too short and you don’t have time to work on it, that will mean the work will be substandard to what you are capable of so, sometimes they are bad.

Any advice for newcomers?
Don't let anyone ever talk you into doing a job for free "for your portfolio". That is horse manure and they know it. Basically, if someone wants work from you, they should be paying for  your time. It important to have that settled before any work is done. You could invest a lot of time on something tailored to what they want and you may not be able to use it ever again. When I was a lot younger and more naïve than I am now, some NYC art directors talked me into doing illustrations for “their portfolio” Not only was I not pad for my time, I ended up seeing my artwork used in ads and on a commercial. I was not as thrilled as you might think. I had plenty of people peeping in my  ear about the amount of money one can make. It means a lot more when you’re struggling on your own not to be taken advantage of. Nothing is harder to get rid of than regret of being taken advantage of. I do have a lot of people that didn’t return the originals and it’s frustrating. Someday, I’ll be able to get them back.

Unless you’re a photographer, it’s really important to hang on to the originals so you CAN resell the rights. I’ve gotten paid for the rights on a few published illustrations! It’s not that much but it’s certainly a lot better than nothing.

Also, read the Ethics and Standard Guidelines from the Graphic Artist Guild and know what is going on. If nothing makes any sense, call me and I'll talk you through it. Of course, this is if you are serious about coming in to this business. This is the bible for what to expect from a client and what you should be doing. There are contracts that they provide that you need to know. Please stick to it and you’ll not be sorry.

Ed note: I have to chime in here, what Jody's saying is true, you should be wary of people who take advantage of you, however, at the beginning it can be really tough to get work, especially tear sheets for your book and all, so I personally volunteered to do stuff until I had enough of a rep to get paid.

Posted at 11:29 AM    

Thu - March 2, 2006

In your shoes: Writing




As promised, here's the Robin Parrish interview. Robin heads up infuze magazine, (www.infuzemag.com ) and has a book coming out for release in July called: Relentless. Last year, Robin asked me some of the best questions a journalist has ever asked, so I thought I'd turn the tables on him. Here we go:

What inspires you to create?
I'm not sure I can put it into words. I just have an innate need to make things. There's nothing in this world that gives me more fulfillment than when I have created something out of nothing -- whether it's a story or a website or whatever.
 
But storytelling is my first love. And when I'm creating, I feel closer to God than at any other time, because it's like I get the tiniest little taste of what it felt like for him to create us. So I guess that's my answer: I create because I was created to.
 
How do you beat creative block?
I use every trick in the book... Look at the problem in reverse. Think of it as an equation and figure out what's missing to get to the right sum. Walk away, take a break, get your mind off of it for a few minutes and then come back. Music is a big help in setting a mood conducive to writing.

Talk about your creative process in as much detail as you'd like.
For Relentless, my first novel, I took a piece of every creative influence I could think of. I describe it as a new myth, in the tradition of Tolkien and Lewis, masquerading as a suspense/thriller. A little bit of everything I like in storytelling is in this book.
 
As for the process itself... I start with brainstorming, getting ideas, "ooh, this would be cool if that character did this" or "that's a great line, I've got to find someplace to use it. " The ending is all-important. I never start a story unless I know exactly how it's going to end. It's like the destination on a road map -- how do you know what route to take unless you know where you want to end up? And I love to start on a great hook. Relentless' hook appears in the very first sentence. (I can't stand it when a story takes 10 chapters to actually start.) But the ending is the most important thing of all. I despise stories with endings that fizzle out. The ending is your crescendo, it's what everything else has been building to! If it's not worth getting to, then why tell the story to begin with?
 
From there, I start compiling the ideas and "connecting the dots." From there, I get a general map of where the story is going, and then I create a more detailed outline of what has to happen where, in order for the story to unfold appropriately. After I'm confident with the outline, I add characterization beats and arcs (how they change as the story progresses). Then I sit down and begin writing it. It's almost like putting a puzzle together for me, but I have to make up the pieces as I go along. It's a very analytical process, but I enjoy it a lot.
 
My process at Infuze Magazine is quite similar, but much more diverse, because of the nature of Infuze and all that we cover.
 
What's your average work day like?
I get up, answer some email over breakfast, have a short workout, shower, and then get seriously busy. No two days are alike; I have to deal with "putting out fires" a lot more than I'd like, because it can really consume your time. Tuesday is "transcription day" -- the day I transcribe interviews for publication on Wednesday (easily my least favorite task) -- so it's my busiest day. Thursday is "newsletter day." Like I said, it's different every day.
 
Squeezing in time to work on my novel writing is usually quite a challenge, and I often end up doing it by putting other equally important work off or by staying up late at night to write.
 
Deadlines?  Hate them or need them?  Explain.
Absolutely require them. Working at home, it's way too easy to find other things to occupy your attention if you don't have a deadline forcing you to get things done on time.
 
There's no greater motivation than a deadline.
 
How did you get your start in your field?
I was pretty much self-made. Won a lot of awards in high school and college for writing, but I'd planned on going into fiction writing. Had no desire to be a journalist. But I found that journalism was a great way of getting experience and getting your name out there. And I had a passion for music.
 
A very long time ago, when the Net was in its infancy, I put together a little website called "Christian Music Weekly," and did my best to offer interesting insights, opinions, and news. It didn't last long because right about that same time, a Net startup called The Mining Company was born, and they were looking for experts on a wide variety of topics to edit content-centric websites for them. I applied to be their Christian Music editor, and got the job. The Mining Company changed its name after about a year to About.com, and I worked for them for over 5 years, handling their Christian Music website. After that, I moved to CMCentral.com, and turned it from an artist database into more of a webzine with tons of original content.
 
All told, between the various zines I worked on, I wrote more than 1,000 reviews, and conducted and transcribed hundreds of interviews. After a few years at CMCentral, I felt kind of like I'd said everything I wanted to say about Christian Music and was longing for a new challenge. My father passed away four years ago, and the year that followed was a time of big changes and transitions, and it just felt like the right time to try something different.
 
I really wanted to get back to my true passion -- storytelling -- but I had established this career and a ton of contacts in the media, so I came up with a way of combining the two. Thus, Infuze Magazine was born, where we cover movies, tv, music, video games, comic books, and more. We also publish original short stories, poems, comic books, short films, and even serialized novels.
 
My own serialized novel was my ace in the hole for Infuze. I wanted to tell a really cool, really engrossing, suspenseful story in bi-weekly installments, where readers would return every other week for a new chapter, and watch this big story unfold like a season of a tv show. It was a huge challenge but I just loved the idea.
 
It was a huge hit, and the story that began that way has now "grown up" and matured and become Relentless, coming this summer from Bethany House Publishers. They signed me for three books, so two sequels are on the way, forming a trilogy. We're all hoping and believing that it could be the next Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter -- it has that potential.
 
Which brings us to today... Still EIC of Infuze, and waiting for my first novel to be published in July.
 
Any advice for newcomers?
Just do it. No one will ever care as much about your work as you do, so take charge of it and go for it. So many people dabble in writing or music or what have you, but never ever show it to anyone or send it to a publisher. Forgive me, but that's just nuts. Experience is the best teacher, so if you're waiting for your skills to improve or if you're too afraid of failure or criticism... get over it. Life's too short.
 
God gives us dreams and talents for a reason -- and don't forget the parable of the servant who horded his master's talent and never used it. The passions of your heart are placed there by the Creator on purpose. I never understand people who wander around aimlessly, searching for their "purpose in life." What are you good at, and what are you passionate about? Hello! It couldn't be simpler. Stop wasting time and use what you've been given to make the world a better place and build up the Kingdom.

Posted at 09:52 AM    

Fri - February 3, 2006

In your shoes: Ben Frank, Graphic design.



This week I am starting a series of interviews I call "in your shoes" after the old adage if you really want to understand a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Then he'll be a mile away without shoes... But seriously, I have so many friends who have interesting jobs that I thought it would be great to ask them about their lives and make them pose for pictures, so here's the first of many to come.

I first met Ben when he was an in-house designer for inpop records and he's been through a freelance stint since then and currently is at CMT. Ben has got a great sense for textures and is actually way more edgy than he's ever permitted to be in his work. You can check out his work at www.benfrankdesign.com . Without further ado, here we go:
What inspires you to create?
i've been creating forever it seems like. before i was a designer, i drew, painted, sculpted... when i was a kid i would play with anything that involved creating. i was a HUGE lego freak. as far as what inspires me, it varies. i like to think i am in a constant state of creating, but any artist knows that is next to impossible. we all hit our slumps. for me different things inspire me to get back into the groove. music, art, nature... my wife makes fun of me for having a library of nothing but picture books, but sometimes i'll just sit and flip through the pages of design book to sort of pull my head out of what i am working on and see what else is going on in the world. many times though, ultimately my desire, my drive to create comes from within.
How do you beat creative block?
i suppose i kinda touched on this while answering the last question. a lot of times stepping away from what i am working on and just doing nothing can allow my creative juices to recharge. sometimes my best ideas come to me when i am just driving or walking around.
Talk about your creative process in as much detail as you'd like.
my creative process varies a lot. it will depend a lot on what it is i am working on. if it's packaging for a CD, i'll take the time to listen to the music as much as i can. my ultimate goal is to create the perfect visual identity for whatever it is i am working on and for me that means getting to know exactly what it is i am working on. i like talking to bands about how they see themselves. the more i get to know a client, the better i can present them and help them create a great impression. in my lien of work, as with most lines of work, impressions are everything.
Deadlines? Hate them or need them? Explain.
for some reason i seem to thrive off deadlines. the more i have to get done sooner, the harder i will work. i don't know why but a lot of times if i don't have a whole lot to do and the deadline is far out, i'll just let things sit. i actually enjoy the high pressure huge workload, where as some people will just crack under pressure. some of my best work has been done under the tightest of deadlines.
How did you get your start in your field?
like i said earlier, i have always been creating, from drawing and painting to legos and light bright. i have also always been fascinated by computers and technology. in 2nd grade i was THRILLED to spend 2 weeks at science camp working on an old apple IIe programming my own video games. in high school i was technical advisor for a grant writing team that worked to bring a computer lab and the internet to our high school. i did a lot of design for things at school as well. my first paying work was for things like wedding invitations and business cards. i designed a small 16 page quarterly magazine for my old youth group when i was a freshman in college. that really taught me a lot. i learned things doing that that i couldn't have any other way at that time. i've always been really big into music and really wanted to do album packaging. i guess you could say the first album i did was for my band when i was like 15. 10 years later i was an art director at a small, independent record label. now, am freelancing. it's been a great ride so far.
Any advice for newcomers?
i think the best advice i can give is to do what you love. one thing i've learned is that no matter how much money you are making, if you aren't enjoying what you are doing, it's not worth it. money is just a thing. don't get me wrong, i'd love to not be in debt and be rich. i think everyone would. but if it meant i had to give up doing what i love, then it wouldn't be worth it.

And that wraps up the first interview, we've got a lot more to come, with author Robin Parrish and Painter Jody Nilsen already on deck.

Posted at 09:22 AM    

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