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Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we\u2019d love it if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?<\/strong><\/p>\n Growing up playing competitive sports taught me that a fierce dedication to one\u2019s craft, coupled with putting in both time and reps is the path to creating separation. You also learn the value of winning and losing. When you lose, it\u2019s best to look inward and evaluate what you could have done better. When you win, there\u2019s no better feeling. Playing sports also taught me the value of teamwork, comradery, and perseverance. Most importantly, you gain through experience just what it takes to achieve your objectives.<\/p>\n I also subscribe to the philosophy that nothing in life is deserved and that everything must be earned. While my career has had its fair share of ups and downs \u2014 that will happen when you bounce around between agency, freelance and client sides \u2014 I do recall this one particularly low moment, when a sense of entitlement got the better of me\u2026there was an expectation of a fancier title, more money, power \u2013 all of it \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t happening as quickly as I\u2019d hoped. Then I remember chancing upon a coffee mug emblazoned with the phrase \u201cnobody cares, try harder\u201d and it was like a bolt of lightning. Message received. The truth is that nobody wants to help you; your colleagues have their own motivations, agendas and issues to deal with\u2026so you have to constantly learn to prove your value again and again. Only then will you gain the attention and respect of those around you. This hard lesson has become a great motivational tool.<\/p>\n Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n Music is my single-minded obsession and has been since I first had my mind blown at age nine, listening to the radio in the back of a car on the way to a surfing beach. Everyone who loves music will recognize that \u201choly sh*t\u201d feeling I\u2019m describing, of a mysterious new world suddenly revealed. I\u2019m lucky in that there\u2019s been a recurring series of these special listening events over the years, where I\u2019ve found myself so incredibly shook to the core by a song that it\u2019s left me truly humbled, yet gifted with a clarity of vision and purpose. It feels like a superpower, honestly. I was shown just how moving music can be, on a personal level; I simply couldn\u2019t ignore that in choosing a career.<\/p>\n Another thing about me is that I\u2019m always hungry for new inspiration. I\u2019m particularly fired up about the challenge of harnessing AI as a creative tool. I recognize that this emerging technology is a disruptive element that will change everything. I\u2019ve heard all the doomsday talk, but conversely, I am reminded by the historical context that roughly every 20 years or so new technology bubbles up which totally disrupts the status quo, especially in the music industry. Change is what leads to great art and new discoveries. There will be a heap of growing pain, but also a tremendous amount of opportunity which will lead to wild bursts of creativity and a new generation of talent harnessing AI in potentially transcendent ways. No doubt there will be wonderful surprises along the way as well. I\u2019m excited to be in the middle of it all and I also love sharing with our clients how Squeak E. Clean is already utilizing AI to elevate our creative processes.<\/p>\n Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?<\/strong><\/p>\n What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?<\/strong><\/p>\n Feeling overwhelmed is \u201cStandard Operating Procedure\u201d when you\u2019re a producer on the come-up. Unfortunately it comes with the territory when you have so much executional responsibility while still being tasked with managing budget and timeline in a creative industry that loves to push & pull at both of those things. Here are a few tips I\u2019ve learned for how to cope:<\/p>\n\n
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