We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brad Taylor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brad below.

Alright, Brad thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents instilled very critical values and morals that shaped me to be the man I am today. As I look back on many of our discussions we had, I realize they were providing me with future advice and life lessons. (Even though I may not had understood as a kid) My parents never forced me to play sports or a musical instrument but instead encouraged me to be great at whatever I did choose to pursue. One thing my mother always said was to find what you love to do and turn it into money. There’s no greater feeling than seeing your parents attend a music showcase, record on two of your projects, or sport an article of clothing from your very own brand. Both my parents have done remarkable things in their life and still continue to add to their list today. They have blessed me beyond measure.

Brad, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Music has always been my escape and I’m sure it has and is for many of you. My love for music started with my parents. They both love music and my mother was a pianist. My older brother played the trumpet so it was the first instrument I was introduced to. I started playing the trumpet in middle school and continued to play all through my college years. I had the pleasure to attend North Carolina A&T State University where I marched within the ranks of the “Blue and Gold marching machine”. While in college I also had to opportunity to work on our campus radio station and intern with Atlantic Records. Upon graduating, I decided to move to Atlanta for work and to pursue my passion as a music producer. I was able to network and build very instrumental relationships that would place me in rooms full of opportunities. My first few notable accomplishments came from 3 commercial placements provided by film/video director Lisa Cunningham. The next that followed was placing a record with the 2x Grammy Nominated group Trin-i-tee 5;7.
Throughout my years living in Atlanta, I’ve had the opportunities to meet many pioneers in the music industry. I’ve had the pleasure to work out of notable studios such as Patchwerk, Icon, Stankonia, doppler, and many more. What has mattered most is maintaining these key relationships.
After spending well over a decade in Atlanta I decided to relocate back to my hometown of Charlotte to continue pursing my passion in music. Since being back, I have continued to work with major/independent artists, various film/video companies, and have established my very own clothing brand. I host my own biweekly “Tuesday Track Meet” showcase in which I provide new music, industry updates, and inspiring messages on all my social media platforms. This is a great way to connect with artist, songwriters, and to place records I produce. I’m also a co-host to “The Knock House” beat showcase in which a panelist of producers rate and provide feedback to rising/established producers who compete to win a cash prize along with additional opportunities.
My future goals/plans are to establish my very own record label and recording studio. I also want to implement an in-school and after school music production program for kids. I believe this is important because not all kids want to play a sport or an instrument but they do want to create. The program would also educate kids on how music is placed in commercials, film, and even their Tik Tok videos. It’s critical to give back to your community and it’s special when it’s by doing the very thing you enjoy most.

How did you build your audience on social media?

It’s critical that you pour just as much time into marketing yourself as you do creating. When I first started posting on social media I had no idea about algorithms and had to educate myself.
I started researching “best times to post”, what hashtags to use, and the content people tend to view.
What I discovered is people are more into the ingredients rather than the finished product. They rather know more about you and the person behind the creations. That’s what birthed my “Tuesday Track Meet” showcase.
Biweekly I started to post new music I created and spoke about my process. To build anticipation I would drop countdowns and teaser videos on my Instagram storyline. Over time my audience grew and I noticed that my consistent listeners would share my posts.
My advice to those just starting to build their media presence is to be authentically you and be consistent. The numbers will come and you don’t have to have a huge following to generate revenue. Make sure you have a reason for people to return to your platforms (Such as giveaways, presenting questions, or new updates/releases)
Never be afraid to reinvent yourself if you are not happy with your results or your growth becomes stagnant.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to stop overthinking things and simply do them. To often we feel things have to be perfect, or that we don’t have this, we need that, or we don’t have enough of…
What I learned is that you must prepare yourself as much as possible and allow God to provide the rest. I knew that I wanted to start my own clothing brand to go along with my passion in music. I had a logo design from college that I felt would come into use one day. Instead of sitting on my thoughts I decided to purchase all the equipment required and began networking with individuals close to me to assist. A great friend of mine from college (Micah Patton) took the time to educate and teach me how to utilize the equipment and software. Since then I’ve sold hundreds of items and working on a new collection to introduce soon.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taylormadeit1980.com
• Instagram: that_boy_taylormade
• Facebook: Brad A Taylor
• Linkedin: Brad Taylor
• Twitter: @TaylorMadeIt1
• Youtube: TaylorMadeIt1