We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Edward Wohl. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Edward below.
Hi Edward, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I started out as a recording artist, became a record producer which led to me becoming a composer. When I first started out as a producer I did a lot of work on spec to make a name for myself. No major record label would hire me, so I discovered a band and got them a record deal, when that band became successful the labels started pursuing me to produce their artists. When the traditional record business went through changes I became a composer out of necessity and got heavily into production music. My advice is dont be afraid to pivot and change in the creative space. There are no shortcuts in the music business so if you are expecting instant success you might be on the wrong path. Ive had many of the same clients for over 25 years, the client is the boss, Ive had to learn how to creatively work inside of their parameters!
Edward, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got into this business because I love music and creating music and I don’t know what else I would do besides music. I often solve my clients problems by going above and beyond what they expect. I try to treat all my clients like they are my only client. Its been very rewarding watching my children discover projects Ive worked on and even brag about them. All the awards and sales in the world don’t mean as much as watching my children enjoy music I created, some of which were before they were even born. Its so important to respect deadlines and to deliver all the time. I’ve had clients reach out to me to score promos for major sports events that were airing only days later, it means everything to me that they would trust me to deliver so I never let them down. I stand behind my work and never cut corners which is why I believe my clients trust me and come back to me year after year!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In any creative field you have to take your emotions out of the equation especially when it comes to rejection. Everyone has been rejected creatively and its important to know how to move on. I have multiple projects at any given moment, sometimes one is going better than other ones, dont take the negative energy from one and move it onto the others. Some clients dont know exactly what they want until they hear it, if you arent on the same page, just keep going until you are, learn from your failures, dont get dicouraged! I once scored a major promo and the client said the music was all wrong, all I had to do was make a very small adjustment and they loved the music. What seems like a mountain for some is in reality just a small speed bump, listen to your clients and try to really figure out what they are focussing on instead of getting offended and pushing back and arguing.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I started out as a recording artist and realized I wasnt in love with touring. Record executives had heard the demos I made and told me I’d be a great producer. I discovered a band produced them on spec and got them a record deal, at that point I was a producer and started producing more and more artists. When the traditional music business started to go out of business I again pivoted into production music (sync). its very important to constantly re invent yourself in this business and there is nothing wrong with that, our lives change, our tastes change and the world changes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eddiewohl.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eddie.wohl.5?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user25748962/videos/sort:date https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4145596/