We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maestro Robinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maestro, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

Thanks for having me! I’m always grateful to share. As a matter of fact, I’m signed to an agency and management company-primarily for my acting career. Eris Talent Agency represents me for commercial and theatrical work. Tinoco Management takes a more detailed approach by coaching me and making sure we’re submitting our absolute best work to casting or any other on-screen opportunities. As an actor, representation is key for any kind of longevity in this industry. Their professional (and sometimes personal) relationships with major casting offices is the magical piece of the puzzle that will land an actor the role of a lifetime. They also negotiate your rates, make sure your contracts are correct, and handle all of the other administrative things that most creatives rather not worry about. For any creative endeavors outside of acting (like drumming for artists, brand deals, etc.) I represent myself, since those opportunities are based on my own personal relationships.

Maestro, 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?

Firstly…hello, everyone! And a big WASSUP to the readers who haven’t heard of me until now. Thanks for taking the time to kick it and get to know a little more about me.

My name is Maestro Robinson, and I am a working musician, actor, and content creator based in the Los Angeles area. I’ve been calling myself “A Creative” when people ask what I do, because it usually sums up my job(s) in one simple title. (Ha ha ha) I was introduced to the world of entertainment through drumming. I completely fell in love with it as a small child in church, and it quickly became a full fledged passion. By high school, I was playing professionally. After some time at Berklee College Of Music and building relationships, I was playing full time and touring the world with artists like Selena Gomez, Lil Nas X, David Archuleta, Chanel West Coast, Hailee Steinfeld, and a few others. I began acting in 2008, and have been actively pursuing a career in front of the camera since then. 2022 has truly been an exciting year because my team has been active in not only securing me work, but by placing me in rooms that have changed my career for the better. Speaking of change, some people may have seen some of my unique content on the Clif Bar social platforms. I became an official “Clif Creator” (and the first creator of my kind) this year! I’m so thrilled to be collaborating with them regularly.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My wife and I were talking one day about my online audience and things I could do to be more engaging-and not just to musicians. She recommended that instead of “cross posting” (posting the same content on all of the social platforms), I create something specific just for TikTok. Something simple – and maybe even funny – that the TikTok audience would enjoy. It took a different kind of thought process, but I thought I’d give the simple idea of making ‘drummer faces’ a try. I posted a video called “Drummer Faces Be Like”. The experiment was a success, and it went viral in a matter of days. It was hilariously simple and still musical; but to my surprise, no one had done it yet. There it was. NO ONE HAD DONE IT YET.

THAT was how I built my audience on Tiktok, which then spilled over a bit onto my Instagram page (which I had been growing since 2011). I started doing things that other creatives weren’t doing. Using the “Drummer Faces Be Like” videos as momentum, I began playing along to 90’s tv show theme songs. There were other drummers doing this, but I went the extra mile to make my content different by adding more creative camera angles, “breaking the fourth wall” by engaging with the audience with my face and dances, color grading in post production, and generally posting more often. My cover of “The PowerPuff Girls” hit over one million views, and over six thousand shares. Until then, I had never experienced those kinds of stats on any video on any platform.

I built my audience by being different. The algorithms are tricky to navigate, but one thing for sure is that it recognizes when we jump on trends that someone else made popular. I advise creatives to create content that’s simple, but unique enough for everyone to find entertaining. Try to find things that will make people laugh! You’ll get an uptick in stats, and real fans who will enjoy and share your content.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Fantastic question! One thing I see and experience a lot in particular, is the ever growing discipleship for wildly successful public figures who have already made their mark in the industry-yet the ones who REALLY need the support and encouragement, are often ignored because they’re not trending, or featured in the latest hot track, film or show.

I implore society to support that person on your social platform who’s desperately seeking ten people to come to their show. Stream the record of that young singer who’s looking for their first one hundred spins online. Wear a t-shirt, buy a ticket, make a post, etc. Some of these celebs really couldn’t care less that you spent your last few dollars on their merchandise. Support your favorites of course, but remember the ones who really need and will thank you personally for it. What if your specific support helped elevate someone that you know personally? What a testimony that would be! Please spread the love, or else the creative ecosystem will consist of the same faces and art we’ve witnessed in the same cycle time and time again.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maestrorobinson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenJRobinson22
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MaestroLaVille
• Other: TikTok – https://www.youtube.com/c/MaestroLaVille

Image Credits
Head shot photos by Danielle Robinson On-set shots by Jennifer Bullag