We recently connected with Mark Vogel and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I’ve been very blessed in my life, and kindness has been a big part of it all. This can be a crazy business in which to get started, in fact, I wasn’t even sure how to begin.
Rachel Beeman had a television series that taught music to children. It was called “Music of Many Lands” and aired in my parts of the world. As a 15 year old musician, she entrusted me with the music and that started my career in television music. What an amazing act of kindness and trust. She mentored me and taught me so much. Thanks for everything, Rachel. You left the Earth too soon.

Mark, 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?

during high school, I got into THE YOUNG AMERICANS. The group performed all over the world and opened for many famous performers. I was a featured singer and the first ‘kid’ to direct concerts and do arrangements for the group. We did television shows, concerts and tours with dozens of celebrities. Most noted were Natalie Cole, Bob Hope, Liberace, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Julie Andrews, Pat Boone, Debbie Boone, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rich Little, The Grass Roots, and America. We also were invited to perform in Washington D.C. for the president and got a private tour of the White House. I have performed for 3 U.S. presidents in my career.

I was one of 24 Young Americans to be chosen to guest star on NBC’s BING CROSBY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.
Then I went on to get 2 Recording deals, one with Universal (which went south) and one with an Indy label, Raccoon Records (also went south). The production was NOT me and it taught me that what I really wanted to do was produce!

Being a record producer is everything to me. I get to mentor young talent, write, create, conduct and help. Since I was helped out very young, it’s important to me to give back.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

During my television hits, I was invited to view GLEE while in production. I said the senior VP of Fox Television that between Glee and American Idol, more and more teenagers are going to need to know how to really sing….so I built “CAMP SING”. This led me to my current path of producing records and specifically new artists. The goal is for the artists to succeed in life as well as in music…and that would be my mission statement as well.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The business is always changing. If you work long enough, you’ll have to change with it. Pivoting is actually an art form in itself, and to stay alive in the industry, it’s a must. I was the winner of a BMI for Television Music, and after I won, i asked my agent to get me a feature film. She said that I was a successful network composer, and it’s a very hard transition to film. I knew it was time for me to ‘pivot’ again. Lots of hard work and lots of interviews, and I am working feature firm number 12 for me. Success is sometimes self driven, and if you want something, you have to go for it!

Contact Info:

• Website: markvogelmusic.co
• Instagram: markvogelmusic
• Facebook: Mark Vogel

Image Credits
KEN SAWYER PHOTOGRAPHER