We recently connected with Michael Rosser and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, appreciate you joining us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
Covid is actually how the business came to be. As the majority of the performing artists quickly had their work dissipate during the beginning of the pandemic, I started to look into some sort of temporary solution for myself and the bands that I knew. Within a few months I set up a mixer and computer for what started as a few live streams, pod casts and practices. A few years prior I co-produced my band’s second album Wilder and a few other songs so I’d start recording other people’s music. That started an obsession for nearly three years of research, pdf files, forums, and any other information I could scratch to improve the sounds I was recording. Through this newly found hobby I began to modify equipment and start really understanding just what it is that we’re listening for when we say something is “good” or “great”. It’s a challenge that I never expected to take on, the timing though, couldn’t have been any more perfect. I saw a demand for something that I already enjoyed and jumped on it. Now I’m here, working full time, on my own in an industry that just a few years ago I was banging on the door for. I feel like no matter what the circumstances are around you, if you put your head down and work hard, you’re going to make mistakes and fail. It’s from those failures that you learn and when you keep getting back up, people see that and I think that’s what the difference maker is. I wouldn’t say that covid changed anything, but it changed everything.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’ve been involved in music since I can remember. Choir, hymns, vocal lessons, guitar lessons, piano lessons all that stuff. I’m fortunate in that aspect, not so much in the fact that I just don’t do well working places normal people work. Banks and grocery stores just don’t do much for me. There’s something that makes me feel very at home here(the studio)(probably because it’s in my home) and I want that to translate to anyone that comes in. I think a lot of artists come into the studio more nervous than they do a live gig. Always fun to find a way for them to relax and watch them ease into it. Film is also something that came about as a happy accident as the first one that I had the opportunity to score has won several awards from multiple film festivals. Honestly, it’s all a blast to be able to do all of this. I am proud to say that so much of this equipment that I use on a daily basis I have modified, repaired and understand so well after building and working on this set up for several years now. The workflow is efficient and super fun and I’ve really loved working with the clients that have come in.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Playing it safe. Typically, I like things planned out and logical, slow moves, you know. Safe. I swear it doesn’t work. Do whatever you need to do (within moral standards) to get it done. Get it done. Don’t wait till tomorrow. Don’t wait at all. Do it yesterday. Get it done now, there is no other time. Eat Ramen, be broke, pawn stuff, whatever it takes. I really cannot stress enough how much this has allowed me to accomplish in just a few short years. During the pandemic I knew I had that very moment to accomplish what I knew I wanted. I worked eighty hours a week, picked up side jobs and put every dime I had into building this business. Nothing stopped me, nothing slowed me down. I literally had my best friends laugh at the idea at that time. Jokes on them, because some of them have helped pay for a few pieces of equipment. Don’t play it safe.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Honestly most of my audience has been built from more of a grass roots or word of mouth standpoint. My posts have been pretty minimal up to this point. I feel that for my business I need to start within the people I know and build our portfolios as this is such a personal thing when an artist creates or hands off unreleased work. Slow and steady, I want something to be really rooted in.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mizerproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mizerproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rosser-6a4645a3/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChRfVboV41svMIG3zENro0Q
Image Credits
Courts Grimer