We recently connected with Nick Petrillo and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nick, 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’ve had many small victories on the way to what I consider my greatest achievement: to earn a full-time living from my creative work. My journey was never all-or-nothing; meaning I didn’t leave my day job one day and make a living 100% by myself the next. In fact, I’d say a lot of my journey has been working for companies on the side as a contractor and picking up the do’s and do not’s from their successes and failures.
I never had what you would call a “traditional job.” My first job in high school was teaching young kids the fundamentals of piano, selling instruments and music supplies, and being an overall staff member at the music school I was attending. I would move pianos, sort rental instruments, hang pictures, paint, mop, vacuum, really anything that the owner of the school needed. I had a few piano students and worked the retail store as well, where I learned about orchestral instruments, reeds, mouthpieces, guitar types and sizes, amps, you name it. It’s also here that I learned how to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists, a skill that is a vital part of my career now.
During college at Berklee in Boston, I made extra money teaching lessons house to house and accompanying vocalists in the vocal department at Berklee. This allowed me to basically audit vocal classes in college without having to pay for the credit hours. These skills are also invaluable in my current career.
Once out of college, I moved to Los Angeles to get into the film scoring business. I officially started NPM Productions my first year in Los Angeles, where I began producing live shows for industry events and corporates. Although I was having success, this was still a side hustle and I continued making money teaching house to house and at a local college, music directing musicals, accompanying vocalists, and playing small shows in town. I also worked as an assistant to many composers and through these contacts, began work as an orchestrator for TV and Film. To date, I’ve worked on shows for Disney, WB, Universal, ABC, NBC, CBS, Nickelodeon, and Paramount+.
Each job I worked added an extra arm to NPM. I began music directing tours and production shows, which allowed me to travel around the world with artists and lead their bands. While on the road, I would continue to orchestrate for TV and Film. It was really during this era that NPM took on the majority of my time and I was no longer able to work my “day jobs.” Any work that I would do for other companies or colleges became contractual or consulting work.
As I expanded, my clientele grew and by 2016, about 6 years after starting NPM, I had achieved 100% solvency in my company. The next hurdle came in 2020, during the pandemic, when my live performance arm of the industry went completely down. But I expanded into studio production and video production during that year. This has become a vital part of the business since 2021 and I’ve recently been producing records as much as I’ve been touring shows and artists. I’m proud to say in 2021, I moved to NYC and now run a bi-coastal operation which is now expanding into Europe.
I don’t really believe I could have done anything faster than I did. And I’m not sure I would have wanted to. Each day that I’ve worked in the industry came with valuable lessons and skills that I’ve carried with me. I believe I have a successful business now because of all of that legwork.
Nick, 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’m originally from New Jersey and have studied piano since the age of 5. I honestly never saw myself doing anything else since I could remember. I had an affinity for business since my dad was an accountant and talked to me a lot about finances and investments. Since my high school jobs were all in the industry, I never felt like this was a career that was extremely risky. It always seemed like it was possible to make a decent living in entertainment.
I call NPM Productions the customizable production solution, which encompasses our services. We offer everything from composition, arranging, orchestration, track production, studio and live production, and live performance solutions. We have a number of instrumentalists and vocalists at our fingertips to create whatever you need for your album or live performance. We work for artists, corporations, and film studios alike. I truly believe NPM stands on its own based on our knowledge of all genres of music, our proficiency in the virtuosity of all genres, and our ability to deliver whatever you need within the music industry. We’re a one stop shop.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I’m very passionate about the idea that members of a society need to monetarily support that arts. The arts are a vital part of a society’s ecosystem and would be missed if they weren’t readily available. This includes buying music, buying movies and television shows, patronizing your local museum, and going out to shows. Artists need to be paid for their services, the same as people are paid for their day jobs. We’re offering a service like any other person, and we work just as hard, even during the time that we aren’t performing for the audience. There are rehearsals, preparation, travel, and many other factors that allow us to bring entertainment to the masses.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I personally love the ability to travel and deliver entertainment to people all over the world. It’s rewarding to meet people after a show who are so elated that they’ve had the opportunity to experience the energy and excitement of a live show. It makes the world smaller and allows you to see that we’re all very much alike, despite our cultural differences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nickpetrillomusic.com
- Instagram: @nickpmusic
- Facebook: @nickpetrillomusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-petrillo-221b0336/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAHZkQ28e4hnqUZIP4xI6FQ
Image Credits
Photo Credit for all: Vincent Dawson