Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nick Potters. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Ever since I was young, there was no doubt in my mind that music is what I was meant to pursue. I lived and breathed it my entire upbringing, and that lasted throughout all of my formative years. When it came time to think about college & careers, I was pretty unwavering in my desire to follow my passion. By high school I was already in a few bands, teaching private lessons, and immersing myself in the local scene as much as possible. I honestly can’t think back to a specific moment when I realized it was what I wanted to do, because I’ve always felt like I was meant to do it, even as a kid. Music has always been my north star, I just became better equipped with the resources and confidence to pursue it fully as a teenager, and I haven’t looked back since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been working in the music industry for the better part of 2 decades. I went to William Paterson University for music & sound engineering, and during my freshman year, formed a cover band with a few schoolmates. We played all over the state, from bars & house parties to festivals & school functions, which really gave me my performing sea legs. The following year, I was tapped to play keys for an artist that had recently been on The Voice (season 3) and had just finished touring with Lady Gaga. It was a cool opportunity, but this group quickly evolved into a family, and over the next 9 years we became an original band called The Fuzz, releasing 3 studio albums, touring the country, headlining multiple NE Patriots games, and establishing ourselves as a force to be reckoned with.
That band’s achievements led to more opportunities for me, and almost immediately after graduating college, I was getting work as a session & touring drummer/pianist, composer, and music director & producer all over the tristate area. Before I knew it, I was playing for around 10 bands at a time including wedding/event bands every weekend, and teaching a few days a week. I also still regularly tour the country with a Simon & Garfunkel tribute act, which has me on the road for about 2 months of the year. Free time can be pretty scarce, but it also doesn’t feel like work when you’re doing what you love.

Upon graduating, I also landed a day job as an audiobook engineer at Duart Media Services–the NYC post-production house responsible for Forrest Gump, Dirty Dancing, and Pokemon, to name a few. There, I spent 7 years honing my craft as an engineer, editor, and producer in the audiobook industry. This work was essential to my growth as a professional, because it helped me garner invaluable experience working with a myriad of different people. Not everybody works the same way, and learning how people operate so you can best work with them is a huge part of any job. Additionally, all of the skills I learned in the audiobook industry were easily applicable to a music studio setting, and I became much more comfortable as a producer after having learned how to communicate with various clientele.

When the pandemic hit, a rare opportunity presented itself, and I was able to rent a space in Jersey City to start building my own studio. This was a dream for me as I’d been working out of so many studios my whole professional life, to have a place that was my own really allowed me to expand my opportunities and work more efficiently. I had that space for 3 years, recorded multiple records, composed music for games, shot music videos, and gained the confidence needed to be a self-sufficient studio owner.
In December 2022, I left all of that behind, packed my car with all of my gear, and moved to Los Angeles. I’ve been here for less than a year, but in that time I’ve built another studio, made a few records, found a few artists to play with, and have made new meaningful connections with people I never thought I’d have the chance to meet. I also still work as an audiobook engineer & editor out here, despite the strike deeply effecting the entire entertainment industry.

Services I provide: Remote or non-remote tracking, audio editing (real-time or post-production), composing, producing, music directing, band leading, music lessons (in-home or on-site), performing live/touring, studio consultations

Problems I solve: Helping clients realize the full potential of their art, and bringing it to life. If a client comes to me with an idea for a song, I help flesh out the musical details that they may not hear yet, while helping craft the sound and the vibe that they are aiming for.
My personal belief is that when it comes to art, we will always achieve a better, more authentic result through collaboration. Artists have huge egos, and it’s difficult to strike the balance of feeding an artist’s ego while simultaneously trying to tame it. The art is theirs, after all, but many creatives get in their own way because they believe so strongly in their work, that they’re not open to outside constructive criticism that may actually improve it.
I take pride in my ability to communicate creative ideas respectfully and articulately, so that artists never feel that their work is being taken advantage of or altered away from their vision. Also, knowing when to shut up and just press record is super important. I am extremely proud of all of the work I’ve done, and the way I go about doing it. It’s a testament to my belief in achieving greatness together, and all of my experience so far has taught me that when I go with my gut, I’m usually going the right direction. Just being personable and enjoying what you do as much as you can will go a long way,

For any potential clients looking to work with me, just know that I dedicate myself fully to every project I’m involved in, and you’ll probably get more than you expected out of the result. Whether that’s in-studio, touring, teaching, or just consulting. I always give everything my all.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

There is a LOT of music out there these days that just sounds formulaic, emotionless, and completely unoriginal. In the short-term, my goal is to help bring truly heartfelt music to the forefront again, and diminish the amount of uninspiring music that most people have just grown used to as the “standard”.

In the long-term (and more selfishly), I want the world to know my name. Not as a celebrity or social personality, but as an artist that has left a legacy of work that I can be proud of. My greatest hope is that people all over the world are in some way moved by the music I create, big or small. Whether it’s a film score, game soundtrack, or even a hit-single, I hope I can evoke some kind of emotional response through my work, since all great work elicits that same response in me. I just want to share that feeling with everyone.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I really had come to terms with (and learned the hard way) was that my ideas are not always the best ideas, and even if they are, that doesn’t mean they’re always welcome. This goes for everybody, but as artists especially, we’re extremely passionate about our work and have very strong feelings about how things should be done,

I had a studio session 10 years ago with a grammy winning producer, who was recording a single for an artist I played with at the time. He was pretty cool, and he had a huge studio in the middle of Manhattan that was all his. He definitely had earned his clout, but we were still working on original music that I helped create. So at one point, I respectfully tried to make a suggestion or two for a song that I helped write, which I believed was very minor and thought we were all there to create good original music. After my 2nd suggestion, this producer turns around and just says “hey kid, can you shut the fuck up and let me do my job?”
I was so pissed off, I actually left the session right then. This guy, who was supposed to be one of the greats, disrespected me in a way that I had never experienced professionally before. He was also in his 40s, and I was 22, so I was surprised a fully-grown adult could at like that. At first I chalked it up to him being a completely talentless hack that rested on his laurels and never actually did anything to deserve the credit he got. But I realized later, after I was in his position and running my own session, that he has his process, and that process is what helped him achieve his success. And in the moment, I was actually working against it, because I was caught up in my own world of what I thought needed to be done. Didn’t matter that I helped write the song. I wasn’t privy to how he worked, and so by extension, was messing up his workflow.

I still think the guy was an ass for how he communicated and would personally never work with him or recommend him to anyone, but I definitely learned to respect everyone’s process, and to make sure that every word I ever communicated in a professional space didn’t cross anyones’ line. I keep saying that communication is key, and this is one of those situations where I learned that VERY well. I also don’t regret leaving the session at all, since that taught me to stick up for myself in professional situations. While it was a bit of a weird scenario, I definitely learned a few lessons from it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pottersmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.potters
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-potters-729227182/
• Other: Here’s a list of a few credited works of mine over the years: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2DjTPoK2KCw67pP9h3V6ax

Image Credits
Image credits belong to Dennis Pike, Jeff Crespi, and myself.