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

Hi Royal, thanks for joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were to start over, complete reset and still know everything I know now, here’s what I would do differently:

Probably the biggest, is do the hard things and getting outside my comfort zone as soon as possible. Do the the things that I don’t want to do. Those are the things that will lead to opportunities, growth, insight, experience and wisdom. I know this to be true because when I look back on my career thus far, there’s a handful of hard or uncomfortable things I choose to push through and do, and those lead to amazing growth! I would’ve taken on many more of those challenges, which is why now and into the future, I try to do these types of things. In a similar vein a biproduct of this is that even jobs that went poorly or not as well as I’ve hoped, I learned more on those then many jobs that did go well! I keep a note on my phone of all these lessons I’ve learned from good, bad, and ugly experiences – I’m always trying to learn and grow no matter what.

Another thing I’d do different is meet as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. To find fellow creatives and people to work with early on. Because as I’m experiencing it now relationships take time, and having word travel about my business through word of mouth also takes time. Further, finding fellow creatives, not just clients, is a great way to find work. Many of my composer friends are an invaluable resource for wisdom and advice and at best we can work together on a job as well!

Last thing I would’ve done differently is while being a film composer is a creative craft, that is only part of the picture – I also have to be my own boss and business owner. Early on, I was too focused on the creative and didn’t take on a business mindset until later. For anyone reading who wants to make money off their creative craft or a creative side hustle, being focused on the creative is great, but strategizing how to make it into a business is vital! I can say pretty confidently that most creative people aren’t the most business focused, so this requires getting outside the comfort zone but is so worth it! Being creative, doing what you love and making it profitable is the best!

Royal, 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?

From an early age, I’ve always been around music. My two sisters and I learned piano growing up, went to concerts and enjoyed a wide range of music. My first love was, and is, electronic music. In high school I started playing around with beats and sounds, which led to also picking up DJing and playing music for events. Not until later did I get approached by a few friends to write music for their film school projects. I always had an interest in film scoring but never had the opportunity. From one school film to the next, I discovered my true love: film scoring. From there on out, with my passion for electronic music production under my belt, I dived into the magical world of film music. Since then, I’ve scored feature films, numerous shorts, and other media types. It is such a joy to work with others and create something unique together – creativity, in my opinion, thrives when it’s not in a vacuum but instead shared with others.

When approached to write original music for a project, my top priority is always the same: to serve the story teller’s needs through my gift of music. I want to use my unique set of skills and tools to help tell the stories of my fellow creatives. Music has a way of not only bringing the emotion out in a story but also helping glue things together to make a project more cohesive.

Writing music for others brings a fresh perspective to the creative process. I’m always looking for new sounds to make and new stories to tell to others!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

With the film industry being so close knit and personal, I’ve found the best way to grow my business and reputation is through the following three avenues.

The first being, let the music speak. I’ve had many clients contact me because they heard a track of mine out in the wild. I’m a firm believer of “show don’t tell,” so as much as I can, I try to let my work speak and let that be the main talking point. I’m always trying to put our music and scores that is the best it can possibly be and that I’m the most proud of as well. I truly believe that if I stick to this path, working to better myself and become a better composer and putting myself out there, then the opportunities will come naturally.

Second: be professional, but personable. I am professional on the front end of things, but at the right time, connect with the client at a personal level. I aim to care for the client, not just in fulfilling the needs for the job, but to be there as a colleague and friend.

Last, I want to be the person I would want to work with – flexible, collaborative, fun, problem solver and able to hang out and relax. Musicians and film makers spend a lot of time together, often in studios, and hours can be long. I always try to add and contribute and not take away or bring down the energy. After all, this business like many others, is all about relationships – so my aim is to foster those relationships and create new ones.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the most earth-shattering books that has changed my outlook on being creative is Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. If you do anything creative, be it music, painting, film, or anything that involves creating, I would highly recommend reading this book.

Much of what the book explores is in the title, which on the surface can be misleading. One of the core points that impacted me was this: if you steal one thing from an artist, say a painting technique or a cinematography style, and duplicate it, everyone will call you a copycat, and you more or less will be. But then the secret is this, if you steal one thing from 100 or 1000 artists, your favorite thing or technique from each one, and then combine them in your unique way, then that will create something new and exciting that people will then call you a genius! There is truly nothing new under the sun.

This also takes the weight off pulling from your inspirations, I love my inspirations for a reason, and now knowing this technique, I can emulate and pay homage to what makes them great, build off what they’ve started, and bring something new to the table.

Since reading this book, my outlook on creativity is forever changed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.royaldeanmusic.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royaldeanmusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/royaldeanmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGGzOT9xLoKTNMp_fnwH8A