Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sergio Ronchetti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sergio, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.
I hate it when people say “you have to be lucky to be successful”. HATE it.
It puts us all in such a lazy defeatist mentality, leaving us possibly waiting for opportunities to smack us in the face. And they never will that way. The truth is it’s better to understand that the more we do the more chances we’ll get something out of it. Nothing is guaranteed but what we can control is how much effort we put into chasing these opportunities.
In other words, we can directly influence how often we put ourselves in a position to find these opportunities. There is always a correlation between how often we actively seek out jobs and how many opportunities we find. And the more we put ourselves out there, the better our chances are of obtaining these opportunities.
When i landed my first paying job in video games i didn’t really appreciate how i got to that point. Didn’t really understand why or how, and i took that for granted for years. When it came to looking for more work after it, i went back and analysed as best i could the lead up to the opportunity. What i had done to put myself in the position for someone to want to hire me (this retrospective exercise is also what helps me teach others in the courses and mailing list i run).
I found my job by attending a networking event in London. A free workshop put on by Intel where anyone could show up, watch some cool talks, meet people and most importantly enjoy the free food.
There was also a small indie booth area. A chance for students to showcase their works-in-progress to members of the public. I ended playing a couple of them in between talks and getting chatty with the developers. I was of course at the end of our conversation asking them if they needed any audio work but wouldn’t you know it, none of them did!
I gave my card out anyway, and the following day sent up “Hey it was nice to meet you!” follow up emails just to start some sort of conversation.
Weeks went by before i got a response back. “Hey Sergio, we’ve just parted way with our composer – want to chat about working on a trailer with us?”
This project ended up obtaining funding and releasing a shipped title across platforms.
Now looking back I can see that I did several things to put myself in this position. The first one was networking and showing up
1. Showing up
If I hadn’t have attended that event I would never have put myself in a possibility of meeting new people. And without meeting new people there was even less possibility of me finding a project to work on. It’s as simple as that really. The first step in finding work is by showing up. Showing up as consistently and as often as possible.
Then it was a case of making sure i was well-practiced and ready for work.
2. Hone your skills
When we’re not networking or out and events meeting people, we need to be sharpening our tool set. The “luck” people talk about is actually very simple to explain. It’s where your preparedness meets opportunity, in a beautiful matrimony. If we’re not prepared for a project then we simply not right for that opportunity and it will pass by. And this does happen from time to time. It’s not something to get down about but more to understand that we’re not just looking for any work but looking for work that suits our current abilities and situation. The movie look the more chance of finding the products they do suit our current skill set. But on the sides were always pushing and striving to get better at what we do in order to get their projects alongside it.
After meeting people, it’s all about building genuine relationships.
3. Don’t ask for the job
If I can do anything differently I would not ask for the job at that event. I simply asked to stay in touch. Every now and then posing a question or starting a conversation online casually keeping the conversation going. The easiest way to put off a potential opportunity or client is to ask for the job straight away. Put yourself in their position and understand that they must get thousands of messages saying “hey! Do you need a composer?” Now ask yourself this: would you hire someone like that? Of course not! You hire people you trust and like. That starts with building genuine relationships with people.
4. Forge Lasting Relationships
So the key is to show up, meet people and then follow them up regularly. The same way we treat our friends and family now. We’ve built relationships and trust and value of a number of years. And without this trust nobody would get hired.
So unknowingly, i did a lot of the aforementioned things without thinking. Which again strengthens the argument that finding clients starts with building genuine relationships with people. Then if a project or opportunity presents itself, the first person they think of hiring might just be you. Repeat this process several times and all of a sudden you’re on plenty of radar
Sergio, 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?
I started my musical journey by playing metal bands when I was a teenager. Touring, writing albums, playing festivals and avoiding university in higher education at all costs! It was only after this journey came to an end that I decided I want to go back to education and study music at university. With the intention of becoming a media composer for film and television. Through the process I realise that video games book way more interesting to me and the first opportunities I got were to work on video games. I like the idea that I could find paid work at the ground level all the way up to the top whereas film and television seem like a much longer route
What show me was that I was more interested in just writing music and creating sounds in any form of media that help me pay for my social life. It really doesn’t matter what I do so long as I enjoy it and it helps finance the things that I wanna do outside of work. And now I realise that having life goals instead of work goes goes a long way to relieving the pressures of career incentives. I now very rarely worry about how successful I am or might get and instead focus on building the life that I want to and making the work and projects fit around that.
I also love explaining and analysing this process which is why I got into coaching and creating online courses for people who want to work on video game audio as well. I’m most proud of the fact that I can teach and help other people on their journey in the same way that my mentors helped me.
In terms of audio, im most proud of the work im doing with Fallen Flag Studio (with whom i released Eldest Souls in 2019) and the plans we have for the next project. And i also love having a moustache.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Again, it’s all about building genuine relationships. In order for somebody to hire you they have to first know who you are and then hopefully learn to trust you with the project and money. That only happens through genuine interactions. I might sometimes set calendar reminders to catch up with people but the conversations are always casual and genuine. As simple as asking somebody how they’re doing or what is new in their lives. Showing interest shows you care. And there goes a long way towards building a strong relationship.
Sometimes you lose contact and sometimes they don’t reply. That’s okay! Just focus on the ones that do respond.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Game jams and local meetups.
Game jams are a perfect mix of networking and practice. You meet developers who might very well find themselves in a position to hire people like you later down the line. And in the process you learn what is expected of you as an audio professional within a team environment. And at the same time the pressure and creativity is super rewarding!
I also love public speaking, so it’s no surprise that i found myself giving talks about audio almost as soon as possible. The best part about this is that you don’t need to know a lot you just need to be willing to share. Which I get is quite scary for most people but you’d be surprised how welcoming and receptive of the devs a local meet ups can be. They love hearing that audio! And at the end of it you can guarantee a bunch of people coming up to you and approaching you to start a conversation. It’s a great way to break the ice as a stranger in a new meet up and make a bunch of connections that could lead to opportunities further down the road. I attribute 50% of my career to opportunities found in this way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sergioronchetti.com
- Instagram: @sergio.ronchetti
- Twitter: @sergioronchetti
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdqizROsbW1VB502p-k7_g
- Other: I have a free business course on getting started in Game Audio – https://mailchi.mp/f969f458802f/the-game-audio-beginner-e-course
Image Credits
Alex Rozanski (all headshot photos)