We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tony Burkhart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tony, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I had been involved in music for almost a decade when my wife and I opened our home basement studio for business. We received our first paying client through a friend’s referral… a custom “cheer mix” for a competitive cheerleading team.

I had zero experience creating cheer mixes at that time, as they are a very “niche” service in the industry. But I dove into the project head-first and did everything possible to make it the best it could be. It was extremely challenging but the client was thrilled with the final mix, and it opened my eyes to the variety of audio services we could offer that I hadn’t even thought of.

As a result, BlackLite has been blessed to work with thousands of artists/projects in nearly every style, genre and audio service category in the music world.

Tony, 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?

Growing up in a musical household, I was surrounded by the talents of my father and uncle, both accomplished musicians who excelled in national songwriting competitions and performed in bands for decades. Although I didn’t formally study music, my deep appreciation for it developed naturally.

After my high school sports career ended, I found myself with spare time to explore my father’s basement studio. Experimenting with beats and vocals became a passion, even though my technical skills were initially lacking. Collaborating with family members further fueled my interest in music production.

Throughout college I balanced my musical pursuits with day jobs, evolving into a producer and engineer for local artists. In 2012, my wife Samantha and I founded BlackLite Productions in Cincinnati. With support from family and friends, we quickly grew from a basement operation to a professional recording studio in downtown Cincinnati’s Longworth Hall.

Over the years our BlackLite Studio and Team has grown exponentially, collaborating with countless successful artists and businesses worldwide. I’m extremely grateful for the journey to where we are now, and the opportunity to work alongside such incredibly talented individuals who contribute to the music industry daily.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, it’s listening to the final mix of a song together with the client. After all the hard work that goes into a song there’s something magical about hearing your final creation for the first time together, before it is released to the world. The only thing better is listening to an entire ALBUM for the first time, which magnifies the experience even more!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In my role as a music producer / audio engineer for hire, it’s my job to make the client happy above all. But initially I assumed my role was to make their music the best it could be… in my own eyes.

I first realized my mistakes by observing other producers/engineers interactions with clients in other studios, and the way certain clients responded to certain personality types. I realized that I was likely losing occasional clients by inadvertently steering a project my own direction and not theirs.

This was a difficult lesson after years of doing my own music, but now needing to accommodate the vision of others in my workflow. But in the end it made me a better musician because it expanded my horizons and skill sets beyond what I would have achieved on my own.

I now take great measures in reading clients and asking specific questions about their preferences when we first work together, eventually forming a “chemistry” for later projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blackliteproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacklitepro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackliteProductions/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/blacklitepro
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/blacklitepro
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blacklite-productions-cincinnati

Image Credits
Chris Wise – WISE WORDS MGMT