We recently connected with Vlad Tipicidi and have shared our conversation below.

Vlad, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

In my previous life in Russia, I was a lawyer. My career growth and salary suited me quite well, but my childhood dream was always to play music. The Russian music industry is very specific and didn’t fit my taste of music, that’s why I decided to move to the USA.
When I moved to NYC in 2013, I immediately started searching for musicians to create a band. At the time, Instagram was the most popular social network, and I realized I could search for local musicians using hashtags like #guitarcenter and #rehearsalstudiosnyc. One of the hashtags I used was #nycmusicians, and to my surprise, that account name was available on Instagram. I came up with the idea of creating the @nycmusicians account to connect musicians from New York. I followed all musicians I met at music venues, parks, subways, and especially those using the #nycmusicians hashtag.
At the beginning I just reposted musicians’ music videos, and my Instagram started to grow up pretty quick.
A lot of people started to send me requests to repost their stuff. I promoted their shows, new releases, posts about searching for band members or paid gigs. I created Spotify playlists specifically with new releases by nyc musicians.

I also was able to make a couple open mic events before the pandemic started. There was one girl from Norway, who came to one of those open mics, because she was on vacation in New York and found out about my account. There she met a rap singer from the Bronx, who also performed that night, and in about a year they sent me a photo that they got married, it was an amazing feeling.
This account also helped me to build my own band – Radiate with my drummer Will Ford, who also sent me a message on Instagram. We played headline shows in New York at the venues like Knitting Factory, Arlene’s Grocery, Kingsland, recorded EP and LP albums in Portland OR , working with producer Kris Crummett, who is #1 producer in our genre, performed our single at Good Morning America TV Show, and now working on our next album release.

To make a bigger noise for my band’s music, I started to shoot short music videos for Tik Tok and Instagram, and after I got more experience with a camera and lighting equipment, I filmed a couple full production music videos for my band, which came out pretty good. Then, some other bands who liked our music videos asked me to make videos for them.
Here is where everything started. At that moment I had almost 20 000 followers on my @nycmusicians account, all of them are musicians from New York. I started to offer my videography service to all my followers, and pretty fast my schedule was booked. After the pandemic ended, I became a full-time videographer, filming not only music videos and live shows , but commercials, weddings, interviews. I created commercials for “Piece of Cake Moving And Storage” company, filmed music videos for MSNBC TV host Joe Scarborough, worked with music legends Jose Feliciano and Tom Rush, and had an opportunity to travel and work in LA, Miami , and even in Italy. I can’t even imagine what’s coming next.

Vlad, 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 kinda explained the story of myself at the previous question how i created the idea for my nycmusicians, because it’s all connected. Let me know if that works.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is my Instagram account, @nycmusicians, which I’ve cultivated over ten years. Another valuable resource is word-of-mouth. Personal connections are crucial. Sometimes, a small-budget project can lead to larger opportunities down the line. I’m always grateful for every client who chooses to work with me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to continue developing my skills as a cinematographer and musician. I don’t have a specific endpoint; every small success motivates me to strive for more. I aim to always be eager to learn, dream big, work hard, and share my knowledge with others. My mission is simply to be part of the creative journey and inspire others to join us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nycmusicians.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nycmusicians
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046369427438
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nycmusicians5760
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@radiateofficial3998

Image Credits

Daniel A. Diaz
Christian Lawrence
Idris