Lawyers, orthopedic surgeons, tech developers, optometrists, engineers, brain surgeons, elite composers/producers, and yes, even plumbers have a masters degree. I know what you’re thinking. Plumbers have a masters degree? Hard to swallow when you have that much student debt and spent that much time becoming an engineer. But while you were spending that much time becoming an engineer, an excellent plumber is spending more time than that going through an intense internship and massive training. Once they’ve been on the job for about 20 years, they’ve got their masters. So, there are two ways to look at this:
1. When the time comes, that piece of paper you get that says "Masters Degree" on the front of it instantly gives you worldwide credibility.
2. The body of work by a vendor, say a plumber, with a slew of satisfied clients really stands out. Their wealth of experience and ability to interact with clients in a way that won’t make their head explode about a subject you personally know very little about. . . well, they have to prove themselves over and over again day after day after day.
As a company who easily slides into that second group, we’ve seen this scenario play out over and over again, costing us thousands of dollars while working on just one project. I would say this has been the singular most frustrating aspect of running our business. There are basically two products that generate most of our income: High quality male and female voiceovers and top-shelf jingles with a LA/Nashville sound. We also write and produce custom music and song parodies for corporate and other events, as well as spots for social media and yes, radio. . . . good old terrestrial radio that still exists somehow.
How were we successfully able to slide into that two slot? We’ve managed to stay together for a long time and learned all of the lessons that needed to be learned together. Yes, we had the talent to start the long haul, but we put in the work. We were in a nationally touring band called One-Eighty all the way through the '80's. During that time we also sang background vocals, performed sax solos and other parts for the R & B group Champaign and Columbia Records. During that time one of our songs got the attention of Earth Wind and Fire's producer and. . . he loved it! Unfortunately, he did not love it for us… he loved it for Champaign, who we were working hard with every day, getting our collective masters in writing great songs and hooks. So here we are. Having played and sung six days a week 48 weeks a year in the 80s, while grinding away learning about engineering, producing, and the fine art of getting a singer to dig down deep and give you something that he doesn’t yet know he has. One-Eighty rolled on.
At the same time we're also getting a ton of experience singing in the studio. Way different than singing live. In addition, how to process the vocals onto tape. (I know. I just heard about 400 35 year-old aspiring producers’ minds explode with the throwback tech reference.) Sorry about that.
When our baby number one came along in '88, I put my radio shock jock hat on and started my first radio gig doing mornings in LaSalle/Peru Illinois. Soon after, moved on to Lansing Michigan, followed by Virginia Beach for a priceless education at Studio Center. Finally, after having 3 kids in 3 different states, we finally settled in Cincinnati Ohio. We formed Creative Mills Productions LLC around 1995 and have been out here slinging mind blowing jingles, voieovers and radio spots ever since.
So here’s the problem: Many of our clients, want to be in control of the project. That happens for a lot of different reasons. Some of the obvious ones are: fear, lack of knowledge, wanting to prove themselves as marketing directors to their boss, having such easy access to Spotify and all the music they love, they feel that they in some way know music the same way experienced and talented Composers/Producers and Plumbers do.
And here’s the solution: You obviously need to your due diligence when hiring a vendor, in this case to create a jingle that will have maximum impact on your business. Once you make the choice, trust the process and trust your plumber. Because after all, what the hell do you know about Plumbing?