How many people get to tell their friends and family that they grew up to be exactly what they wanted to be? Astronauts, presidents and actors just to name a few. But we at Mood Media work with a group of people that get to say it, too – our Music Designers. We got the Music Design team to let us into their world and tell us why they love the dream they chased.
Eric Martinez gets to “listen to music for a living. How cool is that?” He also loves that the world he’s living in is “bizarro,” saying, “usually parents bemoan how loud their children’s music is; in my bizarro world, my daughters complain to me about how loud I play my music.”
Juan Pablo Restrepo admits his job isn’t easy – but that he likes the challenge. “You need to go further and beyond your music taste in order to build a killer playlist” that’s based on “one idea or a brand concept. I like that.”
The discovery that inevitably comes with having to go further to find the right music is the highlight of Erick Bohorquez’s day. “The best thing about being a Music Designer is obviously the amount of new music that hits my desk each week.” But it’s more than that – there’s also the creative element. “I really enjoy working with new clients and creating a playlist that fits the specific brand.”
Erick’s statements are backed up by Civonne Ray. “I love that being a Music Designer consists of music and creativity. The fact that I get to control the type of in-store experience a client’s customer will experience is great to me,” she says. “It’s even better if I get a client that I’m very familiar with or a program that consists of great music that’s not mainstream. One of my favorite things to do is expose people to great music they’re unfamiliar with.”
For Bill Spencer, it’s also the discovery. “There is more music here than there are lifetimes to hear,” he says.
Amy Frishkey also appreciates the discovery and “constant exposure to new songs from a breadth of styles.” But it’s more than that – she says she’s “surrounded by fascinating conversations about music on a daily basis,” and is constantly given “the creative thrill of musically translating [a] brand culture into [an] Audio Identity.”
For Mark Shapiro, it’s a bit of everything – discovery, creativity, the works. “The joy and pride in being able to share this great music with the public and with our clients. The creative satisfaction in combining music forms into beautiful programs of high quality that have variety but also unity – making the program flow,” he says. “And the satisfaction is solving any of the technical or logistical problems that might come up with a program or account. Always learning new things – new problem solving strategies and also how to keep a cool head when sometimes something does go wrong. And, the people I work with, especially my colleagues in the office.”
For Linda Kennedy and Brad Pressley, the answer is a bit simpler.
“Music. Every day, all day – music,” she says.
And for Brad? “I get to tell people that I’m a Music Designer!”
– Submitted by Music Design