Expanding Your Network
If you are a songwriter looking for new opportunities and to build your network of collaborators and business executives, you should seriously consider attending a songwriting festival, an Expo or songwriting camp. In fact, if you can afford to take part in more than one or all of them do it, it can be a life changing experience.
In the last month, Richard and I have been to 2 of our favorite events. Mid-May we were both attendees at the Durango Film & TV Expo in Ventura, where around 50 music artists and producers presented their songs and compositions to 33 music supervisors across advertising, trailer, promos, film & TV in several timed playback sessions and performances over the 2- 3 day event. The music supervisors attending, are on the search for new and authentic music to place in their projects and they genuinely want to champion new artists, to discover the next best thing. This is another big source for them to be in front of a diverse number of artists. Durango EXPO has been going for around 27 years thanks to Jim Attebury and his fantastic team who host this event along with 2 Songwriter Expo’s each year in Colorado and California.
Though I’ve been to many of these types of events before, the Film/TV Expo was my first time attending and I was blown away. It warms my heart and reminds me that we are all on this crazy journey side by side, supporting and encouraging each other in what we love to do. It also reminds me our community is stronger than ever and that connecting with each other a few times a year builds those deeper friendships and collaborations. I walked away very inspired.
Richard and I met at the Hawaii Songwriting Festival back in 2008, the year I moved to LA and not long after, started regularly collaborating. 10 years down the line we became business partners at SongWriterCamps and started putting on our own camps and workshops together. This is where your people are and you are investing in your career by showing up year after year, or whenever you can afford to, even if you don’t see instant results. Like any long-term, lasting relationship, you want to build on it, get to know the human being, develop a friendship and trusted working relationship.
In fact, we arrived back this week from the 20th anniversary of the Hawaii Songwriting Festival where we attended this time, as mentors to an oversold event of 230 attendees. We have both had the pleasure of taking part for several years now and we are always so grateful to be invited back. (Seriously, what could be more perfect than schmoozing on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii with a group of music industry friends and a big community of songwriters?) Charles, and Joanie Brotman, their daughter Julia and the Board of Directors do an incredible job of making everyone feel welcome and taken care of. It is a simply mind-blowing event that I wouldn’t think twice about attending, so try it for yourself next year but remember to book early or you might miss out! Charles stepped down this year after 20 years of Chairman of the Board so he can spend more time creating music but he will continue his work as a Board member and will hand the baton over into the very capable hands of his lovely daughter Julia. Richard and I would like to personally thank Charles for his incredible service to our songwriting community and for being responsible for us meeting each other 16 years ago. I can only imagine how many hundreds, probably thousands of people Charles has connected over the years and the songs that have come out of it, all because of this wonderful event. So, if you are a songwriter just starting out or a more experienced songwriter wanting to expand your network, do it! I promise you, you won’t be sorry.