One of the big factors for my success in the music industry is taking opportunities when they come up. (Getting those opportunities will be a whole other blog post.)
A lot of the time you have to try and discern what is worth doing and not doing. I found my success rate to be about the same whether it be for something large or something small. So I decide to just go after big opportunities. In October I got a brief for a potential movie opportunity placement with Hallmark.
They needed a Christmas song about a boy who lived in a Christmas town who wanted to get out of the city. It needed to be catchy and contain certain themes. I called up my buddy Mike Van Soest and he and I hammered out a tune in a few hours that we thought was solid. We recorded it the next day and submitted it. There was no guarantee other than I knew they would listen to it via my contact. After a couple months, I got feedback that it was accepted and then eventually placed.
Almost two months went by with silence. This is often the case in the music industry. Lots of waiting and then some more waiting. Theres a lesson in there.
Once I heard from them, they told me they were scratching the original movie and moving the song to one of the main featured films "A Christmas to Remember". This was great news for us.
We were not told when and how it was being used, just that it was being used. So the anticipation grew as we watched the movie. Almost 90% into the movie we did not hear the song and then as with most creatives, the thoughts of doubt begin.
Maybe they scratched the song, maybe it wasn't good enough, maybe they found a better song last minute.
Then, in a huge pivotal moment, when the couple is dancing and falling in love, the song comes on. It comes on for 50 seconds, lyrics and all! This was huge to have a placement of that length as well as for them to highlight the lyrics.
it felt like a Christmas miracle.
What I learned was to continue to take chances when they come up. Stop doubting so much and start trusting more. Be confident in what you create.
You never know what may happen so keep taking oppourtunites when they come.