Many times, the people that work behind the scenes making the scene rarely get recognized for their work. SociaLifeChicago will spotlight the amazing people that make you, your organization and your event look great.
ZAK “Fox” JABLOW- Producer, Commercial song writer, Professor at Columbia College
How did you get started in music?
I initially wanted to be a doctor but my family convinced me otherwise. Both of my parents were successful in the entertainment industry. My mom wrote songs for the likes of Joni Mitchell and my dad produced/directed Broadway shows. Growing up in New York I was surrounded by arts. My mom raised me to write songs.
Did you go to college to study music specifically?
I actually went to Columbia College to study intellectual property management(Arts, Entertainment/Media Management). As a musician you have copyright to your songs (intellectual property), but what do you do with it and how do you make a profit from it? That’s was what I wanted to study. Beyond making art for the sake of just making art.
What Artists and/or projects have you worked on and with?
Chance the Rapper, Kids These Days, Coors Light campaign, Veuve Clicquot.
The Coors light campaign, I scored the music for a campaign launching this fall. There is a special cooler at numerous locations nationwide, that when you open the door my music plays.
when you’re sleeping somebody is making YOUR
money
How did you get your start scoring music?
I got my big break scoring music for a McDonald’s commercial which aired during the 2008 NBA Finals(Lakers v Celtics). The commercial led to a relationship with the Music Dealers- The founders of Music Dealers used to manage me. I went on to work with other corporate clients and from there I started my own company.
How did the Veuve Clicquot project come about?
At the time our company Fox & The Mule was working on a project for Katarina Visnevska(Violinist) and she introduced me to Anna Kimball-Marketing Director for Veuve Clicquot. She was interest in my sound and a few meetings later she requested we score the music for the Race to Mackinac video compilation.
Everybody should have a mentor
What is a typical workday like for you?
My workday begins when I arrive to the studio about 10/11 to begin sessions. The clients show up and we work until about 2AM on some days. In between we might have some down time
Do you or did you have mentors?
My biggest mentor was Kosien of DaInternz(Platinum Producing duo-Rhianna Cake, Justin Beiber, Big Sean’s A$$ to name a few).Kosine was a teacher of mine while I was at Columbia College, then I became his Teacher’s Assistant. At the time I was doing a lot of rock/pop stuff and he was doing hip-hop so I would go to his studio and he would show me how to really make the music. He showed me how to move and shake within the music industry here in Chicago. At the time he was definitely one of the hottest producers in Chicago and he still is even though he resides primarily in L.A now.
He took me to beat battles and I began to win. Though he’s since moved to LA he still checks up on me from time to time.
Did you feel like you needed a mentor to get your career going?
Absolutely! Everybody should have a mentor. If you want to be good at something you have to work under somebody that’s better than you. Someone that’s gone through that path can steer you clear of some of those mistakes. I don’t think I would be able to make beats or hone my skills at the level I am without the help of Kosine.
Advice someone has given you that’s helped you in your career path?
I actually have 2. There was one from Kosine who said “when you’re sleeping somebody is making YOUR money.” Basically if you are not giving your efforts 160% or not going the extra mile there is someone out there that is and probably working on the same opportunity. In the music industry, if an artist needs a song for their album, there are over 20 people writing for that one artist and it will come down to who’s song is the best or whoever pushed harder to get It over.
The second advice was from Gary Sinise of Lt Dan Band. While I was assistant tour manager and he told me that attention to detail is everything.
How do you apply that advice to your career?
If it doesn’t feel perfect , you need to do whatever you can to make it perfect or else someone will call you out on it.
How do you guys get clients and artists?
It works two ways, sometimes my business partner Robbie Mueller( The Mule) will find artists and pitch our concept and the other aspect is an artist or someone on their team that’s been exposed to our music or sound will reach out to us to work on their project.
Robbie adds: Zak has been able to build a reputation and relationship base and add to that my experience and being the manager we’re able to
And then they come to the studio?
Yes but it starts off with understanding the artist. We ask questions to get inside their head and get an idea what they really want and get a concrete reference point. We also try to build rapport by hanging out with them initially even before we get the project started just so we have built a relationship and this makes it easier to give feedback on points they can improve on during the course of working with them.
Robbie: instead of just feeding or using existing beats we made, our difference is we like to get to know the artist first.
We had an artist who would put a painting on the wall daily and told Zak that was what inspired him that day and Zak would create something from that. Artists sometimes have certain idiosyncrasies and different ways of communicating through actions.
Where are places you like to hang out in Chicago?
I go to Floyds, Crocodile, The Map Room
Are there certain things/places that you derive inspiration from?
Oftentimes some of the artists that come to us, have their own ideas that will light a spark. I get inspired from music I’m listening to, so I try not to listen to things close to what I’m currently working on but its cool to pull out ideas from something like trip-hop or subtrack, Linkin Park etc.
I get inspired by sounds. I can pull up different synths on the keyboard and when something catches my ear I turn it into a beat. What is cool is we get to work with different styles of music every single day. One day can be hip-hop and the next day rock, blues piano and it runs the gamut. You have to be able to find a link whether its listening to a record that has nothing to do with that genre but just to spark an idea. I was at Belmont Harbor one day and got inspired by the clanking of the weights against the sails, it had cool rhythm and I recorded it on my iPhone and turned it to a beat.
What advice can you give someone looking to be where you are now?
Don’t worry about being good at everything, when you do that people will gravitate towards the person that’s the best in that field. For example if you are a song writer who wants to produce, engineer and do marketing you can do it but there’s no way you will do an amazing job at ALL those roles because: A) you will burn out and B)it will be impossible for you to compete at your highest level. So I say find your niche and explore the hell out of it, it’s the only way you can be the best. The other thing is you have to want it! You have to do what it takes. I only get 4 hours of sleep most days.
follow Zak @ProfessorFox
