I've been a lot of things in my career. A writer, a chef, a musician, a hobby neuroscientist. Each role seemed like such a detour from the rest as I jumped from one to the next.
I was guided by this insatiable curiosity to explore the human condition; the way we respond to pleasure, pain, joy and fear. I've always searched for a formula that governs the way people shape reality around their desires and dreams. Then I discovered digital marketing & media production, and it all started to make sense.
The way I see it, media and marketing is the convergence of physics and neurology. We use tools to harness light and sound to deliver a message; we develop this message based on the psychology of our audience. It's a lifelong goal of mine to constantly improve the communication between creator and consumer by leveraging this science, and to continue exploring our most basic human traits and the way they respond to the world around us.
I’ve been fully immersed in the digital production world for nearly a decade. Having started out with a B.S. in Audio Production, I quickly adapted my skills to the world of film and advertisement, gaining expansive knowledge across all media – whether it’s recording location sound, composing music/sound for picture, filming a documentary, or developing an ad campaign.
One of my first projects was developing a pilot for a competition reality series about the Electronic Music world (you can see more at beatedm.com). It was a highly involved, hands-on learning experience that required a large crew, talent scouting, development of an online platform, and lots of filming & editing. It was the perfect opportunity to blend my vocational skills in audio with my burgeoning skills in film.
Later, as marketing manager for a company called Plugin Alliance (plugin-alliance.com), I developed marketing strategy, customer support channels, and managed the content production for over 40 shipped titles over three years. Currently, I work with music industry artists and engineers to develop promotional and documentary content about their work; one of my biggest clients in this sector is Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method.
"Dan represented Plugin Alliance with class and style, and it was great working with him on the projects we shared while learning about the latest and greatest from their offering. I look forward to seeing where his career takes him in the future."
"If you’re looking for a product marketing guy with deep application and product knowledge, I would have no reservations in recommending Dan."
"Dan made it very easy to become a development partner at Plugin Alliance. His easy going nature, keen eye for market trends, eagerness to think outside the box and get creative along with outstanding video skills made him a pleasure to work with."
"Dan always approached creative challenges with excitement and invention in mind. The results of his work have not only been outstanding but unique as well. His clear communication with others, his team-player spirit and well-established professional skills ensure that the execution of his concepts is equally impressive. I would not hesitate to hire him for any of my productions."
Plugin Alliance is an online platform that manages and distributes digital products from over 17 pro audio brands, specializing in software models of famous analog studio gear as well as unique tools for sound design and music production. As Product Marketing Manager, I interfaced with the product management team in Germany to develop market positioning, research, and feedback before releasing a new plugin. I also managed all aspects of in-house video and multimedia production– from specifying project scope and scheduling deliverables for launch, to interfacing with high profile industry professionals for interviews and product endorsement . As PMM at Plugin Alliance, I coordinated the launches of over 40 products during a period in which the company more than doubled in size.
One of the most valuable assets I retained from my time at PA was my connections to all the amazing studio professionals I had the privilege of meeting and learning from. As the resident expert on the platform's entire offering, I was responsible for the technical side of artist relations. This often culminated in offsite studio demos and interviews with the artists, several of which can be seen in the videos below.
When I was hired, the company was in the process of acquiring more outside developers to expand the offering, but there was nobody charged with managing this group. What started as a curious fascination with the new plugins coming in quickly became a duty to negotiate and navigate this growing third-party landscape, scheduling meetings, discussing launch strategy and marketing initiatives with the most valuable assets in our program.
We needed artists to help tell a story about our platform that customers could relate to. I would reach out – in many cases through a cold email – to artists I found to be a good fit for each product. In exchange for nothing more than free licenses, I'd enlist these professionals' help in developing all the marketing materials we could ever need while also generating a roster of endorsees that we could leverage for several projects down the line.
When I arrived at Plugin Alliance, there was no system for developing positioning documents or marketing copy for new products. Working directly under the guidance of the CEO, I developed a method for positioning new products at a furious clip while galvanizing the company's brand as the industry's leading platform-agnostic toolkit for audio professionals – we averaged 4-5 product launches a month; all handled by our small management team of four. I developed each product's voice through powerful marketing copy, honed key product benefits and target markets, conducted competitive analyses, and scaled content roadmaps to match the yearlong initiatives we would create.
Each member of our small team wore several hats; aside from marketing manager, technical AR manager, customer support manager, and video producer, I was also the point person for event coordination. Each year at NAMM and select events each quarter, I would be responsible for technical planning, sourcing, presentation, artist roster coordination and scheduling. At the event, I would manage a staff of product specialists who ran demos to showcase our offering; I would also direct interviews and other video capture for later promotional use.
When I was hired, the company was in the process of acquiring more outside developers to expand the offering, but there was nobody charged with managing this group. What started as a curious fascination with the new plugins coming in quickly became a duty to negotiate and navigate this growing third-party landscape, scheduling meetings, discussing launch strategy and marketing initiatives with the most valuable assets in our program.
We needed artists to help tell a story about our platform that customers could relate to. I would reach out – in many cases through a cold email – to artists I found to be a good fit for each product. In exchange for nothing more than free licenses, I'd enlist these professionals' help in developing all the marketing materials we could ever need while also generating a roster of endorsees that we could leverage for several projects down the line.
When I arrived at Plugin Alliance, there was no system for developing positioning documents or marketing copy for new products. Working directly under the guidance of the CEO, I developed a method for positioning new products at a furious clip while galvanizing the company's brand as the industry's leading platform-agnostic toolkit for audio professionals – we averaged 4-5 product launches a month; all handled by our small management team of four. I developed each product's voice through powerful marketing copy, honed key product benefits and target markets, conducted competitive analyses, and scaled content roadmaps to match the yearlong initiatives we would create.
Each member of our small team wore several hats; aside from marketing manager, technical AR manager, customer support manager, and video producer, I was also the point person for event coordination. Each year at NAMM and select events each quarter, I would be responsible for technical planning, sourcing, presentation, artist roster coordination and scheduling. At the event, I would manage a staff of product specialists who ran demos to showcase our offering; I would also direct interviews and other video capture for later promotional use.
After developing a professional relationship with Scott while I was at Plugin Alliance, he hired me to help capture the story behind his latest album while touring to select shows around the country. It was just me, my camera kit, Scott and his VJ. I took every opportunity to question him about his history with the band, carrying the Crystal Method name by himself after his production partner left, and his biggest hopes for this first foray into solo album work. It was one of the most intense project I've done to date; early mornings, late nights, nonstop action and nobody to carry my bags while I staged shots in the airport. But the result was one of the coolest stories I've ever had the privilege to capture on film.
In the last three semesters of school, our classes culminated in a portfolio project of our choice, designed to take the first step into generating professional content for the working world. In the Audio Production degree audit, most of my peers chose something reasonable: Produce a full-length studio album; write a business plan for a record label; develop and productize a library of sound effects; conduct a research project on the history of the modern synthesizer.
Instead, I decided to act upon an idea I had while partying at a club in San Francisco. I wanted to develop a way for struggling Electronic Music makers to get their work in front of an audience by working with seasoned professionals to hone their craft. They would do this via a competition that would creatively limit their resources while striving towards composing around a concept of the guest artist's choice. Basically American Idol for Electronic Music, but with huge technical hurdles inherent to capturing audio and making a laptop production workflow look entertaining.
After countless hours of campaigning the student and faculty body for volunteers; googling ways of using PHP to develop a custom website that accepts uploads from around the world; deciphering ways of promoting the platform to target demographics in the SF Bay Area and coaxing them to come all the way down to Santa Cruz for a casting interview at a local club; and a 13hr shoot, we had a prototype that could prove my concept.
Although we never shopped it around to networks, we still haven't given up on the idea of it one day serving a wider audience. Up until now, the BEAT website still receives submissions from beatmakers all around the world – from Germany, to Zimbabwe, to Hungary and beyond.
We worked with a designer to develop a unique layout that both conveyed audio and differentiated the brand from others with similar names. The key was identifying shapes that made it clear to the layman that the word "beat" wasn't in reference to the healthcare industry, or otherwise infringing on similarly named music brands.
The custom-made website was not just to host videos and information about the concept; it was also a way for interested beatmakers to submit and showcase their work while applying to be part of the series. We had a dedicated page that accepted music files and artist details, which would propagate said files onto the 'contestants' page in a real-time rolling ticker of submissions. The idea is that users could listen to these submissions – as well as music of the judges and guest artist – and eventually weigh in on their preferred participants in following seasons.
We wanted this series to be totally interactive, and Youtube provided the quickest route to this at the time. Rather than have static videos that show a fixed storyline, we wanted the audience to be able to drill down into concepts and media as the story progressed. On Youtube, we were able to create annotations at specific timecodes – when a song popped up, or when a judge was introduced – that linked to relevant external media such as Soundcloud pages or artist profiles. The goal was to eventually have an interactive web of content that would allow the user to experience anything from surface-level documentary, all the way down to in-depth interviews and masterclasses with guest judges and artists.
Following on the idea of interactivity, BEAT culminates in a live nightclub event where audience members can see their favorite beatmakers perform in real time, hearing a showcase of work created during the season. The events culminate with performances by the guest artist(s) who have mentored and groomed the beatmakers along the way.
We worked with a designer to develop a unique layout that both conveyed audio and differentiated the brand from others with similar names. The key was identifying shapes that made it clear to the layman that the word "beat" wasn't in reference to the healthcare industry, or otherwise infringing on similarly named music brands.
The custom-made website was not just to host videos and information about the concept; it was also a way for interested beatmakers to submit and showcase their work while applying to be part of the series. We had a dedicated page that accepted music files and artist details, which would propagate said files onto the 'contestants' page in a real-time rolling ticker of submissions. The idea is that users could listen to these submissions – as well as music of the judges and guest artist – and eventually weigh in on their preferred participants in following seasons.
We wanted this series to be totally interactive, and Youtube provided the quickest route to this at the time. Rather than have static videos that show a fixed storyline, we wanted the audience to be able to drill down into concepts and media as the story progressed. On Youtube, we were able to create annotations at specific timecodes – when a song popped up, or when a judge was introduced – that linked to relevant external media such as Soundcloud pages or artist profiles. The goal was to eventually have an interactive web of content that would allow the user to experience anything from surface-level documentary, all the way down to in-depth interviews and masterclasses with guest judges and artists.
Following on the idea of interactivity, BEAT culminates in a live nightclub event where audience members can see their favorite beatmakers perform in real time, hearing a showcase of work created during the season. The events culminate with performances by the guest artist(s) who have mentored and groomed the beatmakers along the way.