I have thirty years of experience working at the highest level of music and broadcast programming. Co-authored fifteen books on the creative use of technology in the music industry. I’ve written over a hundred blogs posted on Ferro City and social media. Completed seventy-plus One-on-One interviews and documentaries with industry legends and working professionals in all aspects of entertainment: Broadcast, Music recording, and Live events, including Broadway and concerts. Have been part of and produced several streaming series on FerroTV.  

Hearing first-hand these fascinating life stories from these amazing people was incredible. As different as these stories all were, the big reveal is everyone’s professional growth and experiences are similar. Whether you’re a multi-Grammy award-winning music producer/recording engineer, a Tony award-winning choreographer, or a Hollywood stunt coordinator. Nor does it matter if you’re just starting out or have been at it for decades. We all go through the same learning pains and successes. Eventually, we all end up needing the same life support system.

That life support system narrows down to developing a solid network of core professionals who have your back and a method to continue reinventing our talents and skills.

Having identified those strategies as the foundation of my successes, I tested the theory in my interviews and my research for the blogs. What was revealed was again fascinating. As much as we all depict our careers and our industries as chance encounters, capitalizing on random sequences of events that somehow drive us forward. The truth is far from random.

When you watch the On Location interview series and ignore the enormous, many-time historic events my guests have contributed to, you will hear them repeatedly share the same secrets to success. In their own words, each of them does the big reveal without even knowing they are laying out a path for us to follow. A path that is not based on a birthright or natural abilities. It’s a path that is actually only revealed once you make the leap and follow the signs. And it is definitely not random opportunities offered up by the universe. It’s developing an instinct to identify the opportunities you feel you have the aptitude for and drive to take a shot at.   

You hear most of us say there is no fixed path in the creative industries. That’s because, compared to other industries, there isn’t. For example, if you opt to join the medical profession. You and all your peers have a predetermined education path you must achieve. No doctors learned on the job or as an apprentice right out of high school. Next are programs of internships and residency you must accomplish. You then identify a particular area of focus to practice or move into research. In either case, the paths you choose are defined.

This pattern is similar in Law, Finance, and STEM. The paths have been very efficiently defined for you.

Unfortunately, there has never been a defined step-by-step path to a goal in the creative field. The reason is simple: our collective creative processing constantly changes, altering our goals and processes.  

Our path is not based on a repetitive formula like medical and law. It’s a gathering of knowledge from the day-to-day working experience and your exposure to the environment. It’s a gathering of knowledge by listening to those who have been defining their path for years.

Defining our path is more like teaching a bloodhound how to track a trail in the wilderness. Once the dogs are taught how to track, it doesn’t matter what or where they are tracking. Once they understand how to follow a scent, they can apply those skills to any circumstance, and each time they apply those skills, they become more proficient. The more proficient they become, the more valuable they become.

Within Ferro City, we provide first-hand accounts via our content that will help you develop your “tracking” skills and provide opportunities to use those skills to accomplish your goals. These are not offered as traditional courses, lesson by lesson, offering you only one way to move forward.  

Ferro City’s method is more natural and broad-minded, learning by hearing stories from people who understand the art of defining paths. I refer to these stories as “road case stories.” Most of my peers and I have developed and honed our paths while hanging backstage or working shoulder to shoulder with our mates on a gig.

Many of us “old timers” tend to repeat the same stories. But interestingly, every time you hear the story, you usually learn something new. The gap between the first time you heard the tale and the next time you have typically added to your experiences, allowing you to identify more deeply with certain aspects of the story you didn’t notice before. So, never shut someone down when they begin with, “Did I ever tell you..” The same is true when interacting with Ferro City content. Each time you watch, read, or listen, you will pick up something relevant to your current career.  

Try making that happen in a traditional classroom environment.