How to build professional relationships and add value to build your game composition career
Jason Graves said it best: you don’t break into this industry, you sort of… “ooze” into it. And that oozing is a process of showing up, day in and day out, meeting new people, forming relationships, composing lots of music, and just generally being a helpful, kind, and easy person to work with.
I’ve spent many hours searching for the secret sauce on how to get gigs; the hidden code, the secret society of developers who are just chomping at the bit to hire you…
Spoiler alert: that doesn’t exist.
That said, there are some tactical things you can do before you bust up into your next local game meetup with business cards in hand. These are things I’ve picked up from my own experience or learned firsthand through my conversations with successful composers on my podcast, Composer Code.
You must become a farmer
Probably the most helpful metaphor I’ve heard on getting gigs came from my conversation with Emmanuel Lagumbay. He likened composers to farmers. The similarities are uncanny.
Farmers must be a patient people. Crops do not yield fruit overnight. Farmers must plant their seed wherever and whenever they can. They can’t control the sun, the weather, or insects. They can only show up everyday, plant their seeds, and wait – even in the face of unfavorable results.
Successful freelance composers do not get to their place of success without patience. No developer is hunting for some random composer to hire. This is an uphill battle that comes from making music and “planting seeds” like a persistent farmer.
You never know what a business card handed out at GDC four years ago will yield. You never know when a bad contract will nix a deal you thought was a sure thing.
The relationships you make at your local game jams might be nothing, or they may turn into a full-time job for you. These are things you cannot control.
What you can control, you can make sure you’re doing to the fullest of your potential. You can maximize every avenue, seek to add value to every relationship, be a helpful presence to anyone and everyone you meet, and more.
Oh… and one more similarity to a farmer: corn doesn’t grow overnight. It takes TIME. Lots and lots of time. We’re talking several years. But we should be glad about that… that means there’s a higher barrier to entry, and only the strong will survive.
The Unwritten Rules of Human Interaction
So it’s time to try out this farmer mindset “in the wild.” You need to meet people. Yes, that means getting up out of your chair, getting in your car, and putting yourself in potentially uncomfortable situations. Are you still with me?
I sympathize with introverts here. I am what you might call an extroverted introvert. The place where my energy recharges is at the piano, with my wife and son, or on the computer writing. That’s just the way I’m wired. However, I have trained myself to be extroverted when I need to be.
A career in sales and marketing has a nasty way of doing that to you.
So take heart if you’re an introvert. You don’t need to be the life of the party to succeed at meeting new people. You just have to be curious, and know a few things about human psychology.
Here are some do’s and don’ts of networking:
Do not bash other composers
Almost every game composer I’ve spoken with has had nothing but positive things to say about their colleagues. There’s a reason for this. This is a communal industry. This isn’t like the film scoring industry, which I’ve heard from reliable sources is very cutthroat and competitive.
In games, we look out for each other. When we can’t do a gig, we pass it to a friend. When our buddy releases a game OST, we support them on bandcamp.
Ergo, the quickest way to ostracize yourself is to publicly bash other composers. This seems so ridiculous to even type out, but I think there are people out there that need to hear it.
Do not compare your music to a AAA title
The fastest way to disappoint a prospective client is to tell them your music is like Super Mario Odyssey meets Bioshock meets Waverace 64 (which sounds like it could either be really awesome or a complete abomination).
Unless you are damn sure your music is just as good, if not better, than those titles, you are setting yourself up for unmet expectations in the person you’re trying to woo.
Do not take credit for other people’s work
There is nothing grimier than trying to one-up a conversation at a conference or meetup by laying claim to another composer’s work. If you’re the assistant to the assistant sound designer for Red Dead Redemption II, do not say, “Yeah, I did the audio for RDR II.”
Because when that person gets home and Googles the composer or sound designer, they’re not going to see you. And they’re not going to believe another word that comes out of your mouth, much less work with you.
Do not ramble on
There is nothing more exhausting for an introvert than listening to someone drone on and on about themselves, their achievements, their prowess, the people they know, or the projects they’ve worked on.
Even if you’re an amazing composer or sound designer, that’s just not attractive or pleasant to be around. The remedy? Err on the side of asking more questions than giving answers. Use the fact that people love to talk about themselves to your advantage; don’t fall prey to it.
Do not critique games needlessly
Many times at my local meetup here in Orlando, local developers will bring builds of their games for the community to play. It’s clear that these developers put their hearts and souls (and often their life savings) on the line to make these games, and while some of the early builds can be a bit shaky, I’m almost always blown away by the talent in my neighborhood.
That said, there are a few people that will inevitably needle the developer with “constructive criticism.”
There is a time for brainstorming. There’s even a time for (private) feedback. Publicly raking the game over the coals for an audience? Not cute. And not a great way to make friends and influence people.
Do not look distracted or bored when talking to people
I remember Morgan Spurlock comparing New York and Los Angeles. He said people in NYC will look you dead in the face and tell you your art sucks, while people in LA will tell you it’s amazing while looking past you to the next more important person they want to talk to.
Don’t be this guy or gal. It’s a simple principle. When someone is talking with you, don’t be thinking about the next person you want to talk to. Don’t look at your phone, your watch, or over their shoulder. Look them in the eye, smile, and actually listen to what they’re saying so you can respond appropriately.
Do not treat every interaction like a business deal
These people are people just like you. They have hopes, dreams, budgets, bills, and families. Don’t go into these conversations with a singular eye to making money or striking a deal.
Talk about your favorite games. Talk about your favorite composers. Better yet, just ask them, “so what are you working on these days?” That question is such a goldmine for getting to know someone. (Another great one is “what’s been keeping you busy lately?”)
It blows my mind how hamfisted some people can be with promoting their services. I remember a digital marketing networking event I went to for work. A gentleman was literally going up to every single person, and just handing them his business card.
When my turn came, I tried to strike up a conversation, but by the time I sputtered out two words, he was already walking away to the next victim.
It was so cringy, I almost felt bad for the guy. Of course, I immediately tossed his card.
Do follow-up early and often
There are only two reasons why composers don’t follow-up after meeting someone they think may be a good business fit. The first is that they’re lazy. That’s stupid. We’re better than that.
The second is valid: they’re nervous about appearing desperate or bothersome. I’m here to tell you that’s just not true.
My first gig as an inside salesman had me cold-calling government entities to sell them software. It was my first sales job, and it was a grind.
My biggest fear was that my incessant calls would annoy people, and drive them further away from buying our software (or even worse, they’d be a grumpy gills to me on the phone).
The data is clear: the more times a cold caller follows up with a prospect, the more likely they are to get an answer, and potentially get a “yes” to their ask. The data showed following up could only net positive results, and not negative.
Every good thing – let me say it in italics for dramatic effect – every good thing in my career of composition has resulted in me confidently, politely, kindly following up, sometimes four or five times.
My Composer Code guests almost always required at least two touches (communication attempts) to get on the schedule. And when they finally responded, not a single one told me to shove off or pound sand.
In fact, most of them were apologetic for not getting back to me sooner and very eager to be a part of the podcast.
People aren’t ignoring you because they hate your guts. They probably aren’t even ignoring you. They’re just busy. Like all the rest of us.
Lesson? Do not be afraid to follow-up often. If you need a reference point, try following up once a week, no more than five times. If you find it’s too few or too many contact attempts, adjust as needed.
Do Listen Closely and Ask Questions
Conversation ain’t easy in 2018. I think the internet is definitely doing something to our brains that makes genuine discourse more difficult.
In the context of trying to get work, “conversation” can also mean “looking for an appropriate spot to interject that I do game audio.” That’s not the right approach.
One thing that Composer Code has taught me is that the real meat and potatoes of getting to know someone – whether it’s a podcast guest or a potential client developing the next great indie game – is to listen closely and ask follow-up questions.
There have been many times when someone has said something I didn’t understand or come to a conclusion that puzzled me, and I’ve actually said, “wait a second, before you go on, what did you mean by x?” or “can you tell me more about y? I don’t quite understand.”
Most people are taken aback and more than happy to go deeper into whatever they were talking about. I think it’s because so few people are actually listening, but rather waiting for their turn to speak.
This is where the good stuff happens. Two or three “why?”s deep. 🙂
Do Volunteer to Play Games that Are Demonstrated
It can be uncomfortable to insert yourself into conversations at meetups or conferences. A great segue into conversation is to volunteer to play games that are on display.
At a recent meetup, I volunteered to play a VR game that a local dev team was demonstrating. It was the first time I’d ever tried full VR, so I made a fool of myself and got a few laughs.
It made for a very laid back and fun conversation with the developer afterwards. The conversation very organically turned toward music (the current build of the game had none), and my work as a composer.
Full disclosure: we didn’t move forward with any sort of commissioned deal, but it was amazing how the simple act of volunteering myself to try a game opened fruitful conversational doors.
Do Seek to Add Value in Every Conversation
When you go to conferences with the mindset of adding value, it’s incredible how it transforms your perspective. Just because someone can’t give you a job, doesn’t mean you should write them off or move on to the next conversation.
Be known as the guy or gal who has helpful answers for almost everything.
Even if you don’t know the answer to someone’s question, find out for them. Even if they’re talking game engines and you don’t know the first thing about programming, figure out a way to be additive.
Maybe it means introducing them to a local dev you know. Or perhaps it’s as easy as forwarding an interesting article you recently saw on Medium about programming.
All of the above guidelines for social interaction and networking are summed up in this point. Add value to others, and the odds of them reciprocating that value to you will only increase.
Not every client is a great fit, though. There are some bad eggs out there that will cost you more than just money should you choose to partner with them.
Here’s some advice I’ve picked up from seasoned vets on how to avoid bad fits in your career as a game audio professional.
Avoiding Bad Fits, Rotten Deals and Toxic Clients
To continue the farming metaphor, some plants are more trouble than they’re worth. They require costly resources to maintain, and the yield they produce is negligible.
Sometimes, it’s better to let plants die (I think? I don’t know anything about farming but farmers, hit me up in the comments and please tell me my metaphor holds up here).
It’s okay to be selective – even early on
“There’s this culture out there,” Taylor said. “Where beginners just have to suck it up and take the abuse from developers. But I don’t need to deal with that, there are plenty of nice people out there. It just takes some effort to find them.”
This just perpetuates the idea that music is a second-rate element of video games.
Look for the trifecta of success
There are three elements of a good business relationship. They are money, feasibility, and culture.
Money
First and foremost, do the numbers work? Is it worth your time? Are the developers endlessly haggling you over your rates or do they understand the value of music and sound?
Feasibility
Have you been commissioned to perform duties outside your skill set? If you’re a chiptune composer and you’ve been hired to write a live orchestral score with real players, is that something you feel confident you can learn how to do and deliver within the allotted time?
Oftentimes, the thrill of a gig makes me want to say yes to everything. But accepting something that I can’t feasibly deliver on is only shooting myself in the foot.
Culture
This last one is so, so important. Culture means different things to different people, but here are some basic questions that reveal whether you’re stepping into a toxic culture or a healthy one:
- Does the client have a history of unfinished or canceled projects?
- Do they communicate respectfully, punctually, and clearly?
- Do they badmouth fellow employees, other composers, or other developers?
- Do you know anyone else who’s worked with them? If so, can you contact them to better understand their working relationships?
- Do they have a marketing plan? How about a timeline for release?
- Are they hobbyists, full-timers, or something else entirely?
After you answer these questions, your decision will be subjective and weighted heavily by your gut feeling. I know everyone says it, but I’ll say it again here: trust your gut.
If you need counsel from a friend or fellow composer, feel free to reach out to the kind folks at the Business Skills for Composers Facebook group. There are tons of seasoned vets eager to help out up-and-coming creatives.
Specific places to go and network
I’ll end this post with a list of some of the most reputable places you can network, build relationships, and meet like-minded creators.
- Game Jams
- Meet-ups
- Conferences
In my next few posts, I’ll discuss how to prospect for commissioned work online, and how to overcome the “first gig” hurdle.
See ya there!