The Sync Beast 2024 Action Plan
If making actual traction in sync is on your 2024 to-do list, read this.
FROM THE DESK OF GRAHAM BARTON
FRIDAY JANUARY 5, 2024
Beast,
2023 brought both amazing opportunities and challenges that I’d like to shine a light on. They all stem from the growth we experienced inside Sync Beast this past year.
We saw an incredible influx of producers, songwriters, topliners, and everyone in between. With that influx came the need for more structure for myself, my team, and the people inside.
Q1 saw 5 enrollees — Q2 saw 9 — Q3 saw 24 — Q4 saw 29. And that’s only the people who joined a Sync Beast program (we only have two). Counting our workshops and learning opportunities, we easily cracked the 100 person mark. And that’s something I’m incredibly proud to say. 🙌
THE OPPORTUNITIES:
The Sync Beast Accelerator is the new program my team and I launched in 2023. Born from more intense programs offered in the past, we modified how Sync Beast supports people in the following ways:
Easier access to vetted producers and composers
Unlimited feedback and guidance on works in progress
Consistent weekly group calls for accountability
In-demand library briefs to help with project creation
Comprehensive masterclass on the Sync Beast methodology
Hours of bonus content to accompany the masterclass content
Roadmaps, checklists, and cheat sheets for how to build tracks that sync
Priority pitch opportunities to my contacts at Marmoset
This is what I thought was so cool about the SBA. Until I learned that it’s all overshadowed by the transformations the enrollees experienced over the last 6 months (more on this later).
THE CHALLENGES:
Adding more support always means a greater need for structure. Now, enrollees can work in real-time alongside myself and others in the program. Which also creates the need for more touch points and access, online and offline. This is why I’ve taken on the role of Executive Producer for all projects that come through the SBA.
A clear path is also required. What Sync Beast did have in the past was a strategy and developing practicum, which provided the foundation for the SBA. What Sync Beast didn’t have was a sequence that people could follow to ensure they were on the right track at all times during production.
Those who join the Sync Beast Accelerator are ready for clear, confident action without hesitation. They’re unafraid to get their hands dirty, make mistakes, and get back up when they fall down. Which is why having a clear path is so important. This inspired me to smash every phase of the Sync Beast methodology down to a simple 5-step production plan that anyone can follow – Beginner to Expert. 🛣️
👉 You can grab the Sync Beast Production Plan here.
Structure allows the people inside the SBA to grow – This is what 2023 taught me. The amount of growth depends on the way the structure is built. Rigidity has nothing to do with it. In fact, flexibility is more valuable in our case.
Think of the way skyscrapers are built to sway and withstand gale force winds. That’s the durable, flexibility that has allowed enrollees to grow far beyond what they (and myself) expected in the last 6 months inside the SBA.
THE TRANSFORMATIONS:
Before Nick Rauch joined the SBA, he was frustrated musically. He actively pursued sync opportunities and collaborations, but felt like he was running into walls and on the road to burnout. Plus, everyone he showed his music to told him that his music wasn’t sync’able. Which obviously hurt super bad despite his hard work.
But Nick chose to make a lasting change. He fell and got back up on his own terms. Since joining the SBA, he tells me he feels like he’s finally making music with purpose. And he’s found other songwriters to collaborate with that are on the same path as him. Most importantly, Nick is now focused on creating higher-value sync tracks rather than chasing placement opportunities (a 180º from where he started).
Before Sal Huerta joined the SBA, he found the whole sync experience to be a bit confusing and lonely. He was neck deep in it, ready to make waves, but found himself floating in massive amounts of information online. Sal knew that he couldn’t make the traction he wanted if his feet weren’t planted firmly on the ground.
So Sal stepped up and fought the current. After joining the SBA, he finally felt like everything clicked. And he doesn’t feel like he’s in it alone anymore, which is something that so many people in sync go through. Sal knows how crucial it is to be around like-minded individuals, and that’s where high standards are forged. He has a clear understanding on how to tackle his sync career in the correct way using modern creative tools. And, most importantly, with a brand new mindset.
Before Kristina Nilsson joined the SBA, she felt like she was running in circles and couldn’t really decide on which opportunities to take. A great problem to have, but still a problem that she needed to solve. She got placements and custom jobs, but always felt like she was starting new projects blind and without a real strategy. The murkiness slowed her down and caused annoying decision paralysis. So many opportunities, so little clarity.
So Kris flipped the script. She realized her results are only as good as the actions she takes to get them. Kris got the strategy she was looking for inside the SBA. She feels like she can now properly attack a brief without feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed. She tells me that the clarity she’s gained is worth “so, so much”. The SBA took her stress away and replaced it with a set of rules she can follow with every single project.
These are just three of the many transformations that came out of the founding cohort inside the Sync Beast Accelerator. Summer 2023, we announced the SBA at the epic workshop we held in Portland, Oregon. It was the first official time we’d open the doors in 2023, which made it so special to welcome such a hard working, growth-seeking group into the SBA. 🔥
THE SUPPORT:
Every single week, we gather for face-to-face calls. They are an indispensable piece of the SBA, for the very fact that growing with others is what cements the entire experience. This is why Sync Beast switched from 1:1 to group support.
Sync Strategy Calls on Tuesdays that make sure everyone is up to speed and feels like they have a clear target to hit with their works in progress. This is the crucial part of positioning our sync projects for better targeting and pitches.
Feedback Calls on Thursdays & Sundays that keep the spirit of collaboration alive in our world. It’s too easy to create in isolation. The best cure for creativity block is to show your work to other people who actually care about it. Massive growth happened on these calls in 2023. We have an entire Calls Vault of replays to back that up.
And our beloved Weekly Heat Calls on Fridays, where we review and teardown ads that air on TV right now. This is how we stay at the bleeding edge inside Sync Beast. We can’t provide value in the marketplace without knowing what it wants to buy. Weekly Heat Calls are where we sharpen our minds on what’s hot and what’s not. Invaluable sessions filled with inspiration and intelligent discussion.
THE MISSION:
Too many sync education programs out there make promises they can’t keep, fail to deliver the practical goods, and barely offer the support needed for people who are serious about stacking sync wins. The Sync Beast Accelerator does the opposite.
In the SBA, we see you for who you are, your expertise, and where you’re at on your journey. We’ve designed this program to ensure that you’re not starting from square one (this is not a sync 101 “course”). Wherever you’re at, we get you to take the next natural step forward.
The SBA is now officially open to creators in sync who are ready to grow, ready for change, and ready to get serious about their career. We hold space for producers, composers, songwriters, artists, and topliners who understand that sync loves speed.
The sooner you crack the code, the sooner you create more opportunities for yourself. It’s our mission to help you master the creative tools of the game so that you can enter the new sync arena fully-equipped to provide value and stand out from the crowd.
In the last 10 years, sync licensing has grown more popular and desirable. The skeptics of the past now see its promise and are finally ready to cash in. But, little do they know, they’re at an extreme disadvantage. They’re entering an industry with an uniformed optimism so great, they wonder why no one knocks on their door with an oversized check as soon as they cold email a library. 🤷
We turn sync into a game by building our tracks by a set of creative, technical, and psychological rules – This is what makes the game fun, simple, repeatable, systematic, clear, confident, predictable, durable, and lucrative for us inside Sync Beast.
Messieurs Swank, agrees: He wanted a consistent and sustainable strategy for sync. He used to be all over the place, experimenting with different strategies without a clear target to hit. The SBA gave him the road map to the destination he desired. He tells me that he feels more confident about the music he makes and the decisions behind it. 💪
And Phoebe Danskin, who felt lonely because she didn’t have a go-to person to ask for help and guidance while vetting opportunities: Phoebe wanted to focus on the right opportunities, but knew it would take a new perspective to do so. Since joining the SBA, she’s been able to throw fewer irons in the fire, and increase the quality of the projects on her plate. And she can make bolder growth steps because she has a reliable, structured support system in place. 🏔️
And Derek Webb, who wanted his progress in sync to move faster: Derek had taken some “sync 101” courses that gave him nothing but basic sync vocab terms and not much in the way of actually building the music. After only a few months inside the SBA, Derek gained a better understanding of the sync game and a new mindset on building sync projects that have a shot at getting consistent big brand pitches. He’s fully embraced the fact that focus, strategizing, visualizing, and execution are now some of his best friends in this industry. 🎯
THE DECISION:
If you’ve made it this far, then I’m positive something here spoke to you. And that was by design. That is to say, I know you want something that many people want – Only you want to get it in a rare way. I feel you on that, 100%.
It’s January 2 as a I type this. Have you made your resolutions? Have you set your goals? Have you made your commitment to getting uncomfortable and making 2023 look laughable compared to 2024?
The difference between you today and you in 12 months is found in the decisions you make and the actions you take. And the crazy part? The results you want are found in the actions you avoid. Examples before I wrap this sucker up:
Creating music isolated and alone?
You’ll hit your goal when you dive head first into collaboration.Stuck doing the same mediocre things that create mediocre results?
You’ll hit your goal when you reject mediocrity.Paralyzed, unsure of which opportunities to say “Yes” to?
You’ll hit your goal when you say “No” more often.
Of course, those are just a few examples. I’m sure you can come up with your own if you’re brave enough or think hard enough. 💎
The decision ahead of you takes bravery. It takes a lot to get uncomfortable. Trust me, I’ve been where you are. Many other people have been where you are. The hard-to-face truth is that your success lies in the decisions and actions you’re not taking.
If making actual traction in sync is on your 2024 to-do list, then I offer you a space to grow inside the Sync Beast Accelerator. The road is long when you go it alone – The SBA is designed to shorten the road and accelerate you in ways you won’t find on your own or anywhere else. Bold claim? Call it what you will.
This is what I know: It works. Everything we do inside the SBA works. The methodology increases the value of our tracks. The production plan positions our sync projects for successful library pitches. The strategy increases the visibility of our tracks in a library. And the accountability ensures that our tracks get big brand pitch opportunities.
In the SBA, we don’t chase the game – We play it. There’s a seat for you here if you’re ready to play. Click the button below to apply for your spot in the SBA.👇
See you on the other side, and stay hungry. 🔥
All my best,
Graham Barton
Sync Producer · Mentor · Imperfectionist
@syncbeast.co