This Is Why You’re Not A Successful Sync Producer (Yet)
If the title pisses you off, this post is for you. 🎰
FROM THE DESK OF GRAHAM BARTON
TUESDAY MAY 30, 2023
Hey Beast,
First off, please don’t let the title of this post piss you off (consider it tough love). If it strikes a chord, I want you to know that I wrote this post with the pure intention of helping you out. And to do it through the lens of figuring out what is and isn’t working for you on all levels, at all times. In summary, you’re going to want to keep this post in your back pocket. Here’s why:
Consider this a magic combination of lessons learned through years of industry experience. Battle scars that every successful sync producer possesses. Something to note here: this has very little to do with monetary success. It's important to note that I’m not disregarding money gains altogether... Money is what follows when you put this "operating system" to work in your sync production career. You’ll see what I mean when you’re cashing in those checks.
I’m giving you 10 key concepts. Some you’ll love, some you’ll hate. But the best part is I’m cutting out all the fluff and bullsh*t. And some friendly advice? When you start to feel the need to speed-read through the ideas that don’t scare you… Resist, my friend. You’ll thank me later when you double-down on the comfy ones. You might feel the need to combat the ideas that do scare you. Take that emotional response as a sign you have some work to do in those areas.
When you think about it, it’s often the things we don’t want to do that help us grow. Because that’s what exactly this post is... It's Graham giving YOU the tools you need to step into the role of a confident, successful sync producer. My wins are your wins – Revisit them as often as you need.
1.) OUT > IN MINDSET
What makes a successful sync producer? They don’t wait for inspiration to strike. Instead, they practice active inspiration by focusing on output over input. As someone who creates something out of nothing every day, there is a conduit that you need to keep clear. And the only way to do that is by outputting more than you input. No exceptions.
So we’re not skipping over anything, you can check out my deep dive of tapping into a state of pure flow. The TL;DR is that outputting more than you input comes down to a choice. The more you choose to output, the easier it becomes to tap into that flow.
Let’s break this down a smidge. The easiest way to start is by outputting two things for every one thing you input (if not 3:1). That is:
Watch an ad…
Get inspired…
Write a track based on the music in that ad…
Write ANOTHER track based on the music in that ad… (in a slightly different way)
This is how you expand your skill set and catalog at the same time. Got it? Right on.
2.) THE CHALLENGE PILL
Successful sync producers don’t overcome challenges, they manage them. We're always going to stare challenges in the face – We signed up for this career path. One challenge leads to another and another. Prioritizing challenges is a skill you can master by getting back up when you're kicked to the ground. A tough pill to swallow.
If it were easy, everyone would do it, is an expression I learned from a personal trainer I worked with back in 2018. He was an old school 80s bodybuilder guy who would yell at you to get the weight up, even if you were lifting five pounds. He matched my internal intensity (I'm an Aries) and I’m so grateful for all that he taught me beyond training the body. And when you’re done with this post, you can look forward to that post-leg day kinda feeling (mentally, of course).
Anyway, one day my trainer worked me to the ground on squats. I’m talking about burning, noodle leg status, lack of motor skills, begging for breath, kind of squats. And as I’m lying lifeless on the floor, Bill smirks and says, “You know, G,” (he gave all his clients nicknames), “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Let that one sink in and let it change you forever. 💪
3.) SHARE OR DIE
Successful sync producers share their work with collaborators as early and often as possible. Subjecting your output to critique, opinion, and intervention is the only way to improve it, no matter the cost. Does that scare you? Don't let it.
Don’t see this one as an option – It’s a must. Song demos exist for one reason: To prove to yourself that a song is worth creating. Song demos are a PITCH. Mumble voice memos are a PITCH to convince yourself that a melody fragment is worth pursuing. A half-mixed, dog sh*t WIP is a PITCH to convince your executive producer to offer further guidance. And good guidance is golden, so why stunt your work by keeping it under wraps?
At the core of sharing your work is one of the most valuable assets of your life: Feedback. With feedback, you grow. Without it, you die. Another way of looking at it is the reason our hands can feel if something is hot: Feedback. It’s the reason you feel ashamed when you spell a word wrong in a grade school spelling bee: Feedback. Successful sync producers are masters at asking for feedback and turning it into results. No excuses.
👉 Crush this tiny book in a single Saturday.
4.) PROCESS > OUTCOME
Successful sync producers attach reward to the process, not the outcome. It’s a fact that dopamine fires in the brain throughout the creative process and stops firing upon completion.
The easiest way to create an insanely valuable track is to be extremely present in the process. The fastest way to get extremely present is by zooming in on the details and being a relentless stickler. Become a “devil is in the details” kind of person. After all, noticing the deets is a measurable thing you can do as your produce tracks from start to finish.
Only the process produces results. That grueling, taxing, tedious, demanding, soul-sucking journey that you "never asked for" when that shiny, new idea popped into your head... Pesky shiny, new ideas. The details are the game to play and the winning move is to go after them with everything you’ve got. Love the “details” game, love the production process, love your high-value results (tracks).
P.S. Supes and editors can hear when you shortcut the details in your music. Consider this the equivalent of a friend telling you you’ve got spinach in your teeth so you don't around looking like a silly goose.
5.) DO IT AGAIN
Successful sync producers favor repetition over trying new things. The only way to refine a rough and ugly stone is to handle, toss, and polish it... Handle, toss, and polish it... You get my point. The moment you stop and move to another stone, you rob yourself of possessing a gorgeous gem. And why the hell would you do that? 💎
Most sync producers never see outsized success because they quit far too early to compound tiny wins (and you’re better than that). This matters because HUGE accomplishments come from many SMALL wins along the way. When you produce with a one-and-done approach, you fail to master a genre, writing style, or production trick.
The difference between good and great is not talent, but gumption... Shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness. We successful sync producers are NOT idealists – We’re opportunists. Doing something over and over again is infinitely more valuable than doing it “right” once.
6.) EAT THE F#^%.
We’re halfway there, stretch those legs then keep on trucking. Ready?
Successful sync producers eat the frog daily. Mark Twain likened the hardest task of any day to a frog that you must eat. Once you eat the frog, every other task becomes easier. This is how successful sync producers front-load their days with impact and momentum. Only able to visualize a frog between two slices of bread?
Visualize this: You wake up, forced to abandon your typical morning routine. No coffee, no shower, no comforts. You walk down the hall, then down the stairs, and mosey into the kitchen. You kick some dog toys on the way (big ouch). You sit down at the dining table and a giant dead frog on a ceramic plate stares back at you. After you eat the frog, you earn back your routine, your coffee, and your shower.
Not a horrible deal, right? Do that one super hard thing, then earn the things you want in life. Pretty disgusting, right? Successful sync producers get the hardest thing done first every day (ironically, that can also be the most fun). After eating that nasty frog, everything else seems easy. Bon appetit.
7.) COLLAB > COMPETE
This next one might seem easier said than done, why? Because of the human ego.
Successful sync producers listen to and learn from people who are better than them at what they do. Jealousy, competition, and judgment do not exist in the mind of a dedicated, successful, confident sync producer.
Here’s a 6-figure mindset: Every person you see as better than you holds the key to your success. No one teaches successful sync producers this mindset – They cultivate it through the organic experience of reaching the next level. Here, there is no such thing as competition. Collaboration is king, even as small and trivial as it may seem.
Someone getting bigger syncs than you? Successful sync producers don’t curse or slander them, they study their work and emulate it as best they can. Someone writes better hooks than you? Successful sync producers don’t let it defeat them, they hire that writer to leverage in their tracks. This simple mindset switch will snowball into a massive WIN STREAK that leaves other sync producers asking, “how’d you do that?”.
The circle of creative life. 🌍
8.) TIME > MONEY
Successful sync producers treat time as their most precious asset (spoiler alert: because it is). Without it, they would have no process, output, gains, or betterment. This makes them very stingy about who and what they give their time away to.
Melting your mind in 3… 2… 1…
People give away the resource they value least. This explains why some people spend money to have someone to mow their lawn, while others spend time mowing their own lawn. If you want to improve something as cheap as possible, you’ll put hours, days, or years into it no matter the task. The inverse is also true: If you want to improve something as fast as possible, then you’ll pay someone to help solve your problems in a streamlined way... Tax accountants, dentists, plumbers (and oh man, the list goes on).
This is why I’ve paid thousands and thousands of dollars to coaches to become a better creator. I value my time so much that money becomes a fleeting thought. Why? Because I know how much more money I can make if I only had more time. More time to produce f*cking insanely valuable music. More time to serve my private clients on our vibrant, info-rich Roundtables inside Sync Beast. More time to write down my thoughts and experiences for you in this blog post because I love ya. Make me proud, yeah?
9.) LIMIT YOUR OPTIONS
Successful sync producers say “no” to opportunities more often than “yes”. Instead of working on 10 things at once, they’ll work on one to three impactful projects that move the needle. Because without protecting their focus, they’ll spread thin. Danger zone.
Jay Shetty calls it the Monkey Mind vs. Monk Mind in this book. The Monkey Mind is overwhelmed by many branches; the Monk Mind focuses on the root of an issue. The Monkey Mind is distracted by small things; the Monk Mind is disciplined. The Monkey Mind multitasks; the Monk Mind single-tasks.
Mastering the Monk Mind is the obvious goal, but it’s unattainable if you’re unwilling to simplify. Successful sync producers know that when they say “yes” to one thing, they say “no” to another. Example: Taking on an artist client who wants to finish a song to upload to Spotify versus working on a track that will no doubt generate more revenue in the sync game. Taking on the Spotify client fills your plate and leaves no room for the sync track. This isn’t an all-you-can-eat buffet. Better choose wisely.
10.) GRATITUDE OR BUST
Lastly, it all comes down to a little thing called gratitude.
Successful sync producers are grateful for the process. Gratitude promotes presence – Successful sync producers know that the more present they are in a project, the more they have to offer it.
I’ve said it once in this post, I’ll say it again: The easiest way to create an insanely valuable track is to be as present as possible. Presence cultivates gratitude when you let it. Keep a journal, have follow-up conversations about writing sessions, document the process, keep written to-do lists for when you get wild ideas for revising a track in the shower. These things help you stay focused on the valuable music you produce.
By doing so you’ll not only finish more tracks, you’ll also emerge with a bunch of proof you were there, you were in it, you have something to show for it, and you have a lot to be grateful for. And the plus side is that you can learn more about your own process and move into the next project 10 times more confident than the last. If this one feels too “easy,” let it simmer and reflect on how you’re putting gratitude into actual practice. After all, genuine gratitude doesn’t come easy. You have to be willing to be grateful for the entire process (even the hard stuff).
Be there for it. You’ll do bigger things better. 📝
If you took notes along the way, rad. If you’ve saved this to revisit, even radder. You will never hit 100% of these at one time. There will always be something to improve or pivot toward. You’ll spend time nurturing one area, while inadvertently neglecting another. And that’s okay. These things come in seasons and cycles. The best thing you can do is acknowledge it, lean into it, and enjoy the process.
Working on music comes naturally to us – working on ourselves, does not. We can’t always know what parts of ourselves need improving, but I hope these concepts help you organize and take one important step forward.
Make something f*cking amazing today. And stay hungry all the time.
All my best,
Graham Barton
Sync Producer · Mentor · Imperfectionist
@syncbeast.co
@syncbeast
