“In February of ’21 I just randomly started. I just filmed a video, and I was like, ‘Okay, whatever.’ Well, it was February 11th, and then February 15th we were on our way to pick up my dog, my puppy at the time – she was you know, nine weeks old – and I started getting notifications on my phone and I was like, ‘Oh, weird, I must have left some somebody, like, a comment on YouTube or something.’ And all of a sudden, I look and I’m like, ‘Whoa, my video is popping off.’ I was like, ‘What do I do with this?’ And so I just, like, doubled down.” – Marco Cammarota

This week’s guest is a professional opera singer turned voice actor turned YouTuber. He grew up loving video games and video-game music after first discovering them when he was seven years old, and since then he’s lived and breathed all things video games. He has a YouTube channel all about video game music – the beauty of modern composition, how it allows us to connect deeper to the games we love, and how we can better learn to understand ourselves through it and the experiences it provides.

His name is Marco Cammarota – sometimes known as “Marco Meatball” – and I’ve been looking forward to hearing about his musical influences and his love of sound, particularly when it comes to video games, for a while now. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(0:00:00) - From Opera to YouTube

We start things off with Marco’s early memories of sound, particularly the songs his Italian grandmother used to play when he was a child. “Even the sound of the accordion triggers like a deep sense of nostalgia for me,” he recalls. “When it comes to music like that, that soundscape is really, really poignant to me.” He tells us more about how his childhood led him to opera, voice work, and even YouTube. “The desire to communicate and express,” Marco explains, “was the thing that awakened through this, like summer camp, and then I think that that’s what led me down the path of musical theater and eventually opera, and, then voiceover and now this current career.”

(0:16:30) - Video Game Music’s Healing Power

Marco discusses the impact of his father’s passing and the solace he found both in grief counseling and through video game music. “Grief counseling is something everyone should do if possible,” he shares, “just because grief is such a powerful and painful feeling. There are really no words to describe how bad it feels.” He talks about some of the game soundtracks that helped him process those emotions, from Outer Wilds to Disco Elysium, and one particularly timeless classic. “Final Fantasy is really based around classical and prog rock,” he explains, “and sometimes integrating the two in one setting. It’s an incredible thing that most of my childhood was based around Final Fantasy’s sound, and I think, like, largely that’s why I also gravitated towards being sensitive to sound and music.”

(0:24:21) - The...

“I think people forget that. I think they forget that there’s a person behind the music and that they need to share that with their audience now more than ever, because if people hear your song and they like your song, they’re gonna go down a rabbit hole. And if they can go down that hole and come across you being genuine, being authentic, actually showing vulnerability, they’re gonna fall in love with you. They like the music, and they like you. That is the definition of a superfan.” – Andy Gesner

This is the second half of my interview with owner and president of HIP Video Promo, Andy Gesner, as we talk about balancing AI content with human connection, his advice on setting yourself apart when it comes to social media, and the critical role that superfans play in building an audience.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(0:00:01) - Creating Visual Content for Music Promotion

“For the first four or five years, music videos really were reserved for those who were either well-moneyed or had backing,” Andy says as we start the second half of our conversation. “All of a sudden, there was this platform called YouTube, and of course, we jumped right on it.” He tells us more about that transition between the MTV era and today’s streaming content, and his advice to clients about the limits of AI content creation. “I have always told clients, ‘Yes, no issues with an AI video, but sport, don’t follow up your AI video with another AI video,’” he explains. “The best way to get to the next level and get to those thousand superfans… You have to make a human connection.”

(0:10:46) - Music Promotion Strategies and Philosophy

He tells us about his work helping musicians cross the bridge to social media promotion and engaging with their fans, and how much work it can be for creatives who aren’t naturally outgoing. “They don’t appreciate sometimes that they are public figures,” he tells us, “and that they need to be doing the things their less talented, much more lazy competition are not going to do.” Andy warns us, however, against losing sight of what’s important in the rush for more engagement. “Everybody’s concerned about the follower count,” he says. “And they’re upset that the YouTube view count is low and they want to know how to get the streams up, and they’re concerned about how many subscribers they have... I’m finding they are forgetting about the song. You’ve got to be focused on your song.”

(0:26:37) - Promoting Artistic Encouragement and Support

As our conversation comes to a close, Andy tells us about some of his latest projects, including one particularly unlikely new pop star. “We’re working on an unusual project,” he explains. “Her name is Gwen, and she’s dead. In fact, Gwen isn’t even real. She is the star of a new streaming television program.” He tells us how listeners can get in touch, whether it’s Instagram, YouTube, or even a plain old phone call. “If you love your job,” Andy says, “you never work a day in your...

“I said, ‘Well, uh, my team and I would love to see the video,’ and the woman at Lost Highway said, ‘All right, let me pop a VHS in FedEx, it’ll be there tomorrow morning.’ So, we watched the Johnny Cash Hurt music video and once we’d wiped a tear out of our eyes, I got on the phone. I said, ‘Retta, put us in, coach. We want to play.’ And the rest is history. It was and remains still the most iconic music video of an artist doing a cover to date.” – Andy Gesner

This episode’s guest is the owner and president of HIP, one of the most trusted names in music marketing. He’s been releasing records since 1979, giving him firsthand insight into the complexities of the music industry, and he’s channeled his expertise and passion for music into uplifting fellow artists over the past twenty-four years. He and his team have promoted over 4,800 music videos, championing some of the most renowned artists and best indie talent from all corners of the globe.

His name is Andy Gesner, and if you’re a musician, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. I know how hard it can be these days to make a living from your art, and it can be even harder if you don’t pay attention to marketing. If you’re creative, you have to wear a lot of hats, and if you’re looking for tips, Andy has some great ones to share in this two-part discussion.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(0:00:00) - From Sound to Promotion

Our conversation starts off with Andy’s very first memory of sound, which just happens to be the Beatles’ historic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. “Well, my sister starts screaming like a banshee and she starts twirling around like a whirling dervish,” he recalls. “And I look over at my brother, and his jaw hits the floor. And I look at this little black and white TV and there are these four guys with what at the time was considerably long hair.” He tells us about how his career shifted from performance to promotion, and what his work on Johnny Cash’s classic “Hurt” video taught him about taking creative risks. “It was like, ‘We can’t play a Johnny Cash video on MTV, no way,’" he remembers producers saying at the time. “People thought Johnny’s version of Hurt was a bit too out there. But you and I both know, as a marketing person, you present, and the public decides.”

(0:19:46) - The Importance of Music Videos

Our discussion turns to how the digital era has reshaped music promotion and how the music videos of the ‘80s paved the way for today’s influencer culture. “Now more than ever,” he explains, “artists, independent creatives, are public figures, and you can’t just sit on the couch and say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to do any of that public figure stuff, I just want the world to love me for my music.’ Those days are over.” We talk about the bands that, starting around the turn of the 21st century, have had to rely on video and online marketing instead of radio airplay, and he shares a memorable example. “I remember in 2007,” Andy says, “sending...