So if you’ve listened to the newest episode [23] of The Electronic DanceCast then you probably noticed a new announcer man telling you “You’re in the mix on The Electronic DanceCast” and other various bumper type phrases that occur once or twice a show. Well man behind that golden voice is someone I consider my friend, Mark Kaplowe of Kaplowe Studios. Read on to hear to odd story of how we met, how he has helped me tremendously in the marketing department, and how a guy who rarely makes new friends [me] made a new one.
Going back 6 months or more, I was in the market for a Mac Pro. My MacBook Pro is a great computer, but when it came to music production, I felt that I needed something with more horsepower to really get into it. Mac Pros are some of the most powerful machines available, and command hefty price tags. I decided a used one would work just fine for me and set out to eBay. I tried and tried but no dice and I decided to check out CraigsList to see what they had to offer. I found an ad for a man not to far away selling off some old gear from his studio. I called him and set up a meeting at his studio that weekend.
It turns out the studio belonged to Mark Kaplowe, a the golden voice of many TV and Radio ads, and a marketing specialist. We met and I checked out the gear he had available, but unfortunately he wasn’t ready to part with the Mac Pro that day. We got to talking and he said “You really know a lot about Macs, huh?” and I admitted my professed love for all things Mac. He explained his IT guy had just quit and wondered if I was interested in being available to help if a problem arose. I told him to call me when something goes wrong and I’ll see what I can do, since I’ve been known to moonlight from time to time.
A week later, sure enough, something went wrong and he called. It took me 2 visits to his studio and a lot longer than I would have liked, but I fixed everything, while we talked. He started grilling me about my interest and passions. I was a little caught off guard at first, but finally revealed my true passion electronic music. I talked about how long I’ve ben doing this, the trials and tribulations of the business, and where I ideally wanted to be. That when he pulls a piece of paper and write at the top “The launch of Mike Charles” on it.
Marketing is a big part of music, [how else are people going to find out about me?], but its something I never really cared for. I was never good at portraying myself as the super awesome best DJ around that you need to hear, but Mark breaks it down and literally lays out a road map of how we can do this, be honest about, and get my goals accomplished.
I won’t bore you with all the details, [nor am I ready to reveal my super-secret plan for world domination!], but since then we’ve had tons of conversations that have really helped me market myself. I’ve also fixed several other tech problems, and after hearing him say “Massapequa” I was able to get the DanceCast a golden, professional voice.
All this has been great, but the best part is not the help I’ve received in my endeavors, but the fact that I [who is closely guarded] was able to add new friend to the arsenal of the eclectic Charles Clan.
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