In my 20s, I released a handful of indie albums before Columbia Records sent me off to make a very expensive album at Real World Studios (this was pre-Napster, back when record companies were flush with cash from CD reissues of back catalogs). It was an indulgent affair replete with hurdy-gurdies, string quartets, french horns, and intimidating family-style meals with Peter Gabriel.
Simultaneously wildly overconfident and deeply insecure, my 25-year-old self made some inarguably self-destructive decisions in that era. Fortunately, I’d managed to leave a few bridges unburned and I eventually earned a couple of platinum records as a writer/producer for some more commercially viable acts. I composed music for advertising (see below) and the theme to an ABC television show I’d rather not name before moving from Venice Beach to Austin in 2005, with my wife Lisa and our then-infant son, Judah.
It was there, while working together on a series of Clinton Global Initiative short films, I forged a creative partnership with editor/director Matt Naylor. Over the next fifteen years, we built a Clio-winning media company, Flow Studios, that works with nonprofits, foundations, and progressive-leaning brands to promote shared values around social good.
I’d initially imagined my primary role to be as music composer for our videos, but quickly became enamored with directing, editing, building websites, and most of all, photography.
Canadian arena act Arkells performs at the Clubhouse, 2018
Meanwhile, I’d gradually transformed the garage behind our rented office, conveniently next door to our house. What had been a glorified laundry room became a pretty magical space, modeled after classic one-room music studios like Muscle Schoals. The room became a favorite of touring acts, who I invited to perform tiny-desk-style secret shows to handfuls of lucky fans. Over the years we've hosted Suzanne Vega, Arkells, Lights, Nancy Wilson, Band of Skulls, Larkin Poe, Frank Turner, and dozens of other acts. Watching young fans sing along as they sit on the floor inches away from a band they idolize has been among the most joyful experiences of my life; rather than build a commercial model for the series, we've given the videos to the artists to share on their own terms.
My wife Lisa, son Judah, and I came to San Francisco last summer to look after Lisa’s terminally ill brother. We stayed with him for a few months at his apartment on 5th at Clement, where he’d been living since 1984. By the time he passed on, we knew for certain we were meant to be here for good. The flat below his was vacant, and his landlords invited us to stay. It's a leap of faith, but we couldn't be happier. We're eager to move the studio here and get settled into the neighborhood.
A final note: from 2015-2021 I was Executive Producer of Hulu’s Small Business Revolution, a show that celebrates the indispensable economic, cultural, and social impact of independent businesses. The local shops, cafés, restaurants, and grocers are the heart and soul of a vital community - and we’re grateful to be welcomed to this one.
