DAVID FRANZ

“ My greatest fear is apathy - the lack of caring. That is, caring for others, caring for our world, or caring for the art we create.”

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. I am a songwriter, musician, music producer, record label owner, TV show host, entrepreneur, and educator. I explore my soul, heart, and mind and write songs about what I find. I dig into the technical side of recording, producing, mixing, and mastering music to turn chord progressions and lyrical fragments into fully actualized pieces of art. I am the show host for the Artist’s Mind, the Artist Spotlight, and Underground Sun Live. As the founder and head of the independent record label Underground Sun, I executively produce a team of creatives, artists, and business-minded folks to help navigate the realities of the music business. And as a content manager at LinkedIn Learning, I help to educate the world in the areas of video, motion graphics, animation, illustration, and music.

Q. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

A. Drive/persistence. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then no one else will. Your passion is the inspiration and your dedication is the motivation. Helping others succeed. As an entrepreneurial manager, enabling the success of the people that work with you is your main goal. If they succeed, you succeed. Openness to change. Learning from experience or mistakes, you may need to step away from your original vision and create a new path. Having a flexible mind, which enables the ability to pivot from one goal to another, is important when starting a new business.

Q. Tell us about your record label (Underground Sun) and the motivation behind it?

A. The name Underground Sun is very intentional. It starts with honoring history: Sun Studio and Sun Records in Memphis produced some of the best early recordings. The term “underground” refers to movements, artists, or genres that aren’t yet in the mainstream. Combined, Underground and Sun refer to shining a light on artists that aren’t known, but that deserve greater appreciation.

Q. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

A. My greatest fear is apathy - the lack of caring. That is, caring for others, caring for our world, or caring for the art we create. With so many options these days, it’s difficult to get attention for any cause, be it fundraising for people in need, helping to not ruin the earth, or supporting artists and their artistry. I focus on the latter: the arts help us to understand our humanity. To me, supporting the arts is equally as important as feeding ourselves and taking care of our planet.

Q. Tell us about your book (Pro Tools)?

A. The right time and place, mixed with the audacity of youth and the willingness to work on zero sleep, enabled me to write the first book about using Pro Tools while I was a student at Berklee College of Music. Producing in the Home Studio with Pro Tools was a collaboration between Digidesign (now Avid) and Berklee College of Music, where I got to combine the technical innovations of the Pro Tools software with the soft skills of music production and engineering that I had learned (and was currently learning) at Berklee. It was trial by fire, or rather, trial by sleep deprivation, and it forced me to ramp up my music production and writing chops insanely rapidly. The impact of the book on my life’s journey cannot be underestimated, as it set me on a course down the double-lane highway of music production and education that I’m still on.

Q. Who has been your greatest motivation?

A. The Beatles and ir George Martin. I’ve tried to embody the best bits of what I’ve gathered from studying their collective creative process. On the songwriting side, I tap into the raw emotion and poignant lyrics of John Lennon, the cleverness, honesty, and musical prowess of Paul McCartney, the deep soul and guitar mastery of George Harrison, and the jovial nature and solid grooves of Ringo. On the music production side, the suave musicianship of George Martin, the engineers who pushed the boundaries beyond their white lab coats, and the no-limitation sonic imagination of the band members inspires me every single day. Honestly, I aspire to incorporate all of those aspects into myself with the goal of becoming a superhuman musician/producer that can write and help others produce songs that become classics and change the world for the good.

Q. Can you tell us a business-related book that have inspired you the most?

A. I read a lot of books across a wide variety of topics: science, biography, business, philosophy, and fantasy. In some way or another, they all teach me about business. To me, business is about storytelling and connection. While not technically a business book, The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler has certainly guided some of my leadership practices. One of the book’s main themes is compassion, which contributes to developing a deeper connection, allyship, and empathy. Lately, I’ve been using the tools I’ve been studying in this book more than anything else in my day-to-day business affairs.

Q. Do you have any new projects or events this year?

A. In 2020, I started hosting a monthly Underground Sun livestream that was a mix of live and pre- produced video content. In 2021, we will take the lessons we learned from those shows and focus on creating high quality pre-produced video content for the Artist’s Mind and Artist Spotlight shows, as well as hosting livestreaming events in the studio and for live music performances. Early in 2021, Underground Sun will be launching a new artist named Star Dunes, with a full- length album and accompanying long-form, dance-based music video for the entire album. We will also be releasing music and videos from several of the other artists on the label… but all of that is a secret!

Q. What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to be an entrepreneur?

A. Your fortitude will be tested, over and over again. You will question yourself. You will question yourself to the point where you absolutely annoy yourself. You will not sleep. You will have short moments or long weeks of freaking out. This suffering is natural. It’s human. It’s normal. Accept that it is part of the journey. Acknowledge it when it appears. Do your best to not give in to the negative feelings. Find solace in the fact that every entrepreneur has felt what you’re feeling. Talk to others about it. Don’t hold it in and think you’re alone. Discussing these feelings doesn’t make you a failure. Instead, it will help you to be stronger, help you to cope with the feelings, and reduce your internal suffering.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. UndergroundSun is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Feel free to reach out! Find me, David Franz, on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.