From Corporate to Creative: Bob Berman's Musical Journey

Carlsbad, people, purpose, and impact, an essential podcast for those who live, work, visit, and play in Carlsbad.

Good morning, and welcome, everyone. My name is Brett Schonzenbach. I'm the president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and I'm your host today. And I'm excited to have with me Bob Berman. Bob is the owner and general manager of Amplified Studios and Amplified Studios Agency.

Good morning, Bob. Thanks for joining me.

Thank you very much for having me.

It's good to have you. Good to get you in here. It's, I'm getting 1, 1 podcast studio guy into another podcast studio, but we'll get there. So you started out as an East Coast guy.

I did. I was born in, New Jersey, to my great fortune, and I lived in Vermont for 30 years. Then I got smart, and I moved to San Diego.

Started on the one coast, came to the other. Good to have you out here. And your, your corporate background, like, I don't think people would guess it when they when when they when we tease out all that you do now, but your corporate background started in process control.

Yes. Yes. I I started a, a distribution company, basically, a VAR, value added reseller, for factory automation and process control equipment because I'd been in the business for 10 years, and I was sick of having a boss. So I can give you the backstory on that. It's pretty interesting.

Yeah. Well, like a true entrepreneur. Right? You got sick of having a boss? Sure.

Yeah. Tell us the backstory.

So my, the last employer I worked, I was a manager of this factory in Brandon, Vermont. And, the people I worked for were very cheap. So I said, hey. I I need money for product development for new products. And they said, well, we don't have a budget for that.

So I said, well, will you, roll me to go over to Asia and talk to vendors over there so I could private label some products? They said, sure. So I started crawling around East Asia. I was in mainly Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and I, worked with a trading company, and I met all the vendors there of process controls, sensors, everything in that particular area. And I did a private label deal with 1, a company called Rika Kagu Japanese company, RKC.

And, I also met the people from this company called Fuji Electric. It's a multibillion dollar Japanese conglomerate. Does heavy duty electrical equipment. And, they also had an instrumentation line, which I was very interested in because they weren't distributing it in the United States. So I wrote a business plan.

I submitted it to their general manager. It just came out of nowhere to him. And then I bought myself a plane ticket and went to Japan to meet with him. And I spent 3 days with this guy, his name is Katsumada, in a bar in the Ginza. We're eating sushi and drinking and talking about what we could do in North America.

And for him, it was a no lose scenario because he wasn't doing any business in North America anyway. So he gave me an exclusive for North America. The 1st 2 years, he paid half my marketing expenses. They were very, very supportive. So I very happily quit my job.

It was on December 22, 1988. I remember because I told my horrible boss. I said, I quit. Here's the keys to my car. And my the person who was my admin at the time had to drive me home because I didn't have wheels.

Yeah.

And it was a typical awful Vermont winter day.

It was

snowing. It was 0. And I just looked out the window. It's like, showtime. Yeah.

And, we took it from there to when I sold it in 22, we were doing 65,000,000 a year. Wow. We had, went from 1 vendor to having a 160. I'd we we really became an in industry changing, force because we introduced ecommerce into the business in 1998. And nobody ever thought you could sell $10,000 pieces of test equipment on such an something so frivolous as the Internet.

Right.

Right. We just said, well, watch us.

Yeah. Why not? Why not? Yeah.

And we we turned it into a, like I said, an industry changing business. And and basically, everybody in the business eventually adopted our business model. Wow. And we got bought up by a company called RKC, big, KKR. Sorry.

Big private equity firm. And the company's still growing. They're treating it very nicely. So Oh, good.

Yeah. That's and I saw on your website this, I think you phrased it from kitchen table to $65,000,000 a year in sales. Yes. That's amazing. Just to do that and, very cool.

So and you had it for 34 years?

34 years.

Yep. And then from that, you sold it to the private equity firm like you just mentioned. And, sounds like you needed just you just basically, at that point, needed something to do.

Yeah. I had never cultivated golf or any of the other things that CEOs generally do. And, I've been a musician all my life. Since Yeah. 13, I was playing gigs and my keyboard player.

And so I turned my office in in Carlsbad into a recording studio. It wasn't even recording first. It was just friends coming over and jamming. It was a kind of a, music hotspot. And then I got the brilliant idea of turning it into a recording studio.

And it just kind of, achieved a life of its own, kept getting bigger and bigger. We're getting more clients. I'm hiring more people. It just grew out of I don't know where.

It just grew organically. So, tell us a little bit more because now we're going into the good stuff about your music background. Like, so you played keyboards, you were gigging, but how you started at 13, and and how did that evolve and and, flower?

So if you if you wanna know my original intention for doing it, it was, to to get girls.

Sure. To meet girls. Of course.

Because I was, I was in 9th grade. I was I was scrawny. I was small, and I actually tried out for the football team. And my, the the coach who's my also my phys ed teacher's name is Joe Gutowski, just a mean, nasty bastard. Yeah.

And he just looked at me and says, get out of here, Berman. So I said, well, that lets out that option. So what can I do? Well, girls love musicians. But the only problem was I wasn't a musician.

Uh-huh. So I had a friend named Larry Sandberg teach me how to play the accordion, which gave me it's it's an amazing instrument because it gives you a lot of skills and a lot of different you get piano scales, you get bass skills. It's it's a rhythm and lead section. It's a kind of a little one man band. Yeah.

And, so I started a band.

Just like, okay. I'm gonna start a band.

Well, we we started a band, and and we eventually got really good. We were all broke. We would make all of our equipment and woodshop. Oh my goodness. And,

so this is still this is we're talking high school here.

High school. Yeah. I did my first gig at the, Middlesex County Fair in Metuchen, New Jersey. And I never played a gig, and I'm looking out and there's a sea of people out there. And and we played and sounded really good, and I was hooked.

I said, oh my god. This is it. I've I've found my calling.

This is it. So you, so you had that experience in high school. And, of course, I mean, you gotta pay bills. So, you know, you had the very successful corporate career here that we just were, articulating. But, that whole time, I'm assuming there's music going on on the peripheries in the background.

I always had a band. I was always playing. I always had my fingers in it. It's gotten me through some of the some really bad times in my life. Having music was, it was my savior.

Yeah. Yeah. I can I can relate? I have a entirely musical family, of my own, mostly to the credit of my spouse. My wife, she plays piano guitar and sings like an angel, and so all the kids have the bug.

But, we'll come back to that. So for so I understand with your comment, though. So it looks like you started Amplified Studios in 2021. Is that right?

Well, I I actually had the studio as my business office from from my company. Yeah. And I'd I'd had it since, 2017.

Okay.

So it was it was a very gradual metamorphosis. I took the back room, and I I actually built a recording, a music studio.

Yes.

I had no idea what I was doing. And it's kinda like a a YouTube, read a book on acoustics type thing. And I've actually learned how to build studios. Yeah. So we've, the room we've got now is very well acoustically treated.

Yep. Because we're also on the flight path of the Palomar airport.

So You don't wanna hear those airplanes while you're jamming?

No. No. What what else Or recording? Recording, though. The mics are very sensitive, so they pick up jets Yep.

Flying 1500 feet on top of you. So

Yes. So you started it out as a place to jam with friends, and we're gonna pause right there. We're talking to Bob Berman, the owner and GM of Amplified Studios and Amplified Studios Agency. And we're gonna come back. When we come back, we're gonna talk about how it's expanded and grown and everything that they have to offer.

So stick with us. We'll be right back. So, Bob, before we took a break, we were getting to the point of starting to really talk about how much Amplified Studios has grown. So starts as a place to jam with friends. Really, it's just an off growth of your own office, so to speak.

But it's so much more now. Why don't you share everything that goes on there that you have available there for, for folks?

So it started as a recording studio, and it was, it was immediately a a pro level studio. I spent, you know, really good money on good equipment. I had good recording engineers. And there was a lot of things missing because when you do a recording for somebody, they've got this great product. And and then they asked themselves, like, what am I gonna do with this thing now?

Yeah. To market music is so difficult. Mhmm. So we started a, artist development program, which basically we, we did EPKs, electronic press kits for musicians. We did websites.

We did their social media. We would do Google advertising if they needed it. And it was kinda like a charm school because we just gave a lot of really good advice about how to further their career, and, it got to be very successful. Then we started doing rehearsals. So when we weren't recording, we were renting out the room for people to rehearse in there.

And, then we developed a podcasting business.

Yep.

And that that's working really well. We're we're, we're doing voice overs. We're doing commercials. We're doing podcasting, a wide variety of different customers. It's it's just a very nice business.

And then as a result of all this, we recording's not a very profitable business. It's it's it's almost a breakeven business even if you're doing it right because it's there's so much high priced labor involved and and minute details. It's it's so, we'd already been doing social media, Google advertising, and, building websites and doing minor business consulting for our clients. And I had a background. I worked with SCORE for 7 years.

I was a

I saw that.

I did a lot of consulting with them for small businesses. And I said, why don't we just build a digital ad agency? Because I need something in here to pay the bills.

Yeah. Right.

So we we it wasn't even a a big shift because we were already doing that. It was just a matter of creating, we're go now going after general business, not just musicians.

Gotcha. So the the, digital marketing agency is for any kind of business, not just your

Right.

Bread and butter, music groups that you're working with.

And our our hook on it is basically, first of all, everybody works at the studio. We've got, 3 full timers and about 7 part time. Everyone's a musician. So you can't really talk to musicians unless you are a musician. You can't really know what's going on in their head.

So the the thing we're selling at the studio is the fact that that they're they're musicians or artists. They're very creative people. So, one of the things we see missing in a lot of agencies today is kind of that that creative spark. Everything's kind of very rigid, and we believe in selling personality. So for any website, any campaigns we do, pretty much focus on the business, but also on the people that work there.

Because when you look at websites today, they're they're so anonymous. Yeah. All of them don't even have phone numbers. Yeah. Like, you fill out a form and send it to us and Yeah.

Maybe we'll get back to you.

Yeah. Exactly. Maybe.

It's such it's such rotten design.

Yeah.

So our our business base because it's like, here are the people working. Here's our picture. Here's their story. So when they come in, they say, oh, that's that's Mark. Yeah.

Mark's a recording engineer. They know that Mark's a professional drummer. He's a recording engineer. He he does so many different things, and and we really manage to connect with our clients. And this is what we bring to the agency business.

Yeah. It's it's it's it's taking a faceless website and putting life into it.

I love that. Going back to your point you made about, you know, musicians being able to talk to other musicians and how important that is. Like, you're not just hiring people off the street to come work at your place. You know, you want people who understand your clientele, and, that resonates. As I mentioned, my entire family are musicians, and, I am not, though.

And so The world needs listeners.

Yeah. I'm glad I can help in that way. I know how to push play on Spotify or whatever the the app is. Right? But just listening to them talk and it's it is a bit like Greek to me because it's not my world, but

they're all in sync and understanding. And, you know, my one son,

he, whose focus is keyboards, and then my youngest son, who's currently a jazz musician student at MiraCosta for keyboards, I mean, when those 2 get going and then my oldest son's a drummer and another kid's a guitarist, you know. And so then they all just start going. And so it's it's really a treat to be around, but it it is not my lingo. I I just like, Do

they have a family band?

Well, unfortunately, now they've diversified to different states, so it's a little bit challenging. One in North Dakota, my, oldest daughter who plays guitar and has written her own music, she's in Idaho. So it's it's gotten spread out a little bit, unfortunately. But, yes, we have gotten them all together to do jams and and to, have some fun. And when my wife and I have, like, big anniversary type things, we're like, we expect you guys to, you know, entertain us.

We we put a lot of time and effort into getting to this point. We expect something here. But they don't disappoint. It's a lot of fun. Lot of fun.

You mentioned your team, and I've had the pleasure of meeting several of them, just fantastic human beings. And, as you pointed out, super engaged and knowledgeable about all that you guys do, both on the digital marketing side and then on the musician side, which is fantastic. You're also, very supportive of students growing in their knowledge of music. And I know you guys have hosted stuff from, Carlsbad Schools. Talk about that a little bit.

So we, we developed a, education program for the Carlsbad High School. We work with Jessica Allen there. Nice. And, it's basically a it's a full course, and it's half in the high school at their their music lab and half at the studio for the hands on. So the curriculum basically covers music production from the very beginning to the the very end to mixing product.

And, it's it's in hour and a half chunks. So we teach at the high school on a particular subject, say it was mastering, whatever the subject was. Then we'd bring her to the studio 2 days later, then they get their hands dirty setting up equipment and watching us do the same thing on the computer. So we do mastering, but so it's book and then hands on. And the program worked great.

We just these these students were they were so into it, and not one of them had their little video game out and playing it because they

were so interested in it. And, they've contracted us for next year too. That's wonderful. I mean, bringing that, that level of exposure, to these students at that age and, you know, teasing out things that they might not have even known, could be directions they could go later in life as a profession or as a musician or whatever. What a fantastic opportunity for those students.

And I'm glad to hear they've contracted to continue it because it seems I love, as you mentioned, the hands on part. So they get it little bit of book knowledge, then they get to actually get their hands dirty, as you said. I love that.

Well, you know, you can teach somebody how to record drums from a book, but having the microphones in your hand and putting them on the snare and putting them on the kick drum and doing the overheads, you really learn how it really works. So it's a a whole world of difference.

So true. So you mentioned, and I I teased at the very beginning that you have your own pause podcast studio. And so folks, even separate from your music clients could come rent your podcast studio?

Anybody. Yeah. We've had some famous people in there. We've had, pretty much any and everybody. It's it's so varied, the whole world of podcasting.

We've had guys come in there just to to kill a couple hours and talk with their buddies. We've had New York Times, bestseller authors come in there and do them. It's it's such a a hodgepodge. And we also do a lot of voice over work. Okay.

We do commercials. We have actors coming in who are actually doing a voice over. Very nice. We had one person from a a pretty large, streaming company, and she was doing voices.

That's wonderful. And, you know, I know we mentioned that, your offices are in the flight path towards Palomar Airport, but we didn't really, you know, state it. But you're you're right here in the Carlsbad Business Park, So super accessible to anybody in the county, obviously, North County, especially, but anybody in the county. And go ahead.

So oh, I'm I'm just saying we, we our radius basically goes, say, down to maybe Delmar, South and North. We get people from Orange County, San Clemente, and it's a pretty local business because we're sitting I mean, LA is is a major world entertainment city. It's a 100 miles away. So Sure. There's, just so many big studios up there.

Yeah. Yeah. For sure. And if somebody wanted to, learn more about you, I believe the website is amplified with a d amplified studios dot com. Is that right?

Correct. That'd be a good place for them to get started and and check you guys out?

Absolutely. And then And we also do for, we're a lot different. So so having run an engineering company, I'm much more focused on process. And before we record anybody, because I get a lot of calls say, hey. I wanna record in your studio.

How much an hour? Like, well, we don't work that. What we do is we have you come in for a preproduction meeting totally free, and you go over your project with with one of our creative people and one of our engineers. And then we pretty much can develop a quote for you based on what we think we heard you say, and that and they get the quote and everything is mapped out. It's all within their budget because we already discussed about the budget.

And, so anybody can really just pop in there and talk about their project.

I love that. Yeah. What a great, approach, you know. You're not trying to just rake somebody over the coals. You're saying, no, let's discuss it.

Let's hear what you're trying to accomplish. We'll show you how we could achieve it and and make sure it's something that works for both of us. I love that.

I think in in the end, it's really a word-of-mouth business, and and word-of-mouth goes two ways, as you know. So, I've I've got a a history of I work with my dad, and he was a deli man. Worked with him when I was a kid all the time and and worked hard, and he, you know, imbued a really strong work ethic in me and, also a strong customer service ethic. And, when I ran my engineering company, I had a couple of rules. One of them was no yelling.

You treat the customers like gold. You do anything for them within reason, of course. Absolutely. So I've taken that same tradition to the studio, and I've taught everybody, said, this is it. If if they need anything, you get it for them.

What whatever they want, you do within reason, and they'll come back. Yeah. They'll tell their friends. And so far, it's working really well.

Yeah. Like you said, word-of-mouth, is still even in this, you know, hyper online era, word-of-mouth is still king. You know, getting a referral to a place, you know. And, of course, in the music community, right, everybody eventually touches everybody and somebody, you know, and so getting really well entrenched as you have become

I've gotta get your family in the studio.

Yeah. Yeah. That's true. I actually told them about it after you hosted graciously an education committee meeting for our Chamber of Commerce, back a couple months ago as the last school year was kinda wrapping up. And I went home and told everybody, you guys gotta see this studio.

It's really cool. I was my wife's actually thinking about recording, one of the songs she wrote wrote for her parents. Her parents had their, what was it? Their 60th yeah. Their 60th wedding anniversary, in the spring.

And so as a gift to them, she wrote a beautiful song. And so, she's had the thought about maybe recording it. And I'm like, hey, I know that you should come over here. So Chamber Chamber discount. Alright.

Alright. I'll make sure she's listening to this episode too. So, I've been in your personal office. I think there were 3 keyboards in that office. Oh, 5.

Okay. I remember lots of keyboards, and it was not that big of an office either. It was very keyboard, heavy.

It's my dream office. I I've always wanted to have an office. I was surrounded by

music. Yeah. Then in

the in the the studio next door, I've got 5 or 6 more keyboards.

Yeah. There's a lot, which is amazing. So, besides this music passion, what do you do for fun besides this? Because I know this is

a big fun thing. You love this. I, I'm a avid cyclist. I ride my bike Ah.

Everywhere. My wife and I are taking lots of vacations. We just came back from, Germany. We're going to Spain in October. We're big fans of the symphony and the opera.

There we go. Okay.

So, as as I got older, I developed a more appreciation for classical music. And now I just I love the San Diego Symphony. They're just wonderful. It's it's it's such amazing music. And it's something I just I can't play it.

I can just sit there like you and I'm a listener.

Take it in.

And it's it's just it's a whole new world. Love it. So and and my wife is, cultured a different way than I am.

Yep. Same same in my marriage.

Yeah. I think I think it works that way a lot, which is really good. You kinda Yep. You married up.

Exactly. So true. Well, Bob, thank you so much for taking the time to come down and share with us. You know, I think you're you're what you've created is an asset to North County. It's an asset to Carlsbad.

Really appreciate you guy you being a part of our chamber, and, again, with the the music in my family, I know how valuable what you have created is in that world. So appreciate it. And then, of course, not not even to mention your your digital marketing stuff that you've added and expanded to so so much. So really appreciate that, and, great to get to chat with you today.

Can I say one word about the Chamber?

Yeah. You can. Absolutely.

The the Chamber's been this is a unpaid for plug. The the chamber's fantastic. They, as as Brett mentioned, they had a meeting of their education committee at our studio, and we were trying to get involved with the movers and shakers and, the education business to sell our recording programs to. And and Brett got 20 of the most influential people in the education business in North County in my studio, sitting there with a panel of 4 of us up there just and we owned them for an hour. And and that was it was very influential in helping us expand our education program.

And I just can't thank the chamber enough for doing that. Thank you, Brett.

Well, thank you for, for saying that. I'm very glad that that was a a good session. Like I said earlier, we appreciated you hosting that. You know, for us weaving together, you know, the things that are here with, those they can benefit and vice versa is what we're all about. So, yeah, really glad to have got to know you and got to know what you have created and so glad that, you you sold your corporate job and went into your passion.

That's right.

Thanks for joining us today on our Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact podcast. If you got value out of our episode today, please hit the follow button on your favorite podcast app, and please tell a friend. Can't wait to see you next time on Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact.