Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Striker.
Sam, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I guess it began back in 2007 when I started recording my own music. One Sunday in the middle of church service, some kid came and sat next to me, stuck an earbud in my ear, and asked if I could record his metal band. Apparently, word got around that I had picked up some recording equipment. I did an OK job, so they started telling their friends about me. Throughout those years, I grew my music recording business to become a full-time job. I was networking at concerts, cold contacting bands, and offering referral bonuses to previous clients – I was HUSTLING. At some point around 2014, I recorded a band called Saints Can Lie which is how I would meet my future engineer and friend, Hunter Shaw. We ended up connecting over mutual interests in breaking out of the mediocrity within the music industry.
Sometime in 2015, we decided to move into commercial music – specifically video game music. We also brought on my other friend and composer John Osborn. The three of us started creating soundtracks for various small indie titles. Around 2017, after years of talking and convincing, I was able to land us the job of creating an original soundtrack for 7 Days to Die. This was our biggest title to date, so we decided to roll with the momentum and start attending video game conventions and networking events. This led to more work which has snowballed into an awesome career with some incredible momentum.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would say that I have been blessed with a ton of great opportunities and a very supportive network. That being said, it was definitely not without obstacles. From 2012-2017, I was a full-time college student. Which brought about its own set of challenges. 2016-2017 was probably the hardest time for me. My wife’s job burned to the ground (literally) and she was also a full-time student. We decided that she would take time off work so that she could focus on school. So I had to make enough money for us both to survive and still have enough time to study. I was averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night that entire year. At the same time, I was also dealing with the absolute worst, most narcissistic landlord at the studio. I also lost friends because I wouldn’t make time for them. And apparently created enemies too. But things started to get better after I graduated from business school. That’s not to say that I haven’t had more challenges. A lot happened that I simply had to power through. That’s when I learned that life doesn’t care and I either step up or get pushed to the side.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Native Darkness Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a music production company. We create commercial music for various types of media – primarily video games. We are probably most known for our work with 7 Days to Die and I would definitely say that we are very proud of that. At the same time, since we all have worked so closely with metal, that seems to be what a lot of our clients want from us.
What I love most about my team is that we really are the dream team. So many composers advertise themselves as this jack-of-all-trades type that is able to do everything from the composition, to recording, and to handling business. We decided to take a different approach. John is the best composer I have ever met. So I don’t want him to worry about how he’s going to record a certain instrument – because that’s Hunter’s job. And I don’t want Hunter to worry about admin or handling clients- because that’s my Job. This dynamic allows us to defeat writer’s block and consistently deliver a professional sounding product in the most economical way. We still work with bands to record their music. But it is definitely becoming a smaller part of the business as time goes on.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really believe in luck. I definitely think that I have been given some great opportunities, but those wouldn’t amount to anything if I didn’t grab onto them. I hate sports metaphors. But I know plenty of people who made no effort to grab the ball when it was passed to them. And when they fumbled, I intercepted. This is where I made some enemies. But this furthers the point that luck had nothing to do with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nativedarkness.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativedarkness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NativeDarknessProductions/
Image Credit:
Rachel Mathews
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