ProMedia Training’s Teacher Spotlight: Johnny Marshall

Consummate musician, producer, engineer and sound designer

…find your niche - figure out what it is that you can bring to the table that others cannot - and capitalize on that. (and don’t forget to smile, because life is good)!

Consummate musician, producer, engineer and sound designer, Johnny Marshall has been a working professional in the industry for over a quarter of a century. He picked up his first acoustic guitar at ten, went on to bass guitar and soon discovered his predilection for keyboards. Johnny has earned numerous awards, including three Gold Records, three Platinum Records, one Double Platinum Record, awards from the New York and USA Film Festivals, many bronze and silver Telly Awards, the Vision Award for Television Excellence, and the International Monitor Award for Best Audio Post-Production. He’s also won awards from the Worldfest, USA, and Deep Ellum film festivals, multiple Aurora and Axiem Awards, and Emmy Award nominations for his audio post-production work with CBS and A&E/Biography Channel. He’s worked with a host of talented musicians, including, Phil Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pantera, and ZZ Top. Whether he’s contributing keyboard and vocals to his R&B band, Junior and the Journeymen, or producing, sound designing, and providing complete audio post-production services for video and film, at his sound design studio, Marshall Sound Design, Johnny can be found bringing his wealth of experience and creativity to his many varied projects.

• When did you know you wanted to be in the music business?
  Santa brought me my first acoustic guitar when I was in elementary school. It was love at first sight. I practiced hard and formed a duo with my best friend Bert Ligon. On the night of the fifth grade talent show we walked on stage and into the spotlight to an adoring, albeit familiar crowd of parents and kids. I didn't really pay much attention to the fact that my guitar tuning keys got horribly hung up in the curtain cord as I walked onstage. I just wrestled it clear, unaware of the de-tuning ramifications and carried on. When we busted into the ever-popular "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", I knew my guitar sounded very, very bad. Everyone clapped politely and when my Mom met me backstage I could not hold back the tears (only real men cry BTW). She gave me all the encouraging words that only Mothers can give but I knew in my heart that I totally sucked. It was at that point I realized that I loved the spotlight, the music, the fans, etc. and I really hated being totally lame onstage. I made a vow of commitment to aggressively pursue the former and strive to eliminate the latter
• How did you break into the biz?
  For me there was never really a ‘break-in’ point per se, rather a slow, steady progression starting with spending most of the 70’s on the road performing, then building my first 8-track project studio in 1978. In 1981 I was offered a general manager/executive vice presidential position at a large multi-studio facility, playing a dominant role in that studio’s design, construction, and operations. During those fifteen years from 1981 to 1996 I worked on bigger and better album projects, films, commercials, etc. until the time I left in ‘96 to build my own studio.
• When did you first feel like you had reached a level of success?
  One must always be resolved to the fact that success is a journey, something you strive to achieve but never attain. That being said, I have been very lucky to have worked with a number of amazing artists and projects through the years. On one particular occasion I was sitting on a stool in our main studio and a few feet away from me was Elton John playing on our 9’ Steinway getting levels. At that point I do remember thinking ‘wow, this is pretty cool‘! Had I reached a level of success? I don’t really know about that, but I sure liked where I was headed.
• How long have you been teaching at PMT?
  4 years
• How do you think a student benefits from training at ProMedia Training?
  One of the great benefits I see in ProMedia Training is the level of real world experience that all of the ProMedia teachers bring to the table. You can acquire knowledge from a textbook or manual but what you gain from ProMedia is guidance in the practical application of that knowledge.
• What is your advice for someone trying to get started in the music business?
  The term ‘people business’ is thrown around quite a lot in this industry and for good reason. First, it’s a given that one must have all the technical operations and expertise under your belt. When you look around at your competition, you realize that they, too, have a great rig and know how to run it. So what is it that’s going to separate you from them? Well, surely your own brand of creativity comes into play, but probably the most important thing is your own work attitude and ethic. This is not really earth shattering advice since you’ve probably heard it a dozen times before but nevertheless it remains as one of the most important aspects of your successful career development. Next, find your niche, i.e. figure out what it is that you can bring to the table that others cannot and capitalize on that. (and don’t forget to smile, because life is good)