Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Brown.
Hi Nate, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started my freshman year of college ‘undeclared’.
It terrified me not knowing what I was doing with my life, but working in a field I didn’t feel passionately about felt too bleak to bear. I decided to pursue a technical career in audio after learning that one of my new roommates was majoring in film production. The thought had never occurred to me that you could have a somewhat regular job in the technical end of the production industry.
After that realization and a couple more wasted years at a traditional university, I finally made the decision to attend an audio engineering school. From there, I spent some time working in Los Angeles before moving back to Utah and opening Rocket Skates Recording.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been anything but smooth. I originally started the studio with no investors, no working capital other than a credit card with a 0% APR introductory interest rate, and a business relationship that would quickly turn sour. For years, I struggled financially and worked the exact kind of soul-crushing job I had been trying so hard to avoid in order to make ends meet.
The biggest and most rewarding challenge though would be building the studio. My former business partner and I took on all of the construction ourselves, with help from amazingly supportive family and friends. I was working a full-time job at that time, so my entire life was work and construction. I slept for only 2-3 hours per night for over 10 months. No days off, just grinding. I basically lost that entire year of my life to an exhausted and dissociative state, which culminated in a mental health crisis and a divorce.
I’ve always been the type to just forge my own path and to learn from mistakes, and man, I’ve learned a lot! I’m grateful for all the knowledge I’ve gained from these struggles. I feel that my unique background shows through in my production style now. People know me as the type of guy who gives honest but gentle feedback, and that’s a direct result of learning through these challenges.
As you know, we’re big fans of Rocket Skates Recording. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My entire goal for Rocket Skates Recording was to bring Salt Lake City a professional recording studio that also had a comfortable ‘vibe’ – a place that encourages and enables creativity.
We’ve got a big, beautiful-sounding live room with really unique (and vibey) mason jar lighting. People love to track drums and live albums with us because our room is big enough to accommodate them, plus any film or photo crew they plan to bring along.
We’re also constantly looking for ways to improve and help elevate the Salt Lake City music scene in general, which is why we host music industry mixers and open mic nights. I feel like we’re building a really special community of artists and creators over here.
We’ve got some really exciting expansions on the horizon as well!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
One book that I feel everyone should read at least once is ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coehlo. I don’t even want to share more than that for fear of spoiling it. Just go read it, and remember that you are gold.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@rocketskatesrecording.com
- Website: https://www.rocketskatesrecording.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocketskatesrecordingut/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocketskatesrecording
