Meet Erik Gamans | Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erik Gamans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erik, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?

The most important thing my career has taught me is that every single work-related experience in your life will eventually have value. I certainly wasn’t aware of it at the time but each job I ever had coming up was teaching me something that would prove crucial to the execution of my production music business. In my teens through early twenties, I was the guitarist in a heavy metal band. This not only honed my musical skills but it also developed my ability to collaborate with people from different personal and creative backgrounds. Coming off the road and needing to supplement my income, I took a gig in the sales department of a telemarketing firm. This was especially challenging because I speak with a stutter! Using this time to overcome my fear of cold-calling strangers was an important step towards being able to handle the person-to-person aspects of running Sonic Librarian. From there I studied the trade of video editing and took a job at a brick-and-mortar post house in Hollywood. There, I worked with clients on their television projects, piecing together video, audio and most importantly, music. This taught me how TV producers and editors think, which became a huge advantage when life took a turn and brought me full circle, back to music. I didn’t know I was destined to create a music-for-TV business, but I’m thankful that I put effort into all of my previous jobs, no matter how menial some may have felt at the time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My business is called Sonic Librarian. We are a production music library that creates music and sound design for television. The majority of our business comes from network promos and trailers. We are a smaller, boutique outfit. We specialize on providing a personal touch in a field that has become somewhat automated and increasingly corporate. We became successful in this industry by simply being a positive part of our clients’ day. It sounds cheesy to say but that is all it boils down to. We’ve never placed a single ad for our services or attended any of the many massive conferences. Our business grew organically from word of mouth because we’ve strived to never take any project for granted, no matter the size. We incorporate a human touch to everything we do, from client relations to the production of the music itself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

It seems so long since we’ve felt the freedom to experience all that our corner of the world has to offer. Here’s to increased health and awareness in 2022!

SoCal is amazing because you can literally go water skiing and snow skiing on the same day! A swim at Newport Beach in the morning followed by a trek up to Big Bear for some snow and hot chocolate sounds fun.

I love the little artist-driven towns strewn around the LA area. I’d take my friend to Los Feliz for a drink at a dive bar and then a gig at The Greek Theatre. Get our exercise navigating Griffith Park. We’d definitely hit the Village of Claremont for some amazing food and live music. I can often be found eating at a sushi place in Claremont called Kazama. If you go there, ask for the Erik Roll! 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’ve been fortunate to have a series of amazing friends along my journey from a 17-year old guitarist moving from New Hampshire to Los Angeles, through the development of my career here in SoCal. These “big brother” types served many roles from helping to make sure I wasn’t taken advantage of, to ensuring my very survival! Thank you, Johnny Elmanahi, Scott Ellman, Petey Hentrich and Scott Templeton. You’ve all been kind and generous to me and I’ll never forget.

The most important factor in my success over the last 20 years has been my wife and best friend, Mari Gamans. I possess all of the fluctuating emotions that you may come to expect from people in the creative side of this industry. I simply could not have navigated the risks, decisions, setbacks and successes without the wisdom and loving guidance of this extraordinary human.

Gratitude really does unlock the fullness of life.

Website: www.soniclibrarian.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniclibrarian/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soniclibrarian

Image Credits
Neil Lim Sang (on stage picture)