Our friends at Long & McQuade provided a series of seminars in the month of March 2003 for their Long & McQuade University event. The fifteen different presentations took place at L & M stores in the Greater Toronto Area and featured something for everyone in the business of making music in Canada.

On Saturday, March 15, Orin Isaacs presented an inspirational seminar entitled "The Big Gig." This article features some of the insights shared by Isaacs.

(This photo is from Orin Isaac's official website)

According to Orin Isaacs (you might recognize him as the band leader for Open Mike with Mike Bullard), there is no such thing as luck. "Luck," according to Isaacs, "is preparation and opportunity meeting." The trick is to "recognize the opportunities and seize them."

When Isaacs first started in the music business, he was operating out of his mother's basement in Toronto. He didn't have a lucky break that paved the road to his success. Orin had to hustle and make his own luck. In fact, according to Isaacs, the reality is "the harder you work, the luckier you get."

Isaacs spoke to his audience with enthusiasm and an energy that was inspiring, sometimes comical and realistic. He spoke to us for much longer that the allotted time because, in his words, "If I don't give out information, I don't deserve to get it."

According to Isaacs, "the best way to succeed is to develop and maintain positive relationships with people who can help you." These relationships will form the foundation of a network connecting different elements in order to serve a shared purpose. You need to ask yourself "what other talents do you bring to the table?" Musical ability alone will not lead to your success in the business. You need to be persistent, but "know when to lay off and when to put it on."

Isaacs suggests that being bold is key to attaining your goals. If you can't break into a clique, start your own. Another fundamental is the power of positive thinking. Isaacs says that when he's bidding on any project, he tells himself "I'm getting the spot. If I don't, I will learn from it."

Isaacs also identifies professionalism as an important strategy. "Create a professional environment." After all, music is a business like any other. If you want to be respected as a professional, you need to define what the boundaries of that professionalism are in your own environment.

A self-professed workaholic, Isaacs also admits that he never says he's too busy to work on a project. "There are people who want my job," says Isaacs "and if I won't do the work, someone else will." He refers to this as "defending every gig." Don't get caught up in resting on your laurels. You have to constantly prove that you are worthy of the success you create.

Furthermore, Isaacs asserts, "be on time and have your shit together." This is a key element in maintaining a good professional reputation. If you can deliver on time for any deadline, people will remember you and this will lead to more work.

According to Isaacs, the bottom line is that you have to work-work-work in order to build your own success. It was interesting to hear audience members detailing their struggles to get ahead in the business. For every suggestion Isaacs presented to overcome an obstacle, audience members would present another challenge. Orin didn't for a minute deny that these struggles existed. However, he insisted that persistence and preparedness were the keys to overcoming any obstacle.

For myself, this is the fundamental element that propels me to keep trying. There are obstacles and sometimes they seem insurmountable. But I can't give up. If I give up, I'm guaranteeing that I will not succeed. In fact, it seems that my only true failures have resulted from not trying. Even those things that deliver different results than what I expect aren't failures. They presented different opportunities from which I am able to learn. This knowledge makes me better prepared for whatever challenges present themselves. This is the key to success in any business.

Orin recalls the early days of "hustling" to get clients. He noticed early on that the business was divided into cliques. Try as he may to break into these cliques, he was met with rejection. But, instead of giving up, Orin decided to create his own clique.

He struck up a conversation with local independent artist Devon at a popular hangout. In the beginning, Devon didn't want to know Isaacs either, but Isaacs wouldn't give up. He pursued Devon relentlessly until, FINALLY, Devon agreed to listen to some of Isaac's work. Devon liked what he heard and a professional relationship developed that would eventually lead Isaacs to his successful career in music and television.

It wasn't an easy journey for Orin. While working for Devon, Isaacs had to make deals that, although not financially beneficial, provided opportunities. In fact, some of the deals Isaacs struck would pay as little as $2.00. But, within 3 years, these opportunities would lead him to balancing a burgeoning career in television music making up to $15,000.00 per track and operating his own recording studio for hip-hop and urban artists.

Today, Orin admits he doesn't need to talk money with prospective clients anymore. His reputation and strong network has created lucrative income opportunities. But, when bidding on any project, he always tries to deliver the lowest quote.

During the seminar, Isaacs connected the dots of his multifaceted career in detail. In the early days, there was a time when Isaacs was not recognized with credits for production work he had done. There was even a time when, after becoming an established presence in the Canadian music industry, his phone didn't ring for 2 years. Even now, Isaacs says there are times when he won't sleep for weeks in order to meet a project deadline while still managing the obligations of The Mike Bullard Show. But that's all part of the business. You need to make sacrifices for your opportunities. You need to take rejection and keep going anyway, and you should never say you're too busy to take a job. Isaacs stresses this point because the business is competitive. If you turn down an opportunity, there will be someone else who will take it.

Orin states that "talent doesn't get you there-It keeps you there." The secret to getting there is persistence and, once an opportunity presents itself, you'd better be able to deliver the goods. That's the talent portion. If you don't have the talent, the opportunities fade away fast. So, be sure you're able to deliver what you're promising. As he puts it, "it's better to be prepared and not have an opportunity, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."

Orin Isaacs has built his career, not by having an organized 5-year plan. His success has depended largely on his ability to recognize an opportunity and deliver quality work, on time and without a hassle. It's hard to say where he'll be ten years from now. However, there's little doubt that he'll find success, no matter where it's hiding.