Meet Jörg Hüttner

We were lucky to catch up with Jörg Hüttner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jörg, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My work ethic is driven by my desire to deliver top-quality work to clients & companies on time, especially if there is a deadline. Additionally, not working equals not making money as a freelancer, and your bank account can be a healthy “inspiration”. At a young age, my parents instilled in me the desire to always finish things I started, and to constantly try your best at them, even if this was just a plastic model airplane kit I was working on. In my teens, the desire to be able to purchase music gear made me take on jobs I could do after school or during school holidays. This allowed me to purchase one item at the end of each year. So, working hard meant getting more instruments and, in general, more chances of achieving goals.
Later in life, looking over the shoulders of successful musicians and composers during big productions, and experiencing the amount of time and effort they put into their work gave me a good perspective on what is needed at the top level. There’s a constant worry in my head about not working enough, but I also know when there’s time to relax.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a music composer and sound designer, and I was lucky enough to be able to make my interest in synthesizers and electronic music in my teens my profession. While this comes with lots of work, it often feels more like “play” than a job, and I feel very fortunate that I am able to do this. Just walking into my music studio every day feels inspiring, when I see all my synthesizers and music gear. I compose music for film, TV and movie trailers, and I support other composers with synthesizer programming and sound design for their projects. In addition, I work on sounds and music for car infotainment systems and video games, and I design sounds for hardware- and software synthesizers for music instrument manufacturers.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
​Curiosity about music technology, instruments and especially synthesizers sent me on the path to where I am right now. I like using the latest technology in my production environment, and it forces me to learn new things fairly regularly. Persistence allowed me to not give up too early when things took their time, or got difficult. From the initial idea of moving to the United States, to actually being able to relocate from Germany, it took 9 years. Especially the visa process was anything but easy, and quite nerve-wracking, to be honest.
Being kind and considerate is often an underestimated “force”. I always try to get along well with people and companies I work with or work for, and not in a fake way. Building relationships is critical, both in business and in private, and can have a considerable impact on long-term prospects. A large part of my close friends and long-term acquaintances are from the industry I am in. Certain relationships started with a job I was hired for, while others were established through word-of-mouth referrals from individuals I worked for.
Especially this last point is something I would always recommend anyone new in their career. Particularly if you are in a tiny world like the music industry, good and bad things make the rounds quickly, and I strongly prefer to be on the good side here.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I constantly seek up-and-coming filmmakers to collaborate on movies, short films or other video projects. This also applies to video game developers as well. And good singers are also difficult to come by. You can reach me through my contact page on my website, or via direct messages on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Mel Castro (@melhummel)

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