Meet Robert Allen Burrell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robert Allen Burrell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robert Allen, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

In order to persist despite those people telling you the opposite of what you want to hear, you have to have absolutely 100% belief and confidence in yourself. An, “I know I can do it, and I will do it” attitude. An attitude and hunger in you that will keep you from quitting. You can either let other people’s words motivate you or break you. You have to use those words, even if their intentions are legit criticism, use it to sharpen your skills. The truth is, it’s not about proven them wrong, it’s about proven to yourself that, whatever your focus is, you have to go all in and strive for greatness, and that the real competition is with that person looking back at you in the mirror. Never mind what any else thinks, if you really want it that bad and you really want to be great, you have to put in the time, effort, and sacrifice. You really can do it! Never let the words of others slow down/stop you from where YOU want to go. Whatever negative or pessimistic energy comes your way, use it as fuel to put in your tank, and continue to head down that road with the pedal to the floor to where you want to go.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Born and raised in, Baltimore, MD, it all started at an early age, inspired by Tim Burton’s 1988’s Beetlejuice soundtrack, I’ve always wanted to play piano, but I truly didn’t get focused and serious about it until my late teenage years. I spent my entire childhood focused on sports, Basketball, Baseball, and Football. After graduating high school in 2003, I had no idea what I wanted to do next, but I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a composer and performer. I attended Baltimore City Community College for a semester where I got all A’s, but I’d often ask myself, “will this take me to where I want to go?” and “am I truly happy?” After I made the decision to leave after one semester, in 2004, I worked 3 jobs to pay a local producer/engineer based in downtown Baltimore to teach me the in’s and out’s of recording and music production. I would work those 3 jobs until the evening where I would spend 9-12 hours at the studio. I put in the work everyday, but I still felt like I needed to be in an environment where I could network and be in a place where my chances of music industry opportunities were higher. I worked, practiced, and studied for 6 years, then I finally made the decision to move to Los Angeles to attend the Los Angeles Film School. I studied audio engineering in 2010 to 2012. I was the only one in my class to intern at a major studio, Conway Recording Studios. After my internship, I re-enrolled at LA Film School from 2012-2014 and was apart of the very first class for the bachelor’s degree program in entertainment business.

After graduating in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in entertainment business, I became a backline tech for 5 years, where I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with many of the music industry’s biggest music acts such as, KISS, Rolling Stones, Fantasia, John Legend, The Hollywood Vampires, Snoop Dogg, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, and many other talented musicians.

In 2019, the CEO/Founder of, WorldScout, LLC, Cindy Cooper, contacted me personally to offer me the job of, Director of A&R. I was responsible for reaching out to records labels, artists, producers, and businesses to work with us. It was a company centered around helping indie artists, musicians, and producers build their network, learn the music business, and often times pitch them to the record labels that we had within our network, which included, Disney, Capitol Records, Atlantic, Republic, HitCo, Empire, etc. In that time as director of A&R, I got to contact, connect, and work with, Steve Lobel, Scott Storch, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Antonio Reid Jr, Chief Keef, Zhavia, Mike Zombie, Brian Bates, Jason “Koko” Bridges, Purps, Fresh Ayr, Bob Robinson Jr, Jay E, and many other super talented, heavy hitters in the music industry. I also created the companies theme music, as well as, for all of the events that the company presented, from global contests to label A&R involvement workshops and roundtables.

In 2022, I decided to finally take the leap and pursue my passion for composing and performing. Within the past 2 years, I have worked with many talented artists, producers, and musicians, and in 2024, I got 3 music credits in the Lionsgate released, feature film, “Running On Empty” (2024) for composer and musician. I also, recently just composed the original theme for the Los Angeles Film School’s 25th anniversary. At the moment, there are over 60 original music cues that I created for TV/film/amazing that out now on all platforms. (Robert Allen Burrell)

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?

1) Be GREAT at what you do

2) Learning everything within your craft (the ins and outs that has everything to do with music composition and recording)

3) NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!

When it comes to music, you have to have some basic theory so that you can communicate and function in the world of music creatives. Study, study, study. The hardest thing that you could possibly learn, work on a way of understanding it so that you can better your skills.

When it comes to music composition and recording, learn everything within that field from DAW’s, understanding and using effects, folder/session/track labeling and organization, etc etc etc.

NETWORK!!! One of the biggest strategies I live by every single day. Know your targets, be professional, be respectful, and have your skills together. You want to network, first make sure you know exactly what you want and what you can offer. Understand that in many fields, especially the entertainment business, that there are so many people doing exactly what you are doing, so having strong relationships that can be a blessing to your career is extremely important.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Whenever there comes that time of stress or feeling overwhelmed, I simply step back and take time to release. When you’re overwhelmed, you’re on full, you’ve reached your limit. Then comes the time you need to step back and release. You could workout, hike, meditate, or anything that can help you unwind so that you can come back to your work load stress free and with a clear mind so that you can create the best product of what your assigned task is. I’d suggest reading, BUT you definitely should give your brain time to clear and decompress. Remember, stepping away just for a bit really makes a big difference. Even if you have a tight deadline, step away for a moment so that you can come back refreshed and ready to rock on a fully energized.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: robertallenburrellmusic
• Linkedin: Robert Allen Burrell