Meet Cory Barton

We were lucky to catch up with Cory Barton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cory, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I am always so proud of myself for starting my business early; however, with that early success came massive feelings of not belonging. I was a 19 year old kid who was being paid to mix and master music for amateur artists, feeling like I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t deserve to be there. Yes, in comparison to the person I’ve become today, I had no idea how to mix and master properly, but that didn’t mean I didn’t deserve to be there.

It wasn’t until I heard a client tell me how much they appreciated me for my work that I realized how important my role was. I wasn’t mixing like the professionals because I hadn’t yet put in the time… and that was ok. I couldn’t charge that same prices as the professionals because I didn’t have the experience yet… and that too was ok! I had to learn that in your career, you are exactly where you are supposed to be at any given time. You are either in a spot where you need to work hard to get to the next level, reduce your role so you are not taking on too much, or maintain a role and focus on consistency. If one person pays you for your services, there is value in what you do.

If I wasn’t a new engineer charging the prices I was, I wouldn’t have been able to gain the experience I did. I didn’t need to reach the level of a professional before I could start. And let’s be honest… no one ever truly figures out what they are doing. I think we all make it up as we go. Some of us just make it look “easier” than others.

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?

I’m an audio engineer and producer so at the end of the day, I don’t save lives, but my work is important to those who need it. The real value in what I do lies in my ability to take a creative art form and turn it into something profitable. For example, I can transform a conversation between two friends, into a podcast with topics, music, and structure.

My current focus is aiding content creators in competing in a market that has rules built around creative materials. There are technical specification that must be met before you can reach profitable platforms likes, ACX, Twitch, Spotify, Apple, etc. To some, this can be a real hinderance in their success. My goal is to get people where they need to be and teach them the best way to do so along the way. I do my best to build partnerships and not clientele.

My newest business endeavor that I am really excited about is becoming a narrator. I was an audiobook engineer for years with Amazon and I learned so much from the directors and narrators I worked with. I also dabbled in podcast and radio for many years as a hobby. I’ve finally taken the leap to narrate, and the reception has been very positive. I hope to stay relevant and make a name for myself in the industry within the next few years!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1) Drive: No one can make you want it. You have to want it more than your clients want the work done. If you don’t feel compelled to work on your craft consistently, and you find it hard to motivate yourself to do it, you won’t beat the competition. Don’t confuse this with not having time. Not having time may be due to life and that’s ok. You merely just have to want it.

2) Work Ethic: Setting a schedule and sticking to it. Promising delivery dates, and keeping your word. These are all under the same umbrella and have been important in running my own business. Being reliable is going to mean more than being talented… especially when that talent doesn’t work hard.

3) Fearlessness: Just start today. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Take the leap and figure it out along the way. If you do it right, you can make money along the way. This is exactly how I started narrating. At the start of that week, I told myself and my wife that I wasn’t a narrator. That I couldn’t narrate a potential client’s audiobook because I had no experience. By the end of that week, I had completed my first audiobook and was officially a paid narrator!

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I think the one thing my parents did for me that was a complete game changer, was support my passions. My mother found out that the school was having tryouts for instruments and allowing the students to join middle school band class. She knew it was something I would want to do but I never brought it up.

A week after tryouts had finished she asked me why I hadn’t tried to join band class. I told her I hadn’t asked because I knew that the instruments were expensive. She told me in that moment how she wanted to support my interests and called the school to ask if I could join band the next day! She promised me she would do what she could so I could play trumpet. I’ve been involved in music ever since.

Having parents who took the risk on me so I could discover my passion, was so important to the success of my career.

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Image Credits

Logo images done by Ryan Webber

Photos by Jamie Weber

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