Meet Jon Mohr

We were lucky to catch up with Jon Mohr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jon, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My purpose was not linear, nor obvious at first—I would play around with music on-and-off for years but get turned off from it very easily because of the amount of work required to just figure out how things worked (music theory, music production, etc.). But while I wasn’t working in music, I’d spend a lot of time creating larger-than-life things through short stories, poetry, and Minecraft megabuilds. The desire for something larger than myself is present in all my work, I think—I’m always trying to create, or encapsulate, a feeling, a world that I want to be in.

So when I finally got into music after having something “click” during a music appreciation class in high school—that’s where all my efforts would go. Music was the one and only artform that resonated with me on a deep, primal level. So the better I got (mind you this has been a decade-long endeavor at this point), I have been able to create music I’ve always wanted to make, and create and encapsulate feelings I’ve never been able to with other forms of art. So now this is my purpose—create music that gives people the same escapist comfort as other people’s music gave to me as I was growing up.

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 work on cinematic music for a variety of projects—film scores, games, etc… I also do trailer and production music for TV. On the side, I work on music for personal fulfillment to express deep and obscure emotions—and to also fully discover and realize who I am. All the music I write, to some degree, is a form of self-discovery.

My upcoming public project is still in its infancy, and I don’t want to share too much yet—but it’s heavily inspired by an audio narration of a scary story I listened to earlier this year. This story ended up changing my belief on what Death is like and what comes after we pass, and I’ve been very fortunate to receive the author’s permission to incorporate a passage of it in this track, and I have an incredible voice actor on board to do a cinematic and heavy reading of it. It’s a way for me to pay tribute to the author and the way his work transformed my view on an incontestable facet of existence. I’m deeply excited about this project and am looking forward to it coming out this year.

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?

First – set your ego aside. Be confident in your skills INTERNALLY, but when interacting with others, be humble. It’s a fine line to walk. But especially in the trailer music industry, you will get critiqued to hell and back and you need to take it all in stride. Collaboration is very important, and you will always be working with someone who knows something you don’t.

Second – Even if you hate social media, try to use it, at least to some degree. Use it in a very regulated way. Before really getting started in 2019 I was NOT on Instagram at all and did not like the platform, but it has brought me an abundance of opportunities that I would not have otherwise. But I’m strict about it– I use Instagram, 98% of the time, for business. And, in my opinion–with the advent of generative AI, it’s going to become even more imperative to establish a strong brand for yourself instead of being a “faceless composer.” Don’t get me wrong I’d love to be off social media. But it’s a necessary evil. You’re not being hired for JUST your work, you’re being hired for who you are as a collaborator and a person.

Third – Listen to literally all types of music. There’s so much stuff out there. If you make cinematic music, listen to funk. If you make metal, listen to dark ambient. If you make pop, listen to gorenoise. I imagine this is what has kept my output so high–I listen to a LOT of different stuff all the time because there’s always SOMETHING you can learn from other genres, even if you never work in those genres. Be curious and willing to learn. It really does make a difference.

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?

Instilled in me patience, empathy, and curiosity. Situations are never as black and white as people might make them out to be. There’s always a reason, a deeper reason, why someone is the way they are or why they said what they said. And be kind to everyone you meet, for all you know, your kind interaction could be the ONE thing that changes someone’s entire day. And it’s very easy to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jonrmohr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonrmohr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonRMohr/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-mohr-1612881a9/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jonrmohr
• Other: https://jonrmohr.bandcamp.com/