Meet Jason Rudd | Executive Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Rudd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in a very small suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. My mother and I survived a fatal car accident when I was two, but she was left permanently disabled. I was raised by my grandparents, who were from the depression era and were very tough, determined folks. I learned self reliance and self sufficiency from them. I wanted to take music lessons, but where we lived the only private lessons were for art, so I painted hundreds of oil paintings between age 7 and 14. As an ADD/ADHD child, school was very difficult. Despite demonstrating college level artistic skills, I got passed over on joining the gifted and talented program, as well as joining band. Then at age 15 i got a guitar, and after a year of learning I was personally invited by the band director to join the high school Jazz ensemble! This was my first lesson in believing in myself, and is an experience I draw from to this very day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I earned an Associate Degree in Music Business at the Art Institute of Dallas. My career began with freelancing at jingle studios, learning post-production, a skill I’d use to advantage later in my mastering career. Determined to never, ever fall back on anything, and seeking to make my living solely as an audio producer, I took the most uncool job a musician or producer can do – recording telephone on-hold messages! Working with some of the best radio announcers in Dallas, I treated the job as an opportunity to master techniques of vocal recording and production, and pay off my student loans. I first became aware of the Production Music Industry at that time, and luckily landed a job doing mastering for the FirstCom Music catalog, a large and excellent Production Music Library. It was a dream come true, and I tried to learn everything about music production and publishing that I could. I began to conceptualize and produce albums for the catalog, as well as take on some duties as a Music Director. Those duties would open my eyes to the overall picture of the industry. After a decade and a half, I was promoted to Producer. Over two decades with the company I had music in major films, movie trailers, national advertisements, and more. I was employee of the quarter in 2014, and had the most downloaded album worldwide in 2019. All because I was persistent and determined! This led to me becoming Executive Producer of the hottest company in the industry, Level 77 Music.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is rich with history, and I’m most moved by its civil rights story. So I’d visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, or the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, or the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Then we would eat some amazing soul food like crab cakes, catfish, chicken and biscuits. Maybe Walter’s Soul Food Cafe or A1? And catch some live music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my friend, mentor, and boss Linda Jean Medford, rest in power. Linda was my boss for four years through high school and college, and taught me much about how our greatest weaknesses are also our greatest strengths. Her gentle but firm wisdom and guidance changed my life and put me on the right trajectory toward success.

Website: www.Level77Music.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofrudd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-m-rudd-15155536/

Image Credits
Photos courtesy House Of Rudd archives