Continuing with the theme from last issue, I’ve reached out to one of our long-time customers to get his perspective on the Sweetwater Difference. Rob Pottorf has been gracious enough to provide his personal insights on Sweetwater. Rob’s Sales Engineer is Jeff Law (employee #2 at Sweetwater), who has worked with him for almost 15 years.
Rob is a very successful composer of film and television music. His recent films include 20th Century Fox’s The Trial (starring Matthew Modine), Lions Gate’s Unrequited (starring Michael Welch of Twilight), and GMC Channel’s Trinity Goodheart (starring Eric Benet) and The Heart of Christmas (starring Matthew West). He also worked on CBS’s Saturday-morning cartoon Danger Rangers (starring Mark Hamill and Jerry Houser).
After attending school at Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati, Rob took a position with Paramount Parks as the music director and senior music composer. In 1999, he left Paramount to pursue film and television work. Rob has worked on projects for CBS, Disney, Paramount, Lions Gate, 20th Century Fox, Turner Network, HGTV, CourtTV, Nickelodeon, and others.
“One of my first responsibilities after being hired as staff music director for Paramount Parks in the late ’80s was to build an in-house studio and update the park’s lacking technology. Sweetwater became my valuable partner in making this happen.
“After discussing our goals with Jeff Law, he and his team were great at suggesting equipment and software, and continued their service through the complete install process. It was great having a company like Sweetwater working with us and standing behind each and every product with exceptional tech support. It was like having my own personal tech department.
“When I left Paramount in 1999 to pursue a career as a composer for film and television, I didn’t expect the same type of corporate treatment, since my new venture was not a multimillion-dollar company like Paramount. I was wrong.
“Jeff and the Sweetwater team were even more helpful in getting me set up for the next chapter in my career. They also helped me get the biggest bang for my buck, which was important since I was spending my own money this time. Twelve years and several films later, they continue to keep me on the leading edge of music technology and software. In fact, my most recent visit to the Sweetwater campus inspired me to upgrade my studio to a Pro Tools|HDX system.
“Film scoring is a very competitive business, and Sweetwater has helped me to stay on top of the latest libraries, equipment, and technology. It is truly a one-stop shop for any musician or engineer.
“Thank you all for the opportunity to be a part of the Sweetwater story — you guys have been a part of mine!”
Thanks to Rob for the kind words and for taking the time to give us his perspective.
Rock and Roll!
Jeff Radke
Vice President of Sales