April 9, 2025 • 26 mins
Episode 139 - Embracing a Dual Career Path
In this episode of the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast, Jaclyn interviews Aaron Fullan, an actor and composer from Clinton, Iowa. Despite his distance from the major film hubs, Aaron has pursued his artistic dreams while staying true to his faith. He shares his journey of nurturing his passion for music and acting since childhood, majoring in music ministry, working in audio production, and breaking into film scoring and acting. Aaron discusses the challenges of staying in the Midwest, networking efforts, and his principled decision to step away from a potentially career-defining project. This inspiring conversation highlights the importance of perseverance, faith, and integrity in the pursuit of creative passions.
HIghlights Include:
- Welcome and Introduction
- Early Life and Passion for Arts
- The John Williams Concert Inspiration
- Starting a Music Career in the Midwest
- Networking and Making Industry Connections
- A Major Opportunity and a Tough Decision
- Lessons Learned - Standing on Principles
- Transition to Acting
- Conclusion and Reflections
Bio:
Despite his distance from the heart of Hollywood, Aaron is an actor and composer who is proving to the world that it's possible to pursue big city dreams from small town USA. Above all else, Aaron seeks to honor Jesus Christ with the gifts and talents that he's been given.
Aaron’s Links:
Editing by Michael Roth
FAFF Association Online Meetups: https://faffassociation.com/#faff-meetings
Screenwriters Retreat - Mexico: https://www.faffassociation.com/writers-retreat
Jaclyn's Book - In the Beginning, Middle and End: A Screenwriter’s Observations of LIfe, Character, and God: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9R7XS9V
VIP Producers Mentorship Program https://www.faffassociation.com/vip-producers-mentorship
The Faith & Family Filmmakers podcast helps filmmakers who share a Christian worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. Releasing new episodes every week, we interview experts from varying fields of filmmaking; from screenwriters, actors, directors, and producers, to film scorers, talent agents, and distributors.
It is produced and hosted by Geoffrey Whitt and Jaclyn Whitt , and is brought to you by the Faith & Family Filmmakers Association
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jaclyn (00:00):
Welcome to the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast.
My name is Jaclyn, and today I have AaronFullon with me, despite his distance from the heart of Hollywood, Aaron Fullon is an actor and composer who is proving to the world that it's possible to pursue big city dreams from small town USA.
Above all else, Aaron seeks tohonor Jesus Christ with the gifts and talents that he's been given.
(00:24):
Glad to have you here.
Aaron.
Welcome to the podcast.
Aaron (00:26):
Thank you so much for having me.
I was looking forward to this.
Jaclyn (00:30):
Yay.
Alright, so let's, let's back up andlike, where did this all start for you?
I mean, there's music, there's acting,and I mean, I've seen some of your stuff, like some of your interviews where you're like, people were telling you pursue one or the other, and you're like, no, so, so where did that all start?
Aaron (00:46):
Midwestern stubbornness, you know it, it can really help.
I. Was born and raised here inIowa, Clinton, Iowa, which is on the, the eastern nose of Iowa.
If you can picture the state ofIowa, there's a little bump out.
I'm
Jaclyn (01:03):
I actually cannot picture the state of Iowa.
I am Canadian.
Aaron (01:08):
Those of you who can picture the state of Iowa, that's where we are.
Uh, I, I grew up a few blocksfrom the mighty Mississippi River, and it's been a unique journey.
Uh, I mean, the Midwest is.
As, you know, not known for,its artistic output as much as, the coasts, for example.
(01:29):
Um, but I knew pretty early on thatI had an affinity for the arts.
Um, I started taking piano lessonsin second grade and took them all the way through college.
I ended up majoring in music ministry andI enjoyed making a fool of myself in front of the camera with my brothers, which is.
Jaclyn (01:50):
Awesome.
Aaron (01:50):
How many people start?
Uh, we had rec camcorder.
I mean, it was technically a camcorder,the kind you put on your shoulder, so, you know, that ages me a little bit.
Jaclyn (02:00):
I remember those.
Aaron (02:01):
We would set it up in the corner of our basement and me and my two brothers would reenact scenes from Lord of the Rings and Three Stooges and anything that came to mind.
So I, I loved that as well.
But I figured music wasa more realistic pursuit.
I knew that, uh, there were far moreactors than there are composers, and so I kind of put that one on, the shelf even though in high school I did drama and my drama teacher was very encouraging and, and really encouraged me to pursue acting.
(02:37):
But I decided to go the musicroute and the night I knew I wanted to do specifically film scoring.
I would sit at the piano and composefor hours from a very young age.
I always wanted to do the Narnia films.
I thought the greatest thing everwould be to score the Narnia films.
(02:57):
So when they started coming out in the midtwo thousands, I was devastated because they didn't, they didn't wait for me to
Jaclyn (03:04):
Yeah, exactly.
They didn't know your number
Aaron (03:07):
Yeah.
So I had a lot of love for composing.
The night I knew I wanted to gointo film composing, regardless of how hard it would be.
My dad took me to a John Williams concertin Chicago as a graduation present for my senior year of high school.
Credit to my dad.
(03:27):
You know, this isn't his passion.
It wasn't his passion, but he knew his sonand he knew how much it Would mean to me.
And so we had a really specialtime, Chicago's about two and a half hours from here.
So we drove up to Chicago, shared a mealtogether, listened to this John Williams concert, and we had great seats, floor 10 rows back in the middle of the aisle.
(03:51):
Just had a perfect view of everything.
And during the opening song, I literallygot emotional and had a thought.
I'm gonna do this.
I don't know how I'm gonna do this,but I think God wants me to do this.
And so something was planted that night.
(04:12):
Went to college though, as I said, formusic ministry and after the four years I. I started working in audio production and specifically audio dramas.
I worked for a company calledHeirloom Audio, and they were making audio adaptations of GA hinting novels, who was a Victorian writer.
(04:35):
Wrote adventure stories and loved that.
But again, I wasn't getting into thosefields that I specifically thought I was going to, and I had hopes of doing.
Jaclyn (04:47):
Yeah, sometimes it is like you need to pay your dues and so you know, you're willing to start over here so you can get over there.
But
Aaron (04:55):
exactly, and it was invaluable experience.
I worked with a bunch of directors,writers, composers, sound designers, and met some of the people that I'm still friends with today and made lifelong friendships with those people and that that has proven invaluable.
And the owner of HeirloomAudio was an entrepreneur.
(05:17):
Did a lot of different things.
So I was freshly married, lived in anapartment, and I think we maybe had our first child and I just wanted to start in music and I didn't have the money to buy this stuff back here.
(05:37):
So
Jaclyn (05:38):
by the way, for the listeners, that's what we're talking about.
It's the studio equipment
he is not pointing to.
Yeah.
Some like big furniture or something.
No, it's a studio.
Equipment.
Aaron (05:47):
keyboard speakers
Jaclyn (05:49):
computers, all the stuff.
Aaron (05:50):
Yes.
So I pitched to him.
I came up with a pitch and said, ifyou fund my first studio, which was literally thousands of toddlers worth of equipment, I will write music for you, for your commercials, and for everything you're doing for free indefinitely.
And he said, alright, go for it.
So he funded my first studio and weput it in the basement, uh, below the garage of our apartment building.
(06:17):
And I would just go down there at night.
My wife would come down, read abook or something, and I would just practice and practice and practice and practice and things.
Grew.
Did a free gigs and then low payinggigs, and then just started working.
As everyone does, you start working yourway up and getting better and better and really practice is everything.
(06:41):
I mean, it's so easy to get youreyes set on the end goal and you just don't have the stamina or the the desire to put in the work.
So that's my first bit of adviceto everybody is, you know, when you have these dreams and you have these goals, your work ethic has to match.
Jaclyn (07:02):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And I think you have to learnto love the work itself.
Like the process.
You can't just love the outcome.
You have to love the work.
Aaron (07:11):
so true.
And obviously you need to makemoney at your career eventually, but I didn't care that I wasn't getting paid in the beginning or very low amounts because I loved it.
And that's how you figure out whatyour passion is when you can do it.
And maybe you never get paid for itif you can do something that brings you so much joy and you feel, uh, as, um, the famous Olympian runner said, uh, Eric, is it Liddell or Little?
(07:42):
Have you heard of him?
Jaclyn (07:43):
Nope, don't know him.
Aaron (07:44):
He.
Jaclyn (07:45):
You can call him whatever you want and I'm not gonna correct you.
Aaron (07:48):
The audience is gonna know it's either Eric Little or Liddell, but he was an Olympian runner and uh, he refused to run on Sunday.
That's his big story, the movie Chariot.
The Fire is about his story.
So he always said, what Irun, I can feel God's final.
And that's the same idea of whateveryour passion is, you can tell it is such, an invigorating and rewarding thing to
Jaclyn (08:12):
it's
Aaron (08:13):
So that was music for me.
Um, and then I'll skip a lot of thedetails, but just ended up pretty sold on the music side of things, but it's been difficult because.
We love the Midwest here in theUSA, did not want to go to either of the coasts or Nashville, Atlanta.
We really kind of decidedto stay planted here.
(08:34):
We both have family in this area,
so that's been a challenge.
Trying to network, trying to findwork when you can't, you know, go down the street to a coffee shop and, and network like you would like to,
Jaclyn (08:45):
Yeah.
No, I hear you.
We live in Mexico and we're the only oneswhere we are that, that do what we do.
Aaron (08:51):
Yes.
So you gotta be very intentional.
And that was one thing I was veryintentional about is reaching out, doing what I can from where I'm at.
And the first big connection I madewas a cold outreach on LinkedIn.
I. And it was, I mentionedNarnia earlier in the podcast.
It was the music supervisorfor the Narnia films.
(09:13):
He was the head of music for Walden Media,which made a bunch of the classics back in the mid two thousands, like Charlotte's Web and City of Ember and the Narnia films and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
They were kind of the family friendly.
They partnered with a lot of the majorstudios, uh, Disney being one of them.
So.
I reached out to him and sent himsome of my music and just said, Hey, I am trying to connect with people in the industry such as yourself.
(09:42):
I'm from the middle of nowhere, uh,but I don't wanna waste my time on something that I don't have a chance at.
Um, I, I'm one of those peoplethat I prefer if someone was honest with me, so I.
Jaclyn (09:55):
Yeah.
Aaron (09:56):
You know, I've seen too many of those American Idol auditions where they try it and they're awful.
And yes, my family and yes, my family andfriends always told me I was incredible.
I'm like,
Jaclyn (10:07):
Yeah, your family and friends were horrible to you,
Aaron (10:11):
exactly.
So I, I wanted that.
I wanted it in the clear, if I'm,if I can do this, I wanna go for it.
If I can't, I don't wanna waste my time.
And he responded and said,I think you have potential.
I love.
Working with young composers,let's stay in touch.
And to this day we still stay in touch.
He is kind of an unofficial rep for me.
(10:33):
He has negotiated on my behalf.
He has referred me.
I've since been out to California toto meet him, and it's been incredible.
So I encourage everyone.
Make those connections.
Keep those connections.
Um, you don't wanna usepeople when, when people
Jaclyn (10:50):
Right.
Yeah.
Aaron (10:51):
help you get your foot in the door.
One great piece of advice I receivedwas always look how you can serve others that are serving you.
You know, you may feel like you're,you don't have anything to offer, um, to people that you're looking up to and, and asking things of, but.
Offering to do, you know, help in anyway you can with something, whether it be, promote something for them or give feedback on something, whatever it may be, just offer, um, because a lot of people are pouring into people and then are just being drained and then left to dry, and that's just not healthy.
Jaclyn (11:29):
Yeah, no, no.
And you know, I do like alsothat when you approached him, you had something to present to him.
It wasn't just like, Hey, I wanna do this.
And you hadn't done anypreparation like you actually went through the years of training.
You had something to be able to sayto him, can you please look at this?
Like, you brought your best and thenyou asked him to give you his opinion.
(11:54):
Um, yeah, and, and I think that'sa big difference then when, if you kind of just, let's say it's your first draft of something and you know, maybe it's got potential, but like you haven't really brought it to the, the fullness that it could be.
If you ask somebody to give youtheir opinion on that, you could probably get a very different answer.
And so I think also coming prepared forthat question, that's an important piece of the puzzle in order to get something that's accurate said back to you.
Aaron (12:23):
Yes.
Put your best foot forwardwhen you are presenting to people that you wanna impress.
Don't give something that's almost there.
Make sure it's your very best.
So he, this is an important part of mystory because this is something that I learned through this scenario that was very, very hard, but shaped how I've navigated my career since then.
(12:46):
2017, I was offered whatwas being told to me.
Like my breakout moment, and itwas for one of the major studios.
I've been vague with the details, uh,intentionally just because that it's not the important part of the story.
Uh, and because of how it wentdown and that it did end, you know.
(13:11):
Better than I would've thought.
There's no reason to rehash allof the details, but for the sake of just understanding how big of a opportunity this was for me, it was one of the major studios.
They were doing a television seriesreboot, and this music supervisor I just told you about, put me forward as the potential composer and one of the executives at the studio went to bat for me and.
(13:37):
Put me in the front running ofthe composers being considered, which again, outta the blue.
I did not have an agent.
I did not have the creditsto really substantiate
Jaclyn (13:49):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (13:50):
my presence even in, in that lineup.
But I got down, wedemoed for the project.
So few composers who werein the running wrote demos specifically for this show and.
Then they narrowed it down.
We all spoke to the director and sureenough, I remember waking up one morning to an email from the producer that they had chosen me from to be the composer.
Jaclyn (14:15):
Wow.
Aaron (14:16):
And I just thought, this is incredible.
This is how it happens.
You know, one night you're sitting in inyour apartment and struggling to make ends meet, and then you get this opportunity and then it's all uphill from there.
And that was not the case.
So.
For, I don't even remember the timeline.
(14:37):
For a decent amount of time, theydidn't want me reading the script because it was very a hush hush thing.
They wanted to keepeverything under wraps.
And so when I asked to see ascript, they just said, well, if it's content you're worried about, you know, think Indiana Jones.
And I was like, okay, well I probablyscore Indiana Jones, so I didn't push it.
(15:00):
Then literally about two or three weeksbefore I was supposed to start scoring it, they sent me the script and it was 10 episodes and I got to the seventh episode and was seeing something.
I just couldn't, I knew I couldn'tdo this project anymore based on the content of what was in the show and that feeling of my stomach dropping.
Jaclyn (15:26):
Mm. Yes.
Uh.
Aaron (15:29):
and you know, I had signed a contract I was in, so I went to my wife and I showed her the script and
Jaclyn (15:36):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (15:36):
at it and she was like, yeah, you, you can't do this.
And longest night of my life, 'causeI sat down, wrote an email to the producer, ASAP, and explained.
I'm a Christian.
This, some of the content in here justmakes me very uncomfortable and, uh,
Jaclyn (15:57):
And also because music is supposed to make you sympathetic to the story and the characters, so your job is not just to create music for a show.
Your job is to draw people intothe story and perspective and everything that's happening.
Your job is to engage withthe emotions of the audience.
Aaron (16:16):
And to accurately convey those.
Yes.
So, um, you know, and, and that's a topicof conversation, many people would, I. Justify, I would say there are some, outspoken Christians in Hollywood that have made some choices that I think I, I don't understand how they can.
Justify those things in their mind.
(16:37):
Um, some of the things they chooseto portray on screen, and some people say, well, it's just like a, it's like a, any other job, it's your job.
It's not what you're, you know,what you actually believe or what you would actually do.
But I think acting specifically as avery, uh, different animal in that regard.
So something to talk aboutif we wanna address that.
(16:59):
But, um, all to say I was not gonna do it.
I knew I, it would not be honoring to.
My creator and the one who gaveme the talent in the first place.
So went to bed very restless night
Jaclyn (17:12):
Yeah, I bet.
Aaron (17:13):
and woke up the next morning.
They seemed okay.
They just said, youknow, if you haven't, I.
Cashed any money from thisopportunity yet it should be clean and good to go and not messy.
But then I got a call fromthe music supervisor and he was like, what are you doing?
And then I explained it to him and hesaid, well, I don't agree with why you're, you know, the decision you're making,
Jaclyn (17:37):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (17:37):
I can respect the fact that you're, you're standing on your principles.
Jaclyn (17:41):
Well, that's
Aaron (17:42):
Yeah.
It was, it was huge.
And I'm still.
Friends with this person today,but then he said, you need to call the executive at the studio.
And he really worked bad foryou, so you need to have a frank conversation with him.
So anyway, it was just a very difficultsituation and I realized at that time, and this is, I would say this to anybody who's listening, don't be afraid to say from the get go.
(18:10):
I need to know the story and I need tosee a script before I officially sign on.
It ended up being okay as far as I, Ithought they were gonna sue me and take my house and or my apartment at the time.
I just, I couldn't fathom whatthe repercussions could be and it ended up being totally fine.
(18:31):
They got a different composer and,and did the show, but just be.
Firm in the fact that you,before you agree to something, you wanna know the details.
Um, so that's been an importantlesson I have learned from that.
And that was the big, you know,an opportunity of that magnitude has not presented itself to date.
(18:52):
And that's okay.
I still am very glad I madethe decision I made that day.
I think I would always have lookedback and thought I. Why did I do that?
Jaclyn (19:03):
Yeah, exactly.
Aaron (19:05):
wanted to be a Hollywood composer,
Jaclyn (19:08):
Yeah.
Aaron (19:09):
so stand firm.
Jaclyn (19:10):
I think like listening to your story, you had one really, really difficult night of sleep, but if you had gone through with it, it might be harder to sleep at night for a long time.
Aaron (19:21):
So true.
I think.
I think I would still be thinking backand, and once your credit is on something, those stay, that is another thing that.
You need to be aware of.
It's not just that couple weeksof being in a theater or on on
Jaclyn (19:37):
Yeah.
Aaron (19:38):
streaming service.
It's there.
So I did part-time jobs trying to balancewith a career in entertainment, and then summer of 2020 is when I got into acting.
I was looking around for a,music agent because negotiating is the worst thing ever.
I'm convinced.
(19:59):
The worst thing, and I've talked toother composers who disagree, they actually like the art of negotiation.
I hate
Jaclyn (20:06):
Not me either.
Aaron (20:08):
It's just.
Jaclyn (20:09):
Just tell me what to do and I'll do it and you make sure that I can eat, you know,
Aaron (20:13):
Yes, exactly.
It just feels icky.
I don't like it.
So I was really tired of trying tonegotiate myself, and so I wanted a middle person, so I was looking for an agent and Gene Winger, who's talent agent I.
Jaclyn (20:27):
treasure coast talent.
Yep.
Aaron (20:29):
Treasure Coast talent.
I reached out to her becauseshe was literally the only one that I knew was representing Christian artists of any kind.
I knew she was representingactors like solely.
So looking back, it was a littlenaive of me to even reach out and.
Propose that, but she was verygracious and she said, well, uh, I don't represent composers at this time, but feel free to keep in touch.
(20:55):
And maybe when the agency grows evenmore, we'll, we'll have a wing fur.
A section for composers, but I moved onand then a few months later she reached out to me and I think she must, I've been meaning to clarify this portion of the story, but I think she must have started seeing some of my social media content after that initial correspondence, and she reached out to me via email and said.
(21:22):
I've been seeing some of your stuffand I think you have acting potential.
Have you ever thought aboutacting and all of a sudden,
Jaclyn (21:30):
And you're like, have I?
Aaron (21:33):
exactly.
So 30-year-old me was remembering14-year-old me, 15, 16, you know, my high school years.
And I was thinking, oh myword, yes, I am actually.
And so she said, well, whydon't you audition for me?
I've got a film I'mhelping cast right now.
I'll send your role, youaudition, see what you can do with it, and we'll go from there.
(21:56):
So I did, I auditioned, shesaid shortly thereafter.
Yep, I'll sign you.
And yet another big dream come true momentfor me was jumping into the acting spear and doing it for pay, which was crazy.
Um, so the very first thing,literally probably two or three weeks after I signed with Jean.
(22:20):
I landed my first commercialwith Samaritan's Purse and did, uh, their operation Christmas child commercial for that year.
So flew out to go North Carolina.
I got on set, worked with an amazing crew,and I got the bug right then and there.
All of you who have been on afilm set who love this industry, you know what I'm talking about.
(22:42):
There's just something, it's a spark,it's a flame that just ignites.
once you experienced it.
So that was my first forayinto it and, um, loved it.
And so since then.
In many peaks and valleys, I'vebeen navigating a career as both a composer and an actor.
Jaclyn (23:06):
Fantastic.
So I think that's a great place to.
Actually finish out thisportion of the interview.
I'm looking forward to talkingwith you again in the next portion.
But yeah, this has been fantastic.
I know from growing up in a smalltown in Canada and obviously the, not just the film industry, but music like just arts in general was something I wanted to pursue, but it's very difficult to pursue that in Canada.
(23:30):
Uh, we just don't have the same kind of.
Outlets and opportunitiesas in the United States.
And so I didn't know if I wouldever end up getting there.
And, um, so yeah, like I, I can totallyrelate to that journey of being in the wrong place, but having this drive and this, I'm doing it anyways.
(23:51):
I don't care if I get paid, so
yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
There's probably a lotof people like that.
Aaron (23:57):
I'm guessing.
Jaclyn (23:58):
All right.
So we'll talk to you again in the nextepisode and get to know you even more.
Welcome to the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast.
My name is Jaclyn, and today I have AaronFullon with me, despite his distance from the heart of Hollywood, Aaron Fullon is an actor and composer who is proving to the world that it's possible to pursue big city dreams from small town USA.
Above all else, Aaron seeks tohonor Jesus Christ with the gifts and talents that he's been given.
(00:24):
Glad to have you here.
Aaron.
Welcome to the podcast.
Aaron (00:26):
Thank you so much for having me.
I was looking forward to this.
Jaclyn (00:30):
Yay.
Alright, so let's, let's back up andlike, where did this all start for you?
I mean, there's music, there's acting,and I mean, I've seen some of your stuff, like some of your interviews where you're like, people were telling you pursue one or the other, and you're like, no, so, so where did that all start?
Aaron (00:46):
Midwestern stubbornness, you know it, it can really help.
I. Was born and raised here inIowa, Clinton, Iowa, which is on the, the eastern nose of Iowa.
If you can picture the state ofIowa, there's a little bump out.
I'm
Jaclyn (01:03):
I actually cannot picture the state of Iowa.
I am Canadian.
Aaron (01:08):
Those of you who can picture the state of Iowa, that's where we are.
Uh, I, I grew up a few blocksfrom the mighty Mississippi River, and it's been a unique journey.
Uh, I mean, the Midwest is.
As, you know, not known for,its artistic output as much as, the coasts, for example.
(01:29):
Um, but I knew pretty early on thatI had an affinity for the arts.
Um, I started taking piano lessonsin second grade and took them all the way through college.
I ended up majoring in music ministry andI enjoyed making a fool of myself in front of the camera with my brothers, which is.
Jaclyn (01:50):
Awesome.
Aaron (01:50):
How many people start?
Uh, we had rec camcorder.
I mean, it was technically a camcorder,the kind you put on your shoulder, so, you know, that ages me a little bit.
Jaclyn (02:00):
I remember those.
Aaron (02:01):
We would set it up in the corner of our basement and me and my two brothers would reenact scenes from Lord of the Rings and Three Stooges and anything that came to mind.
So I, I loved that as well.
But I figured music wasa more realistic pursuit.
I knew that, uh, there were far moreactors than there are composers, and so I kind of put that one on, the shelf even though in high school I did drama and my drama teacher was very encouraging and, and really encouraged me to pursue acting.
(02:37):
But I decided to go the musicroute and the night I knew I wanted to do specifically film scoring.
I would sit at the piano and composefor hours from a very young age.
I always wanted to do the Narnia films.
I thought the greatest thing everwould be to score the Narnia films.
(02:57):
So when they started coming out in the midtwo thousands, I was devastated because they didn't, they didn't wait for me to
Jaclyn (03:04):
Yeah, exactly.
They didn't know your number
Aaron (03:07):
Yeah.
So I had a lot of love for composing.
The night I knew I wanted to gointo film composing, regardless of how hard it would be.
My dad took me to a John Williams concertin Chicago as a graduation present for my senior year of high school.
Credit to my dad.
(03:27):
You know, this isn't his passion.
It wasn't his passion, but he knew his sonand he knew how much it Would mean to me.
And so we had a really specialtime, Chicago's about two and a half hours from here.
So we drove up to Chicago, shared a mealtogether, listened to this John Williams concert, and we had great seats, floor 10 rows back in the middle of the aisle.
(03:51):
Just had a perfect view of everything.
And during the opening song, I literallygot emotional and had a thought.
I'm gonna do this.
I don't know how I'm gonna do this,but I think God wants me to do this.
And so something was planted that night.
(04:12):
Went to college though, as I said, formusic ministry and after the four years I. I started working in audio production and specifically audio dramas.
I worked for a company calledHeirloom Audio, and they were making audio adaptations of GA hinting novels, who was a Victorian writer.
(04:35):
Wrote adventure stories and loved that.
But again, I wasn't getting into thosefields that I specifically thought I was going to, and I had hopes of doing.
Jaclyn (04:47):
Yeah, sometimes it is like you need to pay your dues and so you know, you're willing to start over here so you can get over there.
But
Aaron (04:55):
exactly, and it was invaluable experience.
I worked with a bunch of directors,writers, composers, sound designers, and met some of the people that I'm still friends with today and made lifelong friendships with those people and that that has proven invaluable.
And the owner of HeirloomAudio was an entrepreneur.
(05:17):
Did a lot of different things.
So I was freshly married, lived in anapartment, and I think we maybe had our first child and I just wanted to start in music and I didn't have the money to buy this stuff back here.
(05:37):
So
Jaclyn (05:38):
by the way, for the listeners, that's what we're talking about.
It's the studio equipment
he is not pointing to.
Yeah.
Some like big furniture or something.
No, it's a studio.
Equipment.
Aaron (05:47):
keyboard speakers
Jaclyn (05:49):
computers, all the stuff.
Aaron (05:50):
Yes.
So I pitched to him.
I came up with a pitch and said, ifyou fund my first studio, which was literally thousands of toddlers worth of equipment, I will write music for you, for your commercials, and for everything you're doing for free indefinitely.
And he said, alright, go for it.
So he funded my first studio and weput it in the basement, uh, below the garage of our apartment building.
(06:17):
And I would just go down there at night.
My wife would come down, read abook or something, and I would just practice and practice and practice and practice and things.
Grew.
Did a free gigs and then low payinggigs, and then just started working.
As everyone does, you start working yourway up and getting better and better and really practice is everything.
(06:41):
I mean, it's so easy to get youreyes set on the end goal and you just don't have the stamina or the the desire to put in the work.
So that's my first bit of adviceto everybody is, you know, when you have these dreams and you have these goals, your work ethic has to match.
Jaclyn (07:02):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And I think you have to learnto love the work itself.
Like the process.
You can't just love the outcome.
You have to love the work.
Aaron (07:11):
so true.
And obviously you need to makemoney at your career eventually, but I didn't care that I wasn't getting paid in the beginning or very low amounts because I loved it.
And that's how you figure out whatyour passion is when you can do it.
And maybe you never get paid for itif you can do something that brings you so much joy and you feel, uh, as, um, the famous Olympian runner said, uh, Eric, is it Liddell or Little?
(07:42):
Have you heard of him?
Jaclyn (07:43):
Nope, don't know him.
Aaron (07:44):
He.
Jaclyn (07:45):
You can call him whatever you want and I'm not gonna correct you.
Aaron (07:48):
The audience is gonna know it's either Eric Little or Liddell, but he was an Olympian runner and uh, he refused to run on Sunday.
That's his big story, the movie Chariot.
The Fire is about his story.
So he always said, what Irun, I can feel God's final.
And that's the same idea of whateveryour passion is, you can tell it is such, an invigorating and rewarding thing to
Jaclyn (08:12):
it's
Aaron (08:13):
So that was music for me.
Um, and then I'll skip a lot of thedetails, but just ended up pretty sold on the music side of things, but it's been difficult because.
We love the Midwest here in theUSA, did not want to go to either of the coasts or Nashville, Atlanta.
We really kind of decidedto stay planted here.
(08:34):
We both have family in this area,
so that's been a challenge.
Trying to network, trying to findwork when you can't, you know, go down the street to a coffee shop and, and network like you would like to,
Jaclyn (08:45):
Yeah.
No, I hear you.
We live in Mexico and we're the only oneswhere we are that, that do what we do.
Aaron (08:51):
Yes.
So you gotta be very intentional.
And that was one thing I was veryintentional about is reaching out, doing what I can from where I'm at.
And the first big connection I madewas a cold outreach on LinkedIn.
I. And it was, I mentionedNarnia earlier in the podcast.
It was the music supervisorfor the Narnia films.
(09:13):
He was the head of music for Walden Media,which made a bunch of the classics back in the mid two thousands, like Charlotte's Web and City of Ember and the Narnia films and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
They were kind of the family friendly.
They partnered with a lot of the majorstudios, uh, Disney being one of them.
So.
I reached out to him and sent himsome of my music and just said, Hey, I am trying to connect with people in the industry such as yourself.
(09:42):
I'm from the middle of nowhere, uh,but I don't wanna waste my time on something that I don't have a chance at.
Um, I, I'm one of those peoplethat I prefer if someone was honest with me, so I.
Jaclyn (09:55):
Yeah.
Aaron (09:56):
You know, I've seen too many of those American Idol auditions where they try it and they're awful.
And yes, my family and yes, my family andfriends always told me I was incredible.
I'm like,
Jaclyn (10:07):
Yeah, your family and friends were horrible to you,
Aaron (10:11):
exactly.
So I, I wanted that.
I wanted it in the clear, if I'm,if I can do this, I wanna go for it.
If I can't, I don't wanna waste my time.
And he responded and said,I think you have potential.
I love.
Working with young composers,let's stay in touch.
And to this day we still stay in touch.
He is kind of an unofficial rep for me.
(10:33):
He has negotiated on my behalf.
He has referred me.
I've since been out to California toto meet him, and it's been incredible.
So I encourage everyone.
Make those connections.
Keep those connections.
Um, you don't wanna usepeople when, when people
Jaclyn (10:50):
Right.
Yeah.
Aaron (10:51):
help you get your foot in the door.
One great piece of advice I receivedwas always look how you can serve others that are serving you.
You know, you may feel like you're,you don't have anything to offer, um, to people that you're looking up to and, and asking things of, but.
Offering to do, you know, help in anyway you can with something, whether it be, promote something for them or give feedback on something, whatever it may be, just offer, um, because a lot of people are pouring into people and then are just being drained and then left to dry, and that's just not healthy.
Jaclyn (11:29):
Yeah, no, no.
And you know, I do like alsothat when you approached him, you had something to present to him.
It wasn't just like, Hey, I wanna do this.
And you hadn't done anypreparation like you actually went through the years of training.
You had something to be able to sayto him, can you please look at this?
Like, you brought your best and thenyou asked him to give you his opinion.
(11:54):
Um, yeah, and, and I think that'sa big difference then when, if you kind of just, let's say it's your first draft of something and you know, maybe it's got potential, but like you haven't really brought it to the, the fullness that it could be.
If you ask somebody to give youtheir opinion on that, you could probably get a very different answer.
And so I think also coming prepared forthat question, that's an important piece of the puzzle in order to get something that's accurate said back to you.
Aaron (12:23):
Yes.
Put your best foot forwardwhen you are presenting to people that you wanna impress.
Don't give something that's almost there.
Make sure it's your very best.
So he, this is an important part of mystory because this is something that I learned through this scenario that was very, very hard, but shaped how I've navigated my career since then.
(12:46):
2017, I was offered whatwas being told to me.
Like my breakout moment, and itwas for one of the major studios.
I've been vague with the details, uh,intentionally just because that it's not the important part of the story.
Uh, and because of how it wentdown and that it did end, you know.
(13:11):
Better than I would've thought.
There's no reason to rehash allof the details, but for the sake of just understanding how big of a opportunity this was for me, it was one of the major studios.
They were doing a television seriesreboot, and this music supervisor I just told you about, put me forward as the potential composer and one of the executives at the studio went to bat for me and.
(13:37):
Put me in the front running ofthe composers being considered, which again, outta the blue.
I did not have an agent.
I did not have the creditsto really substantiate
Jaclyn (13:49):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (13:50):
my presence even in, in that lineup.
But I got down, wedemoed for the project.
So few composers who werein the running wrote demos specifically for this show and.
Then they narrowed it down.
We all spoke to the director and sureenough, I remember waking up one morning to an email from the producer that they had chosen me from to be the composer.
Jaclyn (14:15):
Wow.
Aaron (14:16):
And I just thought, this is incredible.
This is how it happens.
You know, one night you're sitting in inyour apartment and struggling to make ends meet, and then you get this opportunity and then it's all uphill from there.
And that was not the case.
So.
For, I don't even remember the timeline.
(14:37):
For a decent amount of time, theydidn't want me reading the script because it was very a hush hush thing.
They wanted to keepeverything under wraps.
And so when I asked to see ascript, they just said, well, if it's content you're worried about, you know, think Indiana Jones.
And I was like, okay, well I probablyscore Indiana Jones, so I didn't push it.
(15:00):
Then literally about two or three weeksbefore I was supposed to start scoring it, they sent me the script and it was 10 episodes and I got to the seventh episode and was seeing something.
I just couldn't, I knew I couldn'tdo this project anymore based on the content of what was in the show and that feeling of my stomach dropping.
Jaclyn (15:26):
Mm. Yes.
Uh.
Aaron (15:29):
and you know, I had signed a contract I was in, so I went to my wife and I showed her the script and
Jaclyn (15:36):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (15:36):
at it and she was like, yeah, you, you can't do this.
And longest night of my life, 'causeI sat down, wrote an email to the producer, ASAP, and explained.
I'm a Christian.
This, some of the content in here justmakes me very uncomfortable and, uh,
Jaclyn (15:57):
And also because music is supposed to make you sympathetic to the story and the characters, so your job is not just to create music for a show.
Your job is to draw people intothe story and perspective and everything that's happening.
Your job is to engage withthe emotions of the audience.
Aaron (16:16):
And to accurately convey those.
Yes.
So, um, you know, and, and that's a topicof conversation, many people would, I. Justify, I would say there are some, outspoken Christians in Hollywood that have made some choices that I think I, I don't understand how they can.
Justify those things in their mind.
(16:37):
Um, some of the things they chooseto portray on screen, and some people say, well, it's just like a, it's like a, any other job, it's your job.
It's not what you're, you know,what you actually believe or what you would actually do.
But I think acting specifically as avery, uh, different animal in that regard.
So something to talk aboutif we wanna address that.
(16:59):
But, um, all to say I was not gonna do it.
I knew I, it would not be honoring to.
My creator and the one who gaveme the talent in the first place.
So went to bed very restless night
Jaclyn (17:12):
Yeah, I bet.
Aaron (17:13):
and woke up the next morning.
They seemed okay.
They just said, youknow, if you haven't, I.
Cashed any money from thisopportunity yet it should be clean and good to go and not messy.
But then I got a call fromthe music supervisor and he was like, what are you doing?
And then I explained it to him and hesaid, well, I don't agree with why you're, you know, the decision you're making,
Jaclyn (17:37):
Mm-hmm.
Aaron (17:37):
I can respect the fact that you're, you're standing on your principles.
Jaclyn (17:41):
Well, that's
Aaron (17:42):
Yeah.
It was, it was huge.
And I'm still.
Friends with this person today,but then he said, you need to call the executive at the studio.
And he really worked bad foryou, so you need to have a frank conversation with him.
So anyway, it was just a very difficultsituation and I realized at that time, and this is, I would say this to anybody who's listening, don't be afraid to say from the get go.
(18:10):
I need to know the story and I need tosee a script before I officially sign on.
It ended up being okay as far as I, Ithought they were gonna sue me and take my house and or my apartment at the time.
I just, I couldn't fathom whatthe repercussions could be and it ended up being totally fine.
(18:31):
They got a different composer and,and did the show, but just be.
Firm in the fact that you,before you agree to something, you wanna know the details.
Um, so that's been an importantlesson I have learned from that.
And that was the big, you know,an opportunity of that magnitude has not presented itself to date.
(18:52):
And that's okay.
I still am very glad I madethe decision I made that day.
I think I would always have lookedback and thought I. Why did I do that?
Jaclyn (19:03):
Yeah, exactly.
Aaron (19:05):
wanted to be a Hollywood composer,
Jaclyn (19:08):
Yeah.
Aaron (19:09):
so stand firm.
Jaclyn (19:10):
I think like listening to your story, you had one really, really difficult night of sleep, but if you had gone through with it, it might be harder to sleep at night for a long time.
Aaron (19:21):
So true.
I think.
I think I would still be thinking backand, and once your credit is on something, those stay, that is another thing that.
You need to be aware of.
It's not just that couple weeksof being in a theater or on on
Jaclyn (19:37):
Yeah.
Aaron (19:38):
streaming service.
It's there.
So I did part-time jobs trying to balancewith a career in entertainment, and then summer of 2020 is when I got into acting.
I was looking around for a,music agent because negotiating is the worst thing ever.
I'm convinced.
(19:59):
The worst thing, and I've talked toother composers who disagree, they actually like the art of negotiation.
I hate
Jaclyn (20:06):
Not me either.
Aaron (20:08):
It's just.
Jaclyn (20:09):
Just tell me what to do and I'll do it and you make sure that I can eat, you know,
Aaron (20:13):
Yes, exactly.
It just feels icky.
I don't like it.
So I was really tired of trying tonegotiate myself, and so I wanted a middle person, so I was looking for an agent and Gene Winger, who's talent agent I.
Jaclyn (20:27):
treasure coast talent.
Yep.
Aaron (20:29):
Treasure Coast talent.
I reached out to her becauseshe was literally the only one that I knew was representing Christian artists of any kind.
I knew she was representingactors like solely.
So looking back, it was a littlenaive of me to even reach out and.
Propose that, but she was verygracious and she said, well, uh, I don't represent composers at this time, but feel free to keep in touch.
(20:55):
And maybe when the agency grows evenmore, we'll, we'll have a wing fur.
A section for composers, but I moved onand then a few months later she reached out to me and I think she must, I've been meaning to clarify this portion of the story, but I think she must have started seeing some of my social media content after that initial correspondence, and she reached out to me via email and said.
(21:22):
I've been seeing some of your stuffand I think you have acting potential.
Have you ever thought aboutacting and all of a sudden,
Jaclyn (21:30):
And you're like, have I?
Aaron (21:33):
exactly.
So 30-year-old me was remembering14-year-old me, 15, 16, you know, my high school years.
And I was thinking, oh myword, yes, I am actually.
And so she said, well, whydon't you audition for me?
I've got a film I'mhelping cast right now.
I'll send your role, youaudition, see what you can do with it, and we'll go from there.
(21:56):
So I did, I auditioned, shesaid shortly thereafter.
Yep, I'll sign you.
And yet another big dream come true momentfor me was jumping into the acting spear and doing it for pay, which was crazy.
Um, so the very first thing,literally probably two or three weeks after I signed with Jean.
(22:20):
I landed my first commercialwith Samaritan's Purse and did, uh, their operation Christmas child commercial for that year.
So flew out to go North Carolina.
I got on set, worked with an amazing crew,and I got the bug right then and there.
All of you who have been on afilm set who love this industry, you know what I'm talking about.
(22:42):
There's just something, it's a spark,it's a flame that just ignites.
once you experienced it.
So that was my first forayinto it and, um, loved it.
And so since then.
In many peaks and valleys, I'vebeen navigating a career as both a composer and an actor.
Jaclyn (23:06):
Fantastic.
So I think that's a great place to.
Actually finish out thisportion of the interview.
I'm looking forward to talkingwith you again in the next portion.
But yeah, this has been fantastic.
I know from growing up in a smalltown in Canada and obviously the, not just the film industry, but music like just arts in general was something I wanted to pursue, but it's very difficult to pursue that in Canada.
(23:30):
Uh, we just don't have the same kind of.
Outlets and opportunitiesas in the United States.
And so I didn't know if I wouldever end up getting there.
And, um, so yeah, like I, I can totallyrelate to that journey of being in the wrong place, but having this drive and this, I'm doing it anyways.
(23:51):
I don't care if I get paid, so
yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
There's probably a lotof people like that.
Aaron (23:57):
I'm guessing.
Jaclyn (23:58):
All right.
So we'll talk to you again in the nextepisode and get to know you even more.
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