March 14, 2024 • 30 mins
In this episode, Danny Brown interviews Gareth Davies, a media composer and audio producer at The Sound Boutique. Gareth shares his experience working on TV shows like "Toad & Friends" and "Scream Street" and discusses the challenges and rewards of composing music for these productions.
They also delve into Gareth's main podcast, "The Music Room," which serves as a valuable resource for musicians and composers, offering insights, advice, and a supportive community. Additionally, they explore Gareth's other podcast, "Podcasting People," which focuses on the podcasting industry and features interviews with various professionals in the field.
Notable Quotes:
"I love the teamwork that happens around productions, much the same as podcast productions. You have a team where you're getting everything together and working towards the same goal." - Gareth Davis
"The Music Room is for people entering the industry who might feel a bit daunted by it. It's for people trying to navigate their way through their careers." - Gareth Davis
"Podcasting People is about gaining insights, speaking to people working in the industry, and bringing people together to put human faces on these roles." - Gareth Davis
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Danny (00:07):
Hi, I'm Danny Brown and welcome to. My other podcast is the show that
brings you podcasters from around the world to talk about their other
podcasts, the one that's completely different from their main show. If
you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a review on your favourite
podcast app or over at my otherpodcast.com forward Slash review. And please
feel free to share with anyone that would enjoy the show too. I'd be
super grateful. And now this week's episode. Hi, I'm Danny Brown and
welcome to my other podcast is the show that brings you podcaster stories
around the world to talk about their other podcasts, the one that's completely
different from their main show. Today I'm joined by Gareth Davis from Shepperton
in the UK. Gareth is a media composer and also an audio producer at the
Sound Boutique, an award winning audio production company whose work
can be heard in numerous mediums, including tv. Gareth's main podcast
is a music room, which we'll talk about shortly. And his other podcast.
Well, we'll talk about that shortly too. But first, Gareth, welcome to
my other podcasts.
Gareth (01:12):
Thanks, Danny. Thanks so much for having me.
Danny (01:14):
It's really good experience and thanks for joining. And I mentioned earlier,
you're from Shepperton, there's a famous movie studio. There isn't.
Gareth (01:24):
Yes, it is. We're just down the road from there and recently massively
expanded. So there's the balance of people who are outcrying at the
lorries wheeling past. But obviously it's good for the economy, local
economy, to up the trade and all that. But yeah, legendary. I still
feel a little bit in awe from being. When I go past the sign, it's.
Danny (01:55):
Really good when you think of some of the James, some of the James Bond
movies shot there, the early ones.
Gareth (02:01):
I feel, for sure. Yes, it will mean, yeah, a lot of the Hollywood films
have been here, but it's got a massive, like you say, there's a rich history
attached to it. So you can go back and actually a fellow composer of
mine, Keith Hopwood, who was the guitarist in Herman's Hermits, I
don't know if anyone.
Danny (02:23):
Yes, I do something.
Gareth (02:25):
Yeah, yeah. So we met as know, Keith's older now, but he was saying, I remember
filming films with the Herman's Hermits back in the day and staying in such
and such hotel and all that. Yeah, quite amazing. Tom Jones as well,
I think was a local resident. Tom Jones legend filming.
Danny (02:50):
Yeah, now you got me jealous. Now I'm going to have to go back and
listen to my Tom Jones Spotify playlist. Love that guy. Amazing.
Gareth (02:58):
Well, it's not unusual.
Danny (03:02):
Okay, we're going to keep the puns and we're going to have a run encounter
of how many puns we can get into this episode. So, as I mentioned
at the start, obviously we'll talk about the music room, which is your
main podcast, in a moment. But first I've got to let the audience know
that you're actually a bona fide celebrity when it comes to audio
because your work is currently featured on tv shows torn friends on Warner
Bros. Discovery and Scream street on Children's BBC in the UK CBBC.
So how's that been working on these shows?
Gareth (03:32):
It's been know I am a musician primarily. I grew up with all that orchestral
training and everything like that. So to work on these shows has been
absolutely amazing. I wouldn't call myself a bona fide a celebrity by
any means, and in fact, it's quite the opposite. I prefer working in
a darkened room away from everyone else, but actually contributing to
the storytelling that way. I love the teamwork that happens around
productions much the same as podcast productions. You have a team where
you're getting everything together and working towards the same goal.
But yeah, I still pinch myself when I see things that I've put music
to on the telly. It's still a great feeling. And the Scream Street Christmas
special was another one to see something at Christmas on the tv. Yeah, it's
quite something. But I just love that level of storytelling, really.
You're contributing something to an overall picture.
Danny (04:40):
And tone of friends that's based on the classics children's book Wind
in the willows, which I feel probably every kid in the UK at some stage
has had access or been introduced to. Wind in the willows. It's an
amazing book and I'm wondering, does that add any extra pressure because
you're dealing with such a classic that people know when it comes to
coming up with a soundtrack for that?
Gareth (05:01):
Yes is the short answer. The whole production team actually felt that
weight of responsibility because it's such an amazing classic property.
Yes, we all felt that weight of responsibility, and as such, there was a real open
door policy. Everyone wanted to help everyone else, so it was such a joy
to work on. It's probably a career highlight for me to work on something
like that. I mean, it's wind in the willows. It's such an amazing thing.
And actually, I live down the road from where the whole thing is based.
So, yeah, for know, I was just in the process of buying a little boat
when I pitched for it as well. So I can go down the river here at Shepperton
and I'm passing boats called Ratty and toad and things like that. Just
quite an amazing thing. But yes, the whole process was wonderful.
Loved it.
Danny (06:09):
I'm not sure we can probably get that here, actually, on Warner Bros
Discovery. I'd love to cheque that out because I know I'm in Canada,
obviously, because my accent isn't canadian, but I'm in Canada, so we're
very different from UK. We get like some BBC channels, et cetera, some
CBC, but you have to have different apps, so I'd have to cheque that
out.
Gareth (06:28):
Yeah, I think it's coming to certainly the UK and the US in the autumn,
so you can keep an eye out on there, but I'm sure I'll be shouting about
it on the socials.
Danny (06:40):
I will look out for that for sure. So, as I mentioned at the start,
Gareth, your main podcast is the music room. But I think, in all honesty,
I would do a bit of a disservice if I just call it a podcast, because
it's more a collective than a podcast with various components. So can you
share the story of the music room and the different parts to it?
Gareth (07:00):
Yeah, collective is a good word, actually. I think ecosystem as well.
But the reason I started podcasting in the first place is because when
I became a professional composer, I had no idea how to find resources
and which organisations were relevant to me, what best practise looked
like. So the music room, really, the podcast is for me twelve years
ago, when I became a professional musician. And it's for people entering
the industry who might feel a bit daunted by it. It's for people who
are trying to navigate their way through their careers. Now, I'm still
learning from the amazing guests I have. Most of all, like you said,
collective, it's about community, really, bottom line, to be given
the chance to mix with other composers, songwriters and musicians, and to
help and support each other. So that's really my kind of remit to myself
when I'm making any kind of content pod chat podcast.
Danny (08:09):
And there's a huge. And you mentioned community. There's a large community,
obviously, over on Substac, where you've got the podcast, you've got
newsletter, you've got articles, you've got guests, you've got resources.
What are some of the resources that you offer to people in the space?
Because obviously it's not just about newcomers, you offer it to all levels
of expertise.
Gareth (08:31):
Absolutely. Actually, that's, I feel one of the unique things about it
is you can have hobbyist musicians who are just trying things out, rubbing
shoulders with kind of veteran composers who've won awards, but without ego,
there's no ego involved and people can kind of rub along together in
a really helpful and supportive way. And that's really the way I way I
conceived it, and it seems to be how it's worked out. But, yeah, since
I moved it to substack, because it was a newsletter as well, I thought
I wanted some kind of umbrella, some kind of platform to bring everything
together. So as a result, I've started another podcast, which is independent
music discovery.
Danny (09:22):
Oh, nice.
Gareth (09:24):
Which is called music music, available everywhere apart from Spotify. But
that's another long story. And then, yes, there's a music media recommendation
newsletter called listen, watch, read, which is literally that does
what it says on the tin. And then there are other resources. And in
fact, the first podcast that I started with a fellow composer, Dan Watts,
in 2019, when it all began for me, we agreed yesterday that we would
bring that into the music room as well. And that has so many, there
are guests in there who work in tv production from every aspect, and
there's a whole season there about the journey of the orchestral score
from composer all the way to screen. So all those different jobs as well.
So hopefully it's becoming a really valuable resource overall for composers,
songwriters, musicians.
Danny (10:24):
And you'd mentioned music, music music, which is a nice segue. I'm
glad you mentioned that because I was actually going to ask you about
that. It's one of the things that I like about the resource over at
the music room is you almost have this podcast within a podcast, which,
as you mentioned, is music, music, music. But do you see that as a complementary
project to the music room, or is that a standalone from there?
Gareth (10:45):
Yeah, it all becomes a little bit meta, doesn't it? But yes, definitely
complementary. I see the music room as kind of the flagship show and
everything. I wanted to extend the offering, really, to include other
things. So music, music, music is about music, funnily enough, whereas
a music room podcast is about people. So that's an interview show where
I ask people about what they're up to now, the projects, there's news
in there, there's community aspects to it as well. And then we go back
in time to see how it all began. So it's really about the inspiration
behind their musical journeys. At the end of it, they offer an item
and a piece of advice, kind of desert island disc style to leave in the
music room for others to find. So there's a whole raft of advice as
well, which I can draw on for audiograms and such like things.
Danny (11:53):
So you're the Ken Bruce of podcasting then, Danny?
Gareth (11:57):
I don't know why I do it.
Danny (11:58):
Or is that an insult? I apologise.
Gareth (12:00):
Well, I saw in your description a serial podcaster. I really relate
to that because I don't know why we do it to ourselves, but it's kind
of addictive, isn't.
Danny (12:11):
Like I always say. It's like when you get a tattoo, I don't know if
you got tattoos, but when you get your first one, you always want more.
And I think I've got about six or seven now.
Gareth (12:19):
Oh, wow.
Danny (12:19):
And yeah, podcasting. Yeah, I hear you. Once you start, you're in there.
Gareth (12:24):
Have you got any podcast tattoos?
Danny (12:27):
You know what? I don't have, but that's an idea. Interesting. Get
a sponsor to tattoo me, myotherapodcast.com. Listen on a leg or something that
has to be all the way down from top to bottom, and people have to squint
and that could be like weird on the beach, I think. Cause some weird
issues with the police. I'll give that a miss. Maybe just like the
little RSS icon or something.
Gareth (12:52):
Yeah.
Danny (12:53):
Now it's clear. I mean, obviously you mentioned that you started with
Dan back in 2019, and you've just said you've now got about three or
four podcasts. Roundabout, certainly two or three. Roundabout. The music
room. So obviously you're a fan of podcasting, and podcasting is a big
part of what you do. And this leads us to your other podcast, which is
obviously the show, what the show is about and what we're here to talk
about as well. And this one is called, and this is one that's a little bit
different from what people might expect. This one's podcasting people,
which is more of a podcast industry type show or podcast led show. So
how did that one come about? Because obviously, so far everything's been
music, music, music.
Gareth (13:33):
Yeah, absolutely. They are kind of connected in a way, which will become
clear. But I found myself, because I've been podcasting since 2019,
so it's about five years. And you obviously get good, don't you, at
all the aspects? Different aspects, hopefully, anyway. Hopefully, yes.
And being an audio professional by trade, I have those things in my
skill set anyway, so I was kind of more rerouting, dialogue, editing
and things like that came very naturally, and I found myself gaining clients
on the podcast side through fixing problematic audio dialogue, editing,
repurposing content from video to podcast and things like that. So
I've kind of found myself in the same position I was in when I started
as a composer, except this time in the rapidly evolving podcast industry.
So what better way, what way could there be to gain insights, speak
to people working in the industry, and more importantly, bringing people
together to put human faces on these roles? What better way to do all
that than make a podcast about it? It's just a brilliant way to a network
and b learn, share the knowledge with each other. I've had some really
lovely comments from industry folk and between guests as well. Guests
get to know each other as well. Yeah. So that was really the motivation
for it.
Danny (15:14):
Looking at the guests that have been on there, I know some of the names
there from the podcast and space, obviously. And the most recent one,
Tony Doe, I have to say he's got one of the most perfect podcast voices
I have ever heard.
Gareth (15:28):
Absolutely right.
Danny (15:29):
Yeah.
Gareth (15:30):
I mean, he's just so smooth.
Danny (15:34):
Yeah, exactly.
Gareth (15:35):
He's got the late night radio.
Danny (15:39):
His background is in radio for like 20 years. I think he's mentioned
he's been in radio, but yeah, whenever I hear Tony speak, it relaxes me.
I'm ready to listen to whatever that he's going to say.
Gareth (15:54):
Yeah, very much so. Yeah. I also love the fact that all the guests
are different. It's not like I could have made the podcast editor's podcast,
right? And I'm sure that would have been brilliant. But I wanted a variety
of jobs. I love the variety in industry. I used to do a podcast called Creative
Couple, which is following all the kind of creative threads through
all the different creative jobs, from photographers to music to art
to whatever it might be. So I love that variety of things. So I actually
ask each guest what they love about podcasts and podcasting, and there's
always some of them answers are quite similar, but there's always something
a little bit different from a different perspective. So hopefully there's
an overall picture that's good.
Danny (16:53):
And what I like about the format as well, it's an interesting little
format because the episodes are fairly short. They're about round about
five, maybe 6 minutes long, with an occasional slightly longer bit.
The episodes are pretty short, but they also don't have a host per se.
They don't have you introducing the show. They don't have you bookmarking
the guests, et cetera. The guest is essential as the host on each
episode. And as you mentioned, talk about a topic that's relevant to
them and they share their expertise and a takeaway for listeners. So
I'm curious, was that something that was deliberate from the start that
might sound like a really stupid question, or where did that idea
come from to just have the guest as the host every episode?
Gareth (17:40):
Yeah, well, it's a little bit of a mantra of mine, which I'm sure
a lot of podcasters find, which is, it's not about me, it's never about
me. I'm sure there are kind of monologue style podcasts where of course it's
about the person sharing their thoughts, but for something like this, I felt
it was the guest giving advice to the listener. It's nothing to do
with me, really. I'm just there to facilitate that process. I also like
the idea of guests kind of taking ownership of an episode. I'm there
to produce and guide them through it, but essentially they're putting
out a kind of minisode, or whatever you like to call it, and feel that
pride in what they've done. So it's them from start to finish. I'm actually
going to put out a new trailer. I gather the comments at the end, the
outros and things like that, but I always ask them to do a couple
of lines which are put into a little trailer. So I'm about to update that
and it's really lovely, them all saying, hi, I'm so and so. And then
at the end and you're listening to podcasting, people find it here and
it's them saying it. And I really love that. So the short answer is,
yeah, it's not about me, it's about them speaking to the listener.
Danny (19:04):
And as you mentioned, obviously the episode length is fairly short. It's
about four or 5 minutes on average. Was that the format of the show?
Did it come by based on the answers? Did you always have it in mind it
was going to be a very short episode for each guest and keep it like that?
Or was it more organic? How did that come about from that side?
Gareth (19:22):
Yeah, it was always the intention. I don't know whether it's because
we're living in a TikTok world and we're anything over 5 minutes and
the attention span goes. I think it was more. I've had this kind of
this ideology of trim the fat ever since I was playing in a band and
we were writing songs together. There's always this idea of, if it's not
necessary, why is it in there? So I was really thinking about that
as well. How do I get to the guts of this thing? And that's part of
the reason I'm not in there myself. They don't want to hear from me.
Let's get right to the core really quickly. And for an industry podcast,
yes, you can have a conversational thing like this. I mean, it's really
nice because there's a bit of banter and it's back and forth, and that's
kind of fun, and you feel like you're in and on a conversation when you're
listening. But for an industry podcast about giving tips and advice, I wanted
to get straight to it, let people listen to it before another podcast
on their way home or something like that. So, yeah, it was always my
intention to keep it short, snappy and to the point. Absolutely.
Danny (20:45):
And it's a fairly new podcast. It launched on October 2023. So last
year, as we recorded this, what are your goals for it? And are there
any podcasters or topics that you'd love to, that you really want to
focus on based on feedback you've had from, say, podcasters you work
with on your audio production company or just what you see online, that
kind of thing?
Gareth (21:05):
That's an interesting one. I suppose coming off, not coming off, being
involved in the music room community, that's kind of where I'll get my
kicks, is bringing people together. So I suppose a goal for podcasting
people would be a community of some description. I am wary of just diving
into those kinds of things because podcasting people is as much for
me as it is for the listener. Yeah, I kind of count myself as a listener
more than a host for podcasting people because I'm learning about the industry
as well. As I mentioned before, this industry is fairly new for me. I'm
gaining clients, but I haven't really networked a huge amount in the industry,
so I'm a bit wary not to mess up that first impression in a way. So
my answer to that is just graft, get down to it, keep producing the
content. I don't know if content is a dirty word. Keep producing,
get those episodes out, get as much advice as possible, and let that
work. Speak for itself, really, and see what the response is like over
this year. And then, yeah, I'd like to think a community would be good,
but then maybe there is a community out there that I'm missing. I don't
know. Maybe your listeners can let me know.
Danny (22:38):
Well, I think that's a great thing about the podcasting space. Like
you say, I feel it doesn't matter what experience level you're at.
It's a very open and supportive space, supportive community, and you will
get the odd outliers, like some OG podcasters from 2004 five or whatever
that may feel. Well, I've not got time to answer that question. That's
a very basic question, but we all start somewhere, so I feel that there's
no basic questions. And for the most part, it's a very supportive community.
And podcasters are so happy to jump on new shows as well, which obviously
with some of the guests that you've had on podcasting people, there's
no ego there, I don't feel. And it's great to see. There's always space
for new shows about other topics and podcasters are happy to jump
on. So, yeah, it'd be great to see how this expands and grows outward,
for sure.
Gareth (23:28):
Well, it would be lovely, Danny, if you would record an episode with
me. Oh, well, being a podcast professor, that.
Danny (23:35):
Was not a pitch, by the way, when I asked that question. I'm going
to put a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen now and say, upcoming
blatant promo pitch coming up or something.
Gareth (23:46):
No, yeah, absolutely. You'd be very welcome. And in a kind of connected
way, you work with the company that hosts podcasting people, so it's
circle of life kind of thing, isn't it?
Danny (24:01):
Exactly, no, for sure. I'd love to. Thanks for asking. I'll definitely
connect and we'll chat about that. For sure. Now, a question that I
do like to ask guests, especially because it's a podcasting show and
my other podcast, if you could have come up with the idea of someone
else's podcast that you really like or admire, what would it be? What
would be your show that you would have liked to have created and why
that one?
Gareth (24:28):
Well, I suppose I do have some favourites at the moment, one I've consistently
listened to throughout, which I think it was a really good move. There's
a show on in the UK called QI, which was Stephen Fry now at Sandy Toksvig
hosting, and it's quite interesting, basically. So it's all about quite
interesting facts. And they have the Qi elves and the Qi elves a few
years ago, I say a few years ago, maybe it's about ten years ago now,
decided to make a podcast, and they have the four favourite facts from
each week, and they go around and they all research it, so they don't
know what each other's done, and they talk about these facts and expand
on them, and it's just really interesting. They should have called it really
interesting.
Danny (25:18):
Yeah. I remember watching it when Stephen Fry, because I moved to Canada
in 2006. I've been away for a while, but I remember it when Stephen Fry
was a host and I loved watching the. I'm guessing it's still a tv show.
Is that moved over to podcasting altogether now?
Gareth (25:35):
No. So QI is still remaining as a tv show. The podcast is actually
called no such thing as a fish, which is.
Danny (25:46):
Love it.
Gareth (25:48):
It draws you in, doesn't it?
Danny (25:49):
Yeah. If I'm scrolling past, I'm drinking. What? There is such a thing
as a fish.
Gareth (25:54):
Exactly. So, yeah, just really interesting stuff. They've been going for years
and years and years. They're now doing live shows. They've got merch.
I've been to see them in a big theatre. I think they've done things like
the podcast festival, London Podcast Festival. So that's one which I thought
was really good. And then I do like a comedy sometimes. James Acastor
recently made something called.
Danny (26:27):
Not. I do love James Acaster, though.
Gareth (26:30):
It's bonkers. It's really silly fun. He's actually an undercover cop who's
infiltrated a criminal gang and masquerading as a comedian called James a castor.
And there are loads of other comedians in it and it's just really silly.
So I love that. And there's loads of sound design, which kind of appeals
to me as well. And then you get on the audio drama. Um, there's a lovely
series done by, which was conceived by and produced by Ella Watts, who
has been a guest on podcasting people called Doctor who redacted. So this
is kind of a spin off from Doctor who, but all ties in and it's just
brilliant. And again, that audio drama really appeals to me as well.
I don't know how maybe writing music for it, I don't know. But, yeah,
I love how it storytelling. You can engage in any kind of senses, can't
you? So as much as I love writing to picture, I think there's some
amazing audio dramas out there as well. So, yeah, those are a little
handful.
Danny (27:46):
And every single one sounds. I mean, I knew of the Qi, I didn't know of
their podcast, I knew of Qi, I didn't know James Acaster had a podcast,
but he's one of my favourite comedians. Very irrelevant. Irreverent. Not
irrelevant. Irreverent. Irreverent. Sorry, James and the Doctor who one
just speaks to my geek. I grew up in the UK with John Pertwee, then
Tom Baker as my two main doctors, and my colleague. Well, both colleagues,
actually, but colleagues at captivate, especially Gary, our head of design.
He has a Doctor who podcast, the Blue Box, which I think is still
active. So I know he'd be really interested in that. So we'll definitely
cheque these ones out for sure.
Gareth (28:26):
Nice one.
Danny (28:27):
So, Gareth, mate, I need to use mate more because I'm in Canada. I don't
get to use it that much. Gareth, mate, this has been an absolute delight.
I've really enjoyed chatting with you. For our listeners or viewers
on YouTube that want to know more about, obviously, the music room
or music music music. Or even podcasting people and all the other cool stuff
that you do in your day job and your evening job, maybe where's the best
place to find all that and connect with you online as well?
Gareth (28:56):
Okay, so I have a website for my company, the sound Boutique, which
is thesamboutique.com, all one word. And for the music room, if you head
to musicroom community, because that's what it is, then you'll find everything
there. Podcastingpeople is podcastingpeople UK.
Danny (29:18):
They are very easy to remember and I'll be sure to leave all that in
the description. So whether you're listening on audio or watching on
YouTube, cheque the description afterwards or the show notes on your podcast
app and all the links will be there. So again, Gareth, I really appreciate
you coming on today, mate. Thank you.
Gareth (29:32):
Thank you, Danny. It's been a real pleasure.
Danny (29:43):
Thanks for listening. To make sure you don't miss an episode, you can
follow the show for free on your favourite podcast app or online at
my otherpodcast.com. Or if you're on the YouTubes, you can watch every
episode at my otherpodcast.com YouTube and be sure to hit that like and
subscribe button. Take care and I'll see you next time on my other podcast.
Is.
Hi, I'm Danny Brown and welcome to. My other podcast is the show that
brings you podcasters from around the world to talk about their other
podcasts, the one that's completely different from their main show. If
you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a review on your favourite
podcast app or over at my otherpodcast.com forward Slash review. And please
feel free to share with anyone that would enjoy the show too. I'd be
super grateful. And now this week's episode. Hi, I'm Danny Brown and
welcome to my other podcast is the show that brings you podcaster stories
around the world to talk about their other podcasts, the one that's completely
different from their main show. Today I'm joined by Gareth Davis from Shepperton
in the UK. Gareth is a media composer and also an audio producer at the
Sound Boutique, an award winning audio production company whose work
can be heard in numerous mediums, including tv. Gareth's main podcast
is a music room, which we'll talk about shortly. And his other podcast.
Well, we'll talk about that shortly too. But first, Gareth, welcome to
my other podcasts.
Gareth (01:12):
Thanks, Danny. Thanks so much for having me.
Danny (01:14):
It's really good experience and thanks for joining. And I mentioned earlier,
you're from Shepperton, there's a famous movie studio. There isn't.
Gareth (01:24):
Yes, it is. We're just down the road from there and recently massively
expanded. So there's the balance of people who are outcrying at the
lorries wheeling past. But obviously it's good for the economy, local
economy, to up the trade and all that. But yeah, legendary. I still
feel a little bit in awe from being. When I go past the sign, it's.
Danny (01:55):
Really good when you think of some of the James, some of the James Bond
movies shot there, the early ones.
Gareth (02:01):
I feel, for sure. Yes, it will mean, yeah, a lot of the Hollywood films
have been here, but it's got a massive, like you say, there's a rich history
attached to it. So you can go back and actually a fellow composer of
mine, Keith Hopwood, who was the guitarist in Herman's Hermits, I
don't know if anyone.
Danny (02:23):
Yes, I do something.
Gareth (02:25):
Yeah, yeah. So we met as know, Keith's older now, but he was saying, I remember
filming films with the Herman's Hermits back in the day and staying in such
and such hotel and all that. Yeah, quite amazing. Tom Jones as well,
I think was a local resident. Tom Jones legend filming.
Danny (02:50):
Yeah, now you got me jealous. Now I'm going to have to go back and
listen to my Tom Jones Spotify playlist. Love that guy. Amazing.
Gareth (02:58):
Well, it's not unusual.
Danny (03:02):
Okay, we're going to keep the puns and we're going to have a run encounter
of how many puns we can get into this episode. So, as I mentioned
at the start, obviously we'll talk about the music room, which is your
main podcast, in a moment. But first I've got to let the audience know
that you're actually a bona fide celebrity when it comes to audio
because your work is currently featured on tv shows torn friends on Warner
Bros. Discovery and Scream street on Children's BBC in the UK CBBC.
So how's that been working on these shows?
Gareth (03:32):
It's been know I am a musician primarily. I grew up with all that orchestral
training and everything like that. So to work on these shows has been
absolutely amazing. I wouldn't call myself a bona fide a celebrity by
any means, and in fact, it's quite the opposite. I prefer working in
a darkened room away from everyone else, but actually contributing to
the storytelling that way. I love the teamwork that happens around
productions much the same as podcast productions. You have a team where
you're getting everything together and working towards the same goal.
But yeah, I still pinch myself when I see things that I've put music
to on the telly. It's still a great feeling. And the Scream Street Christmas
special was another one to see something at Christmas on the tv. Yeah, it's
quite something. But I just love that level of storytelling, really.
You're contributing something to an overall picture.
Danny (04:40):
And tone of friends that's based on the classics children's book Wind
in the willows, which I feel probably every kid in the UK at some stage
has had access or been introduced to. Wind in the willows. It's an
amazing book and I'm wondering, does that add any extra pressure because
you're dealing with such a classic that people know when it comes to
coming up with a soundtrack for that?
Gareth (05:01):
Yes is the short answer. The whole production team actually felt that
weight of responsibility because it's such an amazing classic property.
Yes, we all felt that weight of responsibility, and as such, there was a real open
door policy. Everyone wanted to help everyone else, so it was such a joy
to work on. It's probably a career highlight for me to work on something
like that. I mean, it's wind in the willows. It's such an amazing thing.
And actually, I live down the road from where the whole thing is based.
So, yeah, for know, I was just in the process of buying a little boat
when I pitched for it as well. So I can go down the river here at Shepperton
and I'm passing boats called Ratty and toad and things like that. Just
quite an amazing thing. But yes, the whole process was wonderful.
Loved it.
Danny (06:09):
I'm not sure we can probably get that here, actually, on Warner Bros
Discovery. I'd love to cheque that out because I know I'm in Canada,
obviously, because my accent isn't canadian, but I'm in Canada, so we're
very different from UK. We get like some BBC channels, et cetera, some
CBC, but you have to have different apps, so I'd have to cheque that
out.
Gareth (06:28):
Yeah, I think it's coming to certainly the UK and the US in the autumn,
so you can keep an eye out on there, but I'm sure I'll be shouting about
it on the socials.
Danny (06:40):
I will look out for that for sure. So, as I mentioned at the start,
Gareth, your main podcast is the music room. But I think, in all honesty,
I would do a bit of a disservice if I just call it a podcast, because
it's more a collective than a podcast with various components. So can you
share the story of the music room and the different parts to it?
Gareth (07:00):
Yeah, collective is a good word, actually. I think ecosystem as well.
But the reason I started podcasting in the first place is because when
I became a professional composer, I had no idea how to find resources
and which organisations were relevant to me, what best practise looked
like. So the music room, really, the podcast is for me twelve years
ago, when I became a professional musician. And it's for people entering
the industry who might feel a bit daunted by it. It's for people who
are trying to navigate their way through their careers. Now, I'm still
learning from the amazing guests I have. Most of all, like you said,
collective, it's about community, really, bottom line, to be given
the chance to mix with other composers, songwriters and musicians, and to
help and support each other. So that's really my kind of remit to myself
when I'm making any kind of content pod chat podcast.
Danny (08:09):
And there's a huge. And you mentioned community. There's a large community,
obviously, over on Substac, where you've got the podcast, you've got
newsletter, you've got articles, you've got guests, you've got resources.
What are some of the resources that you offer to people in the space?
Because obviously it's not just about newcomers, you offer it to all levels
of expertise.
Gareth (08:31):
Absolutely. Actually, that's, I feel one of the unique things about it
is you can have hobbyist musicians who are just trying things out, rubbing
shoulders with kind of veteran composers who've won awards, but without ego,
there's no ego involved and people can kind of rub along together in
a really helpful and supportive way. And that's really the way I way I
conceived it, and it seems to be how it's worked out. But, yeah, since
I moved it to substack, because it was a newsletter as well, I thought
I wanted some kind of umbrella, some kind of platform to bring everything
together. So as a result, I've started another podcast, which is independent
music discovery.
Danny (09:22):
Oh, nice.
Gareth (09:24):
Which is called music music, available everywhere apart from Spotify. But
that's another long story. And then, yes, there's a music media recommendation
newsletter called listen, watch, read, which is literally that does
what it says on the tin. And then there are other resources. And in
fact, the first podcast that I started with a fellow composer, Dan Watts,
in 2019, when it all began for me, we agreed yesterday that we would
bring that into the music room as well. And that has so many, there
are guests in there who work in tv production from every aspect, and
there's a whole season there about the journey of the orchestral score
from composer all the way to screen. So all those different jobs as well.
So hopefully it's becoming a really valuable resource overall for composers,
songwriters, musicians.
Danny (10:24):
And you'd mentioned music, music music, which is a nice segue. I'm
glad you mentioned that because I was actually going to ask you about
that. It's one of the things that I like about the resource over at
the music room is you almost have this podcast within a podcast, which,
as you mentioned, is music, music, music. But do you see that as a complementary
project to the music room, or is that a standalone from there?
Gareth (10:45):
Yeah, it all becomes a little bit meta, doesn't it? But yes, definitely
complementary. I see the music room as kind of the flagship show and
everything. I wanted to extend the offering, really, to include other
things. So music, music, music is about music, funnily enough, whereas
a music room podcast is about people. So that's an interview show where
I ask people about what they're up to now, the projects, there's news
in there, there's community aspects to it as well. And then we go back
in time to see how it all began. So it's really about the inspiration
behind their musical journeys. At the end of it, they offer an item
and a piece of advice, kind of desert island disc style to leave in the
music room for others to find. So there's a whole raft of advice as
well, which I can draw on for audiograms and such like things.
Danny (11:53):
So you're the Ken Bruce of podcasting then, Danny?
Gareth (11:57):
I don't know why I do it.
Danny (11:58):
Or is that an insult? I apologise.
Gareth (12:00):
Well, I saw in your description a serial podcaster. I really relate
to that because I don't know why we do it to ourselves, but it's kind
of addictive, isn't.
Danny (12:11):
Like I always say. It's like when you get a tattoo, I don't know if
you got tattoos, but when you get your first one, you always want more.
And I think I've got about six or seven now.
Gareth (12:19):
Oh, wow.
Danny (12:19):
And yeah, podcasting. Yeah, I hear you. Once you start, you're in there.
Gareth (12:24):
Have you got any podcast tattoos?
Danny (12:27):
You know what? I don't have, but that's an idea. Interesting. Get
a sponsor to tattoo me, myotherapodcast.com. Listen on a leg or something that
has to be all the way down from top to bottom, and people have to squint
and that could be like weird on the beach, I think. Cause some weird
issues with the police. I'll give that a miss. Maybe just like the
little RSS icon or something.
Gareth (12:52):
Yeah.
Danny (12:53):
Now it's clear. I mean, obviously you mentioned that you started with
Dan back in 2019, and you've just said you've now got about three or
four podcasts. Roundabout, certainly two or three. Roundabout. The music
room. So obviously you're a fan of podcasting, and podcasting is a big
part of what you do. And this leads us to your other podcast, which is
obviously the show, what the show is about and what we're here to talk
about as well. And this one is called, and this is one that's a little bit
different from what people might expect. This one's podcasting people,
which is more of a podcast industry type show or podcast led show. So
how did that one come about? Because obviously, so far everything's been
music, music, music.
Gareth (13:33):
Yeah, absolutely. They are kind of connected in a way, which will become
clear. But I found myself, because I've been podcasting since 2019,
so it's about five years. And you obviously get good, don't you, at
all the aspects? Different aspects, hopefully, anyway. Hopefully, yes.
And being an audio professional by trade, I have those things in my
skill set anyway, so I was kind of more rerouting, dialogue, editing
and things like that came very naturally, and I found myself gaining clients
on the podcast side through fixing problematic audio dialogue, editing,
repurposing content from video to podcast and things like that. So
I've kind of found myself in the same position I was in when I started
as a composer, except this time in the rapidly evolving podcast industry.
So what better way, what way could there be to gain insights, speak
to people working in the industry, and more importantly, bringing people
together to put human faces on these roles? What better way to do all
that than make a podcast about it? It's just a brilliant way to a network
and b learn, share the knowledge with each other. I've had some really
lovely comments from industry folk and between guests as well. Guests
get to know each other as well. Yeah. So that was really the motivation
for it.
Danny (15:14):
Looking at the guests that have been on there, I know some of the names
there from the podcast and space, obviously. And the most recent one,
Tony Doe, I have to say he's got one of the most perfect podcast voices
I have ever heard.
Gareth (15:28):
Absolutely right.
Danny (15:29):
Yeah.
Gareth (15:30):
I mean, he's just so smooth.
Danny (15:34):
Yeah, exactly.
Gareth (15:35):
He's got the late night radio.
Danny (15:39):
His background is in radio for like 20 years. I think he's mentioned
he's been in radio, but yeah, whenever I hear Tony speak, it relaxes me.
I'm ready to listen to whatever that he's going to say.
Gareth (15:54):
Yeah, very much so. Yeah. I also love the fact that all the guests
are different. It's not like I could have made the podcast editor's podcast,
right? And I'm sure that would have been brilliant. But I wanted a variety
of jobs. I love the variety in industry. I used to do a podcast called Creative
Couple, which is following all the kind of creative threads through
all the different creative jobs, from photographers to music to art
to whatever it might be. So I love that variety of things. So I actually
ask each guest what they love about podcasts and podcasting, and there's
always some of them answers are quite similar, but there's always something
a little bit different from a different perspective. So hopefully there's
an overall picture that's good.
Danny (16:53):
And what I like about the format as well, it's an interesting little
format because the episodes are fairly short. They're about round about
five, maybe 6 minutes long, with an occasional slightly longer bit.
The episodes are pretty short, but they also don't have a host per se.
They don't have you introducing the show. They don't have you bookmarking
the guests, et cetera. The guest is essential as the host on each
episode. And as you mentioned, talk about a topic that's relevant to
them and they share their expertise and a takeaway for listeners. So
I'm curious, was that something that was deliberate from the start that
might sound like a really stupid question, or where did that idea
come from to just have the guest as the host every episode?
Gareth (17:40):
Yeah, well, it's a little bit of a mantra of mine, which I'm sure
a lot of podcasters find, which is, it's not about me, it's never about
me. I'm sure there are kind of monologue style podcasts where of course it's
about the person sharing their thoughts, but for something like this, I felt
it was the guest giving advice to the listener. It's nothing to do
with me, really. I'm just there to facilitate that process. I also like
the idea of guests kind of taking ownership of an episode. I'm there
to produce and guide them through it, but essentially they're putting
out a kind of minisode, or whatever you like to call it, and feel that
pride in what they've done. So it's them from start to finish. I'm actually
going to put out a new trailer. I gather the comments at the end, the
outros and things like that, but I always ask them to do a couple
of lines which are put into a little trailer. So I'm about to update that
and it's really lovely, them all saying, hi, I'm so and so. And then
at the end and you're listening to podcasting, people find it here and
it's them saying it. And I really love that. So the short answer is,
yeah, it's not about me, it's about them speaking to the listener.
Danny (19:04):
And as you mentioned, obviously the episode length is fairly short. It's
about four or 5 minutes on average. Was that the format of the show?
Did it come by based on the answers? Did you always have it in mind it
was going to be a very short episode for each guest and keep it like that?
Or was it more organic? How did that come about from that side?
Gareth (19:22):
Yeah, it was always the intention. I don't know whether it's because
we're living in a TikTok world and we're anything over 5 minutes and
the attention span goes. I think it was more. I've had this kind of
this ideology of trim the fat ever since I was playing in a band and
we were writing songs together. There's always this idea of, if it's not
necessary, why is it in there? So I was really thinking about that
as well. How do I get to the guts of this thing? And that's part of
the reason I'm not in there myself. They don't want to hear from me.
Let's get right to the core really quickly. And for an industry podcast,
yes, you can have a conversational thing like this. I mean, it's really
nice because there's a bit of banter and it's back and forth, and that's
kind of fun, and you feel like you're in and on a conversation when you're
listening. But for an industry podcast about giving tips and advice, I wanted
to get straight to it, let people listen to it before another podcast
on their way home or something like that. So, yeah, it was always my
intention to keep it short, snappy and to the point. Absolutely.
Danny (20:45):
And it's a fairly new podcast. It launched on October 2023. So last
year, as we recorded this, what are your goals for it? And are there
any podcasters or topics that you'd love to, that you really want to
focus on based on feedback you've had from, say, podcasters you work
with on your audio production company or just what you see online, that
kind of thing?
Gareth (21:05):
That's an interesting one. I suppose coming off, not coming off, being
involved in the music room community, that's kind of where I'll get my
kicks, is bringing people together. So I suppose a goal for podcasting
people would be a community of some description. I am wary of just diving
into those kinds of things because podcasting people is as much for
me as it is for the listener. Yeah, I kind of count myself as a listener
more than a host for podcasting people because I'm learning about the industry
as well. As I mentioned before, this industry is fairly new for me. I'm
gaining clients, but I haven't really networked a huge amount in the industry,
so I'm a bit wary not to mess up that first impression in a way. So
my answer to that is just graft, get down to it, keep producing the
content. I don't know if content is a dirty word. Keep producing,
get those episodes out, get as much advice as possible, and let that
work. Speak for itself, really, and see what the response is like over
this year. And then, yeah, I'd like to think a community would be good,
but then maybe there is a community out there that I'm missing. I don't
know. Maybe your listeners can let me know.
Danny (22:38):
Well, I think that's a great thing about the podcasting space. Like
you say, I feel it doesn't matter what experience level you're at.
It's a very open and supportive space, supportive community, and you will
get the odd outliers, like some OG podcasters from 2004 five or whatever
that may feel. Well, I've not got time to answer that question. That's
a very basic question, but we all start somewhere, so I feel that there's
no basic questions. And for the most part, it's a very supportive community.
And podcasters are so happy to jump on new shows as well, which obviously
with some of the guests that you've had on podcasting people, there's
no ego there, I don't feel. And it's great to see. There's always space
for new shows about other topics and podcasters are happy to jump
on. So, yeah, it'd be great to see how this expands and grows outward,
for sure.
Gareth (23:28):
Well, it would be lovely, Danny, if you would record an episode with
me. Oh, well, being a podcast professor, that.
Danny (23:35):
Was not a pitch, by the way, when I asked that question. I'm going
to put a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen now and say, upcoming
blatant promo pitch coming up or something.
Gareth (23:46):
No, yeah, absolutely. You'd be very welcome. And in a kind of connected
way, you work with the company that hosts podcasting people, so it's
circle of life kind of thing, isn't it?
Danny (24:01):
Exactly, no, for sure. I'd love to. Thanks for asking. I'll definitely
connect and we'll chat about that. For sure. Now, a question that I
do like to ask guests, especially because it's a podcasting show and
my other podcast, if you could have come up with the idea of someone
else's podcast that you really like or admire, what would it be? What
would be your show that you would have liked to have created and why
that one?
Gareth (24:28):
Well, I suppose I do have some favourites at the moment, one I've consistently
listened to throughout, which I think it was a really good move. There's
a show on in the UK called QI, which was Stephen Fry now at Sandy Toksvig
hosting, and it's quite interesting, basically. So it's all about quite
interesting facts. And they have the Qi elves and the Qi elves a few
years ago, I say a few years ago, maybe it's about ten years ago now,
decided to make a podcast, and they have the four favourite facts from
each week, and they go around and they all research it, so they don't
know what each other's done, and they talk about these facts and expand
on them, and it's just really interesting. They should have called it really
interesting.
Danny (25:18):
Yeah. I remember watching it when Stephen Fry, because I moved to Canada
in 2006. I've been away for a while, but I remember it when Stephen Fry
was a host and I loved watching the. I'm guessing it's still a tv show.
Is that moved over to podcasting altogether now?
Gareth (25:35):
No. So QI is still remaining as a tv show. The podcast is actually
called no such thing as a fish, which is.
Danny (25:46):
Love it.
Gareth (25:48):
It draws you in, doesn't it?
Danny (25:49):
Yeah. If I'm scrolling past, I'm drinking. What? There is such a thing
as a fish.
Gareth (25:54):
Exactly. So, yeah, just really interesting stuff. They've been going for years
and years and years. They're now doing live shows. They've got merch.
I've been to see them in a big theatre. I think they've done things like
the podcast festival, London Podcast Festival. So that's one which I thought
was really good. And then I do like a comedy sometimes. James Acastor
recently made something called.
Danny (26:27):
Not. I do love James Acaster, though.
Gareth (26:30):
It's bonkers. It's really silly fun. He's actually an undercover cop who's
infiltrated a criminal gang and masquerading as a comedian called James a castor.
And there are loads of other comedians in it and it's just really silly.
So I love that. And there's loads of sound design, which kind of appeals
to me as well. And then you get on the audio drama. Um, there's a lovely
series done by, which was conceived by and produced by Ella Watts, who
has been a guest on podcasting people called Doctor who redacted. So this
is kind of a spin off from Doctor who, but all ties in and it's just
brilliant. And again, that audio drama really appeals to me as well.
I don't know how maybe writing music for it, I don't know. But, yeah,
I love how it storytelling. You can engage in any kind of senses, can't
you? So as much as I love writing to picture, I think there's some
amazing audio dramas out there as well. So, yeah, those are a little
handful.
Danny (27:46):
And every single one sounds. I mean, I knew of the Qi, I didn't know of
their podcast, I knew of Qi, I didn't know James Acaster had a podcast,
but he's one of my favourite comedians. Very irrelevant. Irreverent. Not
irrelevant. Irreverent. Irreverent. Sorry, James and the Doctor who one
just speaks to my geek. I grew up in the UK with John Pertwee, then
Tom Baker as my two main doctors, and my colleague. Well, both colleagues,
actually, but colleagues at captivate, especially Gary, our head of design.
He has a Doctor who podcast, the Blue Box, which I think is still
active. So I know he'd be really interested in that. So we'll definitely
cheque these ones out for sure.
Gareth (28:26):
Nice one.
Danny (28:27):
So, Gareth, mate, I need to use mate more because I'm in Canada. I don't
get to use it that much. Gareth, mate, this has been an absolute delight.
I've really enjoyed chatting with you. For our listeners or viewers
on YouTube that want to know more about, obviously, the music room
or music music music. Or even podcasting people and all the other cool stuff
that you do in your day job and your evening job, maybe where's the best
place to find all that and connect with you online as well?
Gareth (28:56):
Okay, so I have a website for my company, the sound Boutique, which
is thesamboutique.com, all one word. And for the music room, if you head
to musicroom community, because that's what it is, then you'll find everything
there. Podcastingpeople is podcastingpeople UK.
Danny (29:18):
They are very easy to remember and I'll be sure to leave all that in
the description. So whether you're listening on audio or watching on
YouTube, cheque the description afterwards or the show notes on your podcast
app and all the links will be there. So again, Gareth, I really appreciate
you coming on today, mate. Thank you.
Gareth (29:32):
Thank you, Danny. It's been a real pleasure.
Danny (29:43):
Thanks for listening. To make sure you don't miss an episode, you can
follow the show for free on your favourite podcast app or online at
my otherpodcast.com. Or if you're on the YouTubes, you can watch every
episode at my otherpodcast.com YouTube and be sure to hit that like and
subscribe button. Take care and I'll see you next time on my other podcast.
Is.
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