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

Hi Jacob, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In 2021 I graduated from a technical school for audio engineering and received my audio engineering certification. After about 10+ years of producing, I finally felt like I had been gifted all the necessary tools I had been dreaming of having for a long time. I knew that being a producer and audio engineer combo would set me apart from some of my peers and I could bring value to artists while also being a creative force for good. My sound and style was attracting people to work with me and I decided to jump in the ocean with the sharks to prove I could swim. 2 years of just keeping my head down, putting in work, and good business practices has gotten me to where I’m at today.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My career technically started in 2008 when I was first introduced to FL Studio ( I started on FL Studio 8 for anyone wondering). A buddy of mine had played me a song while we were hanging out. At the completion of the song, he asked me what I had thought about it and I gave him my feedback, not knowing he had made the song. Once he revealed to me that he completely produced the project, I was mind-blown and I had to know how he did it. Enter FL Studio.

Fast forward to March 2020 when COVID unfortunately took hold and forced us all to be socially distant, I was working from home and had access to all of my music equipment. My corporate job was pretty dull and didn’t require me to be fully attentive and alert at all times. I took some of that downtime and really hunkered down on production and went from making 1 beat a week, to 3 beats a week, to 1 beat per day. I saw exponential growth in my ability to learn song structure, music theory, and mixing. All it took was 1 full year of that for me to realize I could do this full-time if I put my mind to it and 1000% committed.

June 2021 I quit the career path I had been in for 8 years and went to audio engineering school, got certified, interned, and then obtained my first professional audio position at the same school I got my certification as an instructor. After a few months instructing, I felt like I still wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing and what potential I held.

January 2022, I opened my own studio and now have the utmost respect for everyone operating their own small business. Every day we wake up with the fear of not knowing if we’ll be successful or succumb to failure. That fear is a large motivator to get up everyday and be better than we were yesterday. But, the satisfaction of knowing that everything we earn we have gone out and made happen ourselves or with the assistance of other that we have partnered with is oh, so sweet.

What I’m currently most proud of is simple. Every word of mouth referral I’m fortunate to get is a reminder that I’m on the right path and I have earned the trust and respect from amazing people I’m thankful to work with. Aside from social media content, I don’t do any marketing, advertisements, or SEO. You can’t find my business on Google (we’re working on that) but yet I’m able to pay my bills while also helping artist develop the sound they’re looking for.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I feel like Columbus is a food gem of a city that no one outside of the city really mentions. We are so culturally diverse, and with that brings all sorts of amazing food from places I might not ever get to visit. So, a week in Columbus would entail a different cuisine each day. We’d definitely try some Somalian food from Hoyo, pizza from Ohio Pizza and Brew and Hound Dog’s, Ethopian from Lalibella, Indian food from Indian Oven, and finish that off with Jeni’s Ice Cream,

Activity wise we’d need to see a local artist showcase put on by Wasted n’ Sedated to see what the local music scene is up to. If it’s warm, rent a bike downtown and check out the Scioto River waterfront area and kayak near Alum Creek. Pins and 16-BIt Arcade are must dos. If we had time, we’d also catch a “Don’t Tell” comedy show in Franklinton.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Where do I start? Everyone I had the opportunity to work with at the Rec W (Recording Workshop) where I obtained my audio engineering certification. I really felt like I had learned from industry professionals who had mentored me in both engineering skills and business/relationship building skills.

My wife has been my biggest supporter of my journey. I torture her almost every day with new music I’m working on or have worked on with artists I’m excited about and she always takes the time to listen and provide valuable feedback. The majority of the time she suggests something, it gets implemented (she doesn’t brag **too** hard about it.) She’s also personally invested resources into my business that get used on a daily basis. That’s my ride or die.

My parents deserve recognition too. At the very, very beginning stages of my career they didn’t like the idea of me quitting college for chemistry and pursuing music instead. Once I really put in the work and began investing in myself, they recognized how passionate I really am about what I do and they have put their support and well wishes behind me. My mother recently passed away in 2022, and the encouraging words she had for me before she left us inspires me to do better every day. My goal is to make sure I don’t disappoint.

Lastly, all of the artists, producers, engineers, and other creatives I get to make some dope art with, especially in the 614 area deserve huge shoutouts.

Website: isodopebeats.com

Instagram: instagram.com/isodope_beats

Youtube: youtube.com/isodopebeats

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/69ZVarCz2rOvzVdW1eGN7D?si=S9YZSnHZS_usWPIE3JKwIA

Image Credits
@dae0graphy @jboibeatz4ever

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.