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

Hi Mark, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process started with accountability. I want to be accountable for my own career and when things go right, I can enjoy it and when things go wrong, I can be accountable for it, learn from it and move forward. Another element was my thirst for knowledge on what it takes to run an independent music label and what goes on in the background. Lastly, it was taken on the challenge and then being able to help others who may be thinking of running their own business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I come from a family of musicians and music professionals. I always have multiple projects going on at once including drumming for a new country star out of West Virginia named Carson Hay, releasing electronic albums under my name Policy, studio session work or various other projects in the studio as a producer/engineer. I toured all over the US and Canada as a kid and basically travelled with the road crew. Right out of high school I had the opportunity to move to Los Angeles, CA where I earned some wings and got to study with some great drummers out there. Currently I have also taken on the role as a mentor, manager, and consultant within the projects I’m involved with. Even though I’m the drummer in the back, I’ve been told I’m the heart a soul of the project. I think what sets me apart is my work ethic and my ability to earn the role as a servant leader. My preparation and attention to the details is key to our success along with capitalizing on opportunities. Some may think opportunities come easy being from a family in the music business, but it still takes a proactive approach, a skillset to selling a brand, networking, creativity, taking risks, finding solutions, going above and beyond for a client, delegation and being professional.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, if they are country music fans, we have a cool place here in Cleveland called Welcome To The Farm. It’s co-owned by Chase Rice and it’s the best place to see great local and regional bands. It’s in an area called The East Bank of The Flats and it has been totally renovated. The country project I’m currently on the drums with, Carson Hay, has just had two amazing performances at The Farm, with more bookings to come. Right next to The Farm is an outdoor facility called FWD, this is my favorite spot, and this hosts all the major electronic and EDM artists coming through Cleveland. In downtown Cleveland we have the Field House to see The Cavs and we have our casino as well. Great places to eat can be found in our Tremont and Ohio City areas as well as Lakewood on the west side of the city. Lastly, we could check out the east side of Cleveland in the University Circle area for great food and live music!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I come from a family of musicians, so my whole family has been instrumental in my success. If I had to single out one person it would be my late Uncle, Michael Patrick Zaremba. Unfortunately, Uncle Mike passed last year, but he was extremely instrumental regarding my career. He was a friend, he taught me the art of music production and the recording process, was a co-producer/engineer on my first electronic album, “Echo Chambers”, consultant on my second full-length release titled “The Abby Rose”, he was one hell of a bass player, and he loved his dogs. Other than I, his favorite drummer was Keith Moon from The Who, and he started to take a great interest in the world of drums and the art of drumming. It was great to just sit and talk in the studio for hours about life and all things music!

Website: https://www.policymusic.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpolicy1/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/72567916/admin/feed/posts/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPolicy1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPolicy1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX5F5Lu_AeAkJClmBwnV-kQ

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mpolicy?lang=en https://soundcloud.com/policypalacerecordings https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wbuz4Tz0r6CxGA7IZdpKL?si=ZHQ85rdxQYS6P16iQ-CF4g https://music.apple.com/us/artist/policy/1501905809 https://tidal.com/browse/artist/21465882

Image Credits
Mitchell J. Zaremba Dave Burzanko Stepanie Hay Tommy Kneeland

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