He’s a one-man machine. Describing himself as the “Energizer bunny,” Greg Cornell is a 22-year old CEO of a production company with a ‘more than meets the eye’ attitude. Seriously, there is more than meets the eye. Don’t let his age fool you; his resume extends beyond his years.
I wasn't too familiar with the logistics behind the music production company business until I sat down to interview Greg, but from the way he described it, it seems like a wild profession. I did learn, though, that the music business is hard to break into, especially in DC. There is definitely no lack of demand, but large-scale production companies tend to takeover as there is no shortage of production outlets in the District. There is also a whole base of small DJs that will work for cheap in order to break into the business. They may not offer the quality that Greg has to offer, but in this economy, money tends to mean more. Greg’s has risen above the challenges though and achievements prove that a small startup can generate success.
Greg got his start in high school by producing a CD for his band with no experience and just $300 in his pocket, but from there his business took off. Be it bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, or frat parties, somehow word of Greg’s professional venture spread around. As a graduate from American University with a BA in audio production, Greg placed himself in the perfect city to form a startup.
With between 75-100 gigs under his belt since the launch of Ledger Productions in 2009, it was hard for him to choose his favorite event. He narrowed it down to when he did production management for the Summit Series’ Summit at Sea last year. At that event alone, he worked with names like The Roots and Pretty Lights, impressive for such a small-scale company of one.
His biggest event was as assistant site manager for the MLK opening dedication concert event. There were to be 200,000-300,000 people in attendance, but the event was cancelled by the onset of Hurricane Irene. Over the years, Greg has worked with Sir Richard Branson, Accenture, CFO of Google, CEO of Zappos, Living Social, 930 Club, American University, and the list goes on.
How do people find him? Word-of-mouth. Sure, he takes advantage of social media, but he chooses not to advertise. Though Twitter and Facebook may not be his biggest aids, he is dependent on technology. When asked what technology he could not live without, he immediately pulled out his Android. Now, this is no ordinary Android. Yes, he can call and email, but Greg's phone sports an enormous battery, acts as an Internet hotspot and hosts apps like the frequency analysis pictured below. Pretty nifty tools he can't do without.
Greg's biggest challenge is his age. He is a 22-year old doing the job of a 40-year old, which makes it difficult to gain the trust of someone looking to hire him. Yet Greg has proved over and over again that once he's hired, they're hooked. He can “change the atmosphere of a room” by simply adjusting some speakers to make the sound 'more central'. More than that, his professionalism and attitude are what set him apart from his competitors. He offers quality at low costs and strives to do more than what the customers are paying for.
When asked what his job entails, he paused for a long period of time, struggling to put into words exactly what he does. This is not because he doesn’t know what he does, but more that he does so much that it is difficult to put it all into one sentence, so I gave him two.
“My job is to do everything in my power to eliminate problems on site beforehand and when inevitable problems arise, put those fires out as quickly and neatly as possible”
In addition to
“Designing and executing event production in the most professional and efficient way possible”
Though he hires sub-contractors for bigger events, right now, Ledger Productions is just Greg Cornell. Sitting down with Greg, you would never know how hectic and time consuming his day is. Single-handedly running a company means a lack of sleep. Or better yet, no sleep. His secret is that he honestly loves what he does, and the coffee, but don’t tell anyone that.
Look out for Greg’s upcoming gigs, or, better yet, check out his website and look into hiring him. He is a well sought after guy, but try to support your fellow startups and turn to Ledger Productions for your next event.
[Images via Zach Narva, John Pahl Ferrell and Molly Greenberg]
