Tarjas White is an EP at HiFi Project, where they partner with agencies and brands “to create music that inspires viewers to want to hear more,” he says. “To do so, we infuse a nimble team of in-house composers and producers with a deep network of established and emerging talent from the global music scene.” HiFi has studios in Boston, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
Tell us about your role as EP.
I oversee client relationships, business development, general strategy, and the day-to-day production of jobs from the top down. I lead the start of every job, covering the bases of all elements, and manage I the studio. I’m West Coast based, so I lead the LA studio and its composers. Organizationally, I’m the manager of the West Coast studio and I work with the other EPs on the company agenda.
LifeWTR
What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
People who are not as familiar with this space may not know how much we use both sides of our brain. When it comes to business development and creative support, both things go hand in hand, from music production to outreach — from cold emailing to speaking on panels at conferences to sourcing creative talent and providing creative solutions on a high level.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Working with extremely talented people. I do like a lot of the elements of the job for different reasons. I’m like Clark Kent/Superman — I might be on a CMO call at 10am and be collaborating with a hip-hop producer in the studio at 3pm. I love all the boxes I get to check throughout the day, working in a creative space and seeing the final result of our work.
More specifically, I love watching the basketball game and seeing one of my ads. I might suddenly hear a song we made and think, am I at work right now? No, it’s out in the world.
What’s your least favorite?
Losing a job that we were competing for and seeing what they did choose. Everything is relative, but sometimes you still wonder if yours would have been better.
What is your most productive time of the day?
Morning. It’s a little weird right now since I moved to the West Coast right as daylight savings time ended, but I’m a morning person. I’m my smartest earlier in the day, and by the minute, it goes down. I like getting a strong start to keep the momentum going.
How has your section of the industry changed since COVID? The good and the bad?
It’s changed because the world has changed. The trajectory changed, the way things are done has changed, the results have changed, etc. That whole perspective shifted a little bit. More specifically, budgets may have changed. In advertising, which is so directly tied to the economy, the creative gets a little safer and things get done a little differently at different times.
It’s still a time when we are navigating the future of the industry. What it was “BC”—before COVID — is not what it is now. The dust feels like it’s still settling on what opportunities there are moving forward. Screenings and events are coming back around, just not at the same capacity as before.
Do you see some of these workflow changes remaining with us going forward?
I think so. You can’t go back once it’s been proven the world won’t end if folks aren’t in the office every day. There are benefits to in-person collaboration for many reasons, but logistically it won’t go back to in-office all the time. That’s too big a sell for some talent, given the option for remote work at least in some capacity. Just to be competitive, it won’t go fully back.
If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I would still be working in music. I have this job because I’m a musician and found this route in this niche music industry space. I’d be working in music producing or songwriting on the other side. Or in fashion, by styling and designing.
How early on did you know this would be your path?
I was a full-time musician and producer. I went to an event and talked to someone who was telling me about putting music in TV shows. Back then I didn’t know how music sync and licensing worked, so I sent him some tracks. Nine months later, he told me that 7 or 8 of my songs would be on various reality shows, like Keeping Up With the Kardashians! That’s how I got my first placement.
I was introduced to licensing, which at the time was very broadcast, and moved into this space. I next interned at Sony in the licensing department. After having music in different catalogs, I got my first gig at an indie artist music licensing house, which is how I grew in this industry over the last 10 years. I’ve been with small music companies, mid-size companies and big studios, working with both libraries and original music, naturally and organically, which gave me the experience to have this position now.
Pepsi Starry
Can you name some recent projects you have worked on?
My most recent brand clients are BMW, Pepsi, KFC, Meta, NBA and LifeWTR, but some of my most recent work includes the Pepsi Starry brand announcement ad with Keke Palmer and the More To Life LifeWTR campaign starring LeBron James.
Name some technology you can’t live without.
My iPhone, for sure; my MacBook for the production software I use daily, which is my livelihood; and my Bluetooth headphones. Right now, I have some nice JBLs I got for work.
Music is such a bit part of your job, but are you able to listen to music while you work?
When I’m emailing in the morning, I have a playlist or DJ set on. There are lots of times when I realize I’ve been working in silence or on calls all day, but if I can think about it, I’ll have music on for sure.
There’s an LA-based DJ collective called Soulection, and instead of putting a bunch of songs on a playlist, I like to listen to them and other collectives whose style I trust. I don’t have time to discover new music, and sometimes looking for it feels like work, given my job. So when I want new music I try and ask folks completely outside the industry to avoid inter-industry bias and to glean how enthusiasts are discovering music.
Crackazat (Ben Jacobs) just came out with an album, and I like his sound. I like Anderson.Paak, I’m a big Drake fan, and Pharrell is my biggest musical influence. I like the hits — I would say pop, but not traditional pop. I mean popular music.
I like studying the engineering of recent rises to stardom, as you see in talent such as Doja Cat, etc. Everything behind what makes an artist that big, that quickly.
What do you do to de-stress from it all?
I watch sports. It’s basketball season now, so every day there’s something to do to keep me grounded. Working in entertainment, I do a lot that even in leisure and personal time still connects me to work, but sports is completely separate and something I can watch just for leisure.
Would you have done anything different along your path?
I feel like everything happens for a reason. Maybe…probably not. Maybe not. Maybe I would have… no. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Finally, any tips for others who are just starting out?
I would advise you to make sure this is really what you want to do, and if it is, figure it out. If it’s not, you’ll also figure it out. Do your research. If you have a dream job, make sure it’s a dream, and that even in the worst-case scenario, you’ll still like it. You’ll have to invest time, and there are moments where you need to have patience, or where it may not go your way. If you stay diligent and keep learning, there will be opportunities and relationships that are key. Community is key.
