Hello, and welcome back to the Haulix Blogger Spotlight series. This week we have two very interesting and completely different individuals to introduce you to, and the first comes to us from the land of Northern California.
Though we have featured writers from Under The Gun Review in this series before, today is the first time in the history of this column that we’re highlighting an individual who also happens to be a parent. Brian Lion is the Front Page Editor for UTG, and over the last few years he has helped steer the site’s development, strengthened the overall grammatical proficiency of the staff, and brought countless new eyes and ideas to the world of Under The Gun. He didn’t start at UTG, but he’s certainly made it his home, and in doing so greatly impacted the overall quality of the site’s offerings. When he expressed an interest in this series, we knew his insight would offer invaluable aide to other chasing the dream of a career in entertainment.
Below you will learn about Brian’s history with music, his earliest efforts in the industry, where he sees himself in the future, and what advice he has to offer others hoping to make their way through this business. His story is one-of-a-kind, and we’re grateful that he’s chosen to share it with us.
Brian is always seeking new opportunities in music, and those looking to keep up with his efforts would be wise to follow him on Twitter. Under The Gun Review also offers a social media feed you need in your life, so be sure to Follow them on Twitter and Like their Facebook at your earliest convenience.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:
BL: My name is Brian Leak, alternatively and more than likely known as Brian Lion. I work for Under the Gun Review where I am the Front Page Editor. I mainly read and edit each and every post on the site but I also do interviews, reviews, music and film news, a column when I’m able, and pretty much anything else I can dabble in. I just recently had my first photog experience shooting for RX Bandits.
H: UTG is not the first publication you have written for, but you certainly seem to have made it your home. Where did you get your start in writing, and what initially attracted you to the entertainment industry?
BL: This is true. My first publication was a print magazine/paper based in Chico, CA which was called Synthesis. I mainly did interviews with bands and some actors. Since then, I’ve written for a handful of others as well with UTG being my primary den. I’ve always loved music and film, for as long as I can remember. I used to watch VH1’s top 10 countdown constantly when I was a kid and I would watch tons of 80s and 90s action movies with my stepdad; the Lethal Weapon series, Jean Claude, Jackie Chan, Arnold, etc. It all just fascinated me so much. Whether it be music, film or television, they were just different worlds you could get encapsulated in. Part of me always felt like I would love to be involved with it in some way. That early on, writing hadn’t necessarily crossed my mind but over time as I started reading more and more online, I started to gain an interest in the industry and thought that it was a very special way to explore the things I loved from a different side.
H: What drew you to the position of Front Page Editor at UTG, and why do you feel its purpose is important?
BL: I’ve always been lucky enough to fully grasp the English language and have never truly struggled in that area. I won a couple spelling bees when I was younger and some awards for regional writing events and such and a lot of my teachers and family always told me that writing would in some way be what I would do. At the time, I never really believed that or thought too much on it but as I got older and began noticing an unfortunate lack of literacy around me, it sort of became a pet peeve — spelling and grammar that is. When I was in high school, I had considered working towards becoming an English teacher but I was a teenager and wanted to be such, so that much work didn’t sound as appealing to me once I really put thought into it. Eventually, after having immersed myself into writing about music and film, editing other peoples’ mistakes in the same field only made sense as I would see errors going unnoticed otherwise and felt obligated to remedy that. I just can’t let shit go.
H: In recent years Under The Gun has evolved from covering music to featuring news on film and stand-up comedy as well. Aside from these expansions, what do you feel separate the efforts of UTG from those of similar websites?
BL: Well these expansions are huge for us of course but it’s all about the way we execute our content. We have a very interesting cast of characters on staff spanning the US with one staffer in Europe as well and with that many unique personalities, you’re bound to have some strong convictions, views, and ideas. As a group, we’ve had some of the most hilarious, interesting, and even sometimes aggravating conversations that I think I’ve ever had.
We try our best to allow our contributors to use their voice as they please because that to me is what will make an article more interesting for a reader. There are plenty of sites out there that you can go to for formulaic news, but we try to add ourselves into our content to create a more relatable and enjoyable atmosphere for our readership. Aside from that, timeliness is next to Godliness and original content is our bread and butter. With a sociable and well-connected staff, you can pull a lot of great resources to score some really cool content from friends in the industry. We just try our best to come up with new features and continue expanding as we’re able.
H: One thing that sets you apart from many bloggers is that you also happen to be a father. How has starting a family changed the way you approach your work?
BL: That’s a great question. In one sense, it has made me want to work harder of course but there’re always times when I wish I could just take an entire week off and do nothing but play with my little girl and do whatever we want. I can’t say that that feeling won’t grow even more in the future as she gets older and can interact more but this is my dream and I like to think that it will lead to more and more great opportunities as it already has over the years.
H: Some might think having a child may detract people from chasing their dreams, but you clearly don’t see things that way. What advice would you offer others who find themselves in a situation similar to yours?
BL: Obviously, your child should come before anything and everything, but at the same time, if you give up on a dream in the process, especially one that you’ve made great headway in, then you’re failing your child as much if not more than you’re failing yourself. Writing was always about my own personal gain until we had her. Now it’s just that much more important that I make this work and continue to expand so that it does lead to those other great opportunities that will hopefully benefit not just me, but my family as well.
As far as advice I’d offer others in a similar situation — if possible, do not give up on your dream, but don’t let it take over your life to where you become a stranger to your kid(s). I know that in a reversed situation, I would likely be upset to find out that my parents gave up on something they loved because of me for some reason. I would feel guilty and or disappointed in them and I don’t want my daughter to feel that way about me when she grows up. I want her to be proud that I accomplished my goals just as I will be of her.
H: As someone who not only covers new music, but film as well, how do you go about discovering new talent?
BL: Word of mouth first and foremost, but I’ve bookmarked a lot of sites over the years that I explore now and then. Bandcamp, which is a gold mine of undiscovered talent, has been one of my go-to resources for finding new music. Pandora has introduced me to some artists I was unfamiliar with, and just sites like UTG that I always followed. Finding new music is one my absolute favorite things. Discovering an incredible new band is like Christmas, but usually better because you don’t have act like you like something if you really hate it. No need for gift receipts.
As far as film, I use Letterboxd which is amazing and has helped me come across countless mind-blowing films. I used to just search through Rotten Tomatoes and see what was coming out. It’s pretty good for seeing ratings on more obscure stuff that you may be interested in. I’ve stumbled upon some pretty cool things online, sometimes using StumbleUpon. Go figure. Short Of The Week is a great site for discovering new short films, which many that know me will tell you is a huge interest of mine.
H: Let’s say the artists want to come to you. What advice would you offer a band hoping to stand out from the countless others vying for coverage?
BL: Oh, man. Originality is key, but even that is hard to create these days in a sea of similar bands trying to grab your attention. I’ve seen almost every bait deviation there is and coming across one that really draws me in is few and far between. I personally don’t like when people try too hard. Sincerity is nice and I want to be wowed. Me being an editor, it’s incredibly frustrating when I’m not even sure what the band is trying to ask of me. If you can’t spell or form sentences, you may want to get someone who can to write up your press releases. That’s for starters. As much as I understand the urgency and excitement, I don’t like when people are pushy about it. They should know that almost anyone they’re trying to pitch their material to is going to be a very busy person. I’m a sucker for cleverness; puns and esoteric pop culture references. That’s how you can get me to do a double take and put my headphones on.
H: When it comes to receiving music and film for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?
BL: I personally like to just be able to click to Bandcamp or Soundcloud; some simple streaming platform. I don’t really want to have to download something before I’ve heard it. Physical copies are always nice, too. For film, online screeners seem to be typical and I like that. Again, physical copies are fine with me as well. Other than that, if need be, Dropbox and or WeTransfer are great for a quick exchanges.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
BL: Uhhh, one thing…that’s difficult. I think I would take out a lot of the ferocity and venom from the competition. For being a medium that is so universally loved, there is a lot of hate and facetiousness involved behind the scenes, and sometimes in the headlines. It can be daunting and exhausting when you’re trying to enjoy your work while bands and artists start feuds and other writers and publications find it necessary to bash what you do because they do it differently. Sometimes they do nothing differently and they’re just clearly vicious people that feel better about themselves by slandering others. I can’t say I’m not a shit-talker but when it comes to my work, I try to respect my peers at least. If I don’t like the way they’re doing something, I look at it as their problem, not mine.
H: Your team writes a lot about having big plans on the horizon. Can you tell us a bit about what UTG has planned for the remainder of 2013?
BL: More original content, more features, more coverage. Hopefully some more indie film screenings like we did last year with Iwrestledabearonce. We should be covering another handful of festivals before the year’s end as well. We just had a staffer attend AFI Docs for reviews which was very unique amongst our peers and helps expand our film coverage. We’ve discussed maybe putting out some merch. Maybe we’ll launch a Kickstarter just to fit in.
“Yes! The danger must be growing / For the rowers keep on rowing / And they’re certainly not showing / Any signs that they are slowing!”
