Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Sinanan.
Christopher, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My career started when I was 16 years old at East Orange Campus High School. It was there where I met my brothers and formed our first rock band. My love for making music eventually evolved into an interest in record production which led to Bloomfield College where I graduated with my BA in Audio Engineering and Record Production. As a member of the Creative Arts and Technology (CAT) department, I was able to engage with creatives of different skills and take my projects further than I had been able to previously. After graduating, I began to seek work in professional studios but struggled to find well-paying opportunities. I began to build my home studio setup to continue to perfect my craft and earn side money working as an independent engineer and producer. Those formative years set a hustle and foundation that led me to find my true purpose. In 2017 I began to develop CnU or Creatives Near You. A creative collaboration and networking application that utilizes geolocation to help creatives identify each other within proximity. CnU provided access to a plethora of creatives who might not have known they were close to individuals with whom they could connect, collab, and create. With CnU, future generations of creatives will always have a way to build a team and share their creative potential with the world around them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Many obstacles and roadblocks have been thrown at me as I have tried to grow as an audio professional and entrepreneur. Working for free at professional studios full-time while maintaining a full-time side job to pay back student loans, rent, and bills made me question many of the decisions I had made up to that point. The kicker was when I was told to not show music to an artist, despite them personally asking me to accompany them and show some of my work. The owner of the studio scolded me and explained that I needed to stay in my place. It was at this moment that I realized that I needed to make opportunities for myself. Luckily, affordability of gear and access to free self-educational tools allowed me to build myself and my catalog of work Independently. The resilience I learned still pushes me forward today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a creator by nature. I love to build things from nothing and that applies to many areas in my life. Music was initially intriguing to me because the challenge of taking a melody that was in my mind and manifesting it into reality was exciting. I now channel that love towards the creation of CnU as I try to shift the mindset of the creative community. In the future, I’d hope to be regarded as a facilitator of all things creative. The CnU app, the Creative Spotlight Webseries on our YouTube channel, and our ambitious dream to one-day fund creative programs in schools around the country serve as the foundation for that title.
How do you think about luck?
The perception of luck is based on timing and circumstance. Thru my journey, there have been many times when I felt like nothing was going my way. In those moments, I felt unlucky, however, in retrospect it all unfolded the way it needed to because I am filled with pride and optimism about where I am and where I am headed. I stand today as a product of every good and bad luck situation, grateful for the lessons they taught and the opportunities for growth they presented.
Contact Info:
- Email: cnu@creativesnearyou.com
- Website: www.creativesnearyou.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativesnearu/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/creativesnearu/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/CreativesNearU/status/1307361479612674048
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQfHRb0niT8c-zst8jr5lZQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/YCJZZPqn7FfGq3nU7
