Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincent Bryant.
Hi Vincent, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My Dad was a piano-playing songwriter and a TV repairman. I grew up from a toddler playing piano and writing songs. Two of my younger brothers played drums and bass forming a trio. At 11 years old, I contracted acute nephritis and was taken out of the fifth grade in the fall right after the start of the school year.
In between being tutored by the New York Board of Education and piano by my Dad, I would play piano with the sound down on the TV pretending to ‘score’ the music to my favorite movies and TV shows. My Mom would come home from work every Wednesday (she was an RN at Jamaica Hospital) and take me to the Jamaica Branch Queens Library where she signed me up to the movie club. My Favorite movie was a short film by Albert Lamorisse titled “The Red Balloon”. It was a minimalist film with little music and dialogue. I was hooked on this film because of that I would imagine music and could not wait to get home to create it on my many keyboard instruments. Me and my brothers were in many talent shows and block parties at the time in the trial county area of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. At the age of thirteen, my family and I moved to Sheldon, South Carolina in Beaufort County. We continued to thrive and develop as musicians. I became intensely interested in synthesizers. And electronic music. Since I had joined my Dad in the TV shop, I had access to a treasure trove of opportunities to experiment with electronic music. Upon graduating from high school, I worked at my Dad’s TV and electronics repair shop until I enrolled into Savannah State College now a University. Professor Samuel Gill Sr. was my mentor and I created the first electronic music workshop there. After a year of college, I dropped out of playing in bands and recording in a local music studio.
Moving to New York City, I worked for Bills’ Studios as a repair technician and delivered musical rentals to ALL the major recording studios for hit recordings and jingles of that era as well as NBC (SNL & the TODAY SHOW) and CBS (The DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW) and ALL the major Broadway playhouses. Started playing recording session dates for various indie artists and jingles as well as forming my own group and production company. I worked for Donnie Linton MGMT and toured as Front Of House audio mixer for the STRIKERS (Body Music) until 1983. I Moved to ATLANTA and began as a session player for the Atlanta scene. In 1984 I met Curtis Mayfield and he hired me on the spot to play keys in his touring band he was forming. We toured UK and Japan then worked in the studio with him as an intern on “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka” written and directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans, programming synths. He was very influential in my involvement in film music. In 1987, I met Angie Bowie (David Bowies ex-wife) she was forming a backing band and hired me to be her musical director. 1993 moved to Hilton Head Island South Carolina to reunite with my Dad in the developing electronics repair and home theater business. Met Al Horenstein and helped him build a ProTools recording studio where I was in-house producer and session player. I met SCAD FILM Students and started creating music and sound design for their senior thesis films and started building private recording studios until moving back to ATLANTA in 2009 to focus on the growing indie film community where in 2012 I met and scored my first short for festivals written and directed by Byron Conrad Erwin titled “LAST WORDS”.
This was a milestone that had me focus on several projects for indie low to no-budget films. I took a DOV S-S Simens 2-Day film school course in NYC and came back to Atlanta and was hired and trained as a sound mixer/recorder By Hakim Robinson for a feature film titled “Family On Edge”. Although I did NOT get to score it, being the soundman gave me the knowledge of post audio and audio for film and got me closer to understanding the entire AUDIO POST PROCESS. I have produced and or directed over a dozen music videos for indie hip-hop artists and it has gotten me a wealth of knowledge and experience that is too large to put even HERE. I have scored to date over 30 visual media projects including documentaries and a full-length feature on AMAZON written and directed by hip hop artist PASTOR TROY titled “DOWN2COMEUP”. I am 63 and now forming a scoring Orchestra/Symphony for ALL visual media: FILM, TV, ANIMATION, GAMING and more!!! Details to be gladly shared!!!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While the journey’s not a smooth road (what REAL journey worth it is?) it was very rewarding. The biggest struggles were making a substantial living and maintaining a decent relationship. I have been through one divorce and a few long-term relationships that took hard hits competing with my love of this industry. This is the biggest challenge. Add this to the general struggles within the industry brought with insecurity and envy and you need a therapist. HAHAHA!!! Anyway, I would NOT change a thing except telling my 17 years old self to stay single, go to music conservatory and study scoring and get a beach house with a studio in it!!!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have (www.soundcloud.com/vincent-levy-bryant) where I have posted over 170 cinema and visual media-ready musical tracks and ideas in ALL the genres of visual media entertainment. I am creating a SCORING SYMPHONY in Atlanta GA. If you GOOGLE ME: VLEEV (my Brand Name) and VLEEVISION, you will see the results and seriousness of my dream becoming reality. I am most proud of this and giving my knowledge to future generations through my partner nonprofit for underserved digital media creators. I think what sets me apart from others is my dedication to improving the quality for ALL levels of visual media creators to compete in this industry.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Join as many online forums and local clubs and related organizations as MANY as POSSIBLE. With the current new Normal ( COVID ) it makes operations in the DIGITAL REALM even more of a possibility. Social Media on ALL platforms and sharing in groups dedicated and focused on projects and exhibition opportunities are growing faster than ever before… You can find Mentors in workshops and colleges that have special courses in FILM and TELEVISION and why not create your own group of friends who all share the same interest? Never miss and opportunity to speak with someone in kind small talk, they may be, or may KNOW the person or situation you get that NEW opportunity from. This has worked for me almost every time. KEEP YOUR EYES and EARS OPEN, THEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SPEAK CLEARLY with JOY!!!
Pricing:
- Underscore at $250 per finished minute of music
- Sound design and audio editing hourly rate of studio starting at $25 per hour
- Dialogue editing and mix to picture studio fees starting at $25 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vleevision.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/26vleev26/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VLEEV/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OFFICIALVLEEV
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vleevision7787
- SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/vincent-levy-bryant
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/InstituteofMediaEngineers
Image Credits
David J. Howell . Tracy Goble Morris. Vincent Levy Bryant.
