Point Blank Launches Their L.A. Production School

A line of people snaked out of the building and down the street. The crowd was a mixed bag of enthusiastic faces, ranging from pimply-faced teenagers to bona fide pros, all looking to pick up some pointers at the launch event for Point Blank’s L.A. school.

Upon entering the 99-year-old Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake, you’re welcomed by a thick blanket of historical relevance. The sound stage played host to slapstick pioneer Charlie Chapman, and the recent remodel that took place a few years ago carefully maintained the nostalgic, speakeasy vibe of Depression-era gatherings while implementing just the right touch of Millennial nuances.

Right away, it became very clear that none of this would have been made possible without the hard work and vision of Jesse Rogg. Two years ago, Rogg took ownership of the joint and has since devoted his time to resurrecting this historic landmark.

Sharply dressed and well-spoken, Rogg has an encouraging confidence without any sort of condescending arrogance. He’s a pretty well-respected producer in his own right, too, having recently worked alongside artists like BANKS and Sam Sparro. Along with Point Blank’s Rob Cowan, they had the vision to expand the London school to the West Coast to help usher in a new wave of eager producers looking to learn the craft of music production.

The event kicked off with an Ableton master class led by one of Point Blank’s instructors, Sweatson Klank. For 45 minutes, he toyed with a Little Dragon sample and went over fundamental things like creating drum racks, recording MIDI, quantization, and cool tricks like converting MIDI to melody. Doe-eyed students busily jotted down notes, while a handful of hipsters lurked around the concession table in the back of the room, seemingly more interested in free soft drinks than picking up production tips.

We were then given a tour of the studio. Groups of 20 or so people were led downstairs to an underground classroom boasting state-of-the-art equipment. All prospective students would enjoy individual work stations that included a computer loaded with Ableton and Native Instruments software. Walking up a rickety staircase out of the classroom, someone made a snarky “underground” joke. I laughed.

Perhaps the tastiest morsel of the day came from a panel discussion between a handful of Jesse Rogg’s industry friends, including a former member of Passion Pit, the founder of Iamsound Records, and a couple of older gentleman who were willing to divulge all of the music industry’s dirty little secrets.

The main talking point was that making a living off music is damn near impossible. The same doe-eyed faces that were glimmering with hope and optimism seemed rattled after being force-fed a large dose of reality. The speakers tried to be optimistic, reiterating that there are various avenues to make money through licensing and publishing deals and strongly encouraging those interested to learn the business of music.

“TV commercials are the new radio play,” quipped one of the speakers.

They eventually shifted gears to building your personal brand and explained how to make money off the strength of your name. They explained the importance of carving your own path and how building a good team around you was paramount to success.

They left no rock unturned and eventually stated the obvious: that this is an industry of connections. They told anecdotes of how talentless artists gained global fame, how record deals were usually made between friends, and how demo submissions were trashed before ever being heard. The sobering discussion was met with applause, and we broke for more refreshments.

The finale was a Native Instruments masterclass conducted by Mark de Clive-Lowe, who hypnotized the crowd and caused jaws to drop and heads to bob. As a closeup of his improvised jam was broadcast on the screen behind him, he slammed the Maschine pad with authority. It was a brilliant turn of events, as the transfixed eyes watched his fingers rip up and down the Komplete keyboard. The room erupted at the end of his showcase.

The sun was beginning to set, and the event was coming to a close. Rob Cowan and Jesse Rogg made their final remarks and encouraged us to sign up for a course if we were interested.

The streets were buzzing with inspiration when I walked outside and saw groups of kids reliving the live performance they had just seen. While the music industry can be tougher to crack than infiltrating the popular clique in high school, there is no denying the cathartic joy of making music.

For more information about Point Blank, visit their website. 

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