I’m so thrilled to introduce you to our latest EP “This is InnovatorsBox” – a collection of five original songs that represent the world of InnovatorsBox!
If you could visit InnovatorsBox, what would it look like? What would it feel like? What sound and music would represent that experience? As a fan of great brands, I’ve admired how great brands communicate what they stand for through music and sounds. When I think of Disney I see the castle and the gentle opener of da-da-da-daa~ that welcomes me into this magical land of possibilities. When I think of Netflix it shows the red N logo with the abrupt dawning sound that shows something is about to happen. Sound and music branding may be most noticeable among companies in entertainment and music but it doesn’t mean that we have to limit there. In fact, I envision in the near future just like logos more companies will build out their song and sound to communicate their brand and what they stand for. Which is why I was thrilled to ask the question – how can we communicate InnovatorsBox with music?
Why We Produce Music
We started making music since 2021 because we wanted to find a new way to connect with audiences beyond a workshop setting. Even though I love learning in a workshop setting I know that’s not the only way we learn something new. I also learn new insights, culture, perspectives, and wisdom when I watch a movie, listen to a song, or attend an event. Learning and inspirations are everywhere and at InnovatorsBox we wanted to push the boundaries on how we inspire innovators by making the experience of learning and inspiration exist beyond a workshop wall – making creativity accessible! Music is one of our many ways to remind one more person that their colorful creativity matters in this world.
We learned a lot in a year and we can’t wait to continue the learning and growing with you. In 2021, we produced over 90+ original music and cues that we released into 3 EPs, 4 albums, and several original cues. And we’re just getting started. We have new projects in the making and with our Studios team, I love that we could also create original music for our clients and deliver workshops for their music teams to rethink team building too.
This is why the introduction of this album is exciting.
Meet “This is InnovatorsBox”
Since we launched our “InnovatorsBox main theme” melody in 2021, I wanted to expand what our main melodies would look like as our community enters the InnovatorsBox world. What would InnovatorsBox Studios sound like? What would InnovatorsBox Academy sound like? What would it look like to meet our three mascots – Creativity, Curiosity, and Courage? I love stepping into good music that sweeps you away into a new world of possibilities and so our team and I went into work ideating and reflecting. How can we communicate this universe of possibilities with music and something that fully represents the diverse worlds?
Behind the Scenes – The Development
The first step was recognizing how each track needed to represent a specific identity yet belong to the bigger InnovatorsBox universe.
- InnovatorsBox Studios represent our creative production house as well as our music production team’s name. I wanted the audience to feel a hint of more magical possibility.
- InnovatorsBox Academy represents our infinite learning space in how we could rethink how we do things in our routine like working, balancing, leadership, team building, and facilitation differently.
- Curiosity, Courage, and Creativity are our mascots that represent the three values that are crucial to creativity and we wanted to inspire others how these three friends are always near us and how we could engage with them in different ways. I wanted to communicate the feeling of curiosity, courage, and creativity with music but how can you do that?
The next step is composing and producing. How do you communicate these values? We started looking at our InnovatorsBox Main theme that we released in Spring 2021.
How do we connect this world into these other worlds that are related yet different? When you look at the result, do you see how the worlds are related yet different?
This is the benefit of working with the same lead producer! Luke Helder, our Head Music Composer, led the creation of many of our branded melodies and music, which is why you see the connected identity throughout these pieces. But that doesn’t mean it was overnight. Creating branded music means extra identity reflection about what the track represents. I asked Luke if he could share more about his experience.
Monica: This album contains the key themes for the InnovatorsBox brand. How was this different from other projects at InnovatorsBox Studios and what were key elements that helped you identify how to create these tunes?
Luke Helder
The main difference was that every theme on this EP had to be very distinct in its identity, whilst still feeling as though it belongs in the same world - InnovatorsBox. This meant finding a balance between musical elements that would belong to only one theme, whilst having another palette of ideas and techniques which they could all share. Those elements were a range of everything from harmony, melody, instrumentation, and tempo to mixing techniques and production styles.
Monica: What was the most challenging part?
Luke Helder
The most challenging part was finding clarity on how each facet of the InnovatorsBox world should be represented musically. When you start a project there are so many possibilities in front of you, and sometimes it can be really difficult choosing which direction to take the project in! However, whilst this can be a very challenging part of the process, it is also one of my favorite aspects of creating.
Monica: What was the most exciting part?
Luke Helder
I think the point at which a piece really begins to come to life, and starts to effectively communicate an idea or emotion is always the most exciting for me. Sometimes that moment can come as soon as you write the first note, and other times it doesn’t arrive until the last 10% of the process, but that’s what keeps it exciting!
Monica: What were key inspirations for this music album?
Luke Helder
I approached each theme as its own self-contained musical world, so the inspirations were quite varied! I was particularly inspired by the musical colors of Japanese fantasy soundtracks and the work of John Powell, John Williams, and Alexandre Desplat.
Love it. Have you noticed those hints of details? The more I learn about how much care and thought goes behind something the more I get to appreciate the final results too. And this particular album had a second composer who played a key role. Meet Thomas Bingham from France. A friend of Luke Helder, we were excited to work with him for some of these cues as to his extra contribution and composing with Luke brought a new twist to the project. Thomas helped with composing and producing for InnovatorsBox Academy, Courage and Curiosity with Luke.
Monica: Welcome to InnovatorsBox! What resonated with you with the company and the work that we do when you were first learning about it?
Thomas Bingham
Thank you! I think it’s a noble pursuit to try and encourage creative growth within professional/academic spaces. This tends to be relegated as more of a hobby in people’s routines, in turn making it harder to dedicate time/energy towards even though it can contribute to a healthier work ethic and lifestyle. Creativity and the arts, in general, can also do wonders to bring people together, and so it makes a lot of sense to try and stimulate this wherever possible.
Monica: What inspired you to first get into music?
Thomas Bingham
I’ve been playing music for about as long as I can remember. My parents signed me up for piano classes when I was 4, but I remember the turning point for me was around ages 12-13 after trying my hand at improvising pieces of my own. In those moments I was very inspired by some artists I would listen to religiously and would create variations of pieces/extracts I enjoyed. In a way that’s been a constant source of inspiration for me, even though my artistic interests have changed since then.
Monica: What inspired you in the music-making process for this album with us?
Thomas Bingham
Given the prompt Luke provided me with and the extracts I had heard prior to writing the pieces, I heavily relied on composers such as Howard Shore and Alexandre Desplat for some inspiration. They’ve written some of the more memorable scores that I associate with childhood and fantasy, so they were appropriate anchors for the project.
Monica: What was the most challenging part?
Thomas Bingham
Working for Luke is always good fun. That said, knowing him and the level of skill he puts into his craft - which is a very high one - I had to make sure there was a fair amount of consistency with his production/writing.
Monica: What was your favorite part?
Thomas Bingham
I’ve been gradually delving into sound design and synthesis within my composing process, so the electronic-tinged tracks were probably my favorite to write. I also enjoy playing around with musical themes, orchestrating them, and fashioning them into different sections to make a coherent whole - writing for orchestra is always an incredibly rewarding venture.
Thanks, Thomas, appreciate it and am so glad you could join us for this project with us! Luke share his thought as well on this collaboration.
Monica: This one also you uniquely collaborated with another colleague, Thomas Bingham. How have you two worked together and what were the pieces that created the new magical touch we hear today?
Luke Helder
This was my first time working with Thomas, and we immediately found common ground in our musical sensibilities which made the process really fluid and enjoyable. I came to Thomas with the musical score of each theme, and he helped me in developing those seeds into the full pieces you hear on the EP.
Monica: Any tips you’ll share with others who want to learn how to create themed music for their company brands? How is this different from creating other music?
Luke Helder
My main tip for writing a theme would be this - with every musical decision you make, consider how it changes what is being conveyed. Is that choice bringing you closer to the idea you are trying to represent or taking you further away? This process is made much easier when you have a very clear idea of what it is you are trying to represent musically, so the more detail you can obtain before you start writing, the smoother the rest of the process will be.
Love it. Thank you for sharing that and your dedication to this and all that you compose, Luke! What do you hope listeners will feel when they listen to this album?
Monica: What do you hope listeners will feel?
Luke Helder
I rarely think in explicit terms when it comes to the emotions I want my music to convey. It’s usually something much more abstract which I feel can only be fully articulated through the language of music. But something I always hope my music will achieve is to inspire someone. For me, inspiration is one of the most beautiful things we can experience, and I hope that my music can act as a starting point for someone else to discover something for themselves.
Thomas Bingham
A sense of escapism and childlike wonder for sure! That said, in my musical process I rather try to focus on the consistency and progression of a piece, and I think part of the beauty of music comes from how understated its mechanisms are. So even though I’m relying on musical aesthetics that I believe people will associate with childhood and the likes, I hope that listeners will also feel things I did not envision. I’d say all in all I like to write music that’s both enjoyable as background music and also for attentive listening. In that sense, I hope listeners will be able to get something out of the tracks even after multiple listenings.
I’m sure they will, given all the care both of you have done and for many months. Yes, to ensure we communicate these messages, we’ve gone through many iterations and I’m so thrilled to finally introduce you to this final album with you.
Thomas Bingham
I’ve only heard the tracks I worked on, so I’m looking forward to listening to the EP as a whole!
You’re not alone, Thomas. While some attentive fans may have noticed we dropped small cues and pieces of our EP collection in different projects such as our podcast, video editing, and other projects, this will be the first time we could share all of them with the world.
Plus with our character development, we’ve even made a mini animation with our animation partner, Knock Knock Studios. (You’ll meet more in a few weeks in another blog stay tuned!) You’ll recognize the character themes in these cues and feel these characters playing with you! Excited to share these videos with you too!
Animation from Knock Knock this will be a Youtube – share the three characters
So welcome innovators, I’m thrilled to introduce you to “This is InnovatorsBox” and our world of InnovatorsBox. I hope you’ll enjoy it and I hope you’ll stay with us to dream up possibilities each day.
Sincerely,
About the Author
Monica H. Kang
Monica H. Kang, Founder, and CEO of InnovatorsBox® and Author of Rethink Creativity is transforming today’s workforce through the power of creativity. She helps companies rethink culture, leadership, and team development by making creativity practical and relatable regardless of industry or job title. She has worked with clients worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, higher education, government, and nonprofits. Monica’s work has been recognized by The White House, Ashoka Changemakers, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Prior to InnovatorsBox®, Monica was a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert. She holds an M.A. from SAIS Johns Hopkins University in Strategic Studies and International Economics and a B.A. from Boston University.
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