Today we’d like to introduce you to Roger Tallman.
Roger, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, in a family deeply rooted in music. My father was a professor at Wayne State University, and my mother was a choir director and piano teacher. Music was simply part of everyday life in our home. Back then there was no television to distract us, so when we were young, we all learned how to read music at an early age.
As a teenager, my ability to read music opened an unexpected door. One of the producers connected with The Temptations, Harry Balk, came to our church choir and said, “We need kids like you who can read music and sing background vocals.” I auditioned along with five friends — three girls and two other guys — and we all got jobs at Motown while still in high school. We continued singing background vocals throughout college for many of the artists who walked through the doors of Hitsville U.S.A. It was an extraordinary education in music and performance.
After college, my sisters Sarah and Susan, who were professional television singers, called me and suggested I spend the summer in Los Angeles singing with them. I went to California and performed on The Julie Andrews Show as part of an eight-voice vocal group. I loved the experience — being in the union, getting paid to do something that came naturally to me — and I decided to stay in Los Angeles with my family and continue making music professionally.
Along the way, I began writing commercial jingles. It turned out to be a perfect fit because I understood melody, vocals, and how to create memorable musical hooks. One of my earliest successes was composing music for the very first Toyota commercial campaign in America. Shortly after that, a friend from Detroit who worked at Campbell Ewald — the advertising agency behind many major automotive campaigns — called me and said, “If you move to New York City and open an office, we’d seriously consider giving you work.”
I followed that lead to New York and quickly became known as one of the youngest general writers in the advertising music business. I founded my own company, Tallman Creative Music, and began competing for major advertising campaigns. Through agency presentations, demos, and competitive pitches, I started winning projects for national brands.
One of my biggest breakthroughs came with NBC Sports. I created a demo for Super Bowl XVII at a time when sports music was almost entirely symphonic. I decided to combine a full orchestra with a rock-and-roll rhythm section, creating a much more energetic and contemporary sound. NBC loved it, and that became the beginning of a long and successful relationship with the network.
That success led to work for many major Madison Avenue clients, including Coca-Cola, Revlon, CoverGirl, Sheraton Hotels, Buick, Ford, Kodak, and many others. It was an exciting time in my life, building a music company while also designing and operating my own recording studios under the Tallman Music name.
NBC continued to expand my opportunities, and over the years I composed music for five Olympic broadcasts, five Super Bowls, NFL football, Stanley Cup hockey, tennis, golf, and many other major sporting events. Those projects helped establish my reputation as a dynamic and innovative composer and producer.
My final studio in Manhattan was a famous facility called The Warehouse. Through that studio I inherited an incredible client roster that included artists such as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Liza Minnelli, and Marvin Hamlisch. It gave me the opportunity not only to produce my own music, but also to manage one of New York’s premier recording environments.
Throughout my career, I was fortunate to receive recognition through major industry competitions and national campaigns, eventually earning seven Emmy Awards along with numerous Telly Awards and other honors from the advertising and broadcast industries.
One of the most pivotal moments in my career came when Sony and Interscope — who were clients at The Warehouse — approached me about renting the studio for a year to develop a new artist named Alicia Keys. At first I declined because I already had ongoing projects and clients. The very next day, executives from Sony and Interscope returned with an offer to purchase the studio, provided I stayed on for six months to work alongside Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis, and their production team during the Alicia Keys projects. It was an exciting chapter in my New York career and gave me the opportunity to work with some of the finest musicians and producers in the world.
Those years also allowed me to travel extensively — recording in London with members of the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, working in Texas with singers from PAM, one of the world’s largest jingle companies, and producing sessions in Nashville as well.
After the Sony/Interscope transition, my wife Cheryl and I decided to leave Manhattan and move permanently to Northern Michigan, where I had spent summers growing up at Bay View Association. My father had taught music there, and the community had always been a special part of my life. Bay View is one of the original Chautauqua communities in America — a beautiful Victorian village overlooking Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan, known for its rich artistic and musical culture.
Inspired by everything I had learned through years on Madison Avenue, I eventually opened an advertising and production company in Northern Michigan called Creative i Advertising & Production. Today, I continue writing music, producing creative projects, and working in advertising while staying as busy and inspired as ever.
And that, in short, is the story of my journey
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hard work pays off in any business. Getting people to trust you as a supplier is a long road, but worth the travel, and the hurdles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The creative work I have always done is to first be a good listener. After that you have a road map of a creative direction that you need to be on.
I am most proud of pleasing my clients, and never having a Bad experience during my career.
On of the best compliments I ever got was from a senior Exectutive producer who hired me me for a Rolex Television score. During our final mix of music , announcer, and SFX to the 30 sec TV spot I asked him “ how’d you pick my company and why me as the composer?” his reply was simply”cuz I never heard any Horror stories about you”
That was something very special in a very competitive field as a Music company in the biggest Ad space in America. I was also listed as one of Top 10 Production Company in The USA, by screen Magazine.
However. My proudest accomplishment has been being a good role model for colleagues and family.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Watching and listening are the 2 best personal things I can recommend. Then following your instincts to do the best work you have to give. Thats a gift to your soul. .
Pricing:
- Working within a budget that is available is the best approach to any job I have ever done. Your clients have people who set limits, and making them happy by staying within those limits speaks volumes for them and your wirk
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.creativei.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roger_tallman/
- Facebook: Roger tallman
- LinkedIn: Roger Tallman
