NashvilleHype!

Posted Sep 4, 2006 by Paul
Filed under: Exclusive Interview

(ed note: originally published on 8/11/06)

Glenn Sweitzer is the epitome of a “behind the scenes” worker in Nashville. Even though he’s been personally responsible for creating some of the best known and influential album covers and marketing programs, few outside the inner-circle would even know his name, or his business – Fresh Design + Film.

His resume reads like a who’s who of popular music. From Tim McGraw to Rascal Flatts and Wynonna to the Grammy’s, Glenn has been very busy quietly doing what he does best, make great looking packages. Recently he has expanded his business to include more film work and video shoots, including a Reba McEntire video just completed. I recently got a chance to do a rare interview with Glenn and I found him to be one of the kindest and goodhearted people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting in Nashville.

post sponsored by:

PK - For those not familiar with what a designer does, why don’t you walk us through the process.

Glenn - Okay…graphic designers. Though the years, the name has not changed, but our responsibilities are now all over the board. It used to be that somebody would just need a logo, or some fancy letterhead design. These days, with jobs consolidating, being a graphic designer means being a marketing person. Its not just about picking out cute colors to represent a company or a product. I have chosen to work primarily in the music industry, and with this comes many levels of design. As a designer for my major music label clients, I still come up with the idea for the CD cover, including the lettering/logo to represent the artist. I do all the photo retouching, illustrations and create the overall vibe and design for the advertising and promotional materials. HOWEVER, my newly discovered passion for design has expanded. Though the years, I couldn’t get over how much it cost to do the photography, video work and marketing. So, I made a big decision to help Indie type artists get to point in their career where they might be taken more serious. I now do all my own photography, video work and marketing. I got tired of seeing pretty little retouched photos of artists, knowing that the fans want to see the real side of their favorite musician or singer. Its almost like the reality T.V. side of design. By using video as part of my design, the fans get to see the real artist. See them laugh. See what they really look like without all the make-up. My video work has now turned into music videos, interviews for marketing and reality TV pilots.

PK - How do you find your jobs?

Glenn - All I can say is that I am blessed. In my 15 years of living here in Nashville, I have never had to market myself. Every job I have ever done, came from past jobs. When I moved here, I primarily worked in health care…zzzzzzz, but I quickly realized that after working with clients who all dealt with blood disorders, that I felt guilty for even charging them for the work. I had to switch the type of design I was going to do, or become a total non-profit designer, and live on the streets (literally). At least I would have a nice sign to hold up.

PK - What was the first design job that gave you any amount of notoriety?

Glenn - Absolutely. I would not be here if it was not for certain people. Again, there are two levels to this. When I was at the Disney studios, I was going to become a set designer. Architecture was my major in college, and I wanted to design sets, because if they fell down, they nail them back up…unlike a house or a building. Well, while at Disney, the entire department I was going to work in got fired. Poof. Now what? Back to school? Nope. I ended up working in the mail room so I could meet anybody and everybody. My memories are of me blindly walking into executive offices, saying, “Hi, I’m Glenn. Have any openings?” Being 19 was a good thing at that point, since I could take rejection pretty well. Until, I walked into the VP of Home Videos office. His name was Richard Fried. He actually looked at me and said, “Yes. I think I have something for you”. He hired me on the spot as a Traffic Coordinator in the home video department, then sent me to Pasadena Art Center at night to learn what I could about marketing and design. I guess that changed my career direction. Here in Nashville I have made so many great friends, but the one who was my champion (still is) would be Tim McGraw. It was because of him fighting for me to do that first album design, that I am even working in the music biz. He stood his ground, and because of that, I gained his label as my client (for 13 years now) and have gained other labels as clients since. I have designed every album for Tim from then on. I think we are now at 7 albums. I guess you could call him loyal.

PK - You started Fresh Design over 13 years ago, in all of that time, what would you say has been the best part?

Glenn - The best part is having my own business. Not being a small part in the big corporate chain is refreshing. Of course I now work harder, never go to bed and am stressed out. But thats okay. Its all mine now. If I do good, I get a pat on the back. If I do bad, well, I have nobody else to blame, and I try to do better. The other thing I love is working with Artists that I love and respect. I have had the honor of working with Rascal Flatts from the beginning, and work closely with Hal Ketchum, Tim McGraw, SHeDAISY, Hank Jr., Jo Dee Messina, Wynonna and Sawyer Brown.

PK - The worst part?

Glenn - Thats easy. Having my own business. Even though I love my independence, there is a term that always comes around…cash flow. When working for a company, you have a salary. When you have your own company, you have to create a salary.

PK - In a world with over-stimuli, T.V. and the Internet, do you find it’s getting harder to come up with the fresh designs?

Glenn - I used to. I would really get down on myself for not thinking more out of the box. I have always had a ton of respect for these hot young designers who could come up with these edgy designs. I realized years back, that it is not about the flash. To make a successful campaign, you need many tiny parts. That is why I got into video and photography. I was able to create my own campaign, and make it look like many people have worked on it. The video world has completely opened my mind in regards to design and imaging.

PK - After working for Walt Disney, you moved to Nashville from Burbank, CA. What brought the move, was it just a desire to work with more freedom or creative control, or was it a desire to work in the music industry?

Glenn - I was a 3rd generation Californian, so it was not an easy decision, when it came to moving out of state. My wife and I knew that we did not want to raise a family in L.A. So, we watched movies. There were 3 movies that actually were part of our inspiration to move, and they hold many memories. “Lost in America” with Albert Brooks, “Funny Farm” with Chevy Chase and “Baby Boom” with Diane Keaton. For anybody who has seen these, you would know that the common theme is dropping out of the big city life, to restart your life in the country. It was because of this, we actually looked to move to Vermont and buy a farm. Luckily, we ended up in Nashville. Other than that, we had no job, no expectations, just a better way of life.

PK - What’s the best part about living in Nashville?

Glenn - This place is amazing for so many things. The lifestyle, the music industry, the great friends and the seasons. They are not major seasons here, but compared to having smog alerts and fire season with the Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles, Nashville is heaven.

PK - What would you say is the worst?

Glenn - Simple. But of course they are food related. We do not have In n Out Burgers or Tommys Chili Burgers. Other than that, no regrets!

PK - What type of music do you listen to, and do you find that the music you listen to inspires you?

Glenn - Funny thing here. I grew up listening to rock like Styx, Bad Company and Journey. I hated country music, with a passion! Then I heard Radney Foster. He was the one that opened my ears to country. Since then, some of my favorites have been Lyle Lovett, Hal Ketchum, Restless Heart, and an entire new breed of music from new groups like Whiskey Falls and Lady Antebellum. Because Music is what I design for, I was also given the opportunity to work with new artists, and two of the most amazing female acts out there right now are Mary Sue England and Ashley Gearing. Not only am I huge fans of their music, but I have been lucky enough to be a part of their career in regards to design, video and marketing. It helps to design things that you believe in. Believe it or not, my new outlet to finding new music is on MySpace. I love that place!

PK - A follow up; When a label contacts you to design a product, is it important to hear the record before you begin?

Glenn - Yes. In fact, I prefer to meet with the artist and get a vibe of what they are about. After all, this album will sit on shelves for years to come, representing them…not me. All design ego is left at the door. When I design a project without hearing the music, the design just does not make sense.

PK - How long (generally) does it take to truly create a great design? Follow up; How many actual designs are presented and does it correlate to the number of ‘voices’ that have a say in the project?

Glenn - The music industry is a lot like the movie industry. Time is ALWAYS short in regards to deadlines. I have had many projects that I am given a week to design and finish all the mechanicals. I just finished the Tour book for the Tim McGraw+Faith Hill concert called “soul2soul”. With this, I designed, did some photography and turned it over to the printer in a week. Now this was a 48 page book with tons of specialty printing. The printer, up in Chicago, turned their part around in 4 days. We were able to deliver the tour-book in time for the second concert in their concert leg. I would say some of my best designs are my initial thoughts.

PK - What types of projects are you working on currently? And what does the future hold for Fresh Design?

Glenn - As I am sitting here now, I am re-working some designs for the new Wynonna Christmas album that will be coming out soon. I am also editing a video that I shot for Reba McEntire. I just found out today that a new McGraw album is coming my way…always a good time. The future of fresh design is film. I have now changed he name to fresh design+film. I now own an ambulance I am using as a production truck (yes, the siren still works). I love shooting and editing reality shows, music videos and have a burning desire to direct short subject movies for film festivals.

PK - Do you still enjoy what you do?

Glenn - I love what I do. I am always amazed that I get paid for doing something that I would do for free. Of course I wouldn’t have a roof over my head, but I would have fun.