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with radio stations and seek opportunities to
handle some of their advertising spots.
"My advice would be to consider the pros and
cons of the area you want to be
involved in. Pro: the advertising industry can
be a more financially stable source of
income than the record industry. Con: it is
incredibly competitive and there is not a
great amount of loyalty; you have to constantly
prove yourself over again. Perhaps the
biggest pro is that you have an opportunity to
write, perform, and produce all kinds
of music."
BOB FARNSWORTH, CEO, HUMMINGBIRD
PRODUCTIONS
Bob Farnsworth came to Nashville in 1974 with a
simple plan: make a quick
million or two as a recording artist to finance
his dream of being a missionary along
the Amazon River. Amazingly, he and partner
Mike Hudson landed a recording con-
tract with ABC Records within weeks of their
arrival. Although critically acclaimed as
the heirs to Simon and Garfunkel, the duo's
album was scorched in the first wave of
disco inferno.
With his recording career in flames and faced
with the prospect of returning to
South Carolina to sell life insurance,
Farnsworth sought another way to use his
musical abilities. He opened Hummingbird
Productions and built a reputation for
award winning, but off-the-wall, jingles and
advertising campaigns. Beginning with
regional advertising, his first job was for a
Knoxville company. "I told them, `Look,
I'm a recording artist. I can assure you I can
do a jingle. Just give me a shot.'" Told to
deliver "something really different,"
Farnsworth returned with a commercial that fea-
tured a granny killing her husband and chopping
him up for sausage. He was thrown
out of the office. Undaunted, he continued to
pursue regional work and soon pro-
gressed to national campaigns for customers
such as Kellogg's, McDonald's, and Walt
Disney.
On the strength of these successes, Farnsworth
opened Hummingbird offices in
New York and Chicago, continuing to gain an
industry reputation for the diversity of
his product. As the needs of the advertising
business changed, these branch offices
were eventually phased out, but Farnsworth's
ability to give advertisers something
new and different kept increasing. His
Budweiser Frogs campaign is now an industry
legend and earned him a Clio Hall of Fame
Award. The Hummingbird library con-
tains over 7000 works, including Farnsworth
compositions for Coke, Pepsi, and
McDonald's. Farnsworth has also composed music
for numerous IMAX Signature
films.
www.hummingbirdproductions.com....
CASE STUDY:
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