Story & Lesson Highlights with Robert Burrell of Hollywood

Robert Burrell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Robert, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me begins at 4am. I wake up, be thankful to see another day, and to see another day in good health. After that I get everything done at home, I head to the gym at 5am, train for 2 hours, then eat. After the gym, my official work day begins. I check my emails, send email, network, and create. There is always present music business to tend to, as well as, potential business in the future. The freelance grind never stops because, you are always looking for the next thing to keep you doing what you do.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
It all started at an early age, inspired by Tim Burton’s 1988’s Beetlejuice soundtrack, I’ve always wanted to play piano, but I didn’t get focused and serious about it until my late teenage years. I spent my entire childhood focused on sports, Basketball, Baseball, and Football. After graduating high school in 2003, I had no idea what to do next, but I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a composer and performer. I attended Baltimore City Community College for a semester where I got all A’s, but I’d often ask myself, “will this take me to where I want to go?” After I made the decision to leave after one semester, in 2004, I worked 3 jobs to pay a local producer/engineer based in downtown Baltimore to teach me the in’s and out’s of recording and music production. I would work those 3 jobs until the evening where I would spend 9-12 hours at the studio. I put in the work everyday, but I still felt like I needed to be in an environment where I could network and be in a place where my chances of music industry opportunity were higher. I worked and practiced for 6 years, then I finally made the decision to move to Los Angeles to attend the Los Angeles Film School. I studied audio engineering in 2010 to 2012. I was the only one in my class to intern at a major studio, Conway Recording Studios. After my internship, I re-enrolled at LA Film School from 2012-2014 and was apart of the first class for the bachelor’s degree program in entertainment business.

After graduating in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in entertainment business, I became a backline tech for 5 years, where I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with many of the music industry’s biggest music acts such as, KISS, Rolling Stones, John Legend, The Hollywood Vampires, Snoop Dogg, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, and many other talented musicians.

In 2019, the CEO/Founder of, WorldScout, LLC, Cindy Cooper, contacted me personally to offer me the job of, Director of A&R. I was responsible for reaching out to records labels, artists, producers, and businesses to work with us. It was a company centered around helping indie artists, musicians, and producers build their network, learn the music business, and often times pitch them to the record labels that we had within our network, which included, Disney, Capitol Records, Atlantic, Republic, HitCo, Empire, etc. In that time as director of A&R, I got to contact, connect, and work with, Steve Lobel, Scott Storch, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Antonio Reid Jr, Chief Keef, Zhavia, Mike Zombie, Jason “Koko” Bridges, Kal V, Purps, Bankrollgotit, Chingy, Fresh Ayr, Bob Robinson Jr, Jay E, and many other super talented, heavy hitters in the music industry.

In 2022, I decided to finally take the leap and pursue my passion for composing and performing. Within the past 2 years, I have worked with many talented artists, producers, and musicians, and in 2024, I got 3 music credits in the Lionsgate released, feature film, “Running On Empty” (2024) for composer and musician. I also, recently just composed the original theme for the Los Angeles Film School’s 25th anniversary.

This year (2025) I scored the entire music experience for an escape room franchise (sound design, composition, soundtrack) located in Los Angeles (60out Escape Room: Big Brain Labs in Hollywood, CA) Soundtrack available on ALL Platforms.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was that kid going along with what was expected by anyone after they graduate from high school. I always knew that moving to the big city and chasing my dreams was always the goal, but I never knew how to begin. There is always doubt, fear, and those people telling you to play it safe, stay home, and get a regular job because you’ll have security, and that is what I did…UNTIL I woke up one day and realized that I was not happy. Yes, I was working, had a car and my own place with my music equipment in it, but I didn’t feel like I was going in the right direction. Taking risks really are apart of the journey. You’ll never get anywhere by playing it safe and getting uncomfortable. It’s a huge decision and major step, but if you want it bad enough like I did, feed that firer inside of you and take those risks.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Last year (2024) I lost everything and had to make a decision, do I leave? or do I fight it out? I know how good my skills are in regards to my networking skills, as well as, my musical talents, so I knew that I had to stick it out because I knew it’ll get better. Things were at there worst, but I wasn’t going to throw in the towel and leave Los Angeles. I’m not built to quit and feel sorry for myself. I’m a survivor, fighter, and as long as I am breathing, quitting will never be in my vocabulary.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, I spread joy and love everywhere I go. I do it because I am blessed with life and good health. no matter what life bring me, as long as I have that, I’m OK. I always say that it could be a lot worse. Be thankful for what you do have, so why not spread happiness in such a crazy world.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Stop worrying and start living. Travel the world, meet new people, and spend the rest of my days by my families side, living, loving, and laughing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: robertallenburrellmusic
• Linkedin: Robert Allen Burrell
• Youtube: Robert Allen Burrell