#87 - Jonathan Estabrooks: Creating a Production Business

“I am living my best life. Honestly, the multi-hyphenate life, for
me, is the best life. I can wake up and I am never bored. I am
engaged and driven to work on different things.” Jonathan
Estabrooks went to Juilliard for opera, but just like many of us,
turned his other interests into professional capabilities. And
multi-hyphenates… we know how to pivot. During the pandemic, just
like millions of others, spun the situation into something positive
and became Vice President and head of recording for Emitha, a
company which focuses on production, design, and production for
artists, by artists. What goes into starting a new company? How do
you balance the different responsibilities? What is spatial audio
and how is Jonathan embracing it in his work?  As an active
producer, mixing engineer, director and performer, Jonathan
Estabrooks has amassed over 15 years of experience, 3+ Million
views with a wide variety of content from short-form documentary,
music videos and commercial content, to full album and single
production. As a graduate of The Juilliard School he has been
hailed by the New York Times as ‘a robust baritone’ his experience
in front of and behind-the-scenes has given him a unique
understanding of the industry and how to craft the most compelling
stories through music and film.  As producer and mixing
engineer he has worked on over 25 titles many of which have charted
on Billboard. Notable credits include Black and Blue (NYFOS
Records/#3 Billboard Classical Crossover), LAMENT (Lexicon
Classics/#3 Billboard Classical) and Anna Christie (Broadway
Records/#6 on the Billboard Classical) with libretto by the late
Joe Masteroff and 12-time legendary producer Thomas Z. Shepard
(Bernstein, Sondheim). He co-produced his debut album These Miles
with 4-time Grammy-winning mixer Dave Reitzas (Streisand, Groban).
He has collaborated with Grammy and Tony-winning producer Michael
J. Moritz Jr. and his work has been featured in major National and
international media including on the front page of Billboard.com
and twice in the New York Times, CBC Television, CNN and NBC. 
As an executive producer and director, he led the team behind a
charity single and founded Artists for the Arts in 2017 to save the
NEA. Released on Broadway Records the single and music video
featured Annie Golden, Peter Hollens, Chris Mann, the cast of
Hamilton and over 150 performers. In addition to his music
producing credits, his film and video work is extensive including
music videos, virtual contents, galas, behind-the-scenes content
and two documentaries currently in production including a profile
of the first Black tenor to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, George
Shirley.. He was associate concert producer and IMAG live video
director for the Leonard Bernstein Centennial concert at Wolf Trap,
directing 11 cameras and featuring Misty Copeland, George Takei,
Tony Yazbeck, Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, Paquito D’Rivera and the
National Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Estabrooks is a voting member of
the Recording Academy and is co-owner and Vice-President of Emitha
LLC, a full service production company focused on a full suite of
creative services including recording, mixing, mastering, design,
photography, music distribution and promotion through thier two
labels, Lexicon Classics and Crossover Records. Visit
www.emitha.com to learn more! @jonestabrooks Learn more about your
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