Daily Inspiration: Meet Bradley Ford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Ford.

Hi Bradley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been in Nashville as a part of the entertainment industry since I was 21 years old; I moved here in 1996 as a founding member of the rock band Bleach. We were signed, at the time, to Forefront/EMI. We released three albums and toured for five years, performing over 750 shows in every continental state, Germany, Canada, Spain, and most of Europe. In the time I spent in the music business, I played many roles, including Entertainer, Artist, Songwriter, A&R Rep, Music Publisher, and Law Student. I co-wrote several charting songs, including the number one song “Super Good Feeling,” and was nominated for several Dove Awards, including a win for Modern Rock Song of the Year in 1997. I remember when digital downloads became a thing and how the music industry was rattled by it.

Before too long, I left the industry behind and starting working retail and bar jobs at night. It was during this long stint away from anything music-related that I began DJ’ing on the side. Truthfully, I have had no idea what I was doing. I set my focus on corporate events because, at the time, there were tons of individual providers in my market, and everyone was undercutting each other, and it seemed pretty counterproductive. But I was a HUGE collector of music, and I think my musicianship helped me limp through it a bit.

Things started to pick up, and before long, I was doing several events per month. I eventually met a gentleman named Brian Snyder, who brought me into his company, Snyder Entertainment, and before long, I was doing 80-100 events per year. At this moment, I quit all my other jobs and went full time into the event world. So, I started making relationships with every talented person I could find. Over time, I began to build a reputation as an event producer or talent procurer. One of the things that helped with this was that I started shooting videos and there just weren’t many companies that focused on corporate events.

Everyone wanted that wedding money. So, through my video projects, I was able to cement relationships with amazing corporate planners and clients and, as a result, create more products and produce more significant events. In 2018, I was allowed to purchase Snyder Entertainment from Brian, and so my company, Future Boy Creative, was born. Future Boy Creative is a company centered around unique entertainment production.

While Snyder Entertainment still serves the Middle Tennessee area for DJs and Photo-booths, Future Boy Creative is National. Before COVID, we booked close to 400 events a year, and then we all know the story from there. After the shock wore off, I went back to the basics, set up a studio in my bedroom, and began DJ’ing live sets for free on Twitch, Zoom, or any platform I could.

It was a hard time but very satisfying in a way. Eventually led to a long list of virtual events, including trivia, hosting, DJ, visual horse racing, filming virtual segments about Nashville, and on and on. I got so busy with film in 2020 I started a 3rd company called Future Boy Film. This offshoot of Future Boy Creative picked up steam as we are now doing film work for Amazon, OpstechIT, Route Consultants, and a long list of other companies.

As we move into 2021, Future Boy Creative is working hard at developing significant events in Nashville, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, and all over the US. Future Boy Film is working on a production schedule to include Nashville, Cincinnati, Costa Rica, Luxembourg, Japan, and more. And the newest addition to the organization is The DJ Concierge. I have met some of the greatest DJs and friends across this country, and I wanted to use these gems to heighten the corporate experience. These DJs are the top of the top performers in the country, and The DJ Concierge will work with companies and planners across the globe to have a music experience like no other.

Since everything started, I have been the DJ for high-profile events such as Kane Brown’s Wedding, Chef Sam Mason’s Wedding, Jason Aldean’s Baby Shower, Country Singer Tyler Farr’s wedding, and even Bridgestone Arena opening for the Steven Tyler Band.
In the corporate landscape, I have provided music programming, planning, and entertainment for clients such as Hewlett Packard, Amazon, Bad Boy Mowers, Mass Mutual, Gaylord Entertainment, The Nashville Junior Predators, Maritz, Point Click Care, HCA Healthcare, Dell, and many more.

I have over 2,500 events under my belt, not including the years of touring in the music industry. My motto as we move into a post COVID world is to the concept. Entertain the masses. Catch it on film.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
COVID was rough. We had over 250 cancellations in less than a year, incorporate events alone. Many weddings are rescheduled for 2021, so the difficulty lies in being too busy to expand or find talented staff to help with the growth. It isn’t a unique problem but one so many small business owners are struggling with it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think a lot of this was in the original “tell about yourself” section. But I have often said that I’m mediocre at 100 things. But I do believe that I’m one of the hardest working people you will find. I had an excellent work ethic instilled by my parents at a very young age. My first job was at 14 years old, and I learned how to drive a forklift. I worked for an oil pipeline crew. I’ve picked up new skills whenever I have needed to, and while I’m not always the best at a single craft, I have learned to put together the parts I can keep my eye on the big picture. For me, it’s easy to be successful when you do what you say you will do, don’t oversell or overcharge and BE NICE.

2021 has also been fun for me to branch off and do some passion projects. I started a podcast called Four to The Floor Podcast, a themed music podcast modeled after bar talks. My co-host is one of my best friends, and we treat each episode like a good ol’ fashioned guys’ night out. We attempt to show how music is embedded in everything we do. From the food we eat, the drink we drink, and the lives we lead. We have segments on film; food, wine, travel, and festivals. We try to show how music is such an important part of all of our lives daily.

What matters most to you? Why?
On the surface, and there’s probably a bit of truth to this, I look like a workaholic. I don’t think that’s something to brag about necessarily. But I’m driven to succeed; I’m compelled to learn; I’m propelled to figure things out. I can’t help but to want to try something new and try to be good at it. I love the internal feeling that I’ve accomplished something, so that’s what drives me, and that’s what is important to me. BUT I believe the primary foundation at work is that having experiences is most important to me. Whether it’s vacationing with my family, meeting new people, putting on a huge corporative event outside the box, performing in front of people, or even connecting with like-minded people, I look for ways every day to have a great or new experience.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.briansnyderentertainment.com
• Instagram: bradleystephenford, futureboyfilm, snyderentertainment, fourtothefloorpodcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnyderEntertainment, https://www.facebook.com/FourToTheFloorPodcast, https://www.facebook.com/futureboyfilm
• Twitter: @futureboyfilm, @BSnyderDJ, @4Fpodcast
• Youtube: https://vimeo.com/futureboyfilm
• SoundCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/bradley-ford/stream

Image Credits
Whitney Cadavid Photography, Phillip Van Nostrand, and Lillian Boeskool.