Gabe Cowan: Producing Films, Leading Teams, and Building a DAW

This week's guest is award winning filmmaker, composer, and entrepreneur Gabe Cowan. Gabe has produced over 20 films, many of which have premiered at the major festivals. Some of his films include SXSW Audience Award winner "Cheap Thrills" as well as "Bad Milo" and "They Call Us Monsters." Before producing movies, Gabe was a multiplatinum recording artist, played in several bands and was signed to Geffen Records. His current focus is as the CEO of Audio Design Desk, where he is working to solve audio for video by creating a streamlined solution to quickly and easily match music and effects with picture in a manner that sparks creativity. We chat about making movies, democratizing cinema quality audio, the challenges of creating a DAW from scratch.In this episode we'll dig in on...How Audio Design Desk revolutionizes audio for pictureCreating a DAW that inspires youSigning to Geffen Records in the mid 90s at age 19How to pitch your ideasAI as a musical assistantCreating a product roadmapMusic as a part of a filmmakers identityMajor label life vs independent lifeEncountering people that prioritize money over artThe allure of HollywoodHow scoring a Roger Corman film lead to producing moviesShooting the first independent film done on a RED CameraMeeting consumer expectationsCue sheetsThe musical gymnastics of the 80s and early 90sTravis' Intro: Enjoy the JourneyLearn More About Gabe Cowan and Audio Design Desk...Website: https://add.app/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audio.design.desk/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audiodesigndesk📢 Our Sponsors 📢Listen to Secret Sonics!Sign Up for Complete Producer Network!⬇️ FREE 2025 PLANNING WORKSHOP ⬇️https://www.travisference.com/2025plan📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE 📺 https://www.youtube.com/@progressionspodConnect with Me:📬 Newsletter: https://www.travisference.com/subscribe📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progressionspod🎵TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@progressionspod🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/progressionspod🌐 Website: https://www.travisference.com/🙏 Leave a Review or Rating 🙏Apple: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/appleSpotify: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/spotifyCredits:Guest: Gabe CowanHost: Travis FerenceEditor: Stephen BoydTheme Music: inter.ference