Can you briefly describe your position?

As Executive Producer of the Working Artist Group @ SIRIUS, I oversee operations of what is basically a record label. My duties span from talent scouting to negotiating contracts with manufacturers, fulfillment vendors and the artists themselves. In some cases like with our first release, Diego Sandrin’s Ten Songs in the Key of Madness, I actually produce the record. I am also the In-House Composer creating custom music beds, themes and underscoring for just about every channels on our service.

What was your first “big break”? Or, what is the most significant experience you had that made it possible for your success today?

There isn’t any singular event that I would site as the “big break” but a series of experiences. My touring and/or recording with The Flying Burrito Bros., Jackson Browne, and Lionel Hampton, in conjunction with my reign as Music Director for The Groundling Theater in Los Angeles prepared me for the opportunity to work at SIRIUS when it became available. In the year 2000 I had written a musical play that was shopped at The Groundlings. This lead to a meeting in NYC with some folks in the theater world. One day, in passing, the publisher of Playbill asked me if I had heard about satellite radio. One thing lead to another and soon SIRIUS offered me a great position, relocated me to NYC and built a studio to my specs so I could bring my musical skills to use for the new network. Right place, right time.

Could you describe some important transitions in your career?

Basically I have lived 3 musical lives to date. My first was as a recording/performing drummer/percussionist with some of the artists I named previously in addition to others known and unknown. Then I realized I no longer wanted to be waiting for “the call” for work as most sidemen do so I focused more on composing and gravitated into the comedic theater world at The Groundlings. That was an amazing hub of creativity. In my tenure there I worked with Phil Hartman, Lisa Kudrow, Cheri Oteri, Julia Sweeney, Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Maya Rudolph, Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Jennifer Coolidge, Mike McDonald and the list goes on. Some of the characters that are now world-renowned were created in this 99-seat theater. Two of the most notable are Will & Chris’ Night at the Roxbury and Julia’s Pat. My last incarnation has been here at SIRIUS as a creative person in the corporate world. No longer do I solely do art for art’s sake but I now have defined parameters in which to create. The music I create for the network needs to be certain lengths or reminiscent of known artists…etc. Of course that challenge is its own reward. Running the Working Artist Group @ SIRIUS fully utilizes my experience, intuition and expertise so I have an “all roads lead to Rome” feeling with this position.

Are there any ways that you feel Georgetown especially prepared you for what you are doing now?

Georgetown and the Jesuit education (I attended Loyola School in Manhattan, NY as well,) honed my sense of confidence and logical thinking while showing me how to maintain a sense of humility. The ability to take an idea from concept to inception is crucial in the corporate environment and for that matter, life in general. Having a good idea is one thing but jumping the hurdles on your way to implementing it is another. Being sure of yourself and what you are trying to put forward is the core element to succeeding.

What is your best advice to those who are starting out in your field?

Do not “pigeon hole” yourself with strict parameters around the goals you set. For instance, when I left Georgetown and headed out west to Los Angeles, I was focused on being a session drummer and/or joining a Rock band. I would never have had the Groundling or SIRIUS experience had I not taken the opportunities that presented themselves to me which deviated from my initial plans. There are a good number of musicians I know who did not let go of that and frankly are having a difficult time making ends meet.

Can you share some about one of your current or upcoming projects that you are most excited about and why?

Our current Working Artist Group release@ SIRIUS release, Diego Sandrin’s, Ten Songs in the Key of Madness (info at www.sirius.com/wags) has been incredibly fulfilling on a multitude of levels:

• It is the first release fully realizing my vision for this ancillary business.
• I was able to attract some of the top recording musicians in the business to work on it, including drummers Pete Thomas (best known for his ongoing work with Elvis Costello) and Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow), guitarist Smokey Hormel (Beck’s Sea Change) and bassist John Conte (Peter Wolf, Ian Hunter).
• On a personal and esthetic level, I am very proud of this CD. I truly enjoy listening to it. We believe we have helped launch the career of a prolific singer/songwriter who, until now, was unrecognized by the music industry.

What trend(s) do you think may emerge to bring change to your business five or ten years from now?

Looking at the big picture, satellite radio has become synonymous with what cable television was in its early days. As Howard Stern just exclaimed on Late Night with David Letterman the other night, SIRIUS Satellite Radio is the future of radio. It has opened the playing field to compelling, innovative and creative content. Using that as a springboard, the Working Artist Group concept is very much a part of the future of the Music Industry. There has been a void created by the current music business model and this can assist in filling it by bringing unsigned artists (that not only includes artists never signed to a label but those who are not currently engaged by a record company) to the entire country and Canada. In turn, we will see more unique businesses created to provide music to the masses.



BIO:

Teddy Zambetti C’80 (Psychology)

Married to Violetta Zambetti, who is from Novosibirssk, Russia and an opera singer with a master’s degree in piano performance. They have two daughters: Sofia (4yrs old) and Lucia (1 yr old). Teddy was one of the founders of The Cabaret Show, the variety show put on by the Georgetown students that is still going strong almost 25 years later. He spent the 1980s and 1990s as a professional musician touring, recording, composing and producing, while based in Santa Monica, California. The last 15 of those years he also worked at the Groundling Theater in L.A., initially as a pit musician, then as Music Director. Since 2000, Zambetti has been Executive Producer and In-House Composer at Sirius Satellite Radio in New York City.