An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
First up, I remember being cautioned against this expression we see a lot these days, “Fake it till you make it,” which really doesn’t work. It leads to a lot of disillusions in people. Second, and closely related to that, to create something that will resonate, whether it’s music or art or a business, your intention and your spirit can’t be about anything other than what is authentic to you. You have to be vulnerable and transparent. You have to bring a desire to connect with others, not put up walls of pretense. You have to confront whatever it is you have to confront, because if you try to hide or mislead, that will actually feed the problem, and it won’t be conducive to your success. And third, you absolutely must care about your craft. I’m certainly not the first one to say that it takes time and commitment.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Miyahara.
Jeff Miyahara is the chief creative officer of KLKTN, an emerging tech startup connecting artists with fans, which most recently launched a series of collectible mixed media artworks with two-time GRAMMY Award-winning pop star Kimbra. A renowned music producer and songwriter, Miyahara has collaborated with Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Boyz II Men, produced more than 270 artists, and created works that sold over 40 million copies around the world. This year, the Los Angeles native co-founded KLKTN with a mission to champion diverse and innovative artists, amplify their impact, and unleash new possibilities at the intersection of music, art, culture, and technology.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I’ve always really loved music. My mom raised me on her own, and she always had music playing in the background, on the radio, on cassette tapes, on vinyl. Growing up in L.A, I was immersed in this incredibly vibrant landscape, listening to everything from hip hop to rock, metal, pop, country, classical, and beyond. At a time when kids might feel lost or struggle to find and express their identity, music became a form of communication for me. It helped define who I became and who I wanted to be. It brought me in with the goth kids, the alternative kids, the athletes. I learned that music can be a universal language, one that connects us to those around us, near and far. We may have differences, we may even speak different languages, but the language of sound and emotion is one we can all understand. It’s what connects us.
Now, fast forward a few years, and all the comforts I was fortunate to grow up with were gone. Our family lost everything; we went completely bankrupt. Suddenly, I was the only one who could support us. I thought, what can I do to earn a living and protect my family? I had to try and turn the situation around, and I had this intuition to look to the music industry for ideas. I saw all these fantastic producers out there: Dr. Dre, Rick Rubin, and it sparked a certain curiosity in me. Music was a passion, as an artist and songwriter myself, but could I learn a new skill as a producer and turn it into a business?
Twenty-one years later, I’m super lucky to do this for a living, and I’m honored to have produced, discovered, and nurtured hundreds of artists. But with the music industry undergoing dramatic shifts, I wanted to find a sustainable way to support this community and this industry that nurtured me for so long.
As an industry, one of the things we gained from the disruption of streaming was the ability to reach fans everywhere, who could engage with our music in an easy, direct, global way. But one of the things we lost was a sense of connection. People have always derived great joy from supporting the artists they loved, from collecting their CDs, tapes, vinyl, and having a tangible experience. Yet it’s become increasingly difficult for fans to connect with the artists themselves: not with a piece of content or a song, out of context, but with the real story behind the music. At the same time, many artists and their teams, from stylists to photographers to choreographers, have been suffering economically in a new paradigm that’s inherently unfair. On top of that, the pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for musicians, affecting the very core of how they earn a living: concerts. Musicians’ earnings from sales have declined since the age of CDs, but music appreciation has gone up. One of the problems is the lack of mediums through which people can show their support or channel behaviors that are very much still alive: collecting art, making online purchases, paying for content that interests them.
So, the question for me became: How can we use technology as a positive force for change? How do we create new possibilities and democratize music, but in a way that benefits artists and fuels the music community? That is what led me to co-founding KLKTN. A new era in fandom is here, and we are uniquely placed to unleash its potential, to drive sustainable transformation for artists and creators around the world.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
KLKTN helps creators connect with fans through collectible art and special experiences. We provide new avenues for artists to share and sustain their craft, and for fans to support the artists they love. We are here to show that technology can be a force for good for the music industry and a driver of growth for artists, as the pendulum swings back towards creators.
What makes KLKTN stand out is our ability to unleash value for artists and amplify their impact, while putting them in the driver’s seat, with full creative autonomy to develop their most boundary-pushing art. In addition to building new revenue streams for artists and helping them forge deeper relationships with fans, we create experiences that lead to more concerts, more plays of their songs, more sources of growth. And we do it with a focus on sustainability, as well as affordability: the collectible pieces we commission and develop in collaboration with artists are meant to be purchased by any fan.
The mixed media series we create are much more than digital forms of art: they represent a way to unlock a new emotional experience. They are designed for passionate fans and collectors, with an understanding that their budgets will vary, but their appreciation and support of art is unwavering, so providing them with access is vital. We serve as a concierge-like team of experts for artists who want to create value for their fans, as a partner to their managers, an ally to their record labels. Whether we help artists produce and release new music, experimental art, and music videos, share behind-the-scenes moments of the creative journey, or create new types of interactive experiences, the outcomes are transformative. As a result of our work, artists are able to build scale, increase their audience reach and fan engagement, translate that into revenue for themselves, and make a bigger impact around the world.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I started out around ’99, when we were of course still on the cusp of the Internet. I wanted to hit it and I wanted to hit it really big. So, I decided to go through the Yellow Pages, find every single major record label I could find, and book meetings with various execs and A&R reps. And I cold-called every single one of those guys. Because I was so committed, they assumed I was bigger than I was, and they agreed to meet me. Little did they know they were in for a big surprise!
Imagine being a record executive and expecting to meet a major dude, someone you’re assuming is with a proper company. Instead, this scruffy Asian kid shows up with his demo tapes and demo CDs! The whole cold calling journey was just one funny mistake after another, but it was a crash course in sales and in understanding the business, and I learned a lot in the process. Often they’d get very angry. I heard a lot of: “Get out of here, you’re wasting my time,” and I was kicked out to the curb so many times. But there was very little anyone could do to temper my enthusiasm or stop me from persisting. Today, I’m friends with many of these guys, and others ended up reaching back out to me years later.
It taught me that you’ve got to have courage and push past your discomfort, because growth and comfort don’t go together. When you are open to exploring new paths and when you come in with a beginner’s mind, with childlike curiosity and an eagerness to learn, you might be surprised at what you are able to achieve. If you are committed to your calling, if you really want to live and breathe it and do it 24/7, if you know that this is who you want to be, then it sounds like you really want it. And if you really want it, you’ve got to go get it.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
I didn’t have many mentors in my immediate environment growing up, but you can have mentors from afar, people who inspire you and whose careers and work you follow. I was watching people like Rick Rubin explore the intersection of rock’n’roll and heavy metal and hip hop and kill it on both ends of the spectrum; or people like Trevor Horn, producer, songwriter, half of the British New Wave band The Buggles — you might remember their song “Video Killed the Radio Star”; or people like Seal, who is one of my favorite artists of all time. Trevor worked with Seal extensively, and I remember reading about their creative process and listening to their work and being amazed at how committed they were to their craft, how much they cared about their art, and how deliberate they were about every choice they made. You know, I’ve never actually met Rick or Trevor. I’d love to meet them one day and find a way to thank them for the impact they’ve had on my career.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disrupting is good when it benefits people. Not just when it makes new things possible, but when the things it makes possible have a positive impact on people’s lives. As a society, we need solutions to actual human problems. We need new ideas and perspectives, new voices, and new agents of meaningful change. We need to reimagine what is no longer working, whether that’s economic models or deeply ingrained biases or flawed, outdated systems. We also need to apply a critical lens onto new tools and think through their implications before we adopt them.
Here is what we don’t need: We don’t need to glorify disruption for the sake of disruption or technology for the sake of technology. Disruption has got to serve a higher purpose, to drive progress and positive transformation, to nurture growth on an individual, societal, and global level. And I believe the next frontier is in creating technologies that bring us together, that foster emotional connection, that reassert our humanity.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
First up, I remember being cautioned against this expression we see a lot these days, “Fake it till you make it,” which really doesn’t work. It leads to a lot of disillusions in people. Second, and closely related to that, to create something that will resonate, whether it’s music or art or a business, your intention and your spirit can’t be about anything other than what is authentic to you. You have to be vulnerable and transparent. You have to bring a desire to connect with others, not put up walls of pretense. You have to confront whatever it is you have to confront, because if you try to hide or mislead, that will actually feed the problem, and it won’t be conducive to your success. And third, you absolutely must care about your craft. I’m certainly not the first one to say that it takes time and commitment.
When we look at the world of entertainment, shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent built up this promise of overnight fame, and then you have people coming into the auditions and becoming disheartened. That false sense of confidence ends up really crushing people. There is no easy way out, and there is no easy way in either. You just have to put in the work.
As an artist, one of the great things about this day and age is you can make music anywhere. You don’t have to have an amazing studio anymore. You can make music on your phone or on your iPad, and you have endless tools, devices, and sources of knowledge and inspiration at your fingertips. That’s where the journey to achieve your goals and refine your craft begins. You can go out there and actively develop your talent into a skill, then use that skill until it becomes a strength. Practice, create, share your work with people. Then test the waters, be open to feedback, see where the room for improvement is, and make sure you have some strong reference points from objective sources. Stay flexible, don’t be afraid to adjust your plan based on what you discover, based on the new strengths you build, based on the areas to which you can add unique value. The joy is in doing the work, which gives you a foundation that will lead you to the results.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
I’m just going to keep being me! I think one of the biggest things we’ve lost over the past 10–20 years is ourselves. We need to get back in touch with what makes us human. What is it that makes me uniquely me? Get into it, explore the tension, make friends with it. Then see where it leads. When we’re not trying to be anything other than ourselves, when we’re sincere and genuine, that can open up so many possibilities. If we’re in tune with our intuition, not limiting it or being a prisoner to our own concepts, that allows for spontaneity and imagination. A by-product of that might be shaking things up!
Looking back, I started off as a knucklehead, became a producer and songwriter, and that turned into an opportunity to get involved in education and start my own music academy and to now co-founding KLKTN with two incredible leaders and pioneers. Our CEO, Daisuke Iwase, is a highly respected entrepreneur and Harvard Business School graduate who built Lifenet, a disruptive fintech venture, and took it to IPO; and our CTO, Fabiano Soriani, is one of the early employees of Dapper Labs, an engineer and researcher who worked on the development of the FLOW blockchain. I’m fortunate to do public speaking, to get to connect with kids and youth and help motivate them. I’m fortunate to have opportunities to cook for people, which is a big passion of mine. And I’m fortunate to create music with brilliant minds and souls. And then I get to set up our KLKTN music video shoots, and I get to go to them and make sure the artists have what they need, make sure the tables are clean, take out the trash, make sure the mirrors are spotless when the artists come back to check their makeup before they go on camera. It’s a privilege to get to do all these things.
It’s a hard time for everybody right now. It’s really difficult. Over the last year, I’ve lost people, I’ve lost friends, not only from Covid, but from the effects of its darkness. And I’ve struggled myself. But I’ve gained so much too. I’ve had to remind myself to stay open, to accept, to not live in fear, to live in gratitude. It’s strange to work in an industry that’s often surrounded by glamour, greed, ego; it’s easy to get wrapped up in it, and I’m definitely not immune to it. But when you take one simple action to help someone, to impact them, to make them feel loved, there’s no better feeling in the world. And you’ll always surprise yourself: you won’t believe what you’re going to be doing in a year from now, five years from now, because chances are some good people are going to be there for you too and take you on some amazing journeys. It’s important to remember that you have a lifetime of journeys ahead.
I hope to shake things up with compassion and empathy, by helping artists, by putting something meaningful out into the world, and by focusing on one person at a time, right here, right now, because you never know how you’re going to impact someone’s life.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
I have to credit the Indiana Jones films, because they’re a testament to the enduring power of great storytelling and collaboration. The series extends across three decades, and each installment has the same filmmaking team. I find its inception very interesting. Essentially, legend has it that George Lucas was on vacation with his friend, Steven Spielberg. Picture them on the beach, building a sandcastle, when Lucas asks Spielberg what he wants to direct next. Spielberg expresses interest in directing a James Bond film. To which Lucas responds with an idea for a new adventure film starring a character who is, in his words, even better than James Bond. Spielberg loves everything but the name, which he suggests changing from Indiana Smith to Indiana Jones, and the rest is history.
A beautifully crafted story will resonate with people across cultural backgrounds, across continents, across generations. It moves you. It leaves a lasting emotional impact. It’s the result of an entire team bringing their craft and perspective to the table, and every one of them plays a key role in realizing a larger vision. And what it leads to is great art that attracts lifelong fans who collect and treasure every piece of that creative universe. That’s what real engagement is about, and that’s the real power of entertainment.
The series’ core message, what has stayed in my heart all these years, is to never stop exploring. Never be afraid because the only thing to fear is regret. Keep that spirit of adventure alive.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My biggest life lesson has been around the power of saying yes. I never say no unless it goes against my values or my moral grain. I’ll always be open to all opportunities. I like to ask myself: Would saying yes to this take something away or detract from something major in my life? Let’s say it doesn’t, but it might create an inconvenience. There is probably a reason it feels like an inconvenience: maybe it’s ego-driven, or maybe it’s an area I’d rather run away from, which means there’s value in looking at it and leaning into it.
Everything can be an opportunity. A career opportunity is a great chance to examine where I am in my life. I’m very wary of the feeling that comes from being at the top of the hill, because when you’re there, you’re surrounded by people who reinforce that perception, and when you think you’re the king of the hill, there is no room to grow. Then, when the next challenge comes around, you’re stuck on the same hill, unequipped, unable to rise up, assuming the next round of greatness will just happen. But nothing is ever static, so what’s actually happening on that hill is you’re regressing. But if you nurture your curiosity, if you say yes to a new adventure, there’s a strong chance you’ll learn from it, and that’s what matters.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I’d love to create a movement around reconnecting with ourselves and with each other, around reclaiming our humanity, and around tuning back into our lives. We inhabit a world where we are assaulted by information, yet we’re not really surrounded by a lot of truth or a lot of different ideas. What we’re exposed to seems intrusive and predictable; it traps us under a sort of opaque bubble, which doesn’t leave much space for discovery or self-expression or exploration. And it doesn’t seem to make us happy. My rallying cry would be: Find your heart. I had an epiphany a few months back, and the message I was given was: “Concentrate on your heart.” And with that, go connect with people. Create a million different community clubs. Find one thing that gives you meaning, build something around it, and let the confidence and the momentum that comes from that experience spread to all the other aspects of your life. Find all the rest of us who believe that being human is a team sport. Let’s reclaim our humanity together.
How can our readers follow you online?
Find me on Instagram (@jeffmiyahara) and via klktn.com.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Thank you very much for having me — it’s an honor to be part of this series.
Meet The Disruptors: Jeff Miyahara of KLKTN On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
