Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick
Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick
Pensado’s Place Uses Edutainment to Capitalize on Niche Markets
In any competitive industry, even the best in the business need to pursue new routes to expand, even redefine, their areas of expertise. Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick know all about this. In fact, they’ve built a profitable business around it.
L.A. music industry pros and lifelong friends, Dave and Herb not only have the expertise to run their web series Pensado's Place, they have a personal connection built on years of collaboration that makes working together a perfect fit.
A Grammy winning sound mix engineer, Dave Pensado has years of knowledge when it comes to mixing music that will get an artist noticed. Having worked with the likes of Mary J. Blige, T-Pain, Mariah Carey, and Kelly Clarkson, he has the resume to back up his legendary status as one of the best in the business.
A music manager working with some of the world’s top artists and bands, Herb Trawick helped get artists under his management— like Brian McKnight, Robin Thicke, and Tyrese Gibson— signed and touring. He’s consulted with labels like Def Jam Records, and knows the value of collaboration.
But past accomplishments will only get you so far. In order to survive in the entertainment industry, you have to accept feedback, adapt, and innovate. It was this innovative spirit that really opened the doors to their current— and most creative— project, Pensado’s Place, their web series about the audio engineering aspect of the music business.
Pensado's Place was born when the pair recognized there was an opportunity in the market they were perfectly adapted to fill. Thanks to the internet and widespread broadband access, music and the tools of production are more accessible than ever. And musicians, sound engineers, and mixers at all levels are all looking to get their work noticed. That's where Dave and Herb were able to apply their expertise.
Through brand integration and sponsorship deals with brands like Warm Audio and Groove 3, the web series is able to do giveaway promotions and events. Their Fall Free For All Sweepstakes provides lucky winners with a load of the best the audio gear they could ever dream of. The web series has even inspired it's own award show, The Pensado Awards. Founded as a way to celebrate music producers, mixers, engineers,and songwriters, this yearly show hopes to encourage collaboration between the pros, amateurs, and brands recognized.
With a total of 17.5 Million views and 200 thousand subscribers on YouTube, it's safe to say that their viewers are eager for more. Being one of the first in the industry to capitalize on the professional and amateur audiophile niche market and to utilize the audio and video capabilities of the internet, Pensado's Place is well aware of how necessary it is to not get complacent in their success. In a space that is now full of similar programs, their commitment to innovation is what ensures the longevity of their business.
“You have to be open to being wrong and being able to hear it,” Herb shared with CNB.com. Surrounding themselves with a team that is honest and provides necessary creative push-back has helped Dave and Herb keep their show fresh and relevant. For example, their utilization of social media— Twitter, Facebook, YouTube— was something that team members encouraged them to adopt. Not as savvy with social media as with a sound board, the pair took the suggestion to heart and made it a focus area to expand on. Now, all of their platforms are linked and updated with the content and information their followers demand.
According to Dave, lacking this candor and open communication can leave them “painted into so many creative corners" when it comes to their business approach. “The strongest things that you have is your ears; it's not your mouth. It's what comes in and you process and how you execute that,” Herb told us.
The popularity of Pensado's Place proves just this.
