print: T.L. Holmes - Interview (March 2007) | BlackGospel.com, Your Gospel Music Ministry Source!

Interview with T.L. Holmes
March 2007, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

Gospel music has certainly come a long way. The music that has ‘kept us for a mighty long time’ has outgrown the little country chapels and neighborhood missions to become a musical force beloved around the globe. Gospel music is now a sound and style not only sung by pastors and parishioners. The music of the church is now a carefully guarded commodity licensed by multinational music syndicates like Sony, EMI and Universal and an artistic work assessed and awarded my multiple music academies.

Consequently, Gospel artists are viewing their music ministries as an opportunity to witness beyond the walls of their churches and into the streets and on world stages where audiences await the Good News.

As a result, the production and presentation of Gospel music is at an all-time high. Artists and labels are both recognizing the benefits of top-tier producers, the advantages of an alluring CD cover and the importance of a quality song that carries an album and artist to the next level.

Another powerful piece to the marketing puzzle that Gospel artists are now beginning to explore in greater numbers is the concept video. With artists like Smokie Norful, Yolanda Adams and Kirk Franklin reinterpreting their compositions through video, a new set of music fans locked into MTV, BET, MySpace.com and YouTube.com have discovered their music and ministries for the very first time.

One of the most capable and committed directors piloting this digital revolution in the name of the Gospel is T.L. Holmes. Through his New York-based company – Media Concepts Group – T.L. is devoting his experience, knowledge and passion to seeing more Gospel artists in front of the tiny screen, so that many more souls may be touched. If his latest, critically-acclaimed concept video – Never Let You Go – featuring Micah Stampley is any indication of his work, God’s children are in good hands. BlackGospel.com recently spoke with T.L. about his mission to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ given the same production and viewership the world is now experiencing.

Christopher Heron: T.L. let us begin with how your vision and passion for directing videos first took root. How did this seed grow into eleven years of experience in the media and the formation of your multi media corporation - Media Concepts Group?

TL: It all started with a love for marketing. I am a marketing fanatic. I love advertising. I love promotions. I love putting things together and making them possible. It all started for me eleven years ago in Gainsville, Florida, working with the YMCA and the University of Florida as the Marketing Director. My job was to raise funds for different components of the University of Florida and I had to be creative in this capacity. My job required a lot of creative thinking and event planning.

The strategies I was implementing included a lot of community involvement. The experience prepared me for the entertainment industry. Everything came together, tying in all my passions for marketing, advertising, music, radio at Moses Media, one of the largest Internet marketing firms in the country. All of these experiences prepared me for the eventual launch of Media Concepts Group.

CH: The Gospel industry is still learning the ropes, when it comes to taking advantage of media, whether it’s Internet marketing, concept videos, radio promotions, etc. What do you see are the biggest challenges facing Gospel artists when it comes to capitalizing on media and marketing? And how do you propose Gospel artists could overcome some of these challenges?

TL: I think it’s very simple actually, because when we talk about Gospel music and the Gospel industry at large, what we have that the world doesn’t have is a message that’s inspirational. And, if we can utilize the concept that best represents the Body of Christ through Gospel, with excellence, I think we will weed out a lot of the things. And that’s where it starts…having a desire to produce excellence.

CH: You are also an executive for an Independent label. As an executive, you understand the challenges and hurdles that the Independent labels and artists that they represent must face. What are some of the biggest problems Independent artists and labels encounter in an increasingly competitive music market? What advice do you offer to those who are ready to take the leap into launching an album or carving out a career in the music industry?

TL: As the Vice-President of Marketing & Promotions for Mountain Top Records in New Jersey, I think it’s evident that as executives, professionals, or artists, we sometimes need to do things right, from the very beginning. A lot of problems arise when there is not a lot of thought or time put into the concept of what we are trying to achieve. We need to spend the time and follow it through from perception to completion before you begin the project. If there is one thing that we do at Mountain Top Records, it’s that we try to conceptualize before we begin the process.

CH: Media Concepts Group, is now in full operation. The company recently produced a critically acclaimed video for Micah Stampley. Could you tell us, what makes a great concept video? And, what are some of the blaring differences that you see between concept videos produced for Gospel artists versus mainstream artists?

TL: I think the most essential aspect of a concept video is simply this: the concept. It really does lie in the concept. As a media company - Media Concept Group Inc. - we take our time and try to envision what the artist is saying. I, personally, consecrate myself to find out what God is saying through the song. And through a rigorous production meeting with my staff, we begin to develop a whole concept for the song with the artist in mind so we can produce a visual to make the song have more of an impact than just what you hear in the melody.

CH: Most artists, at this point, still shy away from the opportunity to record a video; perhaps because it’s too expensive or maybe too overwhelming an undertaking for them. Could you tell us why more artists should consider recording videos with companies like Media Concepts and why it’s not a tool just for Hip-Hop, R&B and Pop artists, but an instrument for Gospel artists as well?

TL: Simply put, it’s in the numbers. Some artists perform twelve different venues in twelve different cities in any given year, and would likely impact only those who are in attendance or fans of their music or ministry. We say, “Take advantage of the mass media, since it would probably reach a thousand times more people.” The media goes to places we cannot fathom going. Media expands our ability to connect with the world. I think that the advantage we have in the media is the reach that it has and the potential to spread the Gospel. Once we understand the impact that the media really has, we can begin to understand that there are many different ways to develop our resources.

This is where Media Concepts comes in. I want to be the trailblazer who wants artists and record labels to know that we are in a position to be an asset to them in the Gospel industry. I could be doing music videos for 50 Cent and P. Diddy but I want what I do to lend itself to the body of Christ. That way, we can maximize the focus and minister hope and life to people through mass media.

CH: I want to discuss your heart for ministry. It’s easy to become wrapped up in the business of media and marketing, but what drives you personally and motivates you toward Christian entertainment and Christian media as opposed to working with secular artists and mainstream media?

TL: Very simply, people are dying. Every single day, people are walking this earth, dying. And I think that the Gospel has the ingredients to bring people out of their death situation and feed life into their body, into their home, and into their situation and give them hope for the next day and hope for the next moment. The platform that God has given us, through the Internet, television and mass media is to allow the Gospel to reach places and people where we would not normally have the ability to reach.

That’s why I put so much emphasis on the quality of what we produce because there were times when I was distraught, hopeless and destitute. The one thing that kept me alive was the music. The one thing that would minister to me was the music, when I didn’t want to hear a preacher, when I didn’t want anyone witnessing to me, it was still the music. I would pick up a good CD that would minister to my soul and my situation. God has anointed minstrels in our time to release the voice of God through music. It’s the universal language.

Christopher – Beautiful! In conclusion, T.L, I want to know in terms of an artist or in terms of a label, what criteria must someone have in order for you to work with him or her? Or, do you welcome everyone to the table to work in collaboration or as a partnership to do something great for the work of the Lord?

T.L – There are a few steps in the process. Number one, we ask for quality music and quality production. There are times when I turn away artists because of the quality. What we have to realize as artists and Gospel industry players is that our competition is not EMI Gospel or Verity Records or Integrity Gospel. Our competition is Jive Records, Warner Bros, Interscope, Def Jam. Why are they our competition? Because, they are targeting the people we need to minister to, our younger generation, our college students. We need to reach those people for Christ.

And if we’re going to target this demographic, then we need to be at least at that same level of quality. That’s why I place so much emphasis on presenting quality, having a marketing plan. Music videos are used to portray you, the artist, in a way that normal, traditional advertisements cannot accomplish. It is more of a visual aid than anything else. People tend to turn on a television before they tune into the radio and we want to ensure that when the Gospel is presented, it is done with quality.

For more information on Media Concepts Group in New York City, visit www.mediaconceptsgroupinc.com. To contact T.L. Holmes, call 212-363-5705 or email tl@mediaconceptsgroupinc.com.