Two hours before the doors open at the Cedar Park Center, the load-in dock is bustling with people. Some are working out, others are unloading boxes of merchandise. A dog are roams calmly around the venue. Jon Bellion is in the green room, wearing a gray hoodie and basketball shorts, unbothered.
He’s anticipating an engaged crowd later that night. For his fans, the Glory Sound Prep Tour is an opportunity to enjoy a night out and experience live renditions of the Long Island native’s catalogue. For Bellion, it’s a press run for his next venture.
“My entire goal was to score movies,” he said.
Glory Sound Prep was more than a gift to his fans after a two-year hiatus, it was a hint at what’s to come. Bellion’s obsession with animation, specifically Pixar, permeates throughout his imagery and branding. The artwork for his singles and album covers often feature animated versions of himself inside colorful dreamscapes.
Despite Bellion’s track record as an accomplished songwriter – penning hits for himself, (“All Time Low”), Eminem/Rihanna (“The Monster”), and Jason Derulo “Trumpets”) – music supervisors have yet to be sold on his ability to score an entire film.
But Bellion is as business savvy as he is creative. He formulated a plan to use the rollout and tour behind his latest album as evidence that he has the ability to create, promote and score his own animated series, with the help of his fans.
The album’s trailer, narrated by Stormzy, is a one-minute glimpse into what Bellion hopes will become a full series. He assembled a team of animators – Justin Giritlian, Mark Mower, and Nathan Sam – to help create the pilot.
The Glory Sound Prep Tour is a vehicle to gauge and document interest from thousands of fans about the development of the series. Merchandise sales are tracked so that it can be compiled into hard data points to present to future buyers such as Netflix or Hulu.
“I’m unveiling my business plan publicly because I’m not afraid of whether it fails or not,” he said.
Devising a well-thought out plan to elevate his career is not new for him. Nearly a decade ago, Bellion was in need of a manager and connected with a then-up-and-coming professional named Chris Zarou. At the time, Zarou was focused on growing the careers of his roster of hip-hop acts – specifically his latest client, Logic. Though the two did not work together immediately, Bellion was sure who he would be in business with in the future.
According to Bellion, he ignored a number of inquiries from other reputable managers. One night, he left Zarou a voicemail explaining that he didn’t want anyone else overseeing his career. The two have worked together since.
“Right now, this is the equivalent of selling my mixtape out of my trunk,” Bellion said, referring to his attempts to break into film scoring.
He admits he intentionally shattered the creative expectations of his latest album, as well as challenged the direction of his career. It’s still unknown what the fate will be for Glory Sound Prep as an animated series, but Bellion is likely already plotting his next move.
“A lot of the time, the struggle is where I’ve been the happiest,” he said. “Usually when I get what I want, there’s something within me that says let’s double up.”
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