It’s 2003. John Fulford’s bachelor’s degree in finance stares back at the phone that never got a call back for a second interview at the bank. He instead tunes his guitar, scrabbles some more lyrics and burns another CD.
It’s 2006. His master's degree in international business is itching to make it out of Gainesville. Instead of waiting on that phone to ring, he rings TV producers in Los Angeles pitching his abundant cache of music.
It’s 2024. Comedy-drama film “Anora” wins the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival — the Palme d’Or. His music is in the soundtrack, and his career is at its peak.
A spontaneous interaction with a Russian singer outside a Los Angeles supermarket pipelined into five song placements in a Grand Prix-winning film, he said. That chance is one of hundreds, if not thousands, Fulford has made to reach this monumental career milestone.
At 41 years old, he wants to mentor musicians of the same scene he emerged from not so long ago. A lack of formal music training is no reason to ignore a talent, he said.
He recalls elementary school days of scrabbling sheet music and lyrics. In high school, he took a few hours of guitar lessons a month. In college, he took a singular music elective.
“I didn’t want to preclude my hobby by having to learn it every day,” he said.
Instead, he spent most of his free time outside of his education mailing CDs and constantly calling the offices of TV shows like “The Real World” with new sounds.
“It was a lot easier back in the day,” he said. “I would just call the show… Sometimes they hang up on you. Sometimes they don’t answer. But this show luckily did.”
So when Fulford, then 24, and a group of his friends from UF decided to pack their bags and move to LA, companies could tell he was serious, he said.
Of those people who would eventually license his music was Peter Davis of Bunim/Murray Productions, who coincidentally moved to LA around the same time as Fulford. Their collaboration eventually fostered a long-term friendship.
“[John] had the foresight to recognize that this is an industry that you learn from doing it and making those connections that you need to further yourself and learning,” he said.
Fulford’s initiative and persistence continued for months, which Fulford believes set him apart from his competitors who may not have opted for the bold move.
“He’s definitely one of the smartest people I know, one of the hardest working people I know,” Davis said.
That ethic is one Fulford echoes to today’s generation of musicians who may fear being stunted by a lack of formal training.
“You don’t need to move to a big city,” Fulford said. “Just don’t base it on luck, be deliberate.”
Unbeknownst to all was the upcoming success of “The Real World.” Even more unforeseen was that the music executives for the show were essentially the same team who would produce “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” he said.
His big break arrived in 2007. A check for $4,300 came in the mail — equivalent to 430 hours of work at his day job he quit shortly after. Over time, his music started trickling into shows like “Breaking Bad,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “CSI: Miami” and more.
At one point, he even made his way into music producer Steve Aoki’s guest lists and worked alongside him.
“What drives me is that I’m not built to do anything else, for better or for worse,” Fulford said.
Fulford’s interest in international work took off as the industry became more interconnected and competitive. With a hefty resume and the technological means, his projects segued from reality TV instrumentals to scouting a Russian vocalist outside of a supermarket.
“I think it starts by listening to different types of music,” he said. “Figuring out music that maybe other people in your town haven’t heard of.”
His original plan of leaving LA was to explore the psychedelic rock movement of Cambodia. In 2019, he bought a home in Gainesville to house all of his belongings and rent out, with a plan to move to Asia for a year and work remotely. COVID-19 only allowed for the latter half of that plan.
“I’ve been here ever since. I set up my life here and I don’t see any plans on moving,” he said. “In LA, I always had something better to do than take care of myself.”
He has since become a gym enthusiast and invests in rental properties.
“He’s done an awesome job, just like being consistent at the gym, being persistent with your career, going after what you want,” said Ron Ballatore, owner of Ballatore Strength. Ballatore has been training Fulford since his move to Gainesville.
Ballatore said Fulford is very involved with the gym, whether helping planning events or just boosting overall morale.
“He’s an extremely generous guy,” he said.
As he celebrates this career win, Fulford wants to renew the innovative cycle by connecting with Gainesville community members who want practical experience in the TV and film music business. He is open to connections through his Instagram @fulfordnewsnetwork.
“For people coming up these days, be authentic,” Fulford said. “If you’re trying to be something you’re not, it’s a lot more detrimental to your career and mental health, because you have to be that person every day.”
Contact Noor Sukkar at nsukkar@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @noorsukkarr.
Noor Sukkar is a third-year journalism major with a minor in Arabic. She is the Avenue's Fall 2024 General Assignment reporter. When she's not writing, she's most likely talking to her cat or overwatering her plants.
