Book Clayton Craddock to Speak
I spend my time split between Broadway pits and conversations with musicians trying to figure out how to build an actual career, not just book the next gig. I bring both to every talk.
What I Speak About
Every talk is built around the same two things nobody teaches you in school:
versatility and relationships.
I use my own career journey, from a Ramada Inn jam session decades ago to 26 years on and off Broadway, to show musicians and creative professionals what actually keeps a career alive after the talent that got them in the door stops being enough on its own.
-
Why the musicians who last aren't always the most talented ones, but the people who can adapt to what the work actually needs.
-
The difference between collecting contacts and building the kind of trust that gets you called back years later, all told through the story that built my own career.
-
How I went from a working drummer to running a publishing imprint, a podcast, and an education platform without leaving the pit.
-
Every talk is shaped around the audience I'm speaking to, whether that's a conference, a university program, or an industry association.
The NAMM Talk
In January I spoke at NAMM's GenNext series, a program created for young musicians just stepping into the industry.
I walked them through a single connection made at a Ramada Inn jam session decades ago, and how it turned into a career that's carried me through tick, tick... BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Ain't Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
That response is why this is now a talk I bring anywhere musicians are trying to figure out their next move