By Kiera McCord
Intern at OCEAN Networking Group
It starts with a conversation that is not always planned or polished, but meaningful. That’s how networking often works, especially in creative industries like music, where relationships can shape everything from the first gig to a lifelong career. John Parenti knows this better than most. His journey began as a teenage touring drummer and evolved into decades of experience as a producer, mentor, and collaborator. Along the way, he’s written jingles, developed artists, and navigated the industry’s shifting landscape, always grounded in trust, curiosity, and connection.
As part of my internship with OCEAN, a networking group centered on creating meaningful relationships, I spoke with John about how those connections form and evolve in the music world. As someone interested in entering the music world, I wanted to learn how those behind-the-scenes relationships form and, more importantly, how they last. What followed was a conversation about music, mentorship, and the quiet power of staying open to what might come next.
To better understand that dynamic, I interviewed John Parenti, a seasoned music professional whose career spans decades of work in performance, production, and mentorship.
John started out behind the drum kit and began touring while still a teenager. His early experience as a performer eventually led him to promote Christian music concerts in Las Vegas, a role he held for ten years. During that time, he immersed himself in the behind-the-scenes side of the business, learning about promotion, contracts, negotiations, and the logistics that drive live events. One of his proudest milestones was earning a number one hit on the Christian music charts, where the song stayed for 13 weeks.
But John’s ambitions didn’t stop there. He had a vision of one day becoming a record producer, someone who could hand-pick artists and help them grow from the ground up. That dream brought him to California, but the road to production wasn’t immediate. To support his creative goals, John began writing jingles and radio commercials, everything from grocery store ads to theme music for IHOP and even new tracks for the LA Clippers, which he worked on for 13 years. Over time, he created more than 50 jingles, often in multiple languages, using the income to fund artist recordings and studio work.
“If you have a good idea, you should be able to put it down on a piece of paper,” he said — a mindset that helped him pitch projects, write quickly, and turn creativity into something tangible and profitable.
Throughout his journey, John emphasized that relationships are everything. Many of his most rewarding opportunities came from people he had built trust with over the years, musicians he could call to play on a session, artists he mentored, or collaborators who opened new doors through mutual connections. He described his network as something he built intentionally over time, a honeycomb of creative partnerships that fed into each other.
“Nothing good happens without collaboration,” he said. And when it comes to working with others, John has a clear formula: make the session fun, create space for ideas to flow, make the artist sound great, and make sure everyone is compensated fairly.
Today, John works closely with a small group of emerging artists, people he personally chooses to develop. His focus is less about mass-producing music and more about quality, mentorship, and longevity. He’s passionate about teaching young creatives not just how to make great records, but how to navigate the industry with clarity and purpose.
“Music can outlive you, and go to places you can’t even go,” he said, reflecting on the power of songs to carry stories long after the artist is gone.
What left the biggest impression on me was how much John values openness, not just to people, but to possibilities. “Things have a way of finding you when you’re open,” he said. In a world where so many doors seem hard to crack open, that mindset, combined with generosity, humility, and persistence, might just be the most valuable thing a young creative can carry.