Our mission for 2021 was to expand our global footprint.

Can we say we succeeded? Hell yes. It’s been a long journey, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Although we can’t add that historic city to our list of offices (yet), we’re proud to announce the opening of our 7th office: MassiveMusic Warsaw.

After Amsterdam, Berlin, London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, it was time to extend Massive’s global reach and become operational in the vibrant capital of Poland – a melting pot of world-class creatives, and a key gateway to Central and Eastern Europe.

Consisting of experienced as well as emerging music creatives, producers and strategists, the Warsaw office is an incredible addition to our ever-growing list. The team will be led by Michał Krajewski, Executive Creative Director at MassiveMusic Warsaw. Actually, let us introduce you to him by sharing how it all started.

If he wasn’t flipping through his parents’ music collection, young Michał could often be found playing piano, running shows or spinning music at a campus radio station. This eventually encouraged him to start producing shiny commercials for advertising agencies and fresh music for brands (Zalando, Toyota, P&G, to name a few). His artistic sensibility, love for all things tech, and eclectic music taste (who said you can’t love Beastie Boys and Miles Davis at the same time?), allowed him to work on countless projects spanning over 15 years. That’s a whole lot of (love and) experience we’re adding to our team.

However, there’s always more than meets the eye, so we sat down with Michał to learn the ins and outs of the music industry and the beautiful city that goes by the name of Warsaw. Ready? Let’s dig in.

Why is it something that brands need to pay attention to?

MK: Firstly, because hearing is our first and most important sense, together with touch. They are the first two senses we experience in life and, arguably, hearing is even more primal as we already hear sounds when we are in our mother’s belly. We are born listeners – our attention is being attracted by sounds first. Music is the key to people’s heart and emotions: your favourite song can soothe your sorrow or intensify your rage! Brands crave consumer’s attention which comes when you land in the consumer’s heart. What better way to achieve that if not through music?

What’s your go-to way of approaching a new project?

MK: Since my TV production time, I’ve always wanted to start with the objective in mind: the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ are extremely important, including the ‘for when’ and the ‘for how much’. As soon as I get that confirmed with the client, I start building my schedule around it and decide who from my team could work on the project. I also define where I need to be involved, or if I should only direct and supervise. When you know how much time you have at your disposal and what needs to be done, then it’s time to listen, dig and create.

Now that you’re part of MassiveMusic, what are you most excited about?

MK: The fact that our internal Internet connection is symmetrical, and with this I mean that we upload and download the same amount of creativity as our colleagues. The work culture and support from other Massivians has been massive indeed. For us as a team, it feels like we belong to an international family of supervisors and creatives. Having a network that supports you in every timezone allows us to learn from people from different cultures and parts of the world, but also to deliver productions on any given deadline (thank you Sir Sandford Fleming).

How do you see it coming together now that we’re part of Songtradr?

MK: The group is unique. Starting with how fair it is for the artists to license their music through the Songtradr platform, with the amazing setup of agencies and studios around the world and the data-driven expertise. We have all that is needed to deliver top quality (and informed) work to our clients. Songtradr delivers all the tools to answer any brief without compromising the creative. To me, that is key.

Best thing about Warsaw?

MK: Its peculiarity is the mixture of so many different eras. You may not notice it at first, especially when it comes to specific neighbourhoods, but when you discover that angle you might wonder if time travel is actually possible. People who live here are true citizens of the world: it’s the experience blended with the openness we have that makes the cultural meetings with us so interesting.

All time favourite song?

MK: I can’t think of a more difficult question to answer. Is it even possible to have one? Ok, fine. I’ll go for ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’ by Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’. The hooks from that track… Well, they are something else. And don’t get me started on the strings, the brass section, the rhythms. Man! The work of Quincy Jones, the genius behind the track, and Michal here is unprecedented and unrepeatable.

How can potential clients get in touch with you?

MK: Through our Contact page or directly via email: warsaw@massivemusic.com. Social media platforms, like LinkedIn, work too.

What does the future hold?

MK: A coffee and a dog walk in the next few minutes but, in more general terms, inventing, creating, sourcing, sampling, remixing, recycling. I think we’re living very interesting times, despite all the challenges, environmental and political, that we are facing. The energy transformation, the awakened eco-awareness and the tech availability unleash all the amazing creative potential that we have as human beings. In music, design, tech, and all the efforts to make the world a slightly better place.

With music & sound being a natural soundtrack to both the consumer’s and brand’s lives, we at MassiveMusic see so many opportunities to take Polish brands on a musical journey.

Needless to say, we’re massively proud of this milestone and we can’t wait to see what’s next. Cheers to new teams, new work and new achievements.

Or as they say in Poland, ‘Na Zdrowie’.