Producer and composer John Michael Rouchell draws on his MBA skills to make platinum-selling records. He served as music production supervisor for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new multimillion dollar ride at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
When John Michael Rouchell (MBA ’21) won a Grammy this year in the Best Progressive R&B Album category for his work on AverySunshine’s album So Glad to Know You, the award represented more than just industry recognition for the New Orleans-born producer and composer. It was validation for a career forged at the intersection of artistry and business.
“I’m kind of this weird utility infielder,” Rouchell says. “Whenever I’m in a room with business people, I’m the weirdo creative. Whenever I’m in a room with musicians, I’m the strategic planner. The mix of those two things is sort of my unique value proposition.”
Rouchell had already established himself as a songwriter and touring musician before he decided to get an MBA. As leader of the indie rock band MyNameIsJohnMichael, Rouchell had been performing since 2008, including appearances at major national festivals like Bonnaroo, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Austin City Limits Festival, and South by Southwest. He eventually branched into recording, writing songs and producing records for multi-platinum-selling artists like G-Eazy and Lizzo, but after a decade in the studio, he sought to broaden his skillset.
“Going to get the MBA was a way to try to further explore certain qualities I had, soft skills and things of that nature,” he says. “It was a way to create some sort of codification so people would trust me more.”
Not long after graduating, Rouchell got a call from his friend Terence Blanchard. Blanchard, the celebrated jazz trumpeter and composer with more than 80 film and television scores to his credit, had been hired as creative director for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new attraction being developed to replace Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and he wanted Rouchell to serve as music production supervisor.
Over the course of nine months, Rouchell recorded more than two hours of music for the ride with Blanchard, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Soul Rebels, and the best session musicians from New Orleans.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in June 2024 to long lines and glowing reviews. Parents.com called it an instant classic.
“It was this really nice thing where I could take my entrepreneurial youth and these skills that I got in the MBA and then apply them to one of the biggest entertainment companies on planet Earth,” Rouchell says. “It was a big responsibility, and it was so nice for Terence and the Disney folks to trust me to help bring it to life.”
While he credits the MBA with helping him to gain that trust, Rouchell says his degree is more than just a credential.
“Every record I produce starts with goals, metrics, methods, resources, in that order,” he says. “My job in a lot of ways is to be a creative Sherpa — I know where we are, and I know where the thing needs to go. Creative people can sometimes drift from the mission, so someone has to be there at their back saying, ‘Keep going….’”
Since his work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Rouchell has taken on an increasingly diverse list of projects. He’s been recording and producing songs with Anne Hathaway for an upcoming A24 film, and Disney recently flew him to Los Angeles to lead a workshop for its animation department.
“The speaking gigs kind of scratch the itch of my performer side, but it’s a little bit more brainy, which I like,” he says. “They allow me to be myself, this person who got his MBA in strategy and data analytics as well as the person who writes songs, produces records and who’s a complete nerd and historian for all things art and entertainment.”
In the end, Rouchell says, it all boils down to communication and leadership.
“I’m a communicator,” he concludes. “Whether it’s a song, a record or a keynote, if people can trust me and be in a place where we can connect, I feel extremely confident to be able to lead them to their desired outcome.”
