Rob Salerno

Co-founder, CFO, Engineer, & Musician

Born in Queens, NY and raised in central NJ, my love for music started at the age of 8 years old. I remember riding in my dads 1978 Oldsmobile and having my first experience with R&B and Soul music. The sounds of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Kool and the Gang and Earth,Wind and Fire could always be heard. I really didn't have my first experience with rock 'n roll until 1981. It was then that I attended my first rock concert. It was the Journey Escape tour and I remember being "blown away" by the lead guitarist in the band. His name was Neil Schon and after further investigation, I found out he was one of the guitarists in the Carlos Santana band. So, of course I had to find out about this guy Carlos Santana. WOW! My ears have never been the same since. It was hard finding someone as talented as Carlos Santana, but soon enough I was introduced to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page (and all of Led Zeppelin), Pete Townsend and Eddie Van Halen. Rock 'n Roll had eneterd my life in a big way. I enjoyed the sounds of 60's & 70's rock for years, until I entered High School. It was there that I had my first taste of Rap music. I absolutely loved the energetic beats and the culture that went with it. I remember the sounds of Grand Master Flash, Kurtis Blow, NWA, Grand Master Melly Mell, Run DMC, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to name a few. Who didn't have a pair of parachute pants or gazelles? Break dancing and popping became the only way to dance. It was great!

As most people do, I began singing along with every song I ever heard. Trying to gain an understanding of song lyrics became a way of life. Seeing live shows was as routine as going to school in the morning. I surrounded myself with musicians and always had the chance to sing with them, but never the chance to perform live. That all changed in 2002. While living with some childhood friends in Arlington, VA, EXIT 8 was born. My first shot at being the lead singer for a rock 'n roll band. It was with the band I was given the opportunity to be involved with writing music. I have not stopped since. Writing is such an awesome way to express oneself and I take every opportunity to do this. As well, I seemed to have a knack for getting gigs. It seemed every local club was willing to give us a shot. Probably because the demo we recorded sounded so good. The demo was recorded by another childhood friend. His name is Steve Rubin and, if you haven't already, you can read about him in his bio. Steve did such a great job engineering and recording our demo CD, that I approached Steve about turning it into a viable business opportunity. And one dinner meeting later, Vanishing Point Productions was born.

• Steve's Bio

Photo by Kyle Herchert