Read the Voyage Minnesota Biography Piece on Stephen Schooley.

From Synesthesia to Studio Founder A Journey Through Music, Technology, and Design

Local Stories - May 22, 2025

A Conversation with Stephen Schooley.

Hi Stephen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Music has been a constant force in my life for as long as I can remember. One of the earliest turning points came when I was just nine years old. Riding in the car with my mother, a song came on the radio, and I turned to her and asked, “What does this music look like to you?” At the time, it seemed like a perfectly natural question—but her puzzled response made me realize my perception of music was different.

That moment was the beginning of my understanding that I have synesthesia, a neurological condition where the senses are intertwined—causing me to see music in shapes, colors, and textures. While others simply heard sound, I experienced full visual and spatial dimensions. What seemed like a strange anomaly became a powerful creative tool.

As I grew older, this unique perception fueled a deep fascination with sound and composition. By my early teens, I was already crafting musical phrases, co-writing songs with friends, and even mentally composing orchestral pieces. But the ideas were coming faster than I could capture them. That urgency led me to the world of studio recording—a way to preserve, structure, and bring to life the music constantly forming in my mind.

Fortunately, I was exposed to the technical side of music production early on. From working with Pro Tools to learning mic techniques and mixing consoles, I immersed myself in the fundamentals of recording. This was during a time when home studio technology was becoming increasingly accessible, with new hardware and software empowering independent creators. I dove in headfirst, developing my skills while the landscape of digital recording evolved around me.

Before graduating high school, I was collaborating in studios with fellow musicians—one of whom was attending the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Hearing about a school that encouraged artistic focus while preparing students for professional creative careers was all I needed. I made the decision to leave behind my hometown, sports, and close-knit circle of friends to enroll at Perpich for my senior year, living on campus and dedicating myself fully to my specialization in Electronic Music.

After Perpich, I continued my education at the Institute of Production & Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis, majoring in Music Production and Audio Engineering. There, I developed a critical, professional eye for studio work and honed the skills necessary to thrive in a high-level production environment. Over the next several years, I had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of artists across genres—developing everything from Hip-Hop and R&B to Folk Rock and Classical projects.

Eventually, I opened SleepyHallo Studios, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns provided an unexpected opportunity for introspection. During that time, I realized my true passion lay in film scoring—a medium that allows music to serve narrative, emotion, and story. I began building a vast library of high-quality virtual instruments—meticulously sampled orchestral tools playable through MIDI—and began scoring projects ranging from political campaign’s themes and media to independent films and animation projects.

As SleepyHallo evolved, so did its offerings. We branched into audio branding and podcast production, helping local businesses create immersive audio identities and launch podcast series to promote their industries. This expansion was driven by a desire to connect sound with strategy—something that became a guiding principle in all my work.

In recent years, the emergence of AI technology has opened entirely new creative frontiers. Our studio now offers services such as AI voice translation, vocal enhancement using AI-modeled human profiles, and even AI-generated vocal refinement, allowing us to compose entire vocal performances with just a MIDI keyboard and typed lyrics.

My passion for technology didn’t stop with music. Back in 2011, I began working in IT as a help desk technician at a local Managed Service Provider (MSP). Over time, I climbed the ranks—eventually serving as a Director in various organizations. This tech-side journey gave me the tools to marry creativity with operational excellence.

Today, I run a multi-division organization made up of three core subsidiaries:

1. SleepyHallo Studios – Our creative engine for music production, film scoring, audio branding, and podcasting.
   

2. Delphi Media Design – Offering services like website development, rebranding, logo design, and social media strategy.
   

3. Spartan PSA Consulting – A consultancy focused on optimizing Professional Services Automation (PSA) software for MSPs and service-based businesses across the U.S.
   

At the intersection of music, technology, and design, I’ve found a career that keeps me constantly inspired and deeply engaged. Whether I’m scoring a film, improving a client’s brand presence, or helping a company streamline operations, the foundation remains the same: a lifelong curiosity and love for how creativity and structure can come together to make something powerful.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

At age 19 I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that nearly killed me. This of course interrupted all of the planning I laid out in my pervious answer… with the support of family and friends; however, I was able to gain back everything I had lost, and some. I had a new outlook on life realizing that time is precious and we only have one life to live, which increased my drive and dedication to these various disciplines.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

Film Scoring is my primary focus as an individual artist. The amount of creative space surrounding the blank canvas that is a film without music contains endless possibilities. This is also matched against the need to find ‘the right fit’ with the visual content on screen. I enjoy the challenges associated with this type of work and the reward of seeing my hard work presented to an audience to evoke a variety of emotional responses.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?

Consistency – especially as it relates to the music business, I lost count long ago of the ‘opportunities’ that presented themselves and turned out to be nothing but another waste of time. You have to push through these moments without staying discouraged, which is a difficult thing. If it means enough to you – you’ll find a way through it and back to your passion.