Last updated: Nov 2021
Let us start at a rather unusual place: the end (or the now as we are certainly nowhere near the end yet…).
Today, I am pouring my heart, soul, and energy into Tutti: a company whose initial product is just one cog in a grand machine I have envisioned to benefit the ever-expanding worldwide creative industries. Who knows if I will succeed at creating the entire vision? But I’m certainly giving it my best shot.
Shape designed by the wonderful Anna Vecchi, colours chosen in collaboration with the awesome Jessica Horton
Tutti is the “Airbnb of creative spaces”
We help people find and book amazing spaces for video/photo shoots, rehearsals, recordings, performances, and anything creative.
We help venues with under-utilised space, make money from creative hires. These spaces include: studios, homes, churches, theatres, nightclubs, schools, warehouses, and more.
Tutti is my #1 focus now - from dawn until dusk, and sometimes beyond.
Click the buttons below to learn more:
“Find out how Gabriel went from being an ASL student convinced he was going to be a filmmaker, to a Founder’s Institute graduate and entrepreneur leading an exciting new startup.”
“Absolutely Audio Founder Natalya Davies sits down with Gabriel Isserlis, CEO and Founder of impressive new music startup ‘Tutti’ “a tool for musicians, made by musicians””
“What do you get when you combine a love of music with a degree in film and a strong background in internet technology? Gabriel Isserlis ’16 used the combination to create a company called Tutti.”
Early days
My early days, while probably not particularly interesting to most of you, were quite unusual so I figured I’d dive into them a little. I grew up, an only child, in England with my British father (with a Russian, Jewish, Polish heritage) and Canadian mother. I attended a British primary school called Devonshire House Prep School until I was twelve, at which point I transferred to an American school, still in London (rather disappointingly called “The American School in London” - surely they could have come up with a more interesting name, but points for product description in the name I guess…).
At 6, I wanted to be a cellist, like my dad. My dreams of being a professional cellist were shattered when, at 12, I was compared to him and asked by my peers “why aren’t you better?” Fortunately, that only ruined my professional dreams: I still thoroughly enjoy playing cello casually with friends (mostly sight-reading - not the biggest fan of practicing).
At 15, I wanted to be an architect. I gave that up when my mum explained I’d have to learn all about concrete. I was not a fan.
I don’t know who took this, but clearly it wasn’t me…
“I have so much respect for people who can imagine a vision, make that vision a reality, and at a certain date, bring it to a close, thinking “yes, that is complete.” My brain doesn’t work like that. I love being able to learn, tinker, test, evolve, iterate, and make my work 1% better every single day.”
At 17, though fascinated by technology, I wanted to become a film maker as I loved sci-fi films and I wanted to invent some science fiction myself.
Partly due to being an only child and wanting to show my independence, I wanted to go to university in the states. My parents were certain I wasn’t ready, and to their credit, I probably wasn’t.
To get me used to living away from home, I attended a year of postgraduate high school in a boarding school called Northfield Mount Hermon, in north west Massachusetts.
There wasn’t much to do around there (the nearest town had 1 main road), so I had to be inventive. My very patient friend, Kendhall, helped me created a stop-motion short film: Blue - a video that has been removed from YouTube multiple times due to its soundtrack - ah well.
On the merit of Blue I was accepted to a few film schools, including a cool one my teachers had shown me called RIT. They taught film with a very hands-on approach, which was absolutely up my alley, and the campus was the nerdiest place I’d ever been - it was perfect for me.
While the university itself really was the perfect place for me, unfortunately my life in film was not meant to be.
After 3 years of studies, 2 internships, and a load of personal film projects (some quite funny, some downright awful), I realised what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to make films about what technology in the future could be. I actually wanted to build future technologies and make sure they were designed the way I wanted. In order to do this, I figured I needed some programming skills.
Update 2022: Upon years of reflection, I’ve also realised that I struggle at bringing a project to completion. I have so much respect for people who can imagine a vision, make that vision a reality, and at a certain date, bring it to a close, thinking “yes, that is complete.” My brain doesn’t work like that. I love being able to learn, tinker, test, evolve, iterate, and make my work 1% better every single day.
In 2013, I started work on my second degree at RIT: Information Technology, or as it was renamed, Web and Mobile Application Development.
Among many other things, I learned 1 important lesson during this degree: I love learning, I’m not the biggest fan of structured education. I spent more of my time focused on extracurricular activities (no I wasn’t pulling a Ferris Bueller, quite): work at Tech Crew, drinking at local pubs with friends, board game nights weekly (mostly playing Betrayal and Ticket to Ride), insane parties at my ridiculous house, joining a fraternity (Kappa Delta Rho), being a terrible fraternity brother (never showed up to events), playing Humans vs Zombies (a campus wide game of organised tag).
I was fascinated by programming but I’d had enough organised education for 1 life, having been in it for almost 20 years at that point.
For anything I haven’t covered yet, check out the bullet point version: the TL;DR version of my life.
The rest will come in full when I have time…