What led you to pursue a career in Music Supervision?
Growing up, I developed a love for music early on. My parents had me singing in the church choir when I was in the single-digits, and that led to music becoming my favorite class in school. And my love of music paired with my love of tv shows and movies led me to learning about the field of music supervision. When I got a little older, “The Bernie Mac Show” was the first time I (consistently) saw how the music could fit a project, and it pushed me to learn more about the job of music supervisor and to go in that direction.
What are your primary duties as Music Supervisor at Walt Disney Studios?
I work on the theatrical marketing side – specifically in trailers. It’s my job to work with our creative team (editors, producers, etc.) to find the right music for our trailers, promos, and theatrical spots. We also work a lot with music libraries, vendors, and composers, to get custom-made music to fit our spots. So I talk them through the process.
Tell us about a project you’re particularly proud of and why?
I’m really proud of the teaser that we did for the Disney+ movie “The Lady and the Tramp”. It was special to me because I was able to get my wife (a full-time singer / songwriter) linked up with one of the trailer music houses that we work with to sing the classic song from the movie “Bella Notte”. That was really special for me.
What challenges do you face in your role?
The job is very subjective, so it can be tough when there’s music that you know would work well for something, and it ends up not making the cut because of different factors – whether difference of opinion, budgetary restrictions, or whatever else. Also, the trailer side can be very demanding. Trailers see incredibly fast deadlines, so it can be tough (and frustrating) asking people to make changes with lightning-fast turnaround times. But it’s our job to manage expectations as best we can.
Who or what is currently inspiring you?
I’m inspired a lot by my family…definitely my family. I want to make my parents proud and I want to be able to provide for my wife and my (brand-new) baby girl. That inspires me. And I also want to be really good at what I do. Music is still my passion, as it was when I was a kid. So I want to do my best to develop my craft and leave as great of an impact as I can.
Which part of the supervision process do you enjoy most?
I love when folks respond well to things that I’ve selected. And I love when something feels like a hail mary, but moves up the ladder. It’s satisfying. But the best part is seeing all the work that you’ve put in for months and months finally make it to a place where the world can see it and react to it – whether good or bad. It’s pretty amazing.
How is lockdown changing the way you’re working?
I’m currently working from home. I really miss working on the lot and being able to go in editors’ bays and see where they are in the process and see how the music is sitting in the spots. Now, I have to listen from my own home setup and just hope for the best. It slows the workflow down but, better safe than sorry!
What considerations do you make when selecting music for projects you’re working on?
First and foremost, the production quality has to be top-shelf. A lot of folks wonder why so many music supervisors deal with music libraries, labels, and sync companies – but it’s because they A/B their material very well and know what they’re looking for. So that’s high on the list for me. I also consider how quickly a vendor is able to turn around a custom and how well they can take and carry out whatever creative notes we might give them. That’s extremely important.
What is on your personal and professional bucket list? What do you hope to achieve in the future?
On my professional bucket list, I want to make the transition to music supervise feature films. While I love working in trailers, music supervision for film has always been my dream. And as far as my personal bucket list, goodness … where do I even begin? I want to travel and see the world. I want to go to some of the biggest rivalry games for college football here in America. And I really want to see (and help) my wife win a Grammy one day. She’s really good, and I’ve said that since we met. So that’s a big goal for me as well.
What artist or band are you loving at the moment?
I dig a lot of British artists right now. I like Samm Henshaw (and hope to see him make waves here in the States). I also am into Jacob Collier, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, and Rukhsana Merrise. But as far as American acts, I love Anderson Paak, Kaytranada, Yebba, Emily King, PJ Morton, Jonathan McReynolds, and anything by Kendrick Lamar.
Favourite film score/soundtrack?
Really tough to narrow down, but for soundtrack, a few of my all-time favorites are “The Lion King”, (because, of course), “Love and Basketball”, “Baby Driver”, “The Wiz”, and randomly “Space Jam”. As far as score, it’s also hard to pin down, but some of my favorite scores are “Man of Steel” (Hans Zimmer), “Black Panther” (Ludwig Goransson), and “Back to The Future” (Alan Silvestri). *Fun fact: I use the “chimes” from “Back to the Future” as my text message notification. Love that movie!
For someone wanting to pursue a career in Music Supervision, what advice can you give on a good place to start?
The creative is what everyone flocks to. I think folks are quick to want to get into music supervision because they “know good music” or “have great taste in music”. But it’s more than that. The intangibles are what will set someone apart from others. It’s good to have a strong knowledge of as many styles of music as possible – different artists, different eras, different genres, different instrumentation, everything.
Be willing to learn in whatever role you’re in – whether that’s an intern or a music coordinator, or whatever else. If you’re pitching music, learn your library as well as you can, but learn how to meta-tag things and describe how songs fit certain emotions and what would happen on screen. I started as an intern, and that’s how I (literally) had to learn on the job about the responsibilities I’d eventually be doing. Never be afraid to ask questions. It’s better to ask than to assume.
Research is key. Never stop researching. It’s always good to listen to new music and know what’s hot, but also, do some crate-digging. Improve your pallet by finding those gems that others might not know or be as familiar with.
Lastly, trust yourself and be patient with yourself.
