Chapter 9

A week after our Worldwide Beat Battle, another first timer intern got the opportunity to network with experts and host a panel of her own. Dia Rogers, an early-career music supervisor, put on one of our most successful events to date - The Music Supervision Panel! Our panelists were fun and informative, our listening session was incredible (as always), and our host/moderator kept the energy up and made sure all of as had a great time.

Dia’s panel featured three well-established Music Supervisors:

• Jennifer Smith who has worked on Dancing With The Stars, America's Best Dance Crew, The Ellen Show, and American Idol before launching her own company,

• Jessica Gramuglia who is currently overseeing all things music at Condé Nast Entertainment (Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, etc.) She has previously worked with Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Warner Bros. Television on shows like Big Bang Theory, The Middle, and more.

• And Brian Vickers, who works as a Music Supervisor for The Walt Disney Studios and has worked on trailer campaigns for “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Black Panther,” “The Incredibles 2,” and a number of other blockbusters. For TV, he’s worked a number of shows including “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “The Bad Girls Club,” and “The Real World”.

As often as possible during the event, our panelists reminded us how important it is to be prepared for opportunity. They emphasized being as professional as possible, with an emphasis on becoming familiar with the skills and tools you’ll need in order to succeed in what you want to do.

For example, DISCO (discount link courtesy of Ladi), a music sharing and management platform, makes everything easier for a supervisor to find and use your music. Because of this, our panelists were adamant that artists and supervisors alike become familiar with DISCO and all its services. Music Supervisors need you to have all your meta data, paperwork and business taken care of before “shooting your shot” with them. If your mistakes/lack of preparedness makes things harder for them, you are very likely going to be passed up on.

Our panelists also helped us understand that there is no “secret” way to get to where you want to be in your career. Everybody’s story is different, and no two people followed the same path, but all of them got to where they are by working hard. As a way to sharpen your skills and be ready to work, the Music Supervisors suggested getting comfortable finding music, cutting it, and placing it where it needs to be in order to develop the scene of a film, tv show, or trailer. Even if you’re just doing it for free by yourself, this practice will allow you to build your own reel, so that if an opportunity does present itself, you are further along than you otherwise would have been!

Another tip from the Music Supervisors was to really study the film and TV you are watching. Ask why certain songs are placed and edited the way they are. Think about how you might have done things differently, and why. Actively listening is an easy way to train your ear, and get better at what you do.

For the Artists on the call, the Supervisors discussed the impact of Sync Reps, who’s job it is to try and get their client’s music placed in various forms of media. These Reps often have established relationships with media companies and are able to take care of the business that you are learning about. In the same breath though, our expert panelists reminded Artists to hold these reps and teams accountable, by asking them questions and requesting reports to ensure that you are satisfied with their service. Remember that you’re paying them to help you, and if they aren’t doing everything they can be, try to associate with a Rep that will.

If you’re early in your career, try out a few different Reps. The panelists advised that “exclusive” deals incentivize reps to work harder, but a work-around would be to split your catalogue into several “exclusive” deals. Diversifying your music catalogue will allow you to find the right people to work with and increase your chances at successfully getting synced.

If you’re interested in how you can reach out to Music Supervisors and reps yourself, be sure to check out our Networking Workshop this weekend! On November 14th, 2020, we’ll be discussing networking etiquette, value propositions and more!  Visit our Instagram for a registration link or join our Membership Platform for free access to the event!

Next week we’ll discuss the tips we learned from our Radio and Brand Management Panel!

See you next week,