Meet our incredible staff members who are volunteering their time as teachers and mentors at the 2018 Hawaii Songwriting Festival!
More staff to be announced in the coming weeks - stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here
More staff to be announced in the coming weeks - stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here
In alphabetical order.....
Megan Barbour - Music Supervisor, Buddah Jones. Megan is a music supervisor at Buddha Jones in Hollywood CA. For the past three years she has worked on numerous theatrical, broadcast, and video game trailer marketing campaigns for major studios including HBO, Netflix, and Warner Brothers. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Megan fell in love with music at an early age. She continued to expand upon her music knowledge at Los Angeles County High School For The Arts in both dance and opera. While continuing to cultivate her singing and songwriting after high school, she also received a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Riverside.
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Joshua Bartholomew - Songwriter/producer. Josh is an Oscar and Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. He and his wife, Lisa Harriton, form the writing/production team, JoLi. Together, they are responsible for co-writing and producing "Everything Is Awesome" from The LEGO Movie. You can also hear them singing as the featured performers in the movie version of the song. In his native Canada, via Nashville, Joshua cowrote the #1 hit "Let Your Love Speak" by the band Emerson Drive. He has also written and produced songs for several major-network TV shows, commercials and video games. As a performer, Joshua has shared stages with some of the world's biggest stars, including Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Slash and Mike Posner. Currently, he’s focused on writing, producing, and developing up-and-coming talent with JoLi.
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Jason Blume - Songwriter. Jason's songs have been recorded by Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, the Gipsy Kings, Jesse McCartney, Collin Raye, the Oak Ridge Boys, John Berry, and more. His songs are on three Grammy-nominated albums and have sold more than 50,000,000 copies. In the last two years he's had three top 10 singles (all Gold records in Europe), and a #1 on the Dutch R&B iTunes chart, as well as landing a song on Hey Violet’s EP that debuted top-10 on iTunes in (22) countries and #1 in (5) countries. His songs have appeared in films and TV shows including Scrubs, Friday Night Lights, Assassination Games, Kim Possible, First Kid, Next Thing, Taking the Stage, Dangerous Minds, Kickin' it Old Skool, The Guiding Light, The Miss America Pageant, PBS Frontline, and more. Jason authored three bestselling songwriting books: 6 Steps to Songwriting Success, This Business of Songwriting, and Inside Songwriting. He runs Moondream Music Group, teaches songwriting all around the world, and recently contributed to a CNN segment on the state of the music business.
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"Hookman" Marlin Bonds - Songwriter/producer. ‘Hookman’ is a lifelong musician, songwriter, and producer. He began to play the trumpet at a young age, and by the time he was a teenager he had discovered Jazz in a big way. Regional and State Jazz competitions led Hookman to receive full scholarships to University of Kansas City Missouri and William Paterson University, where he went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz performance. He wrote and produced his first hit single with Swizz Beatz, "Money in the Bank" from the "One Man Band Man" album. Currently based in LA, Hookman has been co-writing with some of the most accomplished producers, writers and artists in the business, including Chris Brown, Jason Derulo, Kelly Rowland, Enrique Eglesias, Karmin, Jordin Sparks, Hot Chelle Rae, Akon, and Jay Sean. In 2012 he signed 3 upcoming artists - AKA King, Mz. 007, and Heven - who recently signed with dance label Ultra Records. His creative vision for future endeavors extends beyond writing songs and work towards building an infrastructure where he can develop and Executive Produce new talent.
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Butterfly Boucher - Songwriter. Australian born artist Butterfly Boucher released her debut album, Flutterby, on A&M Records in 2004. Once she became independent, she spent 2011 producing fellow Aussie Missy Higgins album The 'Ole Razzle Dazzle, touring as a bass player and vocalist with McLachlan, and working with her pop/rock trio Elle Macho. "Everything broadened when I allowed myself to go beyond just my solo music, collaborating with others has been key to keeping my own creativity bubbling as well as my sanity." In 2013 Boucher's debut album "Flutterby" turned 10 years old, and with a sense of celebration and a desire to acknowledge her fans that have supported her through out those years she decided to re-record Flutterby from scratch, this time inviting many of the musicians and artists she had met along the way. And so her fourth album, Happy Birthday Flutterby was born. in 2014 Ruby Rose used Boucher's "It Pulls Me Under" for her Break Free video that has garnered over 35+ million views on YouTube alone. Though she plans plenty of time to work with others, it is her own music that exposes the depth of her talent. Her previous albums Scary Fragile and Butterfly Boucher, picked up songs for television and film. Stretching the gamut from sincere to playful, her smart pop inhabits a world of pure creativity -- where fragility and force are complementary and indie rock accompanies heartfelt vulnerability.
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Charles Brotman - Composer/producer/indie label owner. President of KMF and the Hawai'i Songwriting Festival, composer, Grammy award winning producer, and multiple Na Hoku award nominee and winner. He owns and runs the Lava Tracks Recording Studio and Palm Records on the Big Island, where he works with many local artists, including recent Grammy nominated albums for Sonny Lim and Kahulanui. His music placements in film and TV include Portlandia, Hawaii 5-0, Dateline, The Descendants, All About Steve, Oprah, Nickelodeon, Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, America's Most Wanted, Animal Adventures, Prime Suspect, and more.
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Chikk - Singer and Multi-Platinum Songwriter, Chikk, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and raised in Santa Clarita, California. At the age of 8, Chikk started vocally training her gift, and at the young age of 11, she was writing lyrics beyond her time. In 2014, she became the first in her family to break musical records - becoming a ‘Multi-Platinum’ Songwriter for her successes in writing hit songs for Korean Pop groups such as EXO, Girl’s Generation, BoA, and ShinEE. While still being deeply sought after by Korean Labels, Chikk is putting her signature and mark on Korean Pop music for ages to come - with Rolling Stone Magazine setting to claim her as “An American songwriter, who helped shape the sound of K-Pop.” As Chikk continues to write for artist around the world, she now sets her heart back to her first love as a Solo Artist. After surviving a nearly fatal crash with a semi truck in 2017, and with the traumatic task of learning to walk again, Chikk believes her story can inspire many – with her music being the catalyst. Her lyrics pull at the heart with timeless messages of faith and her voice is as water to a listener’s soul.
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John Cruz - A long-time member of the KMF Board of Directors, John performed on Hawai'i's first Grammy award winning album, and has also won multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards. John has distinguished himself as one of the most talented artists that has ever come from Hawaii. He was named the Best Singer Songwriter by Hawaii Magazine in 2008.
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Michael Eames - President; PEN Music. Michael is a trained composer, songwriter and pianist with experience in film scoring. He studied music at Cornell University and UCLA Extension, and secured a minor in Business Management from Cornell. At PEN Music Group, Michael oversees all aspects of the operation and focuses on pitching the catalogue as well. Prior to starting PEN, Michael oversaw the international activities and film & television department of Don Williams Music Group where he was responsible for song catalogues such as Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, and Roy Orbison, among numerous others. He also worked previously for Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and the management and music supervision firms The Derek Power Co and Seth Kaplan Entertainment. Michael is currently the second-term President of the Association Of Independent Publishers (AIMP) and serves on the Independent Publishers Advisory Council (IPAC) of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). Michael recently co-authored a book entitled FIVE STAR MUSIC MAKEOVER: The Independent Artist’s Guide for Singers, Songwriters, Bands, Producers and Self Publishers and is a frequent guest speaker in classrooms and panel discussions nationwide.
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David Fisher - Music Supervisor / Chief Creative Director; Songs for Film & T.V. David has over 20 years experience in the music industry. As a recording artist David had record deals with Interscope, Geffen Records, and Big Machine Records and recorded with producers, T. Bone Burnett, Roy Thomas Baker and Nathan Chapman among other prominent musicians. David released three major label records under the names Big Blue Hearts and Fisher Stevenson, and spent five years as a songwriter for Bluewater Music in Nashville. He has toured domestically and internationally supporting major artists such as Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Lady Antebellum, Gary Allan, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. After his career as a recording artist, David founded Songs for Film & T.V. in 2010, a music services agency specializing in music supervision, music production and music curation. David and his team have secured thousands placements in advertising, film, television and video games for clients such as Airbnb, Reebok, MINI, Sheraton, Massage Envy, REI, Revlon, Blue Moon,
Google, Nationwide, Audi, Mercedes, Gevalia, Under Armour, Hershey’s, Pepsi, PlayStation, Absolute, Phillips 76, Conoco and American Idol. Network television and film studio clients include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel MTV, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Fox, FX, Bravo, AMC, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., and many more. |
Lynn Grossman - Founder; Secret Road Music Services. Lynn has created a multifaceted entertainment company that has introduced artists like Ingrid Michaelson, Walk the Moon, American Authors, Andy Grammer, The Civil Wars, and Fitz and the Tantrums to the film / TV / advertising community. Secret Road’s roster of artists have been featured in numerous television series such as Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us, Nashville, Elementary, Blindspot, and various ads by Google, Target, Cricket Wireless, Calvin Klein, Reese’s, Payless and more. Lynn was the music supervisor for the TV series HOUSE MD and the film Humor Me, starring Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould. As her manager, Lynn has helped Ingrid Michaelson vault from an indie-pop sweetheart to platinum selling star. Last year, Ingrid made her Broadway debut in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and film debut in Humor Me, wrote songs for an animated feature film due out in 2020, and wrote and produced her own sitcom.
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Rich Goldman - President; RipTide Music Group. RipTide is a leading music synchronization, publishing, and administration company in Los Angeles. He is also President of Pacifica Music, a modern genre production music library. He’s is a lifelong musician who has amassed a broad range of industry credits as a producer, composer, sound designer, and recording studio operator. RipTide Music’s “sync flavored publishing” credits range from the commercials for iPhone6s, Google Chromecast, Chase Bank, and Pepsi; movie trailers of Dr. Strange, John Wick 2, Rough Night, GET OUT!; TV shows Ballers, Empire, and Lethal Weapon; films Concussion and Central Intelligence. With his wife Ellie, Rich started a rehearsal studio in Cincinnati and grew it into the legendary Fifth Floor Studios, where he collected gold records for his studio’s work with Sheila E, Prince, Midnight Star and Zapp. Rich is has been a speaker at various music events including ASCAP: I Create Music, PMA, Billboard Film & TV Conference, Game Developers Conference, British Sync Mission, Durango Song Expo and co- organized and moderated the MIDEM “Sync” panels from 2009 through 2015.
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Richard Harris - Songwriter/producer. Published with Peer MusicLA, Richard has had Billboard, iTunes, and other chart-topping cuts around the world with artists like Katharine McPhee, South Africa’s Idol winner Elvis Blue, Anahi, Boh Runga, Sabrina Starke, Camera Can’t Lie, Shawn Hook, Tyler Shaw, Lead, Felix Cartal, Greg Cerrone, DJ Stonebridge. #1 Billboard hits include "Lie to Me" with Cole Plante and earlier in 2018, "Meet in the Middle" by StoneBridge feat. Haley Joelle (fun fact - Richard and Haley met at HSF!!!) Co-writers include Grammy award winning and multi-million selling writers like Lazonate Franklin, Justin Gray, Erika Nuri, Mark Hudson, Pam Sheyne, Victoria Shaw, Gary Burr, Keith Follese, Jeff Franzel and Boots Ottestad. Richard's music can be heard in commercials and TV shows like Beauty & the Beast, One Tree Hill, Cold Case, Third Watch, The Closer, The Hills, Joan of Arcadia, Critic's Choice, and Cinematheque on CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, The BBC, History Channel, Lifetime, MTV, Discovery Channel, TNT, and many others. Recent film credits include This Means War and Single Moms Club.
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Lisa Harriton - Songwriter/producer. Lisa is a Grammy and Oscar-nominated songwriter, producer, keyboardist, and sound designer with deep roots in the Los Angeles music scene. The daughter of a film/tv composer father and studio-singer mother, she discovered her passion young. By the age of eight, she was already recording in the studio with industry vets. At age eleven, she propelled her music education even further by enrolling in London’s prestigious Royal Schools of Music, where she received a degree with honors in classical piano. Shortly after, Lisa received a scholarship to study at USC where she graduated with a Jazz Piano degree. As a keyboardist, Lisa has toured the world with several top artists including, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kesha, Adam Lambert. Always a songwriter at heart, Lisa and her writing partner, Joshua Bartholomew, co-wrote and produced the Grammy and Oscar-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome!!!” for the Lego Movie. Operating under the moniker “JoLi” they have written and produced songs for artists, film/tv and video games.
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Katie Herzig - Songwriter/producer. To put Katie Herzig in any sort of box is for it to be broken, as she continues to outdo herself with each new release. Herzig grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado but found her way to Nashville upon starting her solo career in 2006. Fresh off the 2018 release of her 6th album, Moment of Bliss, Herzig tours the US this summer for the first time in 4 years. Herzig has performed at Bonnaroo, on VH1, toured extensively both as a headliner and as support for artists such as Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles, The Fray, Ingrid Michaelson, and as a member of 10 out of Tenn. She has had her music licensed for many film, TV, and commercial uses including over 10 songs on Grey’s Anatomy. Her song“Free My Mind” reached top 20 on AAA radio which led to a collaboration with RAC on their song “We Belong,” earning a lot of love from LA’s KCRW and and a remix of the song by Odesza. Herzig has always been very hands on in the production of her own music which as led her to opportunities to co-write and produce music for other artists as well, including Ingrid Michaelson’s platinum-selling single “Girls Chase Boys.” ASCAP awarded Katie the Sammy Cahn Award for her song “Closest I Get.” In 2017 Katie was nominated for an Emmy for her song “Morse Code” written for Netflix’s The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show.
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Rob Kleiner - Songwriter/producer. From starving artist to Grammy nominated Songwriter/Producer, Rob Kleiner moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue songwriting. In a short time, Rob has established himself with his signature warm soulful style, the likes of which can be heard in his collaborations with such artists as of Sia, Cee Lo, Andra Day, Natalia Jimenez, Haley Reinhart, ZZ Ward, LP, Chantal Claret and many more. In 2012 he was also responsible for making the music for the infamous Kate Upton Carl's Jr Commercial. In 2013 Rob produced an album for Canadian artist Nikki Yanofsky, which allowed him to collaborate with the albums executive producer Quincy Jones. Rob is currently published by BMG and works out of his Hollywood studio: Studio Edison. In addition to songwriting Rob is an experienced engineer and vocal producer with hit credits such as Sia's "Elastic Heart", David Guetta's "Titanium", and Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" as well as credits from such heavyweights as Britney Spears, The Weekend, and Kylie Minogue. Audio mastering is another passion for Rob, with hundreds of credits to his name throughout various pop genres and film scores.
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Michael Laskow - Founder and Chief Executive Officer; TAXI. Michael is in constant contact with top executives at major and top indie record labels, music publishers, as well music supervisors working on film, TV and advertising projects, production music libraries, and video game music executives. While Michael may be best known for pioneering the most effective filter for identifying and connecting the world’s best, independent artists, songwriters and composers with music industry decision makers, his history in the music business dates back to the mid 1970s when he worked as an recording engineer/producer on gold and platinum records with artists such as Neil Young, Firefall, Melanie, Cheap Trick, Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and many, many more. Laskow is recognized as a leading authority on all aspects of the music industry, and has moderated or spoken on panels at virtually all of the top music conferences and seminars in the U.S.
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Kenny Loggins - Kenny Loggins has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and has won two Grammy® Awards. His songs have left his musical imprint on “the soundtrack of our lives.” Over the last four decades, his chart-topping songs have included “This Is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose," “Danger Zone,” and so many more. In addition to his string of successful recordings, both solo and as a member of the famed duo Loggins & Messina, Kenny became the first major rock star to dedicate himself to recording music for children and families. His album Return to Pooh Corner remains the best-selling children’s album of the last 20 years. In 2016, he released his latest children’s project, the book Footloose (Moondance Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA, October 17, 2016), inspired by his 1985 Oscar® nominated and Grammy® Award-winning “Song of the Year.” Last summer, he was a recipient of the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award at the annual Chapin Awards hosted by WhyHunger. Last month, The Guild of Music Supervisors honored the legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist with the organization’s first-ever Icon Award for his outstanding achievements in film, television, and soundtracks. His gift for crafting deeply emotional music is unparalleled, and it's been a part of his life as long as he can
remember. His generous support of countless local organizations has made a lasting impact on the causes that are close to his heart. Starting with a single donation of toys as the spokesperson for Santa Barbara’s Toys for Tots program in 1987, Kenny is recognized as a Unity Shoppe Shining Star for his work in shaping the organization’s mission. Kenny regularly lends his musical talent and generous heart to support youth-based programs like Make a Wish, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, and Little Kids Rock. In 2016, Kenny was honored with a Humanitarian of the Year Award from Little Kids Rock, for his extensive commitment to children’s causes and his core belief that “Every child should experience the healing power of music.” |
Kenneth Makuakāne - Recording artist/producer. Ken has over one hundred albums to his producing credits, including his exceptional solo releases. A prolific songwriter, Kenneth’s compositions have been recorded by local artists like the Brothers Cazimero, Nā Leo, Kapena, the Pandanus Club, Amy Hānaiali‘i Gilliom, Loyal Garner and Gary Haleamau, as well as international artists from Japan like Yuri Chika and Yuki Miyamae. His songs have even been performed many times over at the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. He produced a track on Kenny Loggins 2000 CD release More Songs from Pooh Corner. And his music has been on the soundtrack of major films like “Honeymoon In Las Vegas” and “Parent Trap In Paradise.” He has received over 16 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, including a 1992 award for his solo, religious album, Conversations With My Heart and Producer's awards in 1990, 1996, 1997 and 2000, and Song of the Year in 2000 for "I Miss You, My Hawai‘i." Kenneth was inducted into the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Gallery Hall of Fame and the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts Hall of Fame as its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and won the Composer of the Year award from Kamehameha Schools.
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Jonathan McHugh - Independent film director/producer & music supervisor. Jonathan has held high-level corporate film & music creative executive positions at New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers; (VP Soundtracks,) Sony Records (Sr. VP Film & TV), Universal Records (Sr. VP Visual Media). He is currently directing the documentary films “Cosplay Universe” for Netflix and “ Long Live Rock.” McHugh has music supervised the music for over 70 feature films and TV shows, including most recently the Lionsgate films “Blindspotting and"Spare Parts," “Ping Pong Summer” starring Susan Sarandon, the Peter Jackson produced documentary “West of Memphis,” The Polish Brothers comedy “Hot Bot,” and the Televisa Films comedy “Sundown.” As Vice President of Soundtracks at New Line Cinema McHugh co-produced many platinum & gold soundtracks including “Austin Powers”, “The Wedding Singer”, “Boogie Nights,” “Rush Hour,” “Blade” “Mortal Combat 2”, “Love Jones,” and “Money Talks. ” McHugh is an adjunct Professor at American University in Washington, DC where he teaches Film Music studies. He is also a Documentary committee member of the Producers Guild and the secretary and founding member of the Guild of Music Supervisors.
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Andre Merritt - Songwriter/recording artist. Grammy Award-winning Andre Merritt launched his songwriting career in 2006 with Marques Houston’s “Favorite Girl,” followed by Omarion’s hit single “Entourage.” Shortly thereafter, he co-wrote Chris Brown’s “Down” featuring Kanye West, and topped the charts once more with Chris Brown’s “Turn Up The Music.” In 2011 and 2012 Andre earned a Grammy and Billboard, NAACP, and American Music Award nominations for his work on Chris Brown’s album "F.A.M.E." Other chart toppers are Chris Brown's “Forever,” Rihanna's “Disturbia,” Fifth Harmony's “Don't Want to Dance Alone” and “Going Nowhere,” and “Fight For This Love” by X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole in the UK. Andre has worked with some of the top artists in the world including Katy Perry, Rihanna, Usher, Cheryl Cole, Natasha Bedingfield, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Black Eyed Peas, Willow Smith, Jason Derulo, Mila J, Jack & Jack, Melanie Fiona, Timbaland, Jesse McCartney, Alexandra Burke, Goapele, K-Pop artist XO, and the list continues to grow. In 2014 he launched himself as the artist Apollo Grey, giving listeners the sound R&B has been missing with his debut single “Cause I Want To.”
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William G. Meyer III - Music Attorney. Bill Meyer began practicing law in Hawai'i in 1979. His practice emphasizes intellectual property law (including copyright, trademark, and right of publicity licensing and registration, entertainment, trade secret, art, and advertising matters); government relations; real estate matters; and related dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration, and mediation. His firm, Settle Meyer Law, is a boutique law firm located in Downtown Honolulu. He is a long-time board member of KMF and has also served on the governing board of HARA (Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts).
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Chris Mollere - Music Supervisor. At an early age, Chris developed a unique appreciation and love for all styles of music. He
attended and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and in addition to receiving an excellent education in the areas of psychology, advertising and business, he participated in countless music events that the city and state had to offer. Becoming friends with many musicians and music venue owners provided Chris with a unique perspective of the behind the scenes challenges and business aspects of music. To further expand his knowledge of the music business, Chris worked with bands in management, production and promotional capacities. After graduation, Chris moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a full time career in music and entertainment. Chris has worked as a music supervisor on over 700 television episodes and over 30 films, including the CW'sThe Vampire Diaries and The Originals; ABC Family/Freeform Television's Pretty Little Liars, Famous in Love, Greek, Chasing Life, Kyle XY, and 10 Things I Hate About You; and feature films Get Out, Bad Words, The Family Fang, The Box, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, and many more. |
MUNNYCAT - MUNNYCAT is the production duo made up of LA-based songsmiths K808 & Khaledzou. Their anthemic anti-pop mixed with golden-age hip hop has landed them national placements with Fenty Beauty, Facebook, Adidas, Nike, Lulu Lemon, Cadillac, the NFL, Wendy’s, Ebay, Target, JCPenney, Benefit Cosmetics, MeUndies, Danimals, GrubHub, MTV and many more. 2 total collaborators - they love each other, they live together, they write and produce together, they even shoot and edit their own music videos together. K808 recently starred as herself on a TV pilot about music production for Red Bull TV produced by songwriter Billy Mann. Khaledzou has performed hundreds of shows (Red Rocks, Exit/In, The Bitter End) as the spearhead of indie-rock band The Zou. MUNNYCAT makes DIY energetic and empowering neon-colored west-coast bops, with car-rattling kick drums and grimy percussive layers.
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Chris Oglesby - VP of Creative, BMG Music Publishing. A 30+ year music publishing veteran, Chris started at AMR Publications, then went to Almo/Irving Music Nashville where he signed Craig Wiseman and Jess Brown ("Little Past Little Rock" - Lee Ann Womack; "Rope the Moon" - John Michael Montgomery). Chris then went on to join Dreamcatcher Music, a new publishing company owned by Kye Fleming (3 time BMI Writer of the Year, Country and Pop) and Bob Doyle (Manager, Garth Brooks). While there, Dreamcatcher landed 18 cuts and three singles, including the Pam Tills hit "Mi Vida Loca." Chris then spent 10 years at BMG working with Marcus Hummon, Hugh Prestwood, Rick Giles, John Hiatt, David Lee, Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Craig Wiseman, and many others. In April 2004, Chris established Oglesby Writer Management, which became part of music industry powerhouse 19 Entertainment/CKX. Chris worked with 19 Ent. artists and on American Idol's audition process, plus did A&R for Carrie Underwood and Kelli Pickler. He returned to BMG in 2013, where he has been part of hits like Carrie Underwood's "So Small," "Temporary Home," and "Last Name;" Rascal Flatts' "Prayin' for Daylight;" George Strait's "Check Yes or No;" Kenny Chesney's "The Good Stuff" and "Young;" Lone Star's "Amazed;" Mark Wills' "19 Something;" Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying;" Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way;" and the Martina McBride single "God's Will."
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Frank Palazzolo - Music Supervisor; Mad Doll Music. Frank Palazzolo made his way from New Jersey to Los Angeles in 2005, where he began his music supervision career in the Universal Pictures Film Music department. After leaving Universal, he went on to work with KCRW DJ and Music Supervisor Liza Richardson at Mad Doll Music, where he has worked on over 1,000 TV show episodes and 5 films, including a win for "Best Music in Film" at the 2011 Nashville Film Festival. Some of his most notable projects include The Path (Hulu), The Leftovers (HBO), Hemlock Grove (Netflix), Scorpion (CBS), Graceland (Fox), and Rise (NBC). Frank is also a successful songwriter and producer with placements in various television shows, two major motion picture film trailers, the Orange Is The New Black Season 4 announcement promo, and a Toyota commercial that aired during the 2018 Super Bowl.
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Shelly Peiken - Two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter Shelly Peiken has been a prolific, behind-the-scenes force in the music business for more than two decades. Her songs have sold in excess of 50 million records. She is best known for penning culturally resonant, female-empowerment anthems such as Christina Aguilera’s No. 1 hit, “What a Girl Wants” and Meredith Brooks’ smash, “Bitch.” Her book Confessions of a Serial Songwriter, a memoire that chronicles her journey from a young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to writing hits of her own, earned her a second GRAMMY nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. Shelly is a fierce advocate of creators’ rights with her grassroots organization, SONA (Songwriters of North America). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter and 2 cats.
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Shannon Quisenberry - Director of Creative Licensing and Artist Relations; THINK Music Inc. Shannon was introduced to the music industry through a collegiate program at The University of Texas at Austin, assisting the producers for the acclaimed live television program Austin City Limits in 2004. After two seasons working on episodes with some of the biggest artists on the planet (Wilco, Etta James, Pixies, Elvis Costello, The Shins, The Flaming Lips, to name a few), she decided that behind the scenes in the music industry is where she belonged. She soon found herself at Brick Wall Management in New York City, supporting their busy management team. For 6 years, she worked with their large roster of artists and producers that included Citizen Cope, Marc Broussard, The Clarks, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ari Hest. After moving to LA and working on Ingrid Michelson’s management team, Shannon was quickly
drawn to the licensing side of the industry and started working with Platform Music Group in 2015. Now at THINK, Shannon has been an integral part of helping artists land placements, from hit TV shows (The Leftovers, Shameless, Claws, Queen Sugar, Suits, Lucifer) to nationwide Advertisements (Fitbit, Toyota, Comcast) and everything in between. |
Steven B. Ray - Steven started as a roadie for Sammy Davis, Jr.'s summer tours. After college he was Quincy Jones' production assistant and participated on projects like Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller,” “We Are The World,” James Ingram’s solo debut album, Frank Sinatra’s “LA Is My Lady,” and the film, The Color Purple. Steven went on to Capital Records, where he was a senior executive in A&R and the first person of color to run their New York office. He also oversaw recordings for Freddie Jackson, re-mixes for Duran Duran and The Pet Shop Boys, and the signing of Bebe & Cece Winans and MC Hammer. Steven later worked at Windswept Pacific Publishing as a creative executive, staff writer & music supervisor. He signed writer/producers Manuel Seal (co-writer on Mariah Carey and Usher hits), Quincy Jones, III (co-writer/producer for TuPac, Ice Cube and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme) and the co-venture with LA Reid’s publishing company, HitCo Music (which spawned hits for TLC, Anita Baker, Destiny’s Child, and numerous Beyonce solo hits). As a music supervisor, Steven provided support for feature films Havana and Forrest Gump, and was nominated for the Best Film Music Sprit Award for "Hangin' with the Homeboys." His current focus is management for hit songwriter, Andre Merritt (see above - Andre is on the HSF staff too!) and Danish singer/songwriter Viktoria Hansen (co-writer on Brandon Beal's “Paradise” and Krewella's “Calm Down”).
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Pamela Sheyne - Pam is a multi-platinum selling songwriter with 50+ million record sales, 100+ platinum sales, and multiple film and TV placements. Pam is best known for co-writing Christina Aguilera's global breakthrough single "Genie In A Bottle," Dream’s debut single "He Loves U Not," and Jessica Simpson’s hit "Irresistible." Other artists who have recorded Pam’s songs include: Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Lindsay Lohan, Seal, Corrine Bailey Rae, The Saturdays, Cece Winans, Tina Arena, The Backstreet Boys, and Laura Pausini. In TV and film, Pam has written end titles for Disney’s The Princess Diaries, Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen, and Golden Globe nominated film The Young Victoria performed by Sinead O’Connor. Pam’s songs have featured in Camp Rock 1 and 2, Jump In, numerous TV shows, and Pam also co-wrote and sang the theme tune to the NBC series Dance Your Ass Off. As a singer Pam has performed and recorded with artists including; The Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Tom Jones, Daryl Hall, Cyndi Lauper and Dave Stewart. Most recently she was a co-writer on Camilla Cabello’s 2017 debut single Crying In The Club which reached Gold Status in USA and international recognition including No.20 in the Official UK Singles chart. Pam is also a founding member of SONA (Songwriters of North America) a grass roots advocacy group that fights for songwriter rights.
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Frankie Simone - Portland's Frankie Simone offers a vision of pop music as a conduit for collective enlightenment, self-empowerment and awakening. Pop rarely transcends the constraints of dominant culture, but Simone’s incantations of radical self-love aren’t just transcendent, they’re transformative. Frankie Simone’s music exists, she says, “to celebrate every type of human.” |
Amy Stroup - Songwriter/Co-Owner; Milkglass Creative. Amy is a Boston born, Abilene, Texas raised independent artist living in Nashville who has had her songs featured on more than 30 TV shows including This Is US, Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Vampire Diaries, & Walking Dead, as well as national ads for Calvin Klein, New Balance, Lexus & more. Amy has released 3 digital EPs and one nationally distributed full length solo recorded entitled Tunnel. She is the newest member of the TEN OUT OF TENN tour where she is one of ten featured artists along side Andrew Belle, Katie Herzig, Trent Dabbs and more. Recently, Amy released a single called 'This Is My Time’ featured on NBC’s hit show This is US that she penned with Mary Hooper, her creative partner and co owner of their design boutique Milkglass Creative. Milkglass does artist branding & design for Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Ingrid Michaelson, and Lori McKenna to name a few. In 2012 Trent Dabbs and Stroup released a self titled band project called Sugar & The Hi-Lows. She tours with Sugar and The Hi-Lows and has recently shared this stage with Chris Stapleton, Kings of Leon, Kacey Musgraves, Ingrid Michaelson and more.
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Ryan Wines - Co-Founder and CEO; Marmoset. Marmoset is a full-service music agency based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in music licensing and original music production for brands, film, and TV. Ryan co-pilots Marmoset's creative teams and spends most of his time studying people and human systems - constantly deconstructing the status quo, pushing boundaries, and searching for a better way to lead and nurture people. A fiery advocate of creators, makers, and artists, Ryan gave a TED Talk about "leading creatives amidst a modern landscape" and has traveled far and wide sharing his ideas and experiences on topics of music, branding, and leadership at places like TEDx, SXSW, CMJ Music Festival, and beyond. Under Ryan's leadership, Marmoset landed on the Inc. 500 List, ranked #6 in "The Fastest Growing Private Companies in Oregon," ranked in "The 100 Best Places to Work in Oregon," among many other awards and accolades. Ryan also maintains a journal at Nurture Theory, where he shares some of his more fascinating and impactful experiences, specifically focusing in on a new way of leading and achieving high performance among teams of people, and is currently pursuing related coursework at MIT and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Adam Zelkind - Songwriter/producer. Eight-time award winning songwriter/composer/producer with credits on feature films and over 1,098 hit television episodes, including shows like Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, I Love Money, Real Chance of Love, The Surreal Life, From G's to Gents, I Love New York, Charm School, My Fair Brady, Out Back Jack, and Next Action Star. He has had 20 songs on Hart of Dixie alone, and he co-wrote and produced "My Favorite Show" with The Crazy Z's - an end titles feature on HBO's The Leftovers. Many of his songs can be heard in recent films including the critically acclaimed films Disconnect and Marine Home Front, No Manches Frida, and An LA Minute. His awards include ASCAP’s Most Performed Music on Television for two consecutive years. He has worked with artists and writers such as, Chris Gelbuda, Kristian Bush (Sugarland), Bret James, Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Big Al Anderson, Josh Kelley, Walt Aldridge, Darryl Worley, Gary Burr, Ashley Gorley, Josh Kelley, Meghan Lindsey (The Voice & Steel Magnolia), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sara Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Will Champlin and Dustin Christensen (The Voice), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) and last year co-wrote a #15 song on the Spotify pop charts “Viral” with Marlin Hookman Bonds for James Graham.
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