Preparation for Placement: All Times Are In Central Time
This first all-virtual day of the Sync/Tech Summit is focusing on the points of preparing your music and yourself for presenting your music and yourself to music supervisors, sync agents, music libraries, labels, publishers, managers , show runners, directors, developers, creative directors, brand managers and other decision makers involved in licensing and commissioning music for visual and interactive media.
We’re starting this conference with a focus on preparation for your success in sync because the fact is, many people, even if they make great music lose opportunities due to issues with their metadata, music production, the way they handle contracts and negotiation, and how they present themselves and their music – before, during and after an opportunity to connect with a decision maker.
And by focusing on these crucial elements of preparation, we aim to give you the knowledge and tools you need to have the most effective experience possible at the Sync/Tech Summit when you are connecting with – and connecting your music with decision makers.
10:30 – 10:50 Sync Submission Challenge: It All Starts with a Brief and Your Music.
We’re going to kick off the virtual day by giving you a brief to write to or submit already existing music to, which will be evaluated and judged by a panel of music supervisors and industry experts. In this quick conversation, we’ll introduce you to our panelists, then provide you with the brief, the link to where you can submit your music, and then at the end of the event on September 8th, our panel will return to reveal and detail the top three songs that our audience submitted.
Your Brief Jury:
- David Ari Leon, Music Supervisor, Composer, Music Producer, Sound Mind Music
- Gary Earl, Composer, Producer, Gary Earl Productions
- Dawn Wisner-Johnson, Creative Director, Take 2 Productions
- Don Gallacher, Music Supervisor, Cue The Music
- Michelè Vice-Maslin, Emmy-Winning Producer, Composer and Artist, Sweeter Songs
- Mark Frieser, Sync Agent, Music Supervisor, CEO, Sync Summit
10:50 – 10:55: Break
10:55 – 12:00: The importance of and Techniques to Ensure Good Production, Mixing and Mastering to Sync, Visual and Interactive Media
One of the things that keeps people from reaching their potential in sync is submitting music that’s not mixed, produced or mastered at top quality and ready for using in a project. In this workshop we’ll talk to top producers, mixers and mastering engineers to discuss best practices in production, mixing and mastering.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Gary Earl, Composer, Producer, Gary Earl Productions
- Billy Sullivan, Music Producer and Composer, Billy Sullivan Productions
- Michelè Vice-Maslin, Emmy-Winning Producer, Composer and Artist, Sweeter Songs
- Mike Meiers, Songwriter, Producer
- Howie Weinberg, Mastering Engineer, Howie Weingberg Mastering
- Matt “Dr” Fink, Keyboardist, Prince and The Revolution, Music Producer
- Bryan Hinkley, Executive Producer, Gratitude Sound
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Sync Summit/Disconic
12:00 – 12:05: Break
12:05 – 13:10: Presenting Yourself and Your Music The Right Way Online and In Person
This is crucial – you need to know your audience – research the music supervisor, their project, and employ the right methods to succinctly and plainly introduce yourself and your music. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to talk to music supervisors, how to send emails and social media messages and to make sure that when you present your music, you do so in the most efficient way possible.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Patricia Carrera, Co-Founder and Music Supervisor, Control Freaks
- Katrina Balcius, VP, North American Sales, Disco.ac
- Randy Frisch, President, LoveCat Music
- Mark Garfield, Sync Agent and Managing Director, Pop-Up Music
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Sync Summit/Disconic
13:10 – 13:15: Break
13:15 – 14:20: Mastering Metadata: A Practical Walk through Why It’s Important and a Live Lesson On Doing It Right
Without good metadata, music supervisors and other decision makers will not listen to your music. Moreover, without good metadata, no one knows how to pay you and they cannot find your music. In this workshop, we’ll do a live walk through of entering metadata so that it is perfect and will ensure your music is found and you are paid.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Patricia Carrera, Co-Founder and Music Supervisor, Control Freaks
- Jim Anderson, Founder, Altmark
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Sync Summit/Disconic
14:20 – 14:25: Break
14:25 – 15:30: A Discussion of Contracts, Legalities and IP – With Lawyers and Music Supervisors
Samples, bad agreements and not working through legal issues like rights assignment and ownership will keep your music from being licensed. Simple as that. In this workshop, we’ll go through a QA with a panel of lawyers and to go through the legalities you need to be aware of and successfully navigate to work through contracts, legal issues and ownership.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Mei Luk, Director of Business Affairs, Score A Score
- Sindee Levin, Esq., Attorney At Law, Sindee Levin Music
- Anna Kelberg-Kim, Esq, Attorney At Law
- Wallace Collins, Esq., Office of Wallace Collins, Attorney At Law
- Robert Epstein, Partner, Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, LLP
- Mark Frieser, CEO. Sync Summit/Disconic
15:30 – 15:35: Break
15:35 – 16:40: Deal-making, Negotiation, Budgeting and Communication
This workshop focuses on how to work through the budgetary and negotiation process. How do you define the worth of your music? How do you know if what is being offered is a good deal, and how do you respond if you want to ask for a higher rate? We’ll discuss how to talk through the process with a panel of experts.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Amelia McCloskey, Music Supervisor, CEO, AM Licensing
- Scotty Taylor, Music Supervisor, Kiss The Sun Music
- Carolyn Owens, Music Supervisor, Music 4 Scenes
- Sherry Orson, Chief Creative Officer, Star Vibe Group
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Sync Summit/Disconic
16:40 – 16:45: Break
16:45 – 17:50: Finding and Working With Sync Agents and Music Libraries – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sync Agents and Music Libraries can be your best friend or worst enemy in getting your music synced or scoring for a project. This workshop will focus on how to find a good sync agent, what is a good sync agent or production library deal, what payment to agents and libraries are fair, and how to work in the long term as a partner with agents and libraries to maximize their role in connecting your music to projects.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Mick Lloyd, Sync Agent and Founder, Mick Lloyd Productions
- Jesse Josefsson, TV/Film Music Producer, Founder, Sync My Music
- Tamara Bubble, President, For Goodness Sync
- Celia Rose – Co-Founder, What Up Pitches
- Ed Hartman, Composer, Producer, Owner 8th Sense Productions
- Wendy Griffiths, Sync Agent, Founder and President, Truly Music
- Dawn Wisner-Johnson, Creative Director, Take 2 Productions
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Disconic
17:50 – 17:55: Break
17:55 – 19:00: After The Sync (and Before and During): Leveraging Your Sync To Build Audience and Sales – and More Syncs
Finally, how do you take advantage of a sync to build audience and sales? This workshop will discuss how can use social, other digital forms of media and other methods to promote your music, your success when you get a sync and why this is crucial to building your long-term music career.
Your Workshop Mentors:
- Joaquín Fernández Esquivel, Director, Chinelo
- Tom Callahan, CEO/Founder, Indie Advance
- Mark Frieser, CEO, Sync Summit/Disconic
End of Day One