• Shoot- Best Work You May Never See: Seattle’s Best Coffee’s “The Brew-lanthropy Project – Chicago” 06.11
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• Witty Sparks- Seattle’s Best Coffee – Blackstone- Peligro Music and Sound 05.11
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• PopSop-Seattle’s Best Coffee Starts The Brew-lanthropy Project to Reward Volunteers 04.11
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• Brain Foggles- Seattle’s Best Coffee Brew-lanthropy Project 04.11

The clip progresses from a disheartening portrait of a struggling neighborhood to a more optimistic story of positive change in a community thanks to voiceovers from Blackstone members and Kuehn’s motivational composition.

In addition to their award, Blackstone received a full renovation of their break room as well as one year’s supply of coffee and hot chocolate.

Kuehn has also worked on soundtracks for the documentaries, “The Achievers,” with director Eddie Chung, and “Confessions of a Superhero,” (also helmed by Ogens). Peligro continues to gain recognition as a music house committed to excellent work and socially conscious ideas.

Credits

Client: Seattle’s Best Coffee
Spot Title: “The Brew-lanthropy Project-Chicago”
Launch Date: April 25, 2011

Music: Peligro Music and Sound
Composer: Greg Kuehn

Agency: Creature
Group Creative Director: Steve Cullen
Copywriter: Julian Timberlake
Director of Broadcast Production: Dax Estorninos
Producer: Kaylin Fitzpatrick

Prodution Company: Tool of North America
Director: Matt Ogens
DP: Charles Gruet
EP: Brian Latt
EP Digital: Dustin Callif
Line Producer: Kelly Christensen

Editorial: Cosmo Street
Editor: Asako Ushio

Shoot Location: Chicago

Keith, like Keystone Light, is (always) smoooooth, and the spot required a straight-from-the-Eighties rock soundtrack. Butter Executive Producer Ian Jeffreys guided composers Ryan Lott and Andrew Sherman in creating a soundtrack that felt authentically dated — so authentic, in fact, that viewers have asked the agency about the spot’s opening song, assuming it’s a real, long-lost gem from decades past.

Credits

Client: Keystone Light (Coors)
Spot Title: Skate
First Air Date: 3/28/11
Agency: Saatchi, NY
Creative Director: Alex Lea
Art Director: Marques Gartrell
Copywriter: Kim Nguyen
Agency Producer: Bruce Andreini

Production Company: Harvest, CA
Director: Baker Smith
DP: Shawn Kim
EPs: Bonnie Goldfarb, Scott Howard
Producer: Mala Vasan

Visual Effects & Post: Mass Market, NY
VFX Supervisor: Todd Sarsfield
Flame Artists: Mark French and Kirk Balden
EP: Justin Lane
Producer: Katie Boote
Editorial: Spotwelders, NY
Editor: Dick Gordon
Editorial EP: Joanne Ferraro

Telecine Company: CO 3 NY
Colorist: Tim Masick

Music Company: Butter Music & Sound, NY
Composers: Andrew Sherman, Ryan Lott
Producer: Ian Jeffreys

Shoot Location: Moonlight Rollerway
Glendale, Ca

• Press King- 2011 Audio Branding Congress Selects Audio Branding Awards Jury 05.11
• Sonic Scoop- 2011 Audio Branding Congress to be Hosted in NYC by Expansion Team 04.11
• Music Industry News Network- 2011 Audio Branding Congress Moves From Hamburg To New York, To Be Hosted By Expansion Team 04.11
• VST Instruments Plugins Mag- 2011 Audio Branding Congress to be Hosted in NYC by Expansion Team 04.11
• Yahoo! News- 2011 Audio Branding Congress Moves from Hamburg to New York, to be Hosted by Expansion Team 04.11
• PressKing- Expansion Team to Host 2011 Audio Branding Congress in New York 04.11
• Benzinga- 2011 Audio Branding Congress Moves From Hamburg to New York, To be Hosted by Expansion Team 04.11
• Screen- Expansion Team Welcomes Martia Guinn and Jenny Karakaya 03.11
• Shoot- Expansion Team Expands with Guinn, Karakaya 03.11
  

With the motto “Stay Connected, Sound Global,” the 2011 Congress will focus on mobile audio. A diverse range of speakers — presenting and sharing case studies from the worlds of advertising, music, and even psychology — will explore audio branding for mobile devices, applications, and emerging digital media. The Audio Branding Academy is inviting researchers to submit scientific papers to share at the Congress. It will also introduce the first ever Audio Branding Award, given to the best audio branding case study presented at the Congress and chosen by attendees. The award will mark the first recognition of outstanding achievement in the young audio branding industry.

“I spoke at the Audio Branding Congress last year — it was amazing and extremely educational,” said Alex Moulton, Partner and Creative Director of Expansion Team, which has done audio branding projects for CNN, PBS, and others. “We are proud and excited to be hosting it in New York this year.”

After attending the 2010 Congress and recognizing the importance of audio branding as a tool in their industry, Moulton and Expansion Team Executive Producer Martia Guinn were determined to bring the conference to New York in 2011. For their part, Audio Branding Academy founders Cornelius Ringe, Kai Bronner, and Rainer Hirt are thrilled about the trans-Atlantic relocation. “With the move to the U.S. we have the opportunity to reach a much broader audience,” said Bronner. “We are very glad to have found a partner like Expansion Team to help us bring the Congress to our colleagues in America.”

The Audio Branding Congress was established as a venue for audio branding professionals to exchange ideas and build networks. While disciplines like visual branding have been an integral part of the advertising and marketing world for decades now, audio branding is still gaining a foothold and solidifying conceptually. Establishing audio branding as a proper subject in education, practice, and science, and settling on standards of quality and pricing in the young discipline are all goals of the Congress. “We want to clarify the differences between traditional production of advertising music and audio branding,” Bronner explained. “In the visual area, experts have long been listened to. It is high time to show as much appreciation to the ears of customers and stakeholders as to their eyes.”

The 2011 Audio Branding Congress takes place Thursday, November 17, 2011, at Columbia Faculty House at Columbia University in Manhattan. Tickets prices are $600 for professionals and $300 for students, with early bird reduced prices available until May 31. Included is an Audio Branding Academy Yearbook recapping the 2011/2012 Congress, which will be released shortly after the event. The current 2010/2011 ABA Yearbook with a global list of audio branding suppliers will be available in the coming weeks. For more information, email NYC2011@audio-branding-academy.org or visit http://www.audio-branding-congress.org.

“Martia has experienced the entertainment and ad industries from all sides and that level of insight is invaluable to a company like ours which bridges both worlds,” said Expansion Team Creative Director/Partner Alex Moulton. “From the instant I met her, I knew that we’d become great friends and that she’d be perfect to run Expansion Team.”

Guinn entered the music industry early on in her career. After her initial start at E! Entertainment Network, she moved onto The Firm, working with artists like Enrique Iglesias, Mary J. Blige, Korn and Limp Bizkit. Shortly thereafter, Guinn migrated to Chicago’s JWT, where she was instrumental in creating the post-production facility JWTwo. Guinn followed that up with tenures at the Lodge and Sound Lounge in NYC. Some of the memorable campaigns that Guinn has produced during her career include Macy’s Department Store Launch of 800 locations, the global theme for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and “Gas Pump” for Michelin, which was featured as SHOOT Magazine’s Spot of the Week in 2009.

Guinn was contemplating a move outside the music industry when she was introduced to Alex Moulton, who renewed her passion for the business. “Alex’s level of integrity reminded me why I fell in love with this business in the first place,” she recalled. Meeting Moulton and the rest of Expansion Team confirmed for Guinn that music production was her true calling. “I feel that I’m a creative person with a business mind and the business of advertising and music allows me to live in both worlds,” she said of the creative spirit that drew her to Expansion Team. “This company is comprised of some of the most talented and creative people that I’ve come across. I love the business model and the unique approach to each and every project.”

“I’d been watching Jenny’s progress for a while and always thought she’d be a great fit here, so when she became available I was thrilled,” said Moulton of Karakaya. “Jenny’s what we call a ‘social firefly’; if she doesn’t already know everyone at a party, you can bet she will by the time she leaves. We also share a passion for filmmaking and I’m not-so-secretly envious of her other life as a movie critic.”

For Karakaya, the journey to Expansion Team began in television, working in production on the Montel Williams Show. This and freelance work with clients such as HBO, theknot.com, and the US Open led to projects as an interactive entertainment producer and reporter for online film sites. Given the integral role of music in film and TV, these projects served as a springboard for Karakaya into her current field. Before arriving at Expansion Team, Karakaya spent two years as director of sales and marketing for Mophonics. There, she brought in such projects as Google Nexus One Phone for Google Creative Lab,Match.com, and Panasonic. Additionally, she helped produce and cast a major campaign for SoftBank Mobile Corp, one of the leading Japanese mobile companies.

“I’ve always had a great passion and love for music, so for me, taking the opportunity to transition from TV/film to music, was naturally a no-brainer,” said Karakaya. “The music industry can be a very tough business, so it’s imperative to absolutely love what you do, the team you’re on. Expansion Team is by far the most extraordinary and diverse music company I’ve had the privilege to become part of.” In addition to heading ​the business development side of the company, Karakaya is involved in the day to day creative production process, a source of fascination and inspiration.

“What is unique about Expansion Team is that aside from working with the most talented Grammy winning musicians worldwide to create original music, they have established a niche for mastering audio branding, a rare territory that every music company wants to tread on,” she said. Of Moulton, Karakaya concluded, “I’m genuinely inspired by Alex, who’s truly connected to the musical world, and for whom every project is a collaborative labor of love.”

Expansion Team is a creative audio company that utilizes recording artists in producing content, strategy, and brand identity. The boutique has contributed to the identifying sounds of such brands as CNN International, Verizon, American Express, Best Buy, jetBlue, and PBS.

• SourceECreative- News and Features 02.11

Deming’s work on other reality shows such as “The First 48,” “Dallas SWAT,” and “Max ER,” led to his being brought in to craft an original underscore for “Swamp People.” He explains that his music had to acknowledge the “Louisiana Cajun Culture” that provides the backdrop for the show, and convey the intensity and danger experienced by the alligator hunters.

“I placed an emphasis on acoustically sourced instrumentation as opposed to the electronic sounds which are much more typical of suspense-driven scores,” says Deming of the former demand. “Nailing the right tone really just had a lot to do with my experience working on programs such as ‘The First 48,’ where the macabre and the heartbreaking were a given with every episode, and there was zero margin of error for the music to be anything other than genuinely harrowing.”

Deming adds that it is more than the inherent danger of swamping that grabs viewers; emotional chords characterize his work, such as when the audience learns that ‘big head’ – the biggest and baddest alligator in the swamp – habitats an area directly adjacent to where children go swimming.

The composer says he appreciated the “Swamp People” team’s receptiveness to his natural inclinations in developing an original score for the show. “We were a very natural fit for each other and that there was a definite shared vision,” Deming says. “I do hope that our work yields subsequent seasons.”

In addition to his work on “Swamp People,” Deming recently collaborated with fellow duotone composer Peter Nashel (AMC’s Rubicon) on the score for a short film called “Aftershock” directed by George Billard. He currently is at work on David Washburn’s short-form TV documentary “American Mosque.”

This fall, Deming will be relocating from NY to LA, where he will work alongside Dan Marocco at “duotone west.”

About “Swamp People”:

Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America’s largest swamp–a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it. Many of its inhabitants are the hardened descendants of French refugees who were forced out of Canada in the 18th century and settled in this harsh yet majestic environment. Today, these people are known as the Cajuns, a group renowned throughout the world for their flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and vibrant culture. Resilient, self-reliant and fiercely independent, the Cajuns of the Atchafalaya Swamp still carry on many of their ancestors’ trades and traditions.

HISTORY follows these swampers through a time of year that is crucial to their survival: the 30-day alligator hunting season. At its core, this is a uniquely American story of a proud and skillful people fighting to maintain an ancient way of life in a rapidly modernizing world, despite the many perils and trials that stand in their way.

Mr. Farber, who orchestrated and arranged the music for the film, will be conducting a 10-piece, all-star jazz ensemble at upcoming screenings in cities throughout the U.S. beginning August 25.

“Andy Farber is a very talented artist,” Says Amy Sheldon, of duotone audio group, with whom Farber has been a frequent collaborator. “We have been working with him as a composer/arranger/orchestrator/conductor for several years. It comes as no surprise that he’s involved with a unique and engaging project like this.”

Since 1997, Mr. Farber has been working as an arranger and conductor for artists ranging from Wynton Marsalis and Stevie Wonder, to B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Robert Downey Jr, and many others. Mr. Farber’s arrangements have been performed by The Boston Pops Orchestra, the Philly Pops Orchestra, and several symphony orchestras throughout Europe.

Mr. Farber is in good company on “Louis.” Shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond as a modern re-imagining of early silent film, it boasts a roster of noteworthy actors and musicians, among them Jackie Earle Haley, Shanti Lowry and Anthony Coleman. In February, Mr. Marsalis contacted Mr. Farber with a request to arrange and conduct the score for the film. “I’m always honored to work with Wynton,  and this project was extremely creative and collaborative,” Mr. Farber says. His work on “Louis” included writing two jazz arrangements of pieces by 19th century composer L.M Gottschalk, whose compositions make up half of the film’s score. The rest of the film’s music is provided by Mr. Marsalis himself, and renowned pianist Cecile Licad, also performing Gottschalk. Mssrs. Licad, Marsalis, and Farber will be joined on tour by noted jazz musicians such as Sherman Irby and Victor Goines.

“The idea of accompanying a silent film telling a mythical tale of a young Louis Armstrong was appealing to me,” Marsalis says. “Of course, calling it a silent film is a misnomer – there will be plenty of music, and jazz is like a conversation between the players so there’ll be no shortage of dialogue.”

Born in Huntington, Long Island, Farber grew up with a deep-seated passion for music, influenced in part by his father, a professional drummer, and the music of jazz luminaries such Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. At 13, Mr. Farber studied classical oboe and jazz saxophone at the Usdan Center for the Arts on Long Island. At 17, he auditioned successfully for Branford Marsalis. He then joined the Tri-State McDonald’s Jazz ensemble, performing with noteworthy artists such as Randy Brecker, Steve Turre, and Mr. Marsalis himself. At the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Farber continued his education, studying jazz composition and forming his own quintet, the Hard Bop Repertory Company, which developed into a 15-piece ensemble called Andy Farber and his Orchestra.

Currently, Mr. Farber leads the 18-piece group Andy Farber & his Orchestra, whose new CD is due out September 21 on Black Warrior Records.

“Louis” will be screening from August 25-31, in Chicago, Detroit, No. Bethesda, MD, New York, and Philadelphia, respectively, with tickets available via Ticketmaster.

The decidedly hi-tech look is bolstered by a French Electro re-imagining of “The Chauffeur” by Duran Duran.

The track was created by David Della Santa of Volume Music + Sound, San Francisco, a frequent collaborator with production company Little Red Robot (Suzuki, Ubisoft). “After working with Little Red Robot on several projects, (LRR Creative Director) Seth Shukosvky’s endless excitement, energy and attention to detail remains infectious and inspiring,” said Della Santa.

The MKS 2010 spot was created by “Daniel” Diandian Mao, LRR’s Spring intern from The Academy of Art University. Mao examined the Lincoln ads done by Y+R Team Detroit and tried to cull the best elements into an original, all-CG spot. “I was looking for the perfect excuse to combine 80′s new wave with something totally current,” says Della Santa, who collaborated on the project with director Little Red Robot. “But what to combine it with? Apart from a few brands, there really is a lack of pumpin’ car commercial music right now. Remember the big electro tracks of late 90′s like Crystal Method and Chemical Brothers? Those testosterone pumpin’ tracks were made for action drama and car commercials.”

Sadly, Della Santa points out, “that stuff ain’t hip no more. Indie rock has been holding down the fort since then, but where indie rock excels in spirit and energy, electronic excels in those areas and in texture and depth. What has the heart-pumping, ass-shaking drive and dark brain-bending textures needed for action drama and car commercials, yet is current? French Electro.” Della Santa cites the influence of Electro and French Electro bands such as Alex Metric, TEPR, DATA, Does It Offend You Ya, among others.

Finding the perfect track to remake was the next order of business. “I felt it should be mysteriously memorable, not a number one hit,” Della Santa says, “a reward of sorts for someone who knows their 80′s music. It doesn’t hurt to mention girls or cars… or both.”  Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur” fit the bill, and Della Santa set about dissecting the song.  “Though very pop, Duran Duran songs are deceivingly complex,” he says.  “I asked myself, ‘What would Nick Rhodes do if he had all the tweaky plugins we do now?’ Of course, there’s no way of knowing what he’d actually do so I went with what I would do:  get a hot sexy voice like Kelly Atkins, robot her up, add a lot of electro bleeps and bloops…and bam! ‘The Chauffeur 2010′ was born.”

“The choice to work with Volume on this was easy as Volume is a frequent collaborator on various commercials we work on,” says Shukovsky. “Having a relationship for over a decade, I knew intrinsically that David would hit on exactly the right sound to fit Lincoln brand and that it would be the perfect marriage for the vision we crafted.”

Credits:

Spot Title: “2010 MKS” (spec)

Music/Sound Design: Volume Music + Sound, San Francisco
Song: “The Chauffeur,” by Duran Duran
Track created by: David Della Santa
Sound Designer: Jeff Dodson (Runsilent)
Vocalist: Kelly Atkins (from the band 20 Minute Loop)
Mix: Mark Pitchford, M squared San Francisco

Production Company: LITTLE RED ROBOT
Director: Little Red Robot
Producer: Joseph Segrove
CG Artist: ‘Daniel’ Diandian Mao, Buddy Giguere
Editor/Online: Seth Shukovsky