An article from Horus Music Director, Deborah Smith.
For those of you who aren’t aware, we’re launching our publishing division. So if you’d like to find out more about joining our roster, our submission process is here! As Director of publishing, it’s my job to find new opportunities for our roster and to expand our sync network. One of the highlights of the calendar year to facilitate this is the LA Sync Mission.
Each year, with this year being the 12th edition, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Music Publishers Association (MPA) and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) join forces to organise and host the LA Sync Mission. The Mission sees a mixture of independent labels, publishers, and managers travel to Hollywood to be immersed into the world of sync. The whole week is perfect for meeting music supervisors, making new contacts and reconnecting with existing ones.
Here’s a little bit of background into the Sync Mission itself. The beady-eyed amongst you might also be able to spot myself making a quick appearance!
So how does the typical Sync Mission week run?
The first three days are jam-packed with panels featuring the creme de la creme of music supervisors. These focus on various avenues including films, trailers, video games, scripted & non-scripted TV and advertising along with in-depth music spotting sessions and advice on deal-making. Following this, there are site visits giving unparalleled access to companies like Sony Pictures, Disney, NBCUniversal and Lionsgate. Here, we were treated to previews of upcoming projects and given the opportunity to find out exactly what music they’re looking for.
The running theme along the sync mission is making sure that you do your research. There’s no point sending the team that work on Nashville your latest EDM release. This week is second-to-none in providing the contacts and information needed in order to survive in the world of sync.
There’s also a host of showcases and networking events – including everything from pub quizzes to garden parties. This is where you put into practice what you have learned throughout the week and most importantly network! The whole music industry is built on relationships so these are golden opportunities.
I also set up meetings outside of the sync mission to meet with those that weren’t able to attend. Whilst the panels and networking events are great to make introductions, it’s here where you are able to go into more depth about your roster and how you can work together. This has been invaluable in expanding our sync network – until next time Hollywood!
