Owner, Creative Director
VOLITION
1) As a collective with all the spots we create music for, I find that the greatest challenge will always be creating music that makes your clients say WOW! And in order to do so, you must be willing to get out of your comfort zone and take risks and learn new approaches and change formulas and fight the predictable. As music creators at VOLITION, we aim to ROCK THE CASBAH every time!
2) We reached our first 100 million view video this year when we edited the picture as well as created the music and sound design for director Benny Boom’s “No Frauds” video featuring Nikki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne. As a result, we also edited the picture and did the music for Billboard Top 10 artists Future and Yo Gotti. If you watch the “Rake It Up” Yo Gotti video, you can hear me narrating the introduction with an intentional nerdy voice. We also shot, edited and scored a mini-series for Tidal’s streaming service and were just renewed to shoot a new season!
3) I have gone from dialogue replacement and “sound guy” at Vito Desario Editing to lead composer at a music house to owning VOLITION, a full service music, licensing and strategy company. I love that we get called to create the music for some of the world’s biggest events such as the NBA Finals, Mayweather vs McGregor and the Super Bowl.
4) The landscape of music is huge! Songs are becoming the new underscore and in many cases what I call “The Overscore,” meaning that the song carries the spot with very little or no voiceover. At VOLITION, we are uniquely positioned to provide high prized songs as well as underscores since our composer roots are steeped in the record industry as Platinum and Gold producers. Our team has worked recently with major artists like Future, Nikki Minaj, 50 Cent, Beyonce and Yo Gotti. We can produce 30 and 60 second hits overnight when asked. It’s proven to be a great asset to have the flexibility and versatility as both music producers and music composers. Being able to switch hats on a dime has landed great wins.
5) I think the VR/AR landscape is fascinating. We recently provided the musical landscape for a traveling VR world. I found it to be amazing and full of new potential.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More