The chorus is building for the premiere of the 2021 AMP Awards for Music & Sound, now set for Thursday, July 22 at 7 pm ET, on Zoom. Admission to the virtual presentation is free, courtesy of sponsors, but registration is required. To RSVP for the AMP Awards, click here.
In announcing the new date for the virtual show, the AMP Awards committee also released the list of agency creatives and producers who took part in its recent curatorial judging session and announced its list of companies who’ve signed on to sponsor the event.
And, in keeping with past shows, the AMP Awards will be presenting a special and exclusive musical performance, this time by a major recording artist. This Grammy and Academy Award winner will perform two songs during the virtual show, to celebrate the competition’s winners and salute their creative achievements. The show itself will open with an animated title sequence created by Sibling Rivalry, with music by Yessian. Postproduction for the virtual show is being handled by Cosmo Street.
The AMP Awards Curatorial Committee met recently under the leadership of Show chair Perry Fair, EVP/global executive creative director and director of entertainment at McCann, to review the category finalists and confirm the choices of the AMP jury panel as category winners. They also selected the 2021 AMP Award Ryan Barkan Best in Show winner, which honors the memory of the late Droga5 music supervisor, Ryan Barkan.
Taking part in the curatorial session were David Baldwin, partner & CEO of Baldwin&; freelance composer, producer and engineer Alana Da Fonseca; Colleen Dahlstrom, music producer at McCann; Rafael Donato, chief creative officer of DAVID; Damien Escobar, music director and minister of creative culture at Arnold; Michael Freeman, executive music producer at Ogilvy; freelance composer Lisa Goore; Mike Ladman, sr. music producer at Droga5; Jessica Shaw, SVP, sync licensing at Sony Music Entertainment; Kurt Steinke, music producer at Townhouse; Alec Stern, director of music at DDB Chicago; and Jean Zamprogno, executive creative director at DAVID.
The AMP Awards Committee has also released the list of sponsors for the 2021 Show. Leading off are Platinum Sponsors FGMK Insurance, Audio Network and DISCO.
The lineup of Gold Sponsors for the event include ABKCO Music & Records, Beggars Group, Concord Music Publishing, Crucial Music, Hipgnosis, Manage Ad Music, Music Alternatives, Primary Wave Music, Reservoir, Spirit Music Group, Sugaroo, Wise Music, Sibling Rivalry, Cosmo Street and Yessian. Media Sponsors include SHOOT Magazine │SHOOT Online.
“We’ve had an amazing year for the AMP Awards, with our number of entries up from last year and more AMP members taking an active role in our judging process,” said AMP national president Georg Bissen of MetaTechnik. “We also had an impressive lineup of curators, thanks to the efforts of our awards committee and our Show chair, Perry Fair.
“Coming after what everyone went through in 2020, this was a true affirmation of the strength of the advertising music community and the power of music and sound to move people emotionally,” Bissen continued. “We’re excited to share our winners and recognize their creative accomplishments.”
“The response we had this year from sponsors has been incredible,” adds Groove Guild’s Al Risi, who spearheaded AMP’s sponsorship efforts. “Not only do we have most of our sponsors returning from years’ past, we also have a lot of first-time sponsors. All this amazing support from our community is not only inspiring and appreciated by the entire AMP membership, it also reflects how far the AMP Awards have come on so many levels. Every year our show gets a little stronger and a little bigger, and that wouldn’t be possible without the strong and continuing support of our sponsors.”
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