Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) announced that Michael Sammis has been appointed president of Universal Publishing Production Music (UPPM), a division of UMPG that creates, produces, and licenses a broad style of music for use in film, television, advertising, broadcast and other media. He succeeds Gary Gross.
Sammis, a 21-year veteran of UMPG, where he most recently served as the company’s CFO and executive VP of operations, will continue to be based in Santa Monica and report to Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of UMPG.
In making the announcement, Gerson said, “As a senior member of our executive management team, Mike has played a central role in helping transform UMPG into the premiere home for the world’s greatest songwriters. With his experience integrating two of the largest publishing acquisitions in the history of the business and building a finance and administration structure second to none, I can’t think of anyone better to lead our production music business to the next level.”
“Great production music helps drive narrative and creates lasting impressions with audiences. This is what appealed to me about UPPM,” Sammis said. “I’m thrilled to move over to lead our brilliant production music company and help them build toward an even stronger future. I would like to thank Jody and Marc Cimino, UMPG’s chief operating officer, for their faith in me and for giving me this incredible opportunity.”
By owning both the master and the copyright for compositions, UPPM provides clients with efficient and cost-effective licenses and solutions. The company’s production music libraries include Chronic Trax, EVO, FirstCom, Killer Tracks, MasterSource, Network Music, and OneMusic from the U.S.; Galerie, Koka Media and Kosinus from France; Match Music from Sweden; UBM from Germany; RCAL from Italy; Vitamin A from Australia; and Atmosphere Music, Match Music, Bruton and Chappell in the U.K. UPPM has production music library operations throughout the world, including the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Benelux, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Scandinavia, South Africa, Australia, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Asia.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More