After departing his position as executive producer of Venice, Calif. and Minneapolis-based Asche & Spencer, Hugh Barton has teamed with musician/composer/producer Sean Holt to launch Culver City-based music/sound design shop, Barton: Holt.
The buildout on the facility, which is the former recording studio of musician/recording artist Stewart Copeland, is nearing completion; April 1 is the slated official opening date. In the meantime, both Barton and Holt are conducting business from their home studios.
Barton has headed up the Venice office of Asche & Spencer since it opened on the West Coast three years ago (SHOOT, 5/30/97, p.7). There, he worked on numerous projects including spots for Taco Bell via TBWA/ Chiat/Day, Los Angeles; Saturn via Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco; Miller Lite via Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis; and the California Fluid Milk Processors Advisory Board ("Got Milk?" campaign) via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco.
Prior to this, Barton spent a year as executive producer at New York-based Big Foote Music; he also worked at the Minneapolis branch of Asche & Spencer from ’93-’96. This was preceded by stints at New York-based Ed Kalehoff Music and at bicoastal Elias Associates.
According to Barton, his desire to open his own company has evolved over the years. By default, he explained, he ended up doing more of the business-related functions as an executive producer. "My creative side, and my participation in the creative process, was always a little bit in the background.
"In the back of my mind," he continued, "I’ve always felt that wherever I worked, I always had to toe the line as far as realizing the owner’s creative vision; it never was mine. Now it’s my own deal. Here I get a chance to think about what the creative vision is for the company."
Barton said he is a strong proponent of combining traditional instrumentation with unique sound design in an effort to "create a new musical aesthetic." "I grew up in an era where synthesizers were amazing to me—all of a sudden, you’ve got sound that nobody has heard before. Extending that into today’s technology is very exciting."
Holt is perhaps best known as a singer/songwriter and saxophone player in Los Angeles, where he performs regularly at such venues as Marina del Rey-based The Warehouse Restaurant. As a session player, he has recorded on the albums of adult contemporary/smooth jazz artists including Ricky Lawson, Lori Andrews, Dan Seagal, Richard Smith and Brian Bromberg; and has produced vocal tracks for Smith, Lawson and Bromberg. In ’98, Holt released his own CD of original music, Heart Behind The Man, on Paragon Records.
A Louisiana native who earned a masters degree in jazz studies and studio performance from the University of Southern California, Holt observed that he’s built up extensive resources in terms of musician and studio talent in his 10 years in Los Angeles. "I bring that to the table, and I bring my writing style which, at this point, is still in development for commercials," said Holt. "I’m excited about the fact that so many of the ways I look at things are a little different than maybe the average commercial [music] writer would look at them."
Barton said that he first met Holt as a session singer, and was further impressed when he saw Holt’s live show. "He got on stage with his sax and blew me away, [as did] his singing," recalled Barton. "And as a bandleader, he did all of his own arrangements."
Besides Holt, the music house has formed affiliations with West Coast-based musicians/ composers Tim Redfield and Robert Sprayberry, who will be represented by Barton: Holt for commercial projects. A classically-trained pianist, Redfield earned a bachelors’ degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas, Denton. He moved to Los Angeles, where he has been an active session player. Redfield has also performed with a number of smooth jazz artists, including Richard Elliott and Peter White. "He has a knack for non-organic, synthesized kinds of sounds," said Holt.
An orchestral specialist, Sprayberry earned a masters degree in composition from the Guild Hall School of Music in London, and studied composition with renowned French composer/conductor Nadia Boulanger in Paris and with conductor Leonard Bernstein in New York.
Sprayberry has scored such feature films as Bodily Harm, A Passion to Kill, Quick and video releases Where the Red Fern Grows: Part 2 and Video Murders. Recently he served as the music director for the national touring production of "Rent" from May ’97 to May ’99. "He’s a conductor-composer-orchestrator; he can do the whole nine yards," said Holt. "I think he can cover the scope [of orchestral writing] but he’s much more contemporary and that’s good for us."
Sprayberry commented, "I’m really excited about this; to bring what I do to the table. Drawing the focus down to 30 or 60 seconds is a real challenge."
Barton said, "One of the things that excited me about Sean, Robert and Tim was that they’re not from the jingle world. First and foremost, they do things as musicians; they’re just great players. The one thing we all share is an interest in music and sound, and all of us are really curious about where it could go." Added Holt, "The thing I’m excited about with Hugh is that he’s dedicated to live musicians and making sure we pull this off with as many live players as we can."
Currently, Holt, Redfield and Sprayberry are assembling the company’s reel. Barton: Holt is currently seeking sales representation.
