The song “Hi Hey Hello” by up-and-coming Portland, Ore.-based hip-hop group The Chicharones helps propel a musical short film for Samsung out of Leo Burnett, Chicago. Also titled Hi Hey Hello, the short tells the age-old story of boy meets girl–but the coming together is facilitated by Samsung’s GALAXY S4 technology.
The action takes place on UCLA’s campus as our main character uses all the cool new features of the Samsung GALAXY S4 in his pursuit of the girl of his dreams. The goal of the film is to further introduce people to the Samsung GALAXY S4 smartphone and its cool features, including Dual Shot, Samsung Smart Pause, Drama Shot and Air View, through playful scenarios.
To come up with the idea, Burnett’s creative ensemble examined the most popular viral videos on YouTube and found one common thread–the overwhelming amount of views and likes for music videos. With that theme in mind, the agency created the short to connect consumers on a deeper level with Samsung’s messaging, relevancy, humor and realism.
The film was directed by production house HSI’s Joseph Kahn, a Grammy award-winning director who is best known for his music video work with Eminem, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. The filmmaker brought his artistic vision to life by uniting young people in a way that is uniquely expressive of their integral relationship with technology.
The lead female character is played by Riely Voelkel, who most recently played Jennifer Johnson on HBO’s popular series The Newsroom.
Yessian hires producer Jeff Fiorello International music and sound production company Yessian has added Jeff Fiorello to its New York studio as producer. Fiorello has produced and licensed music and sound design for various commercials for major advertising agencies and brands and will be extensively involved in producing, developing, and executing audio for platforms that include commercials, television, film, interactive and entertainment applications. He will also be working with Yessian’s licensing and research division, connecting artists with brands around the world.
Hailing from the town of Niceville, Florida, Fiorello came to NYC in 2005 for an internship with Saturday Night Live’s Music Department. In 2006, he began his career in advertising, working for the commercial production houses Compulsive Pictures and Free Market Films.
In 2010, Fiorello moved from the commercial production side of advertising to serve as producer at a New York music house, working on music for clientele such as Bank of America, Budweiser, BMW, Coke Zero, Gillette, Jim Beam, Landrover, and Red Bull.
In his free time, he is a songwriter/singer and is constantly performing with a myriad of musical projects around the city. Additionally, he finds time to cultivate and help produce music with other independent artists in the city. His band, Rosewater, is currently writing and preparing to record their debut album in the summer of 2013.
“The addition of Jeff to our New York staff really rounds out our production department. Having two EPs and now two producers, all with a creative background, will allow us to do what we do best…create amazing audio with the very best quality,” said Brian Yessian.
Paul Bessenbacher goes the extra mile Emoto Music‘s partner/composer Paul Bessenbacher takes a hike and scores the resulting feature-length documentary, Mile…Mile & A Half, which was filmed by a group of friends and artists who hiked the famous John Muir Trail and captured the magic and inspiration to share upon their return. The epic trek covered 219 miles and lasted for 25 days. The adventurers were joined by artists, musicians, teachers, and other assorted thrill seekers as they made their way from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney, each of them becoming part of the narrative. The film premiered to a sold out audience at the 16th annual Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles on June 1, which also happened to be National Trails Day.
Bessenbacher and musician and installation designer Bernard Chadwick joined the group for the last third of the John Muir Trail bringing their backpacking gear, a ukulele, a toy glockenspiel, and their voices. “I’m definitely interested in the way that spaces and environments produce different creativity in all of us so being able to respond in that sort of place was really fun”, said Chadwick.
Bessenbacher, who is also the creative force behind music group Opus Orange, added “I’ve always loved backpacking so this trip was an exciting way to blend the two…on the trail the cogs were spinning, the possibilities were opening as to what the project could be in the future and incorporating music into this big picture.”
Bessenbacher and Chadwick then returned to Emoto’s Los Angeles-based studio and collaborated closely on composing, producing, and recording the score. The soundtrack is now available on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Amazon and other outlets.
Sonixphere adds Dave Chudy Business development specialist and musician Dave Chudy has joined Sonixphere, which provides original sonic content across all platforms, including music and sound design for commercials, integrated marketing and web work, original music for TV shows, convention shows, and audio branding. Recent commercial projects For Sonixphere, which launched in August 2011, include music for Hyundai Veloster (Innocean USA, Huntington Beach, CA), a sound design package for OnStar(Campbell Ewald, Detroit), and a music and sound design package for US Bank (OLSON, Minneapolis). Chudy holds a degree business administration from State University of New York, Buffalo, and is also an accomplished musician. His prior positions at Ricoh Business Solutions and IKON Office Solutions proved him to be a highly motivated, trusted and dynamic partner to clients, earning him Chairman’s Club Honors at Ricoh in 2011 for “150 percent achievement of sales quota” and also for growing his territory market share by 100 percent.
