OPENING BELL FOR RING THE ALARM
Daron and Jenny Hollowell have teamed with Brent Nichols to form music house and record label Ring The Alarm with studios in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Even prior to its official launch, Ring The Alarm has worked on projects for Lincoln, Visa, and Nikon, as well as two TV shows posting in January and a film currently in production.
Daron Hollowell, managing director of Ring The Alarm, co-founded music production company Black Iris Music in 2004, and established its subsidiary record label White Iris Records in 2009. Leading Ring The Alarm’s production process is exec producer Jenny Hollowell. A veteran freelance agency producer and music house EP, Jenny worked for such agencies as W+K NY, The Martin Agency, Anomaly, and 72andSunny before she became EP of Black Iris Music in 2012. At Black Iris, she produced such highlights as “Beautiful Dreamer” for Grey NY’s Emmy award-winning Canon “Inspired” spot and two seasons of original music for the IFC show Maron.
Exec creative director Brent Nichols, formerly of Elias, has turned out work that has garnered Cannes Lions, Clios, One Show Awards, AICP Show honors and D&AD Pencils. Previously, Nichols spent nearly a decade as creative director and composer at Squeak E Clean.
“The way that music is integrated into the world has changed,” said Daron Hollowell who regards Ring The Alarm as representing “an opportunity to take chances and forge strategic partnerships with artists and collaborators. This holds true in making albums, but it also works across the board with delivering exactly the right sound for clients.”
The Ring The Alarm record label launched its first release November 3 on Stereogum with the debut single “Go In The Light” from Orange Cassettes.
COMMA EXPANDS PARTICLE TO L.A., HIRES ALONSO
Eddie Alonso has been tapped to head up the West Coast expansion of Particle, Comma’s seven-year-old independent post audio and sound design studio in Chicago. Alonso’s position in L.A. encompasses engineering, mixing, sound design, and composition.
Prior to joining Comma, Alonso spent 11 years at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, most recently as sr. composer/sound designer, a position that saw him also mixing much content for TV, internet, and radio. While at CP+B, Alonso worked on campaigns for numerous brands, including Microsoft, MetLife, IKEA, Gap, Burger King, Vitaminwater, Jose Cuervo, Old Navy, Coke Zero, VW, Best Buy, and Kraft. In addition to his Particle duties, Alonso will write original music for Comma. In Particle’s L.A. studio, Alonso will work with Comma integrated producer Mina Louy and composer Josh Good.
“Eddie fits seamlessly within Particle–and Comma,” said Comma creative director/co-founder Larry Pecorella. “He’s versatile when it comes to working on solutions for post audio as well as making music. Sure, he will help us get Particle LA off the ground, but we’ll use his musician skills on the Comma side, too. Plus, Eddie’s first language is Spanish, so our Hispanic audio house Onda also benefits.”
HEARD CITY HIRES RAYMOND, PROMOTES SIEGEL
Boutique audio post company Heard City, headquartered in NYC, has hired Heath Raymond as general manager and sr. producer of its Brooklyn facility. Raymond has more than seven years of post experience spanning visual effects, graphic design, stop motion and audio. With a degree in audio engineering, Raymond began his career in 2005 as an assistant at Electric Lady Studios in NY before moving to Sound Lounge. Most recently, he was a telecine/VFX producer at The Mill.
Additionally, Heard City has promoted Jeremy Siegel to mixer/sound designer. Siegel started as a production intern for production company Click 3X before joining the Heard City team in 2012 as assistant audio engineer. At Heard City he’s worked on spots for brands including Toyota, AT&T, Progresso, Trip Advisor, Bud Light, Tomcat, Nationwide and Tide.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More