The non-profit Production Music Association (PMA,) the leading advocate and voice of the production music community, has announced its first Annual Mark Awards for Excellence in Production Music. The inaugural event will take place from 7-9pm on September 9, 2015, at the Directors Guild of America headquarters in Los Angeles. The PMA is comprised of over 675 members, including music publishers, composers, and industry professionals.
Named in honor of the late Andy Mark, who was a music library owner and a founding member of the PMA, the Mark Awards will recognize the very best in production music in 17 categories. Entries for submissions for the first annual Mark Awards are open to both PMA and non-PMA members. For details on the submissions process, click here.
The PMA has assembled an independent group of industry professionals, culled from executives working within TV networks, ad agencies, promo departments, trailer companies, and licensing organizations, to facilitate the submissions, judging, and final selection of Mark Awards winners.
Hunter Williams, PMA executive director, related, “Production music has long been the sonic lifeblood of so many audiovisual productions, ranging from television programs to promotional campaigns to major theatrical releases. With its proliferation across the gamut of media productions and distribution channels, companies responsible for the contribution of production music to the creative process have never before had their own awards event. These people and companies are truly worthy of long-overdue recognition – thus the establishment of the Mark Awards.”
The first Mark Awards event will be held along with the PMA’s Second Annual Production Music Conference (PMC), also slated for Sept. 9 at the DGA in L.A.. The conference runs from 8am-7pm.
The categories for the First Annual Mark Awards are:
Best Production Music Track
Defined as an original or arranged track released for licensing in the respective genre for which relevance is ascribed by keywords and/or meta-tags containing that genre name. Awards will be given to the best track in each of the following categories:
Best Ambient Track
Best Dance Track
Best Electronic Track
Best Hip Hop Track
Best Jazz Track
Best Orchestral Track
Best Rock Track
Best Vocal Track
Best World Track
Best Use of Production Music
Defined as the uniquely effective use of an original or arranged library track that compellingly enhances the visual storytelling of the respective production type.
Awards will be given to the best track in each of the following production categories:
Best Use of Production Music In Commercial Advertisement
Best Use of Production Music In Full-Length Theatrical Film
Best Use of Production Music In On-Air Promo
Best Use of Production Music In Theatrical Film Trailer
Best Use of Production Music As Theme Song In TV Program
Best Use of Production Music As Underscore In TV Program
The Hall of Fame Award
The first Hall of Fame Mark Award will be given to an individual of a current or pre-existing production music library whose work has made significant contributions towards the advancement of the production music industry.
The Ambassador Award
The first Ambassador Mark Award will be given to an individual from any field who has devoted exceptional service towards ensuring a thriving and sustainable production music industry.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More