Butter Music and Sound has launched a multicultural division, tapping Grammy-nominated musician and recording artist James Zavaleta as executive producer. The department will focus on music and audio solutions for the multicultural market, working closely with agencies and brands on campaigns crafted towards U.S. Latinx consumers. Zavaleta has partnered with agencies and brands as a consulting music producer on a range of branded projects, overseeing the entire audio process, from start to finish with an eye towards the authentic cultural representation of Latinx music. He is also an experienced and versatile singer, songwriter and producer, with credits ranging from singing on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, recording over 30 national jingles, and contributing voiceover musical work on Disney/Pixar’s Academy Award-winning film Coco. In the early days of stay-at-home measures, Zavaleta and Butter West Coast EP Annick Mayer developed the division, bringing his versatile experience as a musician to the commercial music space to offer original music, sync, and sound design services for multicultural campaigns. Born and raised in Southern California, Zavaleta developed singer/songwriter recognition as early as nine, and began playing gigs as far-flung as Las Vegas when he was just 14. As a sought-after performer in Los Angeles, he also performed as a back-up artist to legendary Salsa artists including Oscar De Leon, Tito Nieves, Victor Manuelle and more. His performances earned him television and film roles, performing on Eddie Murphy’s Meet Dave and an episode of FOX television series Prison Break, and earning a spot as a recurring vocalist on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. Drawn to percussion at the young age of 3, he also taught himself to play the piano and, with this instrument as his medium, Zavaleta honed his personal “Latin Pop” style and released his debut self-titled EP in 2012. He first connected with Butter Music and Sound in 2012 while recording for a variety of commercials with the music and sound shop….
Director Angie Bird Joins Scheme Engine For U.S. Representation
Scheme Engine has added director/photographer Angie Bird to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and original content.
Bird crafts deeply human and charismatic portrayals of community, empowerment and the rituals of celebration across commercials, elevated documentary and short film. A former agency creative, Bird has a body of brand work consisting of cinematic lifestyle campaigns for Nike, Dove, Allstate, Procter & Gamble and the YMCA, among others. Prior to joining Scheme Engine, Bird was most recently represented in the U.S. for commercials by production house Curfew.
Two years into her career, Bird back in 2016 won a Cannes Young Director Award for “Mean Tweets,” a provocative campaign for Raising the Roof, that challenged stereotypes of unhoused individuals with striking humanizing portraits. The project earned honors at the Clios, and Webbys and was shortlisted at Cannes.
Her Gillette campaign, “First Shave”--a heartfelt examination of masculinity in the trans community--earned three Cannes prizes and won honors at the Clios and The One Show.
As a director invested in films that ignite conversation, and inspire action, Bird embraces challenging, overlooked stories, bringing to light complex, authentically heroic characters faced with cultural stigmatization and gender-based discrimination. She co-wrote and directed "Short Life Stories" for White Ribbon and Canadian agency Bensimon Byrne--a shattering call to dismantle transphobia, following the journey of a transgender woman as she steps into her authentic life. The campaign won six awards at One SCREEN 2024, including Best in Region: North America and Best in Show
“I’m inspired,” affirmed Bird, “to create stories that champion the... Read More