Creative music studio HiFi Project has brought on Tarjas White as executive producer out of its Los Angeles studio. White brings over a decade of experience as a music producer, with a comprehensive background in music production spanning advertising and entertainment. Having cultivated a network across some of the world’s biggest brands, advertising agencies and media channels, he will spearhead bicoastal growth for HiFi Project.
With a diversified background across all sides of the music marketing process, White has held roles at shops including Audio Network and Droga5’s Second Child, with expertise spanning production, composition, and business development. White’s contributions have been featured in campaigns for brands such as BMW, Pepsi, KFC, META, NBA, and LifeWTR.
HiFi Project CEO Jack Bradley said, “This is an exciting inflection point for HiFi Project as we look into the next chapter of our company growth, with an eye towards collaboration and innovation. Tarjas not only has a deep understanding of our industry, but he is an impassioned music producer who brings a unique creative perspective to all of his artist collaborations.”
White noted, “While both the advertising and music industries have decentralized, I’ve been fortunate to cultivate an extensive network in Los Angeles and it’s exciting to return to lead HiFi’s talented team of artists and serve as a creative resource for clients.”
Chicago native White attended Columbia College Chicago where he concentrated in music business and marketing. After Columbia, he relocated to Atlanta, then Los Angeles, where he worked in music production and songwriting for various artists. He has placed countless original songs in a wide range of TV, film and advertising productions. After moving to New York in 2013, he landed on the business development side of music licensing, becoming the licensing and business development manager at Music Dealers, ultimately handling all relationships for the East Coast and the U.K., and later serving as director of music licensing and head of U.S. A&R at Audio Network US in New York City. Most recently, he served as the sr. producer for Squeak E. Clean Studios, following stints as business development manager at Droga5’s Second Child, director of creative & development at BMG, and director of creative and licensing at SoStereo.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More