US Bank - "Typical Jingle"

 

Anthony Marinelli composed and produced this award winning song for US Bank.
A takeoff on the typical airline jingles of the 60s and 70s.
Concept: Be smarter with your credit cards - US Bank can help keep you out of debt.

“Don’t always listen to jingles like this, though we may offer you unending bliss - It’s only Advertising!"

Lyrics by Dave Newman

 




Asdru & Anthony Present Music for Latino Media and Perform

The duo presented their latest ad music reel to agency heads, talked about how they’ve create multi cultural music for films and Grammy winning albums followed bya power point presentation titled “Taking the Mystery out of the Music Process”.  They discussed many practical solutions to enhance the typical creative process, to keep it constantly collaborative, energizing and that prevent communication breakdown.
Later, they set up at the “Agency Stairwell” to perform an electronic set with drummer Alex “Gonzo” Gonzales for the entire agency. The playing continued until well after closing time.


 
 

Asdru & Anthony
Asdru Sierra and Anthony Marinelli have joined forces to offer their diverse blend of musical styles and experience  to Spanish language projects.  The two composers and songwriters have collaborated on feature films, commercials, and song-writing since first meeting in 2006 to collaborate on a remix album with the trumpet and music label legend Herb Alpert. Since then, they have performed as a duo and as Trio Retro with Cindy Gomez, the Grammy Museum and at NASA with 3-time Grammy Award-winning multi-cultural, multi-genre band Ozomatli which Asdru is the founding member. Together, they have created a melodic world music sound that incorporates Hip Hop, DJ Party Mix, ethnic, and electronica with a real touch of Latin. They effortlessly collaborate with today’s great Latin artists and have a relentless drive to find the right music for any project.


Grupo Gallegos
Owner and visionary, John Gallegos, compares his team to the big cats at a zoo: “Without breathing room and space to roam, their natural talents are unable to reach full potential.” As a result, the atmosphere created at Grupo Gallegos is one liberated from the more traditional stiff business environment, but instead exhibits a casual air, with a corresponding casual dress code. The result: energy is instead spent on innovation, which has made Grupo Gallegos the most rewarded advertising agency for the Hispanic market and a recession success story. The Hispanic market is the fastest growing consumer market in the US, placing Grupo Gallegos at the forefront of a competitive new advertising challenge.






Asdru & Anthony Present and Perform with Cindy Gomez

 
 

Asdru and Anthony were invited to David & Goliath by founder and CEO David Angelo to present their work and perform as part of a Thirsty Thursday showcase on October 22, 2015. In the morning, they spoke about multicultural music and how they collaborate and get a more efficient workflow with creative teams. In the Afternoon, they performed 2 long sets with vocalist Cindy Gomez and drummer Alex “Gonzo” Gonzoles. Homemade food was prepared and served by Sabrina Luna-Sierra. The trio was on the “Brave” stage for 2 hours amid much dancing and partying with everyone at the agency.  What a way to end the day!

 
 
 

David & Goliath:
“On November 19, 1999, David&Goliath was founded. Built on the simple idea of thinking like a David—being nimble, resourceful, creative, and most of all, Brave. And we believe that with this Brave mindset, we can do more amazing things together than alone.  We are a full-service independent creative agency, ready to take on Goliath marketing challenges.  We pride ourselves on developing innovative brand solutions through our courageous approach to creativity—because great ideas can come from anywhere, if you’re Brave enough to look.”






SHOOT Magazine: Music From The Start - by Anthony Marinelli

This article was originally featured on page 3 of  SHOOT Magazine and online here.

Anthony Marinelli

Anthony Marinelli

Music is considered a vital element when married with picture, but is usually left to the end of the production schedule. The day is here where technology allows us to create the story, the picture edit, visual effects, sound effects and music at the same time. What are we waiting for?

While the producer is telling composers it’s too early to be thinking about music, the film editor has already picked a piece of music and presented it with picture. Someone was thinking about music from the start, it just wasn’t a composer. This decision puts a lot of extra burden on the final music. Most editors prefer cutting to music as it helps create atmosphere, determines pace, and motivates cutting/extending a scene, etc.

The film editor, by default, is often the sole decider of the temp music. This creates a ripple effect as the project progresses. “Just find something to cut to” becomes “everybody loves the temp music.” The editor, by default, is dictating the direction of the music.  Any other music created later is a replacement by definition.

A composer’s job is to create the best option for the picture (not just beat the temp). “Temping” without a composer’s input does not make this easy. Human beings get attached to things, especially when they’re working well. “Temp Love” however, may be blocking a better idea.

Agencies may turn this “replacement process” into a competition amongst composers, music houses and libraries to beat the temp. Agencies feel like they need a lot of choices, but that doesn’t allow for direct collaboration with the composer of that music.

A worse case scenario is hiring a composer that must spend valuable time reacting to the temp and navigating around complications like potential copyright infringement.

An Alternative:
- Decide on tempo and tone utilizing the knowledge of a composer along with the editor and creative team.

- Sort through temp music via streaming services or iPods for inspiration when editing, but quickly leave this dangerous territory

- Just as an editor creates rough edits that lead to a final approved edit, composers can organically create rough original tracks during the editing process that lead to the final music version.

- Composers can set up a laptop and MIDI controller near the editor to create an original temp score. This way the edit and music can be updated together.

- The entire creative team can be in constant dialogue through this type of proximity to react to developing ideas.

It’s time for agencies to think music from the start.

Composer/producer/musician Anthony Marinelli heads up Los Angeles-based Music Forever.





Microsoft Collective Project Wins at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Happy to say that Microsoft's Collective Project won both a Gold Lion and a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity!  Here's a spot we worked on to recap the entire campaign.

From Possible.com

The Collective Project

Tasked with increasing awareness and engagement for Microsoft OneNote, we set out to inspire a student audience by showing them how the note taking software could benefit their lifestyle.

To do this, we fostered an emotional connection before driving to product downloads. OneNote chose organic social and events to DO stories instead of just telling them, giving the campaign a better chance of fostering engagement with millennial students. Expressed primarily through documentary-style video content, the campaign showcases Microsoft’s dedication to positive change, telling a brand story in lieu of a conventional advertising campaign.

The video above highlights the best of the 200 pieces of content we created for social. Our unscripted video featuring Robert Downey Jr. that you can view here, has reached over 50 million views with two billion impressions, giving unprecedented exposure to OneNote and the students’ projects alike. Additionally, the work has been recognized with a gold Lion and a bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.





New Music for MLB Prostate Cancer Foundation's Home Run Challenge

It was a pleasure to add original music (solo acoustic guitar) to this beautiful spot for a wonderful cause.  Thanks again to the team at Possible for the opportunity to work together!

As a result of this year's home run challenge, $622,024.84 was raised toward finding a cure for prostate cancer.

You can find more information at https://www.homerunchallenge.org/

From PCF.org:

20th Annual Home Run Challenge to Raise Awareness and Fund Research for Prostate Cancer

  • 1 in 7 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer
  • In 2015 there will be over 220,000 new prostate cancer cases
  • Over 27,000 will die from prostate cancer in 2015

Santa Monica, CA, June 18, 2015 -- The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and Major League Baseball (MLB) are once again stepping up to the plate to hit home runs for prostate cancer research and encourage fans to "Keep Dad in the Game" as part of the 20th Annual Home Run Challenge. This hallmark event will take place during the six days leading up to Fathers' Day and will help raise crucial awareness and much needed research funding for prostate cancer.

To make a pledge for the 2015 Home Run Challenge, baseball fans can visit www.homerunchallenge.org

During this year's Home Run Challenge, MLB and PCF encourage baseball fans to make a pledge–ranging from $0.50 to $1,000–for every home run hit during all 105 MLB games from June 15 through Father's Day, June 21, plus 15 bonus games. Last year, 148 home runs were hit, raising approximately $1.9 million for prostate cancer research.

"We are especially proud of our partnership with MLB, which shares our commitment to 'Keep Dad in the Game' by finding new treatments and cures for prostate cancer," says Michael Milken, PCF founder and chairman. "We are grateful for the generous support of baseball fans everywhere who have contributed nearly $45 million to PCF over the last 20 years."

To show support on Father's Day, MLB representatives and players will wear blue armbands and ribbon decals on their hats and uniforms. Home Run Challenge donors can direct their pledges to their favorite team's home runs or to all MLB home runs hit throughout the week.

More progress has been made in prostate cancer research during the past five years than in the preceding decade. Support of the Home Run Challenge by MLB and its teams has helped bring six new FDA-approved drugs to patients in just a four-year period. PCF is also helping to advance precision medicine, meaning that one day we will have treatments targeted to each individual patient.

Funding from PCF provides resources for a range of programs including support for early career scientists, creative research ideas and multi-year research programs. In 2014, PCF provided nearly $32 million for research programs that would otherwise have gone unfunded.

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world's leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating prostate cancer research. Founded in 1993, PCF has raised more than $615 million and provided funding to over 2,000 research programs at nearly 200 cancer centers and universities. The PCF global research enterprise now extends to 19 countries. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds for transformational cancer research. Its efforts have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer.






Shoot Online: What Does "Blurred Lines" Mean For The Ad Community? - Article by Anthony Marinelli

 
 

This article was originally featured in Shoot Online in their front page news section.  You can view it here.

 

By Anthony Marinelli

The recent legal decision against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams in the “Blurred Lines” music lawsuit may be blurring the lines even more for today’s spot composers and making things even harder for agency music producers.

It’s no joke when the integrity of the whole ad campaign you’re working on is in question due to an alleged music copyright infringement. It doesn’t even have to be a legitimate claim to start turning stomachs (and opening wallets). If there is a claim, all fingers will immediately point to the composer since he is ultimately liable for the originality of the music even though other participants may be contributing to its demise. IT IS his responsibility, not the ad agency, to do whatever homework is needed to protect the project from infringement claims. Unfortunately, there can be a lot of land mines in the way.

If a composer lived on Mars and could prove that they never had access to hearing the music in question, then I should think he’s safe. A more likely scenario is that we should come to expect a songwriter to be influenced by many songs or even an entire genre. We should assume that all of us have been influenced by what we’ve previously heard, and that there are some conventions that must be followed closely to define musical style.

When it comes to copyright infringement, there are a number of other factors that can be weighed.  Beside access and intent, instrumentation, sound recording, melody, lyrics, harmony, bass line, beat, tempo, etc… are more components that can potentially add up to a costly verdict of plagiarism in a complicated judgment process.

I think it was unfair for a jury to make the “Blurred Lines” decision and not a qualified music expert. If the verdict is not overturned, they may be setting a new precedent based more on the songwriter’s stated intent to be reminiscent of a genre and less on a burden of proof from musical components contained in the song such as melody and harmony. I think the jury did the right thing based on what they were given and told to consider, but it’s a flawed process.

So, what can agency creatives and spot music composers do to keep lawsuits away? It’s not easy, especially if judgments now include not just similar melody but “influence of genre.” In the fast paced advertising world there is typically a need for quickly relatable ideas that move us emotionally. We like familiar phrases that we can sort of predict. The artists that shine most tend to find clever ways to satisfy us with familiarity while adding refreshing changes of pace to it. That’s part of the popular music art form. It’s a fine balancing act of managing familiar beats and melodies, but putting a wholly original spin on it. The right amount of “different” is what makes an artist great, and hopefully keep them out of court. Popular music is rarely about putting together “never heard before” collections of beats and melodies. Most songs follow verse, chorus, bridge patterns while repeating familiar four bar phrases. They’re typically not so original in the musical form department. It’s also not easy to remove an infectious pop song hook out of our head. We hear it, then we repeat it.

In a perfect world, advertising creatives will stop asking composers to sound exactly like familiar songs or temp scores (temporary music used for editing purposes) they have fallen in love with. Someday, maybe, consumers will not change the channel so quickly whenever they hear something new. Someday, composers and consumers will discover that new, original music can have a profound positive effect on their lives. Until then, music composers and producers must leave no stone unturned in their quest to avoid a random lawsuit.

Anthony Marinelli is a composer of music for the advertising industry, with over 500 spots to his credit. He is the principal of Los Angeles-based music and sound house Music Forever. Marinelli is very familiar with Marvin Gaye’s music, having produced in 2006 a lauded redo of the artist’s classic “What’s Goin’ On”  with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.





SHOOT Online: Anthony Marinelli / Music Forever Grooves Back Into Spots

 
 
 

From SHOOT Online

Anthony Marinelli, one of the music world’s most lauded composers, is back to spot work after writing the soon to be Broadway musical Bollydoll. Marinelli is probably best known for his creative collaborations and music for some of the ad industry’s most iconic spots (Apple, Shell, Portland Gas, Mercedes, along with PSAs for the California Department of Health Services and the “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” campaign by the Partnership for a Drug Free America). In addition to spot work, Marinelli has composed music for over 70 features films, in addition to musical collaborations with such iconic talents as Herb Alpert, Lionel Richie, Chuck D and Michael Jackson.

The Making Of Bollydoll
Marinelli has spent most of the last 2 1/2 years writing Bollydoll, a Broadway musical, animated film and dance spectacle. Created by Amrita Sen and Marinelli, Bollydoll incorporates immersive visual worlds, dancing and singing to infectious vocal hooks that channel funky East Indian, African and R&B influences. The show, featuring forty songs, thirteen dancers, and projected animation, opened with Sia for Deepak Chopra’s Sages and Scientists Symposium, and was first presented in a geodesic dome at Vortex Immersion/LA Center Studios. “What really sets Bollydoll apart is how it deliberately and seamlessly integrates original story, characters, music choreography, artwork, animation, fashion and education into a unified experience for the audience,” says Marinelli.

Jaguar Campaign/Extended Songs For Social Media 
Marinelli’s pre-Bollydoll spot work included an ongoing campaign for Jaguar. The composer was tapped by the Spark44 agency creative team to come between picture and music in a unique way. The resulting spots, “Jaguar at Play”, “A Little Less Conversation”, “Heritage”, “Machines/How Alive Are You?,” “More Alive” and “It Plays Well/No Mere Machine/Everyday/Too Much” owe their musical inspiration to composing on the fly. “We went mobile,” says Marinelli. “We set up a recording studio at editorial so that ideas could quickly flow in either direction between all creatives as picture was being put together.” Working with an orchestra, analog synthesizers, soloists and vocalists, Marinelli crafted 15, 30 and 60 compositions, plus some extended “song” versions (“El Remedio” and “Machines”) for social media, based on the musical hooks and messages in the ads.”

Artist Collaboration
For part of the campaign Marinelli collaborated with neo soul rock band “The Heavy” and three time Grammy winner Asdru Sierra from Ozomatli. The campaign “Jaguar at Play” features a mix of flamenco guitars, Afro Cuban percussion and Asdru Sierra’s take on Tuvan throat singing. “Little Less Conversation” is a cover of the famous song written by Mac Davis and Bill Strange, made iconic by Elvis Presley. “Heritage is an emotional anthem composed of South American guitars, electric and acoustic guitar, live drums and bass, all performed to electronic pulses. ”It Plays Well/No Mere Machine/Everyday/Too Much” features stunning vocal performances by Amrita Sen and Sierra over driving flamenco guitar rhythms and Cuban percussion. “Machines” features industrial music and sound design created with analog synthesizers and drum machines with vocals by Heather Bradley. “More Alive” was recorded with a real 60-piece orchestra.

“I loved working with the Spark44 (creative director Bruce Dundore, managing director Miland Ravel, producer Kris Roberts, copywriter Ryan Moore, art director Jim Kowalski and director Vic Huber),” says Marinelli. “Advertising offers creative people a unique opportunity to communicate through music, sound and picture, all at a very high level. This campaign was a great opportunity to cultivate new relationships that exist outside the ad world.”

Score Catalog
Anthony Marinelli has compiled a special catalog of scores for agency creatives to access. “This is not a music library,” says Marinelli. “This is my personal catalog of “real” film scores, that have been vetted to the standards of the most demanding film directors and producers. I have written music for orchestras, small ensembles and live performances by hit-making musicians. These are not demos. There are fresh, emotion rich, long-form ready scores, perfect for ad and social media campaigns. Score catalog offers clients the advantage of one stop licensing (to avoid negotiations and unpredictable outcomes from multiple rights holders). It also allows creatives to take advantage of music that has not been overused or exhausted.” Spot credits utilizing the Score Catalog include work for Washington Lottery, Adidas, DHL, Lipitor, Ortho, IBM and Habitat For Humanity.

Sound Design/Palette Building
In addition to superior music work, Marinelli continues to work on sound design and its application to spot work. “When I first got to Hollywood, music and sound effects came together only at the end on the mixing stage,” says Marinelli.  “I saw no reason for this separation. Analog and computer synthesizers took music and sound to a whole new place. I continued this pattern of marrying sound design and music, first with “This is your Brain on Drugs” campaign early on in my career, but most recently for Jaguar ‘Machines.’ I often build a palette of sound design effects or pulses to incorporate into my traditional orchestral scores. I enjoy working with all the sounds life has to offer.”

About Anthony Marinelli/Music Forever 
You’ve heard Anthony’s work in hundreds of iconic spots for Apple, the memorable “This is Your Brain on Drugs” spot, Super bowl ads for Budweiser and Accenture, work for Shell, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Fancy Feast, Boeing, and more. He’s composed classic Disney jingles, logos for Paramount and Morgan Creek, along with original music for over 70 feature films including Young Guns, 2 Days in the Valley, Planes Trains and Automobiles and Leaving Las Vegas. He’s arranged and performed for the Olympic opening ceremonies, the FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl XXVII's halftime show. He’s played keyboards on records with James Brown, Lionel Richie, Chuck D, Afrika Bambaataa, and Michael Jackson’s mega hit album “Thriller.”  For the past several years, Anthony and Amrita Sen have co-created an entertainment venture called BollyDoll Entertainment that expands an existing retail brand through their original songs, live dance shows, and animation.

Anthony Marinelli is all about music, with a unequaled talent for creating tracks that everyone loves and remembers. Along with his Music Forever team, Marinelli has the right contacts and a love for collaboration, combined with the ability to solve problems and a relentless drive to find for his client that musical “needle in a haystack.” From effortlessly hip collaborations with some of today’s great artists to award-winning music/sound design for movies, spots and theatrical productions, Anthony Marinelli continues to excel. To have him work on your special project go to www.anthonymarinelli.com.

Contact: 

Media:
Steve Fisher
RPG
818-688-1502
 

Contact: 

SAXON+PARTNERS LOS ANGELES

Carissa Gipprich
Contact Carissa via email 
8350 Melrose Ave. #13
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Office: 323-380-5152
Cell: 610-451-5430

Owen Taubman
Contact Owen via email 
8350 Melrose Ave. #13
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Office: 323-380-5152
Cell: 831-428-2323

SAXON+PARTNERS SAN FRANCISCO

Mary Saxon
Contact Mary via email 
101A Clay Street, #226
San Francisco, CA 94111
Office: 415-398-9998
Cell: 415-290-6500





Rick Ross Samples "This is Your Brain on Drugs" Ad

Here's a cool find.  Rapper Rick Ross’ new album features a sample of the sound design I did on the classic "This is Your Brain on Drugs" PSA.

And here's the original:

About “This Is Your Brain On Drugs”

The PSA, titled "Frying Pan" (a.k.a. "Fried Egg" and "Any Questions?"), was conceived by art directors Scot Fletcher and Rick Bell, copywriter Larre Johnson and creative director Paul Keye at Los Angeles-based agency Keye/Donna/Pearlstein. It was directed by Joe Pytka through his own Venice-based production company Pytka Productions and produced by agency producer Harvey Greenberg, Pytka executive producer Jane McCann and Pytka producer John Turney.  Anthony Marinelli scored the spots.