Universal Production Music has expanded “Power to the People,” a global initiative that champions Black artists, songwriters and producers in production music. This program seeks to identify and develop Black production music songwriters, artists, musicians and producers, and elevate their work in areas including licensing and sync.
“We believe that diversity drives creativity, innovation and success,” said Jane Carter, president, Universal Production Music. “‘Power to the People’ is focused on fostering an environment in production music that promotes inclusivity. True progress and meaningful change can only be achieved when all voices are celebrated, heard, valued and uplifted.”
For the past four years, Universal Production Music has celebrated Black History Month with the release of “Power to the People,” a series spanning four albums to-date with music across Afrobeat, Pop, Hip Hop, Punk and R&B. The songs have been featured on major networks (The CW, FOX, ESPN, CBS, NBC), video games (2K and EA Sports), sports broadcasts (NFL, NBA), political campaigns and more.
“Driven by our goal to actively expand and diversify our music offering in a meaningful way, ‘Power To The People’ provides opportunity to songwriters who create their music through the lens of their culture and life experience, which, in turn allows us to provide our clients with the authentic and inspired music their content demands,” said Todd King, VP of licensing & partnerships.
With a presence in more than 33 countries around the globe, Universal Production Music is uniquely positioned to identify and engage with artists across a range of genres and cultures. “In a competitive market where clients seek authenticity, quality and innovation, this initiative emphasizes the importance of not only the music but also how and by whom it is created,” said Geoff Cox, sr. director, global repertoire.
Christina May, head of music direction, said, “This initiative creates space for Black artists to share their unique lived experience. That’s not something that exists across this industry and you don’t hear these stories being told or the platform being given to Black artists the way they deserve.”
The company is focused on delivering authentic, regionally-produced music through its global production teams, working with local talent in cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, the Bay Area and worldwide. Universal Production Music’s roster of talent includes Charles “Chizzy” Stephens, Troi Irons, Shardé, Alexander Hitchens, Jay Ham, Brandon B Lowe, PRKR, Yel, S.O., Bri Biase, Mayila Jones, Amber Dión, and Kaien Cruz.
“We continue to empower Black creatives through multi-faceted projects,” said Luke Spry, producer. “We work diligently every day to discover new artists of all races, genders and backgrounds.”
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