Meet the Music Commission: Nadine Zgonc on bringing music to Seattle’s public sphere

June 29, 2018 by Laura Bet

“I certainly didn’t think it would become a career,” says Seattle Music Commission Vice Chair Nadine Zgonc, referring to her first-ever desk job, a gig at AEI Music Network. She started out in customer service (“which I really sucked at”), but the job was the first step in her career in the music industry.

When people hear “music industry” they might first think of performing musicians, and less about companies like AEI Music Network and PlayNetwork, where Zgonc is currently Head of Brand Strategy. Maybe you haven’t heard of these companies, but you’ve definitely experienced their work: these music providers and others supply in-store soundtracks and more for clients including Starbucks, MAC Cosmetics, Tory Burch, Under Armour and NARS.

Zgonc has spent a lot of time in her career battling the idea of “muzak,” or the notion that “music in public space environments [is] background music.” In both her professional career and her work on the Music Commission, Zgonc seeks to bring high-quality music into the public sphere, not as background but as a way to enrich lives.

In the world of the Music Commission, this mission has translated into the “Experience the City of Music at Sea-Tac Airport” program, which has been introducing millions of Sea-Tac visitors to our region’s music culture since 2012. The Music Commission approached PlayNetwork to be a partner in the program, which was Zgonc’s introduction to the Commission. The program includes live performances seven days a week from local musicians, overhead music exclusively from Northwest artists, and video clips showcasing Seattle’s music scene and history that play on monitors across the airport.

You also might have noticed some familiar voices last time you waited in the security line. “The fun part was digging into all of our rolodexes to reach out to local artists and have them do the TSA announcement reads that play overhead,” says Zgonc. “I was like kid in a candy shop, you know, getting in all these message records from Jerry Cantrell and Macklemore and Sir-Mix-A-Lot and Ann Wilson… So that continues to be a really fun project, where we get to connect with not just big names, but also emerging names. Tacocat did some recent messaging updates.”

Zgonc and the Music Commission are looking for ways to expand the Experience the City of Music program beyond the airport and make live music more integral to everyday life in Seattle, while at the same time providing more work for local artists. The Commission is in conversation with the Washington State Convention Center about making live music a bigger element of their events, for example, and is looking to work with local businesses, sports teams and more.

Having worked in Seattle’s commercial music industry her entire career, Zgonc has had a bird’s-eye view of our music culture. “From an artistic perspective, we’ve had an incredible caliber of music that’s come out of our little pocket of the world,” she says, pointing to artists like Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the ’90s grunge era and more recent indie and hip hop artists. “Music is in Seattle’s DNA, and I think my greatest fear, like many of us, is based on the continued development and growth our city is having, how do we continue to preserve music as a pillar of our city?”

The Music Commission is working with the City and other partners to help answer that question—in part through their work expanding and improving programs like Experience the City of Music. Zgonc is also optimistic about opportunities such as the Upstream Music Festival and Summit, which is “helping emerging artists try to understand how they can make a living and foster a path and navigate the music scene.”

You can contact Nadine Zgonc and her fellow Music Commissioners at seattlemusiccommission@seattle.gov.

Training for nightlife industry and security personnel on June 25

May 30, 2018 by Laura Bet

On June 25, join the Seattle Police, Fire Department, and Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board for a Nightlife Security Training. This multi-disciplinary class is tailored for nightlife industry personnel to learn how laws, policies and best practices of our city and state impact the nightlife industry and how to effectively foster a safer work environment. This training is for nightlife industry and security personnel only.

The training is $60 per student, with lunch and refreshments provided, and will be held in the Southwest Precinct Community Room on June 25 from 12:00-8:00 PM. Register here, and contact Chris Brownlee at (206) 684-4371 or spd_nightlife@seattle.gov with any questions.

Seattle director Megan Griffiths on the making of ‘Sadie’

May 21, 2018 by Laura Bet

Screening at the Seattle International Film Festival this year, Sadie is Seattle director Megan Griffiths’ sixth feature film, and tells the story of a 13-year-old girl living with her mother in a trailer park and struggling with the prolonged absence of her military father. Described in Variety as “equal parts coming-of-age story and slow-burn thriller,” the film’s titular character (played by Sophia Mitri Schloss) is intensely loyal to her dad and willing to go to extreme measures to keep her mother away from a new boyfriend.

Griffiths began working on the script for Sadie in 2009, her theme of inescapable violence in American culture just as relevant then as it is today. “I have been working with my producer Lacey Leavitt for eight years to get Sadie to the screen,” Griffiths says. “We were joined in 2016 by [producer] Jennessa West, who was a true champion of the film as well and pushed us over the finish line. It’s difficult to get any film made, and this was no exception, but ultimately we pulled together an incredible team and made a beautiful film that we’re all very proud of.”

Sadie was filmed in Washington, primarily in an Everett trailer park. “The film was written for Washington and we never considered shooting it anywhere else,” Griffiths explains. “Washington is home for myself and my producers, and we all love and support the industry here whenever we possibly can.” The production hired about 100 crew members and shot for 19 days, mostly in Everett but also at various locations in Burien, Shoreline and Seattle.

Griffiths describes Sadie as a “long labor of love,” and is thankful to its all-local (and 50 percent female) crew for getting it made at last. “I think it represents the best of our city’s film community, and I’m so proud to take it out into the wider world to show what our local industry is capable of.”

You can catch Sadie at SIFF on both May 27 (preceded by an interview with star Melanie Lynskey) and June 6.

Mayor Jenny Durkan Announces 2018 Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Film

May 18, 2018 by Laura Bet

Yesterday, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Tracy Rector as the 2018 recipient of the 13^th Annual Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Film.

“Tracy’s tenacity, creativity and passion represent the very best of Seattle’s talented film industry,” said Kate Becker, Director of the Office of Film + Music. “Her leadership in centering the voices of indigenous people and using media as an instrument for social change exemplifies the remarkable power of storytelling in all its forms.”

The Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film recognizes an individual or entity for exceptional work that has significantly contributed to the growth, advancement and reputation of Seattle as a filmmaking city.

Rector is a mixed race (Choctaw/Seminole) filmmaker, curator, community organizer, and co-founder of Longhouse Media. She has directed and produced over 400 short films and is currently in production on her fifth feature documentary. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, Cannes Film Festival, ImagineNative, National Geographic, Toronto International Film Festival, the Seattle Art Museum and in the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian.

Rector’s Longhouse Media focuses on galvanizing the indigenous and local community through film production. Tracy is a 2016 Stranger Genius, has received the National Association for Media Literacy award for outstanding contributions made in the field of media education, is a Firelight Media Fellow, WGBH Producer Fellow, Sundance Institute Lab Fellow, Tribeca All Access Grantee, and is the recipient of the Horace Mann Award for her work in utilizing media for social justice.

The award was presented by Deputy Mayor Shefali Ranganathan on behalf of Mayor Durkan at the Seattle International Film Festival Opening Night.

To learn more about the award and previous winners, visit seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/mayors-film-award.

Meet the Music Commission: Joan Sandler on affordability and supporting artists

May 14, 2018 by Laura Bet

Music Commissioner Joan Sandler

The road to a music career isn’t always a straight line, as Seattle Music Commissioner Joan Sandler will tell you right away. “I did major in music in college, and wasn’t sure how I would make my way,” she explains. She intended on going to graduate school with the eventual goal of teaching music, when she got an offer to learn computer programing. “I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’d be interesting for a year, I’ll go do that and then go back to school.'” She laughs. “And then never got back to school.”

While she spent 32 years working in tech, Sandler has been a musician all her life, having picked up the violin when she was eight years old. She played with friends and in community orchestras on the side throughout her decades working in the corporate world.

After a layoff in the ’90s, Sandler took the chance to pursue a new career. “I looked around and thought, ‘Well, you know, I always wanted to be a musician. Now’s the time.’ So I opened a teaching studio and joined the musicians’ union, and formed a trio, and played a lot of weddings and parties and corporate events, and had a good time.” She adds, “Much nicer and more fun than corporate life, I’ll tell you.”

Sandler stayed with the Musicians’ Association of Seattle, Local 76-493 AFM, serving as Vice President and on the Board of Directors until her retirement last year. She joined the Seattle Music Commission in 2012, “because it sounded like a good opportunity to try and contribute to the city and the area and try to improve things for musicians, and make sure people were recognizing the value of music and musicians.”

Ensuring that musicians are valued is at the top of Sandler’s priorities, as housing costs in Seattle continue to rise and low-income residents are pushed out. “I don’t know how young musicians are going to stick in the area,” she says. As the Seattle Times reports, artists are having to choose between music and making ends meet.

Sandler sees the task of helping artists make ends meet as a shared responsibility: government needs to find solutions to the housing crisis, and consumers who value local music should reflect it in their spending. “So much music is available free that people don’t realize it has to be paid for somewhere,” she says. “If they’re not willing to pay a cover charge, then they’re not going to hear decent music in a club, because a tip jar just doesn’t pay the rent.”

While affordability continues to be the biggest issue on Commissioners’ minds, Sandler is proud of the Commission’s other work to ensure that Seattle continues to be a music city. Education is an important part of this effort, and the Commission supports The Creative Advantage, a public-private partnership to ensure that all children in Seattle Public Schools have music and art programming in their curriculum. “I know that when I was a kid, every school had a music program, and that gradually died away in most places. And trying to bring it back I think is extremely important. Because if people are exposed to that at a young age, then there’s a chance that they may either continue performing, or at the very least, they’ll be a consumer of [music].”

As Sandler prepares to retire from the Music Commission this year, she has one main piece of advice for young people who may want to work in music: be versatile. “Explore different facets of the industry, because it is an industry, it’s not just standing on a stage. And the more you know about different parts of the industry, the more you know where you fit, and if you can do more than one job, you’ll be better off.”

Do you have questions for the Music Commission, or issues you’d like their help on? Reach out them at seattlemusiccommission@seattle.gov.

Producer Lacey Leavitt on the making of Outside In

April 4, 2018 by Laura Bet

Seattle director Lynn Shelton’s latest film, Outside In, opens at SIFF this Friday, April 6; the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017, and had its U.S. premiere last month at SXSW. It stars Jay Duplass as a convicted felon attempting to reassemble his life after 20 years of wrongful imprisonment and explores his relationship with his former high school teacher, Carol (played by Edie Falco), who was key to securing his freedom.

Critics are praising the performances in the film, particularly Falco’s, as does Outside In producer Lacey Leavitt. “When [Falco] became Carol, she completely transformed, including down to her walk. She’s absolutely captivating on screen and seeing it for the first time on set really took my breath away,” Leavitt says. “All of the actors—Jay, Kaitlyn [Dever], Ben [Schwartz]—they all just completely inhabited the world Lynn and Jay created.”

Leavitt recently started a production company called Electric Dream Factory and has been making films in Seattle for the past decade. She often works closely with Shelton and other local filmmakers, including Megan Griffiths (whose new film Sadie premiered at SXSW as well). Outside In is Shelton’s seventh consecutive feature shot in Washington State.

The film was shot primarily in Granite Falls, a town with a population of about 3,000, shooting for 20 days in October and November of 2016 and totaling over 500 days of work for local crew. Nine out of the film’s fifteen roles were played by Washington actors, and editing and audio post production were completed in Seattle.

Leavitt describes the town of Granite Falls as a character in its own right in Outside In. “Lynn always wanted to make this film in [Washington] state,” says Leavitt. “When she was describing the feel of the script to location manager Dave Drummond, production designer John Lavin, and me, I just knew it was going to end up being Granite Falls. I spent a lot of my childhood there and I just knew that’s what Lynn was describing.”

The small-town, overcast setting helped set the film’s tone, and Leavitt describes a supportive environment on set. This helped the crew get through the strange time in which they were making the film: “Honestly I think the biggest challenge we faced in shooting the film was that the 2016 Presidential Election was going on at the same time. That was a very challenging time to focus on almost anything else but the news, and shooting this film was also one of the best things we could have done.”

“I love living in Seattle and filming in Washington State, as does Lynn,” says Leavitt. “We do it every chance we possibly get.”

Catch Outside In starting this Friday night at SIFF Cinema Uptown.

Ventures provides business training to Seattle creatives

March 30, 2018 by Laura Bet

This week at the Vera Project, the Seattle Office of Film + Music’s Mixer featured a presentation from Ventures Nonprofit on how to make and save money through participants’ creative enterprises.

“No matter what kind of business you have, there’s a very simple equation,” Jen Hughes, Director of Programs at Ventures, told the crowd. “You have to know what’s going in, and you have to know what’s coming out.”

The presentation began with a round of peer speed coaching, where guests were invited to meet someone new and describe their financial goals for the next year. Hughes later guided the audience through steps to build financial capacity, which she broke into four components: paying down, negotiating and disputing debt; determining sources of income; creating and maintaining a savings plan; and building or repairing credit. Participants went home with information and worksheets to help them think through their finances (which you can find here and here).

Ventures is a Seattle-based nonprofit that empowers aspiring entrepreneurs through providing access to business training, coaching, microloans, and incubation and other services for low-income and underserved entrepreneurs. You can check out their programs and events on their website.

Next month’s Mixer will be 5:00-7:00 P.M. on April 25 at SIFF, where guests will get a preview of SIFF’s Northwest Connections program. The Mixer is free and all ages.

Have something you’d like to see at an upcoming Mixer? Email us at filmandmusicoffice@seattle.gov.

Seattle filmmakers premiering at SXSW: Shep Films’ Prospect

March 8, 2018 by Laura Bet

2018 is a big year for Seattle at the SXSW Film Festival—three films from local directors are premiering there this week. One of those films is the sci-fi Western Prospect, the first feature-length project from local production company Shep Films.

Shep Films was created by Pacific Northwest natives Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl. Graduating in the midst of the recession in 2009, Caldwell and Earl started their company small: they began filming commercials and built up their production apparatus over time. They were eventually able to produce their first short film, “In the Pines,” which screened at SXSW and other festivals in 2012.

Prospect began as a short film, which premiered at SXSW in 2014. It tells the story of a teenage girl and her father attempting to strike it rich on an alien moon before they run into danger. The short film caught attention at the festival, which led Shep Films to begin working on a feature-length script.

Even with support from established industry professionals, getting Prospect off the ground took time. “The first major challenge was getting the movie financed, being a first-time team,” says Earl. “We had several false starts.”

Having the script and a successful short film helped the team make their case to financiers and ultimately get funding. “I think particularly if you’re a first-time director, it’s useful to have this proof-of-concept short,” says Caldwell. “I think [with] the script alone, it would have been more difficult to get financed.”

Caldwell and Earl were set on making the film in Washington from the beginning. “The alien landscape for the majority of the film is the Hoh rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula, which is a location that both Chris and I had personal experience with hiking and backpacking. It was always this fun idea to cast that part of Washington as this alien planet,” explains Earl. “The forest itself is a big part of the movie.”

Caldwell also stresses the community aspect of their decision to film in Washington, “We’ve developed a good group of collaborators who are all based out of Seattle.”

Earl adds, “Even though the crew and filmmaking community in Seattle is small, it’s a very passionate, positive community.”

In collaboration with Seattle film crew and local creatives, Shep Films found ways to produce the props, costumes, and sets needed for their original world. “We needed the machine that could build all this stuff. The result was us pulling together our own shop, and it was kind of this eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds,” says Earl. People with backgrounds in everything from cabinet-making to cosplay worked together in the film’s warehouse in Wallingford. “All these unusual skillsets came together, which was probably the most exciting and gratifying part.”

The strength of Washington’s film community shines in its dedication and compassion, in Earl and Caldwell’s telling. “The crew went above and beyond,” says Caldwell. “L.A. producers would show up, and they’d be looking around amazed at how good the vibe is on set.”

Shep Films was met with support and advice from the local film crews and industry, as well as the Seattle Office of Film + Music as they learned the ropes of producing a full-length movie. “It’s great to have an advocate who can help us get through hurdles to get it done,” says co-producer Brice Budke, describing the Office of Film + Music’s support in navigating bureaucracy to secure long-term production and crew parking and assisting in securing film locations. “It’s nice to have one contact who can advocate across departments.”

Shep Films also got help and advice from a local producer and Mayor’s Film Award recipient Lacey Leavitt and other established Seattle filmmakers along the way. “It’s crazy because Lynn [Shelton’s] movie Outside In and Megan [Griffiths’] movie Sadie are both [screening at SXSW] too, and there are people who worked on all three films, and they’re all playing at South By this year,” says Earl. “So it’s pretty exciting.”

You can watch the trailer for Prospect here, and check out their other projects at shepfilms.com.

Media Arts Try-a-Trade event encourages students to pursue their creative passion

March 6, 2018 by Laura Bet

Students in a classroom working on a Photoshop tutorial.

Students in a Seattle Central College classroom working on a Photoshop tutorial.

About forty students from Franklin and Rainier Beach High Schools had the opportunity to try their hands at different creative trades at the first-of-its-kind Media Arts Try-a-Trade event last week, hosted at Seattle Central College.

The Try-a-Trade event was the result of a partnership between Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Colleges, and four City of Seattle departments. Students in the Seattle Central College Visual Media program led the high schoolers through different activities, all aimed at giving them a crash course in what it would be like to work in various visual media industries.

“Find something you can be passionate about in a career,” Seattle Central President Sheila Edwards Lange told the students at the start of the day. “Work doesn’t have to always feel like work.”

The high schoolers, all of whom are enrolled in similar classes at their schools, broke into groups and rotated through five stations: fashion photography, photo editing, video, portrait photography, and product photography. (Some of the students put the lessons they learned about photography and lighting to good use right away—by taking selfies with their classmates.) While enjoying lunch provided by Sizzle Pie, the students then had the chance to ask questions of a panel of industry professionals and graduates of the Seattle Central program.

Students participating in a fashion photo shoot.

While the City and local schools often collaborate on workforce development efforts, this was their first time applying the “try a trade” workshop model to artistic industries. Students are often encouraged throughout their K-12 education to pursue four-year degrees after high school, but this overlooks the many thousands of high-paying trade jobs that do not require an education at a university. Listening to the panel of professionals from employers including HBO and Nordstrom Studios, students saw first-hand that people who pursue technical education can go on to have lucrative careers doing what they love.

Events like the Media Arts Try-a-Trade are part of the City’s larger effort to help prepare students for successful careers. Learn more about how you can host youth interns at your organization this summer here.

Interested in other ways to share your industry expertise with young people? Sign up to offer other career-connected learning opportunities here. You can also sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on future events, and contact us with ideas or questions at filmandmusic@seattle.gov.

John Roderick on making it in the music industry

March 2, 2018 by Laura Bet

Seattle creatives joined the Office of Film + Music at KEXP for the February 2018 Mixer, featuring local singer/songwriter/guitarist/podcaster John Roderick. Mixer guests spent the first hour networking and enjoying drinks, before Roderick took the stage to give an overview of his life as an artist and lessons he’s learned along the way, along with a short Q&A session.

Roderick described a career full of mini-successes—making a living “one $160 check at a time.” Many artists don’t have a single big break and experience smooth sailing from there, but rather build their careers steadily over years. He advised the young artists in the crowd to stay humble and continue to say yes to even seemingly trivial opportunities, since even small checks add up over time. He also spoke about his experience dealing with mental health issues and their effects on his life and career.

You can find more information about John Roderick on his website, or follow him on Twitter.

The March Mixer will feature a presentation by Ventures, helping Mixer attendees translate lessons learned from Roderick’s talk into concrete steps they can take to make and save money for their creative enterprise. We’ll see you there on March 28, 5:00-7:00 p.m., at the Vera Project.

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