EP. 29: INTERVIEW WITH MUSIC SUPERVISOR JENNIFER SMITHÂ
 This week on SyncRiffs, Charles sits down with Jennifer Smith, a Los Angeles based Music Supervisor with over a decade of experience in music and film/TV. Jennifer's impressive career includes working on shows such as Americaâs Best Dance Crew, Dancing With The Stars, The Ellen Show, and Netflixâs Deadly Illusions. She is also the founder of her own music supervision company, Rat Dance Party, which specializes in Film, TV.
Jennifer's work has been featured on projects produced by Showtime, Paramount+, Netflix, Viacom, Shorts TV, Amazon, Pluto TV, NBC, Voltage Pictures, Indican Productions, Kiss & Tale Productions and many more. When she's not working, Jennifer is teaching as part of the music business faculty at the Los Angeles College Of Music or hanging out with her pet rats.Â
Jennifer is a board member of The Guild Of Music Supervisors and a member of the Television Academy, Women In Media, Women In Music, and the Recording Academy. Don't miss this episode to hear from a true industry expert!Â
 (Note: At the time of this interview, the WGA-SAG AFTRA strike was occurring. Since the airing of this episode, a deal has been reached.)Â
 Follow Jennifer on IG at: @rat_dance_partyÂ
On the web: https://www.ratdanceparty.com/Â
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0:00 IntroductionÂ
1:05 Background and workÂ
1:58 Breaking into the IndustryÂ
1:26 Working at KobaltÂ
3:46 American IdolÂ
4:13 Sonic StorytellersÂ
5:31 Understanding all angles of the music industryÂ
7:30 Forming Rat Dance Party Music SupervisionÂ
8:52 Mentorship Programs and Jenniferâs workÂ
10:05 Working & Teaching ArtistsÂ
11:30 WGA - Sag Aftra Strike + Music Supervisors forming a unionÂ
12:56 Protections during CovidÂ
13:50 Protections and Equity for Music SupervisionsÂ
17:08 Giving Folks the tools for ChangeÂ
17:27 Relationships with your Show runners & creating changeÂ
18:30 A livable wage in the Entertainment IndustryÂ
19:33 Working through the studios & Show runner to create changeÂ
25:34 Jenniferâs teaching curriculumÂ
26:19 Advise for new artistsÂ
27:18 Building your team in the music industryÂ
28:00 Unscripted TelevisionÂ
30:00 Protocol with working with Music SupervisorsÂ
36:00 Working with Mark CherryÂ
38:48 Working on Why Women KillÂ
39:41 Working on Behind the MusicÂ
41:56 Whatâs on repeat on Jenniferâs playlist?Â
43:30 Jenniferâs sweet spot for getting work done.Â
45:35 Etiquette for reaching out to Music SupervisorsÂ
48:37 Building authentic relationships with Music SupervisorsÂ
49:25 Bending Music to PictureÂ
đïž SyncRiffs is a weekly podcast where we discuss sync placements in multimedia (TV/Film/Advertising, etc.), the music industry, pop culture and everything in between including exclusive interviews with musical artists, composers, agents, and music supervisors where we riff about syncs and the state of the music industry.Â
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This content is for educational purposes. We encourage others to conduct proper research, and if needed, consult an attorney for any legal advice regarding music licensing. (c) (p) 2023Â
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