Variety Announces Programming for Music for Screens Week Featuring Mary J. Blige, Marcus Mumford, Steve McQueen and Ryan Tedder

Ellise Shafer
·3 min read
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Variety is pleased to announce that Mary J. Blige and Marcus Mumford will be keynote speakers at its Music for Screens Week, airing Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

Expanded for the first time over four days in this all-digital installment, Variety’s Music for Screens Summit 2020 will celebrate excellence in musical artistry and storytelling for film, TV, digital media, brands and more.

Blige will speak about her original song “See What You’ve Done” for the documentary “Belly of the Beast,” which looks at women who have been abused in the criminal justice system. Mumford, of the band Mumford and Sons, will speak to his experiences scoring his first TV series, Apple TV Plus’ “Ted Lasso,” a comedy about an American football coach hired to lead an English football club.

Music for Screens Week will also feature a State of Scoring composers panel presented by ASCAP, including Amanda Jones (“A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Love in the Time of Corona”); Germaine Franco (“Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” “Little,” “Tag”); Amelia Warner (“Wild Mountain Thyme,” “Mary Shelley”); Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker” and “Chernobyl”); and Pinar Toprak (“Captain Marvel,” “Stargirl”).

A panel about the Amazon Studios TV project “Small Axe,” a mini-series set between 1969 and 1982 and based on true stories from London’s West Indian community, will feature Steve McQueen, producer, director and writer; Ed Bailie, music supervisor; Dennis Bovell, musician; and Mica Levi, composer.

There will also be a panel discussion about how TV’s music bookers are adapting during the pandemic. Speakers include Diana Miller, producer, “The Late Late Show with James Corden;” Jeremiah Silva, talent and music executive, “Late Night with Seth Meyers;” Monica Escobedo, coordinating entertainment producer, “Good Morning America”/ABC News; Julie Gurovitsch, music booker, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon;” and Deborah Byrd, talent relations, BET Music Programming

The session Orchestrated Cinema with Amazon Studios will include the following composers from the studio’s current film lineup: Terence Blanchard, “One Night in Miami;” Aska Matsumiya, “I’m Your Woman;” Abraham Marder and Nicolas Becker, “Sound of Metal” and Evgueni Galperine, “Radioactive.”

The conversation Pivot with Purpose: The Sprite “Put You On” Model in Action will feature Aaliyah Shafiq, brand group director, Sprite; Cam Kirk, celebrity photographer; and Hundo, Sprite Way artist.

A panel with film and TV music supervisors talking about their craft during the pandemic features Robin Urdang, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” We Are Who We Are;” Jen Malone, “Atlanta,” “Euphoria,” “The Umbrella Academy;” Amanda Krieg Thomas, “Pose,” “The Prom;” Vice President, Guild of Music Supervisors Madonna Wade-Reed, “All American,” “Batwoman;” and President of the Guild of Music Supervisors Joel C. High, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” “The Oval.”

Music video visionary Dave Meyers, who has collaborated with Ariana Grande (“Positions”) Taylor Swift (“ME!”), Billie Eilish (“Bad Guy”), Kendrick Lamar (“Humble”), among others, will also be interviewed.

Additionally, OneRepublic Lead Vocalist, Songwriter and Producer Ryan Tedder will be featured in the discussion Sonic Storytelling for Brands, also including John Campanelli, VP creative marketing and advertising, Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Rachel Rauch, director, advertisements and brand partnerships, Elektra Music Group; Deb Oh, executive producer, Squeak E. Clean Studios; and Maria Alonte, SVP, creative integration, music, eOne.

Amazon Studios is a premier partner of the event, Sprite is an official partner, and ASCAP is a supporting partner with music powered by Audio Network Limited.

To register for the event, click here.

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