Howard Paar is a British Grammy Award nominee [1] music supervisor who has worked on over sixty films and television series, most notably Monster , Dogtown and Z-Boys (documentary film), Bully , and The L Word (television). [2] [3]
Paar first worked in Los Angeles as a club creator/DJ/promoter [4] with such legendary artists as The Specials, The Clash, The English Beat, The Go-Go’s, The Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, The Bangles, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Lydia Lunch. Known for developing emergent new music scenes particularly ska and the Paisley Underground his club, The ON Klub, [5] in collaboration with Sugarhill Records, was also the first locale to play a rap show in Los Angeles. He subsequently became an independent publicist representing clients including MTV, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, N.W.A, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Michelle Shocked while also booking a TV show that featured Russell Simmons and Run-DMC.
He went on to become Vice President, Media & Artist Relations at Polygram Records [4] working with a diverse range of artists including INXS, Def Leppard, Chuck D, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Vanessa Williams, Joan Osborne, James, The Robert Cray Band featuring the Memphis Horns and X before transitioning to the role of Vice President, Soundtracks at the same company. In this role, Paar worked on many soundtracks including The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski and Gregg Araki’s Nowhere , [6] as well as placing numerous songs in films and creating opportunities for Polygram artists to write themes for TV shows including King of the Hill and Ellen .
Paar next joined Richard Branson’s V2 Records as Head of Film & TV [7] where he worked closely with artists such as Moby until 1999 when he became an independent music supervisor. He continued to work with Moby whose album Play , became the first in history to have media placement for all tracks. In 2001, Paar was nominated for a Grammy Award for the soundtrack for the documentary Dogtown & Z Boys .
Paar continues to music supervise a wide range of critically acclaimed independent films including Monster , Bully , and Mysterious Skin as well as TV shows such as The L Word . [8] His work with a diverse range of film makers including Larry Clark, Quentin Tarantino, and Mark Waters have helped to earn Paar a reputation for independent vision and authenticity to character, time, and place.
A member of the Board for The Guild Of Music Supervisors, Paar values opportunities to elevate music and visual media. [9]
His first novel, "Once Upon A Time In LA", was a noir thriller about the music business, and was published in 2015. [10] [11]
Dogtown and Z-Boys is a 2001 American documentary film produced by Agi Orsi and directed by Stacy Peralta. The documentary explores the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s and the evolving sport of skateboarding. Using a mix of film of the Zephyr skateboard team (Z-Boys) shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk, along with contemporary interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding culture.
Shaun Paul Cassidy is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including American Gothic, Roar and Invasion. Cassidy was also an executive producer and writer for NBC's medical drama New Amsterdam.
Ronald Fair is an American record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. A traditional record producer since 1970, Fair has been credited with orchestral production work on several commercially successful pop and R&B songs.
Robert Kraft is an American songwriter, film composer, recording artist and record producer. As president of Fox Music from 1994 to 2012, he supervised the music for more than 300 Fox feature films, as well as dozens of TV shows. He co-produced the 2016 Score: A Film Music Documentary about film composers and the evolution of Hollywood film music.
Kevin Weaver is an American music industry executive and Grammy Award-winning music producer. He currently serves as the President of Atlantic Records, West Coast, in which he provides executive-level leadership and oversees West Coast artist development projects while pushing to expand the scope of the bi-coastal company's content business. In addition, he is responsible for the placement of Atlantic Records' music within films, televisions, and video games, as well as providing oversight on the creation, A&R, marketing, promotion, and distribution for all of the company's soundtrack projects. Weaver also operates a successful publishing co-venture between Atlantic Records Group and Warner/Chappell Music. In 2019, Weaver was included in Atlantic's group entry at #9 on Billboard Magazine's "Power 100 List", and in 2020 and 2022, he was among those included in Billboard Magazine's re-branded "Power List" of the top executives in the music industry, alongside Atlantic Records co-chairs Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald, and Atlantic's President of Black Music, Mike Kyser.
Bad Boys II: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Michael Bay's 2003 action-comedy film Bad Boys II. It was released on July 15, 2003 through Bad Boy Records and Universal Records. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 324,000 units in the first week, becoming one of few soundtracks to reach the position. On August 21, 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album platinum with over one million units shipped.
Neil R. Portnow is an American music industry executive who served as the chairman and CEO of The Recording Academy and MusiCares from 2002 to 2019. Prior to that, Portnow was the vice-president of the West Coast division of Jive Records and Arista Records.
Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film is the soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, released on 8 May 2001 by Interscope Records. The album features most of the songs featured in the film. However, some of the songs are alternate versions and there are two or three major songs that are left off. The original film versions and extra songs were featured on the second soundtrack.
Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1983 film Flashdance, which tells the story of Alex Owens, a welder and exotic dancer who dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. The nightclub performances by Alex and her co-workers and other set pieces involving training and auditioning provided opportunities to present the songs that would make up the soundtrack album. The film's music supervisor, Phil Ramone, made selections that he felt were the best fit for their respective scenes, and composer Giorgio Moroder contributed additional tracks in the process of scoring the film. One of his contributions, "Flashdance...What a Feeling" by Irene Cara, was released as a single in March 1983, weeks before the film's April 15 release, and eventually spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The soundtrack was released on April 11, 1983 by Casablanca Records.
Alexandra Patsavas is a Grammy and Emmy nominated American music supervisor, producer, & executive who has worked on over 100 films and television series, most notably The Twilight Saga, The O.C., Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Bridgerton, and CODA.
"Let the River Run" is a song written, composed, and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, and the theme to the 1988 Mike Nichols film Working Girl.
American rock band Aerosmith has released nine video albums and thirty-six music videos. The band and its music have also appeared in numerous films and soundtracks, and have inspired three video games.
Gary Michael Goetzman is an American film and television producer and actor, and co-founder of the production company Playtone with actor Tom Hanks.
Mark S. Berry is an American music and film producer, and the chairman of AMG. He has worked with Grammy and Juno nominated artists such as Carly Simon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Boy George, Yes, Joan Jett, Cameo, Voivod and Kool & The Gang.
Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III is an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. Burnett has won several Grammy Awards for his work on film soundtracks, namely O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Cold Mountain (2004), Walk the Line (2005), and Crazy Heart (2010). He won another Grammy for producing the album Raising Sand (2007), in which he united the contemporary bluegrass of Alison Krauss with the blues rock of Led Zeppelin lead vocalist Robert Plant.
Robert Alan Fraboni is an American, California-born record producer and audio engineer, well known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Tim Hardin, The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, and Bonnie Raitt, and as Vice President at Island Records where he oversaw the remastering of the entire Bob Marley catalog. He produced the soundtrack on Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking concert movie, The Last Waltz, which included an all-star cast of famous rock and roll performers. He built and designed the legendary Shangri-La studios in Malibu to the specification of Bob Dylan and The Band. Referred to as a "genius" by Keith Richards in his bestselling autobiography Life.
Jeff Pollack is an American music executive and film/TV producer. He is currently the head of Pollack Music & Media Group.
Fred Mollin is an American and Canadian record producer, musician, film and TV composer, music director, music supervisor, and songwriter. He has produced records for Jimmy Webb, Johnny Mathis, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lamont Dozier and America, and has composed music for Beverly Hills, 90210, Friday the 13th, Forever Knight, Hard Copy, and many more. Mollin rose to prominence early in his career by co-producing Dan Hill's international hit record, "Sometimes When We Touch", in 1977.
Spencer Proffer is an American media and record producer. He is the CEO of Meteor 17, a convergence media production company based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Proffer produced the first heavy metal record, Quiet Riot's Metal Health, to reach the top of the pop charts, selling six million albums. His Children of the Sun collaboration with Billy Thorpe spawned an animated laser choreography of an album in planetariums across North America. Proffer has produced and arranged over 200 albums, many of which have achieved gold and platinum-selling status, produced or executive-produced 17 films as well as supervised and produced music for 135 films and television.
Jay Landers is an American record producer, songwriter, A&R executive, music publisher and writer of liner notes best known for his work with Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and Hilary Duff.