EP06: Calum Price (Big Sync Music) - The Power Of Music To Capture Consumers & Create Cultural Impact.

Welcome to Episode six of the Europe In Synch podcast.

This time we are talking with Calum Price, Music Supervisor with world-leading agency, Big Sync Music.

In this episode we unlock a few of the secrets behind the dynamic interplay of music and branding with the help of Calum's inside perspective.

We learn the about his own significant leap from being a music coordinator to a music supervisor, and the difference in levels of creation and responsibility in organising pitches and driving campaigns. His story underlines that lucky breaks are part and parcel of career-building and gives insight into how personal connections play a defining role in music discovery,

We dive into the strategic importance of using music to capture consumer attention, the value of involving music strategists early in the creative process, and how agencies like Big Sync leverage technological tools and data analytics to match the perfect tune to a brand's unique audience, ensuring campaigns resonate on a cultural level.

We recorded this conversation during Tallinn Music Week in Estonia on 03.04.2024.

We hope you enjoy the episode and thank you for listening!

Please note that there is a full transcription of this podcast is available for you to follow while listening to the audio.

Find out more about our guest:

• Big Sync Music: https://bigsyncmusic.com/
• TUI global campaign (requires a subscription): https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/pick-week-tui-lands-first-class-safety-film/1872002
• McDonald's Steakhouse Snack campaign: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/steakhouse-stack-spot-shows-the-kind-of-mcdonalds-you-cancel-plans-for
• Magnum - The Fraud - campaign: https://lbbonline.com/news/magnum-asks-ice-cream-fans-to-avoid-imitations-and-stick-to-the-original

If you have questions, ideas, requests, recommendations, or general feedback, feel free to contact us at feedback@europeinsynch.net.

Europe In Synch is created, managed, promoted, and driven by several European organizations and companies and is a truly cross-border collaboration.
The goals are to bring together professionals from the music sector with decision-makers from film & advertising to provide a real-life, hands-on, learning experience, and to promote European music in the complex field of synchronization, through communication, knowledge-building and networking via focused mentoring and peer training sessions.

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Intro/Outro music is an instrumental edit of "Gimme" by Daffodils.
They're on Soundcloud.

Europe In Synch is co-funded by the European Commission.

This podcast is a SuperSwell production.

Transcript

Speaker 2 0:23

Welcome back to the Europe in Sync podcast. We're with Callum Price and Callum, you're a music supervisor for Big Sync Music.

Speaker 3 0:31

Yeah, yeah, thank you very much for having me.

Speaker 2 0:33

Am I right in saying that you've just been promoted to a music supervisor?

Speaker 3 0:36

Yeah, yeah. So I think over the past few months I've officially got the title of music supervisor, but I've kind of been working in that capacity for for a while now so before that you were called music coordinator.

Speaker 2 0:47

Yeah, so what's the difference in now?

Speaker 3 0:49

for me there wasn't really like a massive difference. I was kind of doing that role for a while, I think, but I guess, like technically when I first started, there was definitely a difference, particularly in responsibility. But I think I'd probably say that a music coordinator is maybe more sort of assisting on projects rather than leading, so not necessarily handling commercial licenses or anything like that so not making final decisions on anything.

Speaker 3 1:14

Lots of researching, I guess yeah, definitely sort of more kind of research based and more assisting in terms of not making final decisions. It's more helping someone on a project rather than kind of leading your own. But yeah, there's always. I think with anything in this industry it's like every day is a learning day, right? You're always learning something new and always something to learn, I guess.

Speaker 2 1:36

Yeah, I guess it's a great period where you get a chance to work on improving your relationships and network.

Speaker 3 1:43

Yeah, totally, I like that's probably one of the most important parts of it.

Speaker 2 1:47

it's very much a kind of like relationship driven industry everybody says that everyone I've spoken to has made it like really underlying that point, that it's all about the, the relationships and the human connection, networking, yeah absolutely.

Speaker 3 2:01

I think it's kind of odd really, because when I was first looking to get into sync, I perceived it to be quite a big industry, and in some respects it is. I mean, the projects and the campaigns and work that you do is particularly for where I am at Big Sync. It's global campaigns and so in that respect it is, but in terms of like the actual industry and the people that work in it, it is quite small. Everyone kind of knows each other. So, yeah, it is quite a small industry in that respect.

Speaker 2 2:31

Yeah, so it's very important that you get to know everyone who are the decision-makers in that.

Speaker 3 2:33

Yeah, I think it's always good to you know, I think relationships are always sort of key in whatever you do. But it is very driven by that, you know, and that can be anything from chatting to rights holders about new unreleased music that they have that might be worth putting on an agency or a brand's radar, all the way to actually negotiating licenses. The deadlines can be can be crazy sometimes. You know it definitely helps if you come into whoever a composer or a rights holder or whatever and you know it always helps if you've got a good relationship with them.

Speaker 2 3:12

I think what do you do to actively work on that?

Speaker 3 3:15

going to conference events yeah, things like this definitely help, because for me, like, being out here definitely helps me to kind of widen my network, I guess, obviously they allow you to build and develop relationships as well. But yeah, so, going to conferences, going to events, going to gigs, and then really when the nitty-gritty day-to-day interactions, for me anyway would predominantly be either over email or on the phone or messaging on whatever platform, but it's always good to actually hang out in person because I think that's when you really get to know someone.

Speaker 2 3:48

I always find going to networking events useful for meeting people for the first time. You can develop relationships or just to meet someone you've known for ages, just to seal a deal or to push things to the next level where you get a bit more time and space to discuss things. Yeah, absolutely. We should point out we're talking at talent music. Yes, yeah, yeah, it's great to be your first time at the event, but it's a useful one as well absolutely to talk about music, sync and advertising.

Speaker 3 4:16

Yeah, it's been amazing so far, really happy to be here, yeah, loving it, it's great. So yeah, meeting a lot of companies.

Speaker 2 4:23

Like I say, it's great for me to sort of widen my network and what would your expectation be from coming to event in this part of the world? For example, do you have any or are you just checking out?

Speaker 3 4:33

well, I think, looking at the lineup and the panels and the conference itself definitely had like really high expectations. It's not a city that I've ever been to before, but you know, obviously I know about it and when I found out that I was coming here, I was looking at places to go and sort of learning a bit more about it and so, yeah, I was definitely super excited.

Speaker 2 4:53

Now are you actively looking for music from these new markets, yet yeah, particularly sort of artists that I'm not aware about.

Speaker 3 5:02

That's one of the things that's really good to be out here is to kind of, you know, learn artists that have not necessarily been on my radar before. That can definitely help. You know, obviously Big Sync's the global music partner to Unilever, so it's always good for us to know what's kind of popping in these areas. You know, and actually what is what is relevant.

Speaker 2 5:21

My understanding is that brands look for one of two things one is either a very established artist or two something brand new, unique and interesting yeah, and I guess, from these markets you're more likely to find something that's really, you know, really authentic, really interesting, but no one around the world's really heard it yeah, I think there's like a number of factors that go into what is right or relevant for a campaign or an ad.

Speaker 3 5:48

You're right, it tends to be really well-known, like massive tracks.

Speaker 3 5:53

So that could be a heritage track, something that is really embedded in the culture, or sort of lesser known artists.

Speaker 3 6:00

That can be something that's trending on TikTok or whatever, and I guess with that there is always I want to say a risk. But that's trending on tiktok or or whatever, and I guess with that there is always I want to say risk. But that's maybe not the right word in the sense that you can really leverage the spend with that track, because obviously if you are sort of investing in an artist that's up and coming and then they pop a month or however long after the campaign, you've kind of got that artist at the right point. But then I think with these things they're always kind of driven by budget. So you know, like I say, it can either be a big track and we're seeing that a lot at the moment, you know brands are wanting really big commercial tracks or it can be, you know, kind of lesser-known artists and they want to do something that's cool and up-and-coming and is perhaps relevant to certain audiences and is trending on certain platforms.

Speaker 2 6:50

It does seem to be, there's no kind of uniform approach. Then it depends on the brand, it depends on the territory.

Speaker 3 6:57

Yeah, so it's totally dependent on the project and I think a lot of the time, like I say, it's driven by budget. There are so many factors that that go into it, but I think it is. It is usually driven by budget. So you know, be that a you know a big commercial license or an original composition or a library track and obviously within the sort of commercial licensing you know that can be a massive tracker or a kind of lesser known artist, the final decision is probably usually driven by budget can we go back a little bit to talking about you and your entry into this?

Speaker 2 7:30

you know, is it something you always wanted to do you?

Speaker 3 7:32

yeah, a musician yourself, yeah yeah, bands all the time.

Speaker 2 7:37

And at what point did you know about what music sync? Was and it existed and you could actually get into it and make a living from it. Was there a moment?

Speaker 3 7:46

So I'm originally from Leicester, middle of India, yeah, exactly so the Midlands, yeah, big ups to Midlands. But so I'm from Leicester and when I went to school, really like the only thing that was kind of spoken about in the music industry was, you know, either an artist manager or A&R. There wasn't really anything else just don't really know about. But anyway, so I played in bands for years, went on tour and played at like Red and the Leeds and stuff like that, and I also made techno music and run a record label. But I knew that I wanted to work in music.

Speaker 3 8:21

So I moved down to London, did like an MA in audio production and I kind of already knew people in London. I knew that I'd be able to build on that network really. And so one of my best mates like works an advertising agency he basically was was working on a project and sort of told me about it, said like I think you'd be, I think you'd be great at this. He was working with like record labels and publishers and they were kind of pitching catalog and yeah, he just said, like I think you'd be great at this. This seems like something could like really get into. Just from there I kind of yeah kind of learned about it.

Speaker 2 8:53

You agreed with him.

Speaker 3 8:54

When you heard like the idea, you thought that's absolutely yeah, absolutely, because I mean it's something I'd never heard of before, right, I've always been a fan of music to picture or to you know, content or whatever, whatever capacity that is like music for film, tv and advertising. You know, I think like particularly when you're a kid, that is something that you can kind of quickly resonate with. You know those kind of like classic ads, that the track is often something that really like lifts it and really helps to sort of connect with the audience. So I was always aware of it. I guess you don't know that it's an industry until someone you know tells you about it, right?

Speaker 2 9:29

what skills did you think? Do you think you had to focus on and realize you had already and develop that would differentiate you from me being able to do that work? What? What do you? What did you have to do to kind of become professional at?

Speaker 3 9:45

it.

Speaker 3 9:45

I think when, when, obviously you kind of first getting into it, you have this.

Speaker 3 9:51

I mean for me anyway, I I knew that I could really use my knowledge of music and also my my knowledge of audio production and combine the two to be able to find the right track for an ad or for a campaign or whatever.

Speaker 3 10:07

And I could also work with composers and be that kind of middle role between, like, the agency or the creative, because I guess, like, a lot of what you're doing is probably like translating what the agency or the brand want to achieve to a composer or to a producer. And I also knew that I had the ability to be able to to sell that idea in. If I had a track in mind, I could edit that and put it to picture and actually present a kind of like a tangible thing that an agency or a creative or whatever could kind of buy. But yeah, I mean in terms of actually knowing what skills I guess you kind of learn that right, you learn that by figuring out what the industry is about. So I knew that, like I say, I knew I had a knowledge of music and also lean on my kind of audio production skills.

Speaker 2 10:58

Isn't it amazing when you realise you've got a skill you didn't know you had. Yeah, oh, you've found your thing that you're good at.

Speaker 3 11:04

Yeah, yeah, totally. I mean, it was like as soon as I learnt about this part of the industry, I knew that it was where I wanted to work.

Speaker 2 11:17

I imagine now that it must be difficult to watch any commercial on TV or any film. Or if you hear a song, you immediately think of what visuals would go to that song. Is that how you spend most of your time?

Speaker 3 11:26

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I'm definitely always looking out for what could be right for a brand or anything that I'm working on at that point. I've always looked at TV, film and ads. I've always been sort of focused on the sound, really, I guess, and the music behind that, particularly films. I'm always kind of paying attention to the sound, design and how that's used and obviously the score and the tracks that you use within that. But it does, yeah, you kind of look at things in a bit of a different way. That's used and obviously the you know, the score and the tracks that you use within that, but it does, yeah, you, you kind of look at it a bit of a different way, which is, yeah, a good and a bad thing, I guess it's interesting to talk to you because you've got a quite clear path you've taken to work your way up into where you've reached now a very impressive position.

Music Licensing for Brands and Agencies

Speaker 2 12:10

So hearing this step by step approach is is so really interesting to hear that you've made your way into one of the big companies in the world, big Sync. It calls itself a global music partner for brands, agencies, artists and rights owners yes, and claims to be the world's first full-service creative music licensing agency, which I'm not disputing sounds great for you to be in there but you know what can we talk about?

Speaker 3 12:38

regarding the company itself, it must be quite, maybe, high pressure yeah, I mean, you know, I think that that goes across the board in in the industry, right, it's, that's because of short deadlines and yeah, I mean, you know, advertising is definitely, it's definitely a unique way of working.

Speaker 3 12:56

I mean it's probably like lots of industries. But yeah, I think across the board there's obviously, you know, everyone kind of feels pressure at various kind of stages and I think the deadlines is kind of infamous for being quite a quick turnaround. But I guess one of the most important parts of the role really is is to try and heighten the value of music in the client, the brands of the agency's minds. Right, you know, because whilst obviously we can definitely still achieve great results working to these deadlines, we can really do some some, some really great work if we're kind of involved in the conversation at an earlier stage. The earlier that we can be involved, the more work that we can do to really kind of embed the track within either the script or the idea and the creative and really do something that shifts the culture a bit, I guess.

Speaker 2 13:50

Yeah, what did you say there? Increase the value of music in the client's mind.

Speaker 3 13:54

Yeah.

Speaker 2 13:55

That's an absolutely brilliant way to think about it and describe it, and I'm hearing this the more I talk to people. What you're saying is about making sure that the client, the brand or the agency see the same picture that you're trying to give them about the value of this and also what you've pointed out. There, too, should I say take it more seriously.

Speaker 3 14:16

And having the music element built in, yeah I think they have to now right because, like, audio and music now is such a big part of what people are consuming, be that on whatever platform tiktok, youtube, instagram, or just kind of consuming ads, you know, either online or TV or whatever. So audio and music are such a big part of what people are consuming now that music and sound clearly plays such a big part of a campaign or an ad. And I still think there is a lot of work to be done. There are obviously a lot of agencies and brands that are really invested in music. Every client wants that.

Speaker 3 14:56

You know everyone's kind of working to their own various different pressures and different deadlines. So I don't think it's, I don't think it's necessarily intentional, but I think that you know, the more work that we can do to be involved earlier on in those conversations, the better work that we can do. And, as I say, you know, it is such a big part of what people are consuming now that I think if a client maybe isn't so aware of that, then that's on us to really kind of show them the value of it. And I think, yeah, that is definitely part of our role and should be part of our role, you know because, like I say, everyone's working to their own various different pressures and if one person is working in whatever aspect a creative, a producer or a director obviously they're focused on doing their own thing and yes, they are. It's been in various different places, but we should really be making them aware of how important music can be to their campaign and Big Sync.

Speaker 2 15:50

it focuses on these issues, really, doesn't it? It's like office services aimed at brands and it offers services aimed at creatives. They've differentiated that, but what's the differences actually?

Speaker 3 16:02

I think BigSync's quite unique in that it can work direct with the brands and I think that was a big part of, I guess, the USP when the company was created is that it was direct to brand. It's the global partner to these brands and obviously unilever has, you know, 400 plus brands, so we're talking about things like google premier league yeah, so they're not unilever brands, but they are brands that we definitely work with, probably worth mentioning.

Speaker 3 16:27

so we're the global partner to unilever, but we also work with a lot of brands outside of that as well. So on the Unilever side, you have brands like Knorr, dove, magnum yes, right, got you okay. But then we also work with a lot of brands outside of that as well, so obviously, the ones that you mentioned. Yeah, I also work with agencies and brands. It's so much variety.

Speaker 2 16:50

Yeah, so is there a typical day's work for you then?

Speaker 3 16:56

Not really so much variety. Yeah, so what is there? A typical day's work for you, then? Not really. It's like I think that's something that the team will probably say is that you know every day is different. Right, you don't really know what's going to happen sort of day by day, but I guess obviously I'm always working on various different projects. Depending on the projects I'm working on, that will probably lead how my day goes, but it's predominantly working on advertising, be that commercial licensing, be that original composition or library music. We also do sonic branding as well. So, yeah, there's a variety of different things that we get to work across.

Speaker 2 17:27

Are you involved personally yourself in things like strategy, where you are able to explain to clients about their own?

Speaker 3 17:36

audience. So we we do a lot of work with the brands on creative strategy. We are also owned by a company called song trader who own band camp. This will own a company called massive music and I guess part of the the benefit of being part of that song trader family is the technology that we can lean on and use to help the brands find the right music for their audience. You know, be that creative strategy or be that just a sort of one-off commercial license for their projects, you know we can really help the brand and the agency and back up their decision with data. We can help them understand, like what is trending on tiktok, what is relevant to an audience in a certain territory, because obviously, particularly with massive commercial tracks that you know, it's a lot of money that the brand is ultimately invested in and I think that the more that we can help them be confident in their decisions, the better work that we can do, because we can help them hit the right audiences, create some really cool work.

Speaker 2 18:43

I'm hearing a lot about how important and how big change in the industry has been the introduction of data to pictures and especially looking for artists, let's say, that are really active on socials and especially TikTok. Yeah, so clearly that's the case across the board.

Speaker 3 19:03

Yeah, I think it's across the industry. I think, from an A&R perspective, it's obviously massively important for labels and publishers to be looking at what is trending on those platforms. You know, and from my experience, it can be quite data-driven. Now I don't know whether that's it a good or a bad thing from an A&R side, but from our side, the more that we can do to help the brand find the right track for their audience by using various tools and technology and data, the better work that we can do. Data is just such a big part of every industry now and I think that's a really exciting and really interesting time for Sync in particular, because you know, with the introduction of AI and things like that, we can really start to do some really interesting and cool work and really use these tools to find the right track or do the sort of the best long-term thinking with the brand you mentioned ai.

Speaker 2 20:03

That's a lot of people talking about it. Of course you you obviously picked out the positives there of ai being a really useful tool to help yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 3 20:11

I think. You know there's obviously a lot of people that are kind of scared about it and you know, I think like anyone would be lying if, then if they're not thinking that it's going to come in and replace some roles, but I think that just means that you have to be adaptable, right? Yes, it might replace certain aspects of your work, but it can also really enhance it as well, and I think it's about being adaptable and learning how to really use these tools. There's obviously things out there that you know sort of AI-generated tracks, and that is only going to become more embedded. But I think, using it to sort of back up decisions on whatever really you know commercial tracks or what is an audience listening to, you know what are they consuming on a sort of platform like TikTok and helping clients to to really understand that.

Speaker 2 21:03

I don't know if you're involved in this project personally, but certainly Big Sync is. I really like this. Is it called the re-record or remix thing? You did it with Magnum plastics yeah, so.

Speaker 3 21:15

So I didn't, I didn't work on that personally, but yeah, yeah, absolutely that's, and it's probably one of our biggest campaigns.

Speaker 2 21:22

Yes, can't let me know, can't get you out of my head with Magnum.

Speaker 3 21:26

Yeah, it's really cool.

Speaker 2 21:28

What's that all about? Enough to tell us.

Speaker 3 21:31

That was actually before I joined Big Sync, but I guess that goes to the bigger picture of what we're trying to do with brands is to help them be a real kind of part of the culture and obviously, you know, using artist partnerships and particularly with that dynamic of having someone that you know kyle him low obviously it's been part of the culture for for years, right, and with an artist like peggy goo who is doing a different thing and there's quite an interesting dynamic there, I think. But yeah, I mean, I guess on a wider thing, that's definitely what we're trying to do is help brands really become part of the culture by leaning on artist partnerships or creative strategy. That kind of goes back to my point about, you know, music and sound being so part of what people consume. Now you look at things like the John Lewis Christmas campaigns. Everyone at that time of year is expecting, you know John Lewis to kind of bring something out and it for it to be a real kind of talking point.

Speaker 3 22:37

I think it's more important than it's probably ever been for a brand to have that kind of sonic identity. When you watch their ad in some capacity, you kind of know it's them, because it's not necessarily a genre thing, it's more like a kind of an aesthetic. I guess you kind of know that it's that brand, in whatever way that kind of takes, whatever's the capacity, it's the ultimate goal of every brand. I guess you kind of know that it's that brand in in whatever way that that kind of that takes, whatever's the past, it it's the ultimate goal of every brand, I guess, isn't it to be kind of recognizable instantly?

Speaker 3 23:08

yeah and be part of the cultural and social fabric yeah, I mean there's obviously a massive history of the right track like elevating a campaign. Like you look at things, like you know the Levi's and Guinness ads, you know obviously they were doing something really cool and kind of kind of unexpected really but Levi's.

Speaker 2 23:27

I remember those I was a kid then and they were repurposing old hits from the 50s and 60s Marvin Gaye and things like this yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah exactly and they all became top 10 hits again as well.

Speaker 3 23:40

Yeah, exactly, I guess that goes back to what I was saying earlier about finding an artist at the right time. I mean, obviously, with the Levi's ads the tracks that they were using were already at that point probably sort of heritage records, right. But finding an artist at the right time can really help leverage a brand's campaign. If they invest in an artist or if they get there at the right time, you can really do something cool there, because you're kind of getting this organic kind of growth.

Speaker 2 24:10

That's what I liked about this case study that I mentioned, the one with Kylie, minogue and Magnum. It's showing brands that even art and music that's established and stamped in people's minds can be reimagined.

Speaker 3 24:25

Yeah, totally, and something new that is really a part of the culture at the moment. You know, you look at things on. You look at like a platform like TikTok, for example. A lot of that is kind of rehashing or remixing, blending and mixing these genres together, like taking something that is maybe like a sort of it's more like remaking than remixing. Yeah, like a more established and existing genre with something new and adding a kind of different twist, if it's done.

Speaker 2 24:58

Well, then it's a really great idea.

Speaker 3 25:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally, I mean I, I love that yes.

Speaker 2 25:03

Do you have any campaigns that you have been involved with already, even though you're you're relatively new in this position you're in? Do you have any campaigns that you're particularly proud of or that you can even tell us how they materialize?

Speaker 3 25:18

yes. So I mean, I guess probably probably the biggest one to date. I've just done a Dove campaign. It's a global campaign where we did a re-record of Queen's Don't Stop Me. Now, part of what we were trying to do there is to sort of reimagine this track and kind of make it relevant for now, you know, sort of modernize it, I guess. So we worked with an american band called hello sister. They were like part of american idol and it was. It was really kind of organic that you know.

Speaker 3 25:47

We were kind of, I guess, in the strategy stage and, you know, presenting ideas to the brand. They knew they wanted this track but they didn't really know in what, you know in what capacity that that took. And we basically presented them with this version. It's a YouTube version and they just fell in love with it instantly. And then, you know, we reached out to Hello Sisters team. Obviously, I think from their point of view, they were really excited to be involved. For up-and-coming artists and bands, if you're presented with a brand like Dove, that could probably be quite exciting and can do something quite cool there. And then we basically worked to develop a version of the track. So, yes, I mean I've worked on that.

Speaker 2 26:30

How did that work internally? How did you get that together before pitching it? Even do you work? Work as a team.

Speaker 3 26:36

You're pitching ideas, brainstorming yeah, I mean you kind of go through like the creative and like the ideas stage. You know, you, I guess that the particular example is a little bit different because they they already knew the track that they wanted. If maybe the agency or the brand doesn't have a track in mind, then it's kind of it's more about doing that kind of creative work of like looking at you know what tracks are going to work to this brief, what tracks are going to work within budget, and all those kind of various factors that lead to you know ultimately like the, the right track. Yeah, that's one of the biggest things I've worked on. I've also just recently done a project with 2e which has been great. I mean it's been like a really, really ambitious project. It's been amazing. I think the end, the end product is, is amazing.

Navigating the Music Industry for Success

Speaker 3 27:22

We've also done with mcdonald's as well and that was quite cool because we got to be involved quite early on in in the ideas sort of stage and that. That kind of goes back to my point of you know the more that the earlier we're involved in these conversations, the better work that we can do, the better work that we can do. I did a lot of work with the creatives and with the agency on basically finding the right track to the actual creative of the ad. So you were involved in finding new clients.

Speaker 2 27:50

Yeah, I mean totally.

Speaker 3 27:53

So we're always wanting to build and develop relationships. You know agencies and production companies. So, yeah, we do a lot of work on, you know, sort of, I guess, being on people's radars, but there's also that kind of organic kind of growth that we see, you know, just from you know working on putting out the projects that we do.

Speaker 2 28:14

So Big Sync is a company that will get approached with a lot of projects rather than you going hunting for them.

Speaker 3 28:19

I think it varies really, like yes, yes, we do get approached, and then also, you know, it's like reaching out to, to agencies and production companies and just finding out what they're working on and if we can help in any way. I think we would always want to work with people that that want to work with us right, and we want to make sure that people are aware of the tools and the platforms that we have to be able to help them find the right tracks and the right sound for their branding campaigns. I think a big part of it is making people aware of what we can actually do.

Speaker 2 28:53

What do you think the direction of travel is for the sync industry? It's obviously incredibly healthy. There are new things coming in, like AI. You know trends and developments, but where do you think it's heading? Do you have any feeling that it's kind of moving in a certain way and how it might look completely different in a few years from now?

Speaker 3 29:12

I think as I say, sound and music is such a big part of what people are consuming now that will only become more integral.

Speaker 3 29:21

I think, if you just look at the sort of day-to-day aspects, you could talk about things like targeted marketing, where you could potentially be on a tube and a piece of audio or content is kind of directed at you so you can kind of potentially target individuals with their own curated content. But in terms of like the wider direction of the industry, music is only going to become more, more integral. So I think part of what what we need to be doing is making sure that we're having those conversations with the clients on how we can help them be relevant and how we can help them use technology to do some really cool work. That, you know, moves culture forward. So, yeah, I think the direction is clear. Technology, ai and data is going to become an ever more increasingly part of what we do, but always, always creative. Always at the heart of it is the idea right and is always the creative and the right track or the right sound. Whatever technology and whatever changes happen, that will always remain the same right.

Speaker 2 30:30

You know, ultimately, the, the best track or the best idea will always reach the top that's very nice way to end it, but it's been great talking to you and hearing your personal journey. That's going to be motivating for people listening who are trying a similar path themselves. Are there any particular things that you think people should should really focus on if they want to be serious and be professional, getting into a business like music sync and music supervision?

Speaker 3 30:58

you've definitely got to be proactive. I always, I always knew like no one was ever going to like give me anything. Right, you have to make this happen for yourself. So you have to be proactive and you have to be persistent, because it's a competitive industry. It's one that a lot of people want to work in, so you just have to be persistent and you just have to know that as long as you are moving forward and you know being proactive in whatever capacity that is applying for roles, meeting people, doing all that work at some point it will happen.

Speaker 3 31:35

On a wider thing as well, I do want to say that there is no such thing as a as a dead end job, right? I got my first job in music a as a dead-end job. Right, I got my first job in music from doing a part-time job that I was doing at my MA, which was in something that was in no way related to music, and, because of certain experiences that I had there and certain skills, I got a job in an area of the music industry which wasn't NSYNC and from that was able to to get a job in in the area that you know I actually wanted to work in. An opportunity can come from anywhere you know. So it's persistence, being proactive and just taking any and every opportunity that you can excellent thanks, callum.

Speaker 2 32:14

Thank you, thanks for joining us. Enjoy the rest of your time in tallinn thank you very much.

Speaker 3 32:17

Thanks very much for having me. Thank you.