C H R Y S L E R   P A C I F I C A   / /   T H E   L O D G E   ( 3 0   s e c )

The one that got away, kind of. An old friend once gave my details to well-connected New York-based production facility, The Lodge. The music business sometimes scores short but coveted projects like this one – a major USA TV spot – by sending out the finished cut to a select group of professional music producers. Each then pitch for it by composing a complete soundtrack. Of these, a small handful of the strongest contenders are selected to present to the client, who then chooses one.

I was elated to pitch, but given the level of competition, I was not expecting much. It was surprising then a short time later, to receive feedback with suggestions for improved sync. These were written in a terse, professional manner that was unusually specific and definitive: "Repeat bar one at bar four, and take the first half of bar two and move it halfway through bar seven", etc. On prior productions, I was used to significantly more vague direction that required effort to interpret what was actually wanted musically, such as: "Could you make it a bit more like... a new car?". Instead, given these direct edits as feedback, I just had to sit back and watch the latest revision emerge by itself.

I uploaded the new version. A few days later an email arrives listing the tracks chosen for client presentation. About thirty professional pitches reduced to five, but... one was mine!

Of an elite group of world-class music producers, I was in the top five? While my pitch didn't make it further on this production, reaching that milestone gave me an enduring confidence boost.