Break Away to Hollywood is a day of workshops and discussions featuring IU alumni who have become successful in various careers in the Los Angeles music industry.
The Jacobs School of Music’s Project Jumpstart is playing host to the event and involves the collaboration of the composition, jazz and recording arts departments.
It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The schedule is listed on the Jacobs School website.
Daniel Morris, director of major gifts at the music school, said the day will be a symposium involving three individual sessions, a lunch and a panel discussion.
The first speaker is Andrew Hey, a recording engineer and IU graduate who has produced, recorded and written for many R&B hit songs and artists such as Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson.
“He’ll talk about the mechanisms of what it’s like to get a job in the recording industry and what it takes to get to places that you want to go,” Morris said.
The next guest is IU alumnus Richard Marvin, who is a TV and film composer. He currently writes an original score for the TV show “Grimm.”
Morris said Marvin will explain what his job entails and what it’s like in the industry of composing and scoring for media.
David Dzubay, the chair of the composition department, is one of the IU faculty members involved with the event.
He said Marvin’s workshop will be interesting for student composers and other musicians who work with media.
The event is meant to illustrate the number of career paths musicians can take, including careers involving the intersection of media and music, Dzubay said.
Another guest is Miriam Clarke, a studio musician who has performed music for films and television since she graduated from IU in 1981.
Morris said she will speak about her long career as a studio musician, including the pitfalls and tips for forging a career in the Los Angeles music industry.
After the three sessions, there will be a panel discussion featuring the three guests, along with a video conference with music supervisor Oliver Hild.
Music supervisors are gatekeepers of music for projects such as TV shows, Morris said. They are responsible for the music in the program.
Morris said they also play an important role in the industry because of their effect on obscure musicians.
“Music supervisors kind of hold the keys to getting your music into Hollywood,” Morris said.
The event is free and open to students outside of the music school.
To attend, students must sign up on the online Jacobs School’s Career Portal.
Break Away to Hollywood is taking a different approach than previous Project Jumpstart events, Morris said, because it focuses more on a specific location.
Morris said an event that focuses on careers and locations might have a greater effect on a larger amount of students than a talent-based approach.
“Our goal is to have the biggest impact on the students, and we want to prepare our students the best way we can,” Morris said.
