Screen SongHubs South Australia kicks off in style

Media Published Tuesday 2 August 2022

Back row L-R: Jasper Leak, Morgan Read, Dusty Lee, Wolfjay, David Turley; Middle row L-R: Amanda Brown, Bree Tranter, Ayda Akbal, François Tétaz, Nathaniel Morse, Luke Godson, Alison Thorsteinsen; Front row L-R: Jacob Aedam, Jemma Burns, Mario Späte. Photo by Tamara Hart, Folk House Photography

Composers collaborate to write music for film, TV and games across four days

Curator Jasper Leak is joined by François Tétaz, Amanda Brown, Mighty Kingdom's Morgan Read, Alison Thorsteinsen and more

Hosted by APRA AMCOS and the SA Government's Music Development Office, it is a sequel to the successful inaugural Screen SongHubs held in LA in 2019

Four days of composing music for the screen kicked off Sunday at Screen SongHubs South Australia. The writing and producing sessions are taking place 31 July-3 August at Palomino Sound Recorders in Myponga and hosted by APRA AMCOS, in partnership with the South Australian Government’s Music Development Office.

It's a one-of-a-kind opportunity for composers and songwriters to create music for screen and games projects via supporting partners South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), games studio Mighty Kingdom and IGEA (Interactive Games & Entertainment Association). Screen SongHubs SA is an Australian first and follow the success of the inaugural Screen Songhubs held in Los Angles in 2019.

All participants will collaborate under the direction of versatile songwriter, producer and music supervisor Jasper Leak. Leak's songwriting includes credits on Sia's chart-topping albums 1000 Forms of Fear and This Is Acting, music for Amazon's Transparent and Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and he received an Emmy nomination in 2019 for Outstanding Music Supervision on Netflix's acclaimed documentary Quincy.

“It’s been a real privilege to work with APRA AMCOS in curating the upcoming SongHubs event. Sifting through the submissions from LA, I was reminded again of how fertile the Australian music community is; filled with so many different voices, interesting perspectives, and, above all, talent. I feel fortunate to be a part of this community again having moved back to Australia this year and can’t wait to see what we can all dream up in Adelaide,” said Leak.

Leak's special guests are AACTA and APRA Screen Music Award winning composer for Judy & Punch and Grammy-winning producer François Tétaz; acclaimed composer Amanda Brown (The Secrets She Keeps, Babyteeth - 2020 AACTA Award for Best Music Score); composer, sound designer and musician Morgan Read of Mighty Kingdom (Peter Rabbit Run!, Wild Life, Shopkins) and Music Supervisor special guest Jemma Burns, whose credits include the films Lion, Judy & Punch, True History of the Kelly Gang and TV series Top of the Lake, Mystery Road, Eden and many more.

A diverse group of South Australian music creators were selected to participate at Screen SongHubs SA: indie-pop artist Wolfjay; songwriter, producer and Elysian Field's inhouse composer Nathaniel Morse; songwriter and performer Alison Thorsteinsen; band leader, producer and composer Dusty Lee; producer and composer David Turley (Lovers Electric); mulit-instrumentalist and solo artist Bree Tranter; composer/producer/songwriter/mixing engineer Mario Späte; Adelaide's Luke Godson, who performs as the 'synth lord' Luke Million.

They will be joined by Melbourne composer Ayda Akbal and composer and instrumental beatmaker Jacob Aedam.

South Australian Minister for the Arts, Andrea Michaels, said the Screen SongHubs initiative is an important way to foster collaboration amongst songwriters and screen practitioners within the creative sector in South Australia.

"We are thrilled to be hosting Australia's first Screen SongHubs in South Australia. It is a fantastic way for South Australian musicians to collaborate with and create music for the screen and games sectors," Michaels said.

"As musicians continue to get back on their feet following the COVID-19 pandemic, these sorts of partnerships will help music creators diversify their revenue streams and rebuild professional opportunities."

The first SongHubs dedicated to music for the screen took place in Los Angeles in 2019, curated by screen composer Ashley Irwin, with music written, recorded and produced for feature film Snake River and actor/filmmaker Charmaine Bingwa's short in the shadows.

Since SongHubs launched in 2013, across 80 events worldwide, over $4m in performance royalties for the initiative's collaborators has been earned. SongHubs has produced commercial releases for the likes of Briggs, Troye Sivan, Tayla Parx, Morgan Evans, Peking Duk, Tkay Maidza, Ainslie Wills, The Chainsmokers, Guy Sebastian, Ecca Vandal, Chaii and many more.

Presented by APRA AMCOS, in partnership with the Music Development Office, and supported by the South Australian Film Corporation, Mighty Kingdom, IGEA and Palomino Sound Recorders.