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We caught up with one of our jurors, Danielle, Senior Producer at The Elements Music, to dive into her career – from her roots in a music-industry family to her role leading major global projects.
In our chat, Danielle shares how she balances technical expertise with the vital ‘human touch’ in an automated era, and why finding joy in the process is the secret to keeping a production on the tracks.
From managing the logistical puzzle of the T20 Cricket World Cup anthem to what she’s looking for on this year’s judging panel, her insights are a must-read!
MASA: What first drew you into the world of music and audio, and how did that path lead you to producing at The Elements Music?
DANIELLE: Coming from a music-forward family and growing up among the industry played a big part in my career and life path in general. Both parents worked in the music business, with my dad eventually pivoting into engineering, so getting a degree in Audio Engineering and Production felt familiar and gave me an extra layer of technical competence that’s been useful as a woman in music.
I’ve tried a bit of everything along the way from DJing, managing artists, putting on shows and I love that I’m able to apply so much from my past experiences to my role at The Elements.
MASA: As a senior producer, what does your role typically involve across the life of a project, from first brief to final delivery?
DANIELLE: I’m the point of contact between the agency and our creatives, but my role takes a new shape with each project. It’s ultimately my job to keep the train on the tracks through timeline and creative shifts.
One of the many reasons I love The Elements is because we’re an ‘all-hands’ team, so I also get to be involved in creative by sourcing talent for projects big and small and working on our music supervision team.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that felt special or challenging, and what made it stand out for you?
DANIELLE: A project we worked on last year was particularly special AND challenging. The ask: create an original anthem with multiple globally recognized artists for the T20 Cricket World Cup… Everyone from the agency, client, talent and even our team were scattered across time zones, making communication and staying on schedule that much more of a challenge. That said, the effort that everyone involved went through to get this project out in the world is what made it so incredibly special. View HERE
MASA: How do you balance the creative ambitions of a piece with the practical realities of timelines, budgets and ever-changing client feedback?
DANIELLE: It’s tough! I try to remember that our job is to make sure our clients get what they want out of the music for their campaign. Sometimes it’s a unique and exciting music concept, and sometimes it’s just a track that works well with the creative, is within budget, and delivered in time for the mix. You learn to roll with it and even start to get creative with how you can bring the best to a project that may not be asking for it!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing music and sound for advertising and branded content, and where do you think meaningful improvements are needed?
DANIELLE: One of the challenges our industry is facing in this new era of technology is around maintaining a ‘human touch’ in both process and product (music).
It’s understandable to look to automation as a way to scale up productivity, but with so much of music and sound tied to the human experience, I think it’s important to hold off in some areas. You get so much from talking through a concept/brief live with a client, or working through feedback on a call with a real composer and it certainly shows in the final deliverable. I think a meaningful improvement could be as easy as keeping that in mind along the way and coming back to it when making process decisions.
MASA: What has been a key lesson in your career so far that most shaped the way you think about producing music and sound for picture?
DANIELLE: With each project, I try to find something to love about the work we do – whether it be the actual brief, bringing on new composers to write, getting close to an agency / client team or even closing a deal with a friend. Once we wrap a project we’re quickly on to the next, so it’s important to enjoy the process as much as you enjoy how it turns out.
MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?
DANIELLE: I’ll be looking for music that grabs my attention, serves a purpose within the spot and most of all makes me feel something. I think having an impact makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award.
MASA: Huge thanks, Danielle, for sharing such a grounded and insightful look into the producer’s world! It’s clear that your blend of technical expertise and ‘human-touch’ philosophy is exactly what helps keep the creative train on the tracks at The Elements Music. We can’t wait to see which high-impact projects grab your attention on the judging panel this year!
MASA: What first drew you into the world of music and audio, and how did that path lead you to producing at The Elements Music?
DANIELLE: Coming from a music-forward family and growing up among the industry played a big part in my career and life path in general. Both parents worked in the music business, with my dad eventually pivoting into engineering, so getting a degree in Audio Engineering and Production felt familiar and gave me an extra layer of technical competence that’s been useful as a woman in music.
I’ve tried a bit of everything along the way from DJing, managing artists, putting on shows and I love that I’m able to apply so much from my past experiences to my role at The Elements.
MASA: As a senior producer, what does your role typically involve across the life of a project, from first brief to final delivery?
DANIELLE: I’m the point of contact between the agency and our creatives, but my role takes a new shape with each project. It’s ultimately my job to keep the train on the tracks through timeline and creative shifts.
One of the many reasons I love The Elements is because we’re an ‘all-hands’ team, so I also get to be involved in creative by sourcing talent for projects big and small and working on our music supervision team.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that felt special or challenging, and what made it stand out for you?
DANIELLE: A project we worked on last year was particularly special AND challenging. The ask: create an original anthem with multiple globally recognized artists for the T20 Cricket World Cup… Everyone from the agency, client, talent and even our team were scattered across time zones, making communication and staying on schedule that much more of a challenge. That said, the effort that everyone involved went through to get this project out in the world is what made it so incredibly special. View HERE
MASA: How do you balance the creative ambitions of a piece with the practical realities of timelines, budgets and ever-changing client feedback?
DANIELLE: It’s tough! I try to remember that our job is to make sure our clients get what they want out of the music for their campaign. Sometimes it’s a unique and exciting music concept, and sometimes it’s just a track that works well with the creative, is within budget, and delivered in time for the mix. You learn to roll with it and even start to get creative with how you can bring the best to a project that may not be asking for it!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing music and sound for advertising and branded content, and where do you think meaningful improvements are needed?
DANIELLE: One of the challenges our industry is facing in this new era of technology is around maintaining a ‘human touch’ in both process and product (music).
It’s understandable to look to automation as a way to scale up productivity, but with so much of music and sound tied to the human experience, I think it’s important to hold off in some areas. You get so much from talking through a concept/brief live with a client, or working through feedback on a call with a real composer and it certainly shows in the final deliverable. I think a meaningful improvement could be as easy as keeping that in mind along the way and coming back to it when making process decisions.
MASA: What has been a key lesson in your career so far that most shaped the way you think about producing music and sound for picture?
DANIELLE: With each project, I try to find something to love about the work we do – whether it be the actual brief, bringing on new composers to write, getting close to an agency / client team or even closing a deal with a friend. Once we wrap a project we’re quickly on to the next, so it’s important to enjoy the process as much as you enjoy how it turns out.
MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?
DANIELLE: I’ll be looking for music that grabs my attention, serves a purpose within the spot and most of all makes me feel something. I think having an impact makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award.
MASA: Huge thanks, Danielle, for sharing such a grounded and insightful look into the producer’s world! It’s clear that your blend of technical expertise and ‘human-touch’ philosophy is exactly what helps keep the creative train on the tracks at The Elements Music. We can’t wait to see which high-impact projects grab your attention on the judging panel this year!
MASA: What first drew you into the world of music and audio, and how did that path lead you to producing at The Elements Music?
DANIELLE: Coming from a music-forward family and growing up among the industry played a big part in my career and life path in general. Both parents worked in the music business, with my dad eventually pivoting into engineering, so getting a degree in Audio Engineering and Production felt familiar and gave me an extra layer of technical competence that’s been useful as a woman in music.
I’ve tried a bit of everything along the way from DJing, managing artists, putting on shows and I love that I’m able to apply so much from my past experiences to my role at The Elements.
MASA: As a senior producer, what does your role typically involve across the life of a project, from first brief to final delivery?
DANIELLE: I’m the point of contact between the agency and our creatives, but my role takes a new shape with each project. It’s ultimately my job to keep the train on the tracks through timeline and creative shifts.
One of the many reasons I love The Elements is because we’re an ‘all-hands’ team, so I also get to be involved in creative by sourcing talent for projects big and small and working on our music supervision team.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that felt special or challenging, and what made it stand out for you?
DANIELLE: A project we worked on last year was particularly special AND challenging. The ask: create an original anthem with multiple globally recognized artists for the T20 Cricket World Cup… Everyone from the agency, client, talent and even our team were scattered across time zones, making communication and staying on schedule that much more of a challenge. That said, the effort that everyone involved went through to get this project out in the world is what made it so incredibly special. View HERE
MASA: How do you balance the creative ambitions of a piece with the practical realities of timelines, budgets and ever-changing client feedback?
DANIELLE: It’s tough! I try to remember that our job is to make sure our clients get what they want out of the music for their campaign. Sometimes it’s a unique and exciting music concept, and sometimes it’s just a track that works well with the creative, is within budget, and delivered in time for the mix. You learn to roll with it and even start to get creative with how you can bring the best to a project that may not be asking for it!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing music and sound for advertising and branded content, and where do you think meaningful improvements are needed?
DANIELLE: One of the challenges our industry is facing in this new era of technology is around maintaining a ‘human touch’ in both process and product (music).
It’s understandable to look to automation as a way to scale up productivity, but with so much of music and sound tied to the human experience, I think it’s important to hold off in some areas. You get so much from talking through a concept/brief live with a client, or working through feedback on a call with a real composer and it certainly shows in the final deliverable. I think a meaningful improvement could be as easy as keeping that in mind along the way and coming back to it when making process decisions.
MASA: What has been a key lesson in your career so far that most shaped the way you think about producing music and sound for picture?
DANIELLE: With each project, I try to find something to love about the work we do – whether it be the actual brief, bringing on new composers to write, getting close to an agency / client team or even closing a deal with a friend. Once we wrap a project we’re quickly on to the next, so it’s important to enjoy the process as much as you enjoy how it turns out.
MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?
DANIELLE: I’ll be looking for music that grabs my attention, serves a purpose within the spot and most of all makes me feel something. I think having an impact makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award.
MASA: Huge thanks, Danielle, for sharing such a grounded and insightful look into the producer’s world! It’s clear that your blend of technical expertise and ‘human-touch’ philosophy is exactly what helps keep the creative train on the tracks at The Elements Music. We can’t wait to see which high-impact projects grab your attention on the judging panel this year!