Jess Lanzillo

Friday message to whomever needs to hear it: Change is hard…but also full of opportunity. Gotta keep going! 👊🏻 To my hard working and talented TV/film/entertainment colleagues severely impacted, I can also relate. The shared article focuses way too much on high level execs and only in LA (which has definitely been hit tragically hard) but so many more geogrqphically spread out and scrappy below the line editors, producers, videographers, sound designers, creative directors, project managers, marketers, coordinators, PAs, etc. are also REALLY struggling. Reach out if you want to schedule a chat and share strategies and/or fears. It’s OK to be scared. It’s OK to talk about it. Remember: It’s…not…your…fault. Also remember: Opportunities await. To colleagues that have offered an ear, time, empathy, resources…you know who you are and it’s so greatly appreciated. I’m paying it forward every day. We have so much passion for storytelling, and we have so many transferrable skills to offer exciting new sectors. Some colleagues have already made that transition into exciting new leadership roles! 👏🏻 As someone that has made it very far in the hiring process multiple times in the last year in “other” industries, I promise, it’s equally exciting. Yes, some hiring managers and recruiters ghost over and over again, but also give those recruiters and hiring managers some grace: they’re overwhelmed with so many postings and qualified candidates and not enough bandwidth to keep up. We ourselves can’t always followup on every lead. Just applying for one role takes hours of prep and targeted strategy and research just in the hopes of making it to a recruiter screening. The search continues, so to those in the same boat, we need to hold our head high despite many facing the very real potential of losing their livlihood, homes, apartments, and overall security for their families. 💔 https://lnkd.in/eA6Qf8fp Let’s continue to support each other, educate our extended families and loved ones and always remember that we are some of the most resilient, organized, technical, innovative, customer focused, product focused, adaptable, project leading, entrepreneurial, business minded, passionate, creative and collaborative leaders out there. 👊🏻 That next opportunity is around the corner! We’re also really good educators that have made a career out of not only researching and learning subjects we didn’t previously know, but also finding entertaining ways to present that material to a targeted and diverse audience: while always looking to incorporate feedback from those audiences to find new and improved ways to connect with them. You will adapt. You will survive. You will thrive again. ***You are also more than your job*** Do your best to stay optimistic and try to remember to breathe. If you need to talk it out and vent, please reach out. I’ll ALWAYS make time. ❤️

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Check out this article I wrote discussing incentive programs you should consider for your next project

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To all Sound Designers and Post Production Specialists: Have you recently encountered job postings using terms like "Competitive pay" and "working on high quality content"? If so, beware of offers that promise competitive pay but fall short. Remember, ₹2-3 thousand for every hour of deliverable is not competitive. It’s peanuts. Stand up for the value of your work and SAY NO to undervaluing your skills. To all the Agencies searching for Sound Designers: If you seek "Hollywood-like Audio quality," be ready to invest in it. Keep in mind that Netflix doesn't pay ₹6-9 thousand for audio post-production on a 3-hour movie. Quality work deserves fair compensation. #SoundDesign #PostProductionSpecialists #FairPay

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*More than half of Netflix's content budget is now allocated to original and acquired content sourced outside of North America. *With 70% of Netflix subscribers located outside North America, producing and licensing local content remains crucial for fostering organic subscriber growth and minimising churn. *Europe’s big five markets, particularly the UK and Spain, attract substantial investment. Beyond Europe, South Korea, Japan and China emerge as top international markets for Netflix's content spending. *Netflix’s own audience data indicating that non-English titles contribute to ~30% of viewing. *International content spending represents a risky but rewarding proposition. Netflix's international production capabilities are a key differentiator in the streaming market. *This advantage is not without its challenges, however, with international consumers expecting a steady supply of freshly curated, localised content. #content #tv #streaming #international #vod #svod https://lnkd.in/ejuHfVM3

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Kartoon Studios (TOON) is taking a bold step forward in the adopting of AI into their workstreams and have the perfect spokeperson: Inspector Gadget! Generally, I think this is a very smart move with the best partner in town for AI (NVidia). But, there are a few sentences that might make you furrow your brow. My thoughts following the article quotes within the [ ] marks. "...Gadget A.I. also revolutionizes the dubbing process, traditionally a laborious and costly endeavor" [meaning Kartoon Studios animation will be dubbed by AI without the usage of real actors?] "(Gadget AI will)...also include a spectrum of other production services, including character design, scriptwriting, music, animation.." [Meaning scripts and art and music will originate from AI software pulling from a certified data set. But at the same time, this means no human will write or design episodes and more importantly, no creative individual will have royalty-generating income from work created?] Lots to unpack! I suggest reading very carefully into the curated marketing vernacular from both companies. They're walking a delicate tightrope on a hot-button topic. I'm looking forward to people's reactions! #animation #cartoons #AI #artificialintelligence https://lnkd.in/eHU-DnpD

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The theatrical business is still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels, with consumer discretionary spending on the decline and rising ticket prices. The CEO of Sony might be onto something with his suggestion to decrease ticket prices. Lowering prices could make movie-going more accessible, increase foot traffic, and provide a competitive edge over streaming services. It's a strategy worth considering to revitalize the industry.

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TDious Experiences volume II: The Remote Broadcast Production Technical Director [Part 1: Mobile Unit Setup] Ask any 5 Technical Directors (TDs) to describe their role leading up to a live broadcast production and you’ll get anywhere from 5 to 50 different answers. That’s because the role has a number of seemingly dissimilar responsibilities that, in any other occupation, might be split among several different people. For example, a concert pianist generally doesn’t have to tune their own piano, assign the notes to the keys, build the conductor’s podium, compose the transitions from movement to movement, then ultimately play a three hour concerto on that piano nonstop, simultaneously monitoring each note on the piano offline to ensure tonal quality while performing LIVE before an audience of millions! Actually, that’s probably not the best analogy; a piano only has 88 keys. The world’s most popular Video Production Switcher, the Grass Valley Kayenne panel & K-Frame, has 1,326 buttons (or “keys”), 6 knobs, 4 fader bars and a joystick. The pianist in this scenario has the luxury of concerning themselves only with their ultimate performance. Everything else is taken care of for them. Not so for a remote TD. If it’s going to be a visual element within the show, it ultimately passes through the TD in one way or another. Video that will be mixed into the production itself must pass through the TD’s video switcher, while other signals, such as video going to monitors in the control room, can pass directly via the router. The router of a television mobile unit is the signal distribution core for any production. Any video or audio source that is going to be part of the production must exist within the mobile unit’s router. The TD is responsible for ensuring the correct video lands in the appropriate place in production monitor wall, its layout determined by the producer & director, as well as video switcher and all router control points in the control room. This is the part of the engineering setup that takes the most time to accomplish. The Engineer in Charge (EIC) is the sole manager of the router grid. It is critical that all inputs to the router and outputs from the router be managed by one individual. From there, especially in the IP world of media transport, every department has the ability to manage their own routing needs. It’s at this point that the TD can finally begin to focus on building out their “piano.” This begins with switcher input & output (I/O) documentation. Traditionally this is generated by the EIC, but with the increased flexibility offered in the IP world, this becomes a joint effort between the EIC, the TD and a dynamic document, such as a shared Google Sheet. In Part II I’ll delve into the mindset of the TD as they begin laying out sources for the production on the video switcher’s panel, as well as some important things to keep in mind when doing so. If you have Qs, thoughts or ideas for future TDious posts, drop a DM!

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This article is very telling of the current state of the industry. Consumers have really changed their behaviors as it relates to the moviegoing experience and streaming plays a good part in this equation as well as how movies are marketed. You do have to think about the change in perspective towards celebrities/talent (star power and who’s a celebrity looks a little different these days), what’s considered a big hit or blockbuster and who can get consumers to actually pay for a ticket to watch a movie in a theater for roughly 2 hours. I will continue to be an observer of the trends, especially throughout this summer. There are some good theatrical releases slated for the remainder of the year and I hope they perform well. #moviegoers #theatrical #releases #entertainment #consumerbehavior #streaming #talent #boxoffice

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Is Kansas getting ready to compete with neighboring states offering film & TV tax incentives? 👀 Filmmakers are currently urging legislators to pass the Film Tax Credit Bill in Kansas. The bill would create a Film and Digital Media Production program, offering a sales tax exemption and non-refundable tax credits to qualifying production activities in the state. Educational and economic development programs to incentivize and promote the growth of the film production industry in Kansas would also be established. Some details from the proposed bill are: ➖ Program funding of $12 million dollars annually, of which $10 million would be allocated to film & TV tax credits with $2 million funding workforce training & educational funds ➖ 30% transferable tax credit on eligible spend ➖ Potential uplifts available for multi-film deals, television series, high budgeted projects, investing in local infrastructure, and projects hiring 50% or more Kansas residents  ➖ Initial application required The approval of this bill will certainly help Kansas lure film and television productions to their state, in addition to creating more jobs, expanding workforce development in the industry and aid in promoting tourism. DM me for more information, and follow me for future tax credit and incentive updates! #filmproduction #filmmaking  #filmmakers #accountants

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Unpacking Some VO Tips #1 Recently, I posted 14 tips for voice actors to consider when submitting auditions.  I committed to unpacking those tips over the next 14 days with the intent to go a little deeper into the whys and whatfors of each tip and, where possible, provide additional resources. The first tip I’m unpacking is: “Research what the brand is currently doing”. Why is this important? For starters, you’ll know pretty quickly whether or not the brand is making a shift away from their current approach with this new audition copy. Perhaps they’re stepping away from an older sounding voice into something more youthful or they’ve always used male sounding voices & now the specs are asking for female voices.  Knowing that the brand is making a shift empowers you to make specific choices (see tip #7) about your pacing, about whom you’re speaking to, & about how you might best be what JMC calls “the squeaky wheel”. Secondly, researching current media for the brand can also help you with pronunciations.  If you slaughter the product name from the get go, chances are you won’t be at the top of the shortlist. Understanding the current state of the brand will also give you a better understanding of the nuances which drew the brand to the voices they booked.  Listen to the voice actor on the current spots: what do you notice about their pacing, the words they stress?  It’s extremely likely that that final spot came as a result of them being directed in a session with the creatives for the brand.  I’ll go even further & say that listening to current spots is like finding a secret door into a casting director’s head. You don’t know exactly what direction they may have given to get that result but by golly you have the end result to work backward from! So, how do you find current spots?  Well, I’m glad I pretended you asked that question because I’ve compiled a list of resources for you to use in your research.  Media Monitoring Services: Nielsen: Offers comprehensive tracking & reporting of TV commercials. They provide detailed reports on when & where your commercials air. iSpot.tv: Tracks TV ad campaigns in real-time, offering insights into the performance & reach of your commercials. Kantar Media: Provides advertising intelligence & tracking across multiple platforms, including TV. Broadcast Verification Companies: Competitrack: Tracks & verifies the airing of TV commercials and provides detailed reports. Teletrax: Uses watermarking and fingerprinting technology to monitor the broadcast of commercials globally. Online Platforms: TVEyes: Monitors TV & radio broadcasts & offers keyword search capabilities to track mentions & airings of your commercial. AdScope: Monitors & tracks TV commercials, providing detailed analytics & reporting. Do you have other ways you research brands or another service that helps you track spots? Have another reason why researching brands is so important? Please share it in the comments! Have a blasty-blast day!

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Please share 🙏Any sound editors, re-recording mixers, foley artists and composers in the US ONLY, would be interested in doing a sound redesign together? I have 15 years of experience and definitely need to network more. So what’s better than networking with your peers remotely in real time and most of all pushing each other? Think of it this way, it’s like a virtual gym. Reps reps reps get you to your goals. My current goals are, financial freedom, working in a post production studio and having my name on Hollywood blockbusters. So what are your goals? I’m trying to be part of a few groups. This is an industry where you’re part of a team. So think of this as a team building exercise, to prepare us for when that great job opportunity comes you can call one us and thank each other for pushing to be where you want to be. Please be in the US. It just makes it a little easier with the scheduling process. #soundredesign #postproduction #hollywoodsound #sounddesign #soundediting #mixing #filmaudio #networking #protools #audioengineer

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Music Business Association Music Biz 2024 coming up in May. Find out more about Reactional Music and what we are delivering across interactive music, music personalisation, in-game economies, generative composable music and the possibilities for creators, composers, artists and developers

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My First Encounter with AI’s #LTX Studio: Hmmmmm… As a director/writer, my initial experience with AI’s LTX Studio was pretty darn interesting. The outputs were pretty horrible, but OMG, look where we are! HOLY SH*T. My foray into AI’s creative capabilities lands squarely in the realm of curiosity, inventiveness, and creativity. I’m by no means coming at it from a technical or scientific perspective—I’m no sophisticate after all, I’m just dipping a toe into the future of storytelling tools, figuring out how AI intersects with and enhances my brand of storytelling. The promise of filling creative or technical gaps is exciting, but the capabilities aren’t there yet, which is good if you ask me. Slow down, AI, slow down—we’re only human! Ok, let’s get on with it! The Prompt MY OLD SILVER TOASTER, WHO USED TO LIVE ON MY COUNTER, FINALLY WON THE LOTTERY! Voice Over & Soundtrack: I kept LTX’s VO choice, but swapped the horrible corporate music for something I prompted as “quiet, poetic, happy.” My only other input was choosing the “Visual Aesthetic” from the extensive pull-down menu. For the Horror version (my absolute fav), I moved the “motion scale” slider left to add more camera movement. It kinda worked on some scenes, but didn’t seem to apply it to all of them. Final Thoughts LTX Studio is a mix of potential and pitfalls, but LTX isn’t the point. AI’s potential is beyond what I can conceive, and the speed of progress is hard to grasp. I LOVE the horrible, hinky outcomes as it means we’re still in control and needed in the narrative world. So, fellow humans, the need for us to refine and perfect AI’s storytelling will remain—for a little while longer, at least. #AI #AIfilmmaking #LTXstudio #director

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Resumes are dead. Here’s what you need instead. Did you know that in my 16 years in the post-production sound industry, I’ve been asked for a resume only twice? That’s right. Today, I’m challenging the conventional wisdom about resumes and sharing some powerful alternatives. In today's video, I dive into some controversial advice from Seth Godin’s "Linchpin." Seth argues that if you’re truly remarkable, you shouldn’t need a resume at all. Instead, focus on building a compelling portfolio, networking strategically, and creating engaging content. Here are 3 game-changing tips to help you stand out in our competitive industry: 1️⃣ Create a Compelling Portfolio: Showcase your best work online with detailed case studies and testimonials. 💼 2️⃣ Network Strategically: Attend industry events, seek mentorship, and secure strong recommendations. 🤝 3️⃣ Engage with Insightful Content: Start a blog or YouTube channel to demonstrate your expertise and connect with your audience. 📱 Maybe it's time to rethink how we present ourselves and get the jobs we deserve. Have you ever landed a job without a resume? Do you agree with Seth's take? Ready to ditch the resume and elevate your career? Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gftDheDC #CareerDevelopment #PostProductionSound #SethGodin #PersonalBranding #IndustryTips #Resumes #MasteringPostProductionSound #SoundTribe #SoundCommunity #Linchpin

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As the audiobook industry delves into the realm of Immersive audio, questions about file formats and playback systems persist. In a recent video, we shed light on the Binuaral file and its pivotal role in making Immersive audio accessible to diverse audiences across different playback systems. #Audiobooks #ImmersiveAudio #FileFormats #PlaybackSystems

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Thank you Max Miller and Broadcast Tech for letting us curate this feature from LGBTQIA+ contributors in the #postproduction and #VFX industry for Pride Month 🌈 Being proud of who you are is one thing - having support and allyship from your industry and workplace is another. In this piece we can see there are some wonderful role models in our sector and hopefully some advice that make being who you that bit easier when the world can tell you it's not. 📣 Pride isn't just for one month of the year - it should be felt year-round with efforts from everyone to increase inclusion, representation and diversity at all levels. 💡 It is important to remember that Pride is intersectional and doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. The feature (linked below) is an illuminating and inspiring read from each and every one of our contributors from across the industry. #pride2024 #post #vfx #production Broadcast (MBI)

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New episode of NicEye Tech News Corner is out! 🔥 I used futuristic artificial intelligence tools 🤖 to create the news anchors for each editions. 🧠 Don't you think it's very realistic? 🙃 #technology #tech #innovation

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“When this story is done and dusted, Spotify might ask itself, ‘When we bundled music and audiobooks to reduce the mechanical royalty rate for songwriters in the US, was it worth the hassle?’ In April, Spotify announced its controversial decision to reclassify its Premium tiers as ‘bundles’ by combining music and audiobooks. The move resulted in Spotify paying a lower mechanical royalty rate in the US to publishers and songwriters. Yet the world’s largest subscription music streaming service may not have anticipated just how fierce the opposition to its bundling decision would be from songwriters and publishers. In the words of National Music Publishers’ Association boss David Israelite, speaking at the NMPA‘s Annual Meeting in New York today (June 12): “Spotify has declared war on songwriters. Our response shall be all-encompassing”. To date, that “all-encompassing” reaction from the music publishing community has included: A legal threat sent to Spotify from the National Music Publishers Association over the service allegedly hosting unlicensed lyrics on its platform; A lawsuit launched against Spotify by the US-based Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), which is suing SPOT for allegedly underpaying royalties to songwriters and publishers; The NMPA calling on Congress to update the copyright law in the United States to allow publishers to negotiate in a “free market” just like record labels. Today, a new headache for Spotify has emerged. At the NMPA’s Annual Meeting, David Israelite revealed that the organization has filed an official complaint against Spotify with the Federal Trade Commission for “alleged unlawful conduct by Spotify”, which the NMPA claims “is harming millions of consumers and the music marketplace”. Yes: the NMPA has filed this new FTC complaint on behalf of consumers in the United States, rather than on behalf of the trade org’s publisher members. Within the letter, obtained by MBW, and which you can read in full here, the NMPA alleges that “Spotify has deceived consumers by converting millions of its subscribers without their consent from music-only subscriptions into “bundled” audiobook-and-music subscriptions, publicly announcing increased prices for those subscriptions, failing to offer an option for subscribers to revert to a music-only subscription, and thwarting attempts to cancel through dark patterns and confusing website interfaces”. Read on: #Spotify #NMPA #Streaming #Songwriters #MusicPublishing #StreamingRoyalties #Royalties #MusicTracks #MusicStreams #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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