Taillight, one of the Southeast’s most successful production companies in entertainment and music television, is expanding its operations with the creation of a new commercial division. Executive Producer Brooke Boling will head the new division, which will represent directors David Jellison, Timothy Kendall (TJK) and Kristin Barlowe.
“Our goal is to produce exceptional work, and we are extremely proud to have joined forces with three of the top directors in the business,” said Tom Forrest, Taillight president. “With the strength of their creative talents, Brooke’s knowledge and ad agency experience, and our strong team of production professionals, we believe Taillight is well-positioned for success in the commercial marketplace.”
With an editorial style and vintage flare, Boling started her career as a photographer, and after graduating from the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, she worked as senior art director for advertising agencies in Atlanta, San Francisco and Nashville. Boling is the former creative director at Warner Bros. Records and in 2005 opened her own boutique agency, Firecracker Studios, which is still going strong today.
Since its founding in 2000, Taillight has produced hundreds of hours of TV programming and live events, countless music videos, and viral Web content for a variety of broadcast networks, record labels and clients. The company’s most recent project was the 2009 CMT Music Awards.
About the Directors
Known primarily for comedy, memorable dialogue and action sports, David Jellison has directed more than 300 commercials since 1999 for such clients as the NFL, PGA, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Jaguar, Dell, Subway, Time Warner Cable, EA Sports, Domino’s Pizza and Panasonic.
Timothy Kendall (TJK) has directed hundreds of commercials and independent film projects. He has won several Tellys, an AICP and a Clio for high-profile brands like Ikea, Twix, M&M’s, Kit Kat, Clarks, McDonald’s, Walmart and Sunoco, featuring top NASCAR drivers.
Kristin Barlowe started in commercial work as a model but later moved to agent and scouting work for campaigns from Armani Exchange to Gianfranco Ferre’. She then transitioned into music and fashion photography, and within her first year was shooting album covers. Barlowe directed her first music video in 2004 and then began shooting commercial TV ads in the health care and financial services industries, and for the Tennessee Lottery.
Taillight Expands With Commercial Division
/by Sarah Skates“Our goal is to produce exceptional work, and we are extremely proud to have joined forces with three of the top directors in the business,” said Tom Forrest, Taillight president. “With the strength of their creative talents, Brooke’s knowledge and ad agency experience, and our strong team of production professionals, we believe Taillight is well-positioned for success in the commercial marketplace.”
With an editorial style and vintage flare, Boling started her career as a photographer, and after graduating from the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, she worked as senior art director for advertising agencies in Atlanta, San Francisco and Nashville. Boling is the former creative director at Warner Bros. Records and in 2005 opened her own boutique agency, Firecracker Studios, which is still going strong today.
Since its founding in 2000, Taillight has produced hundreds of hours of TV programming and live events, countless music videos, and viral Web content for a variety of broadcast networks, record labels and clients. The company’s most recent project was the 2009 CMT Music Awards.
About the Directors
Known primarily for comedy, memorable dialogue and action sports, David Jellison has directed more than 300 commercials since 1999 for such clients as the NFL, PGA, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Jaguar, Dell, Subway, Time Warner Cable, EA Sports, Domino’s Pizza and Panasonic.
Timothy Kendall (TJK) has directed hundreds of commercials and independent film projects. He has won several Tellys, an AICP and a Clio for high-profile brands like Ikea, Twix, M&M’s, Kit Kat, Clarks, McDonald’s, Walmart and Sunoco, featuring top NASCAR drivers.
Kristin Barlowe started in commercial work as a model but later moved to agent and scouting work for campaigns from Armani Exchange to Gianfranco Ferre’. She then transitioned into music and fashion photography, and within her first year was shooting album covers. Barlowe directed her first music video in 2004 and then began shooting commercial TV ads in the health care and financial services industries, and for the Tennessee Lottery.
Label Heads Discuss Changing Roles On CMA Series
/by Sarah SkatesThe third episode on Record Labels is available now and features interviews with Mike Dungan, President/CEO Capitol Records Nashville; Fletcher Foster, Senior VP/GM Universal Records South; Joe Galante, Chairman Sony Music Nashville; and Randy Goodman, President Lyric Street and Carolwood Records.
The series is part of CMA’s ongoing strategic mission of being a resource for the Country Music industry. The Association launched the monthly online educational series in April with an episode on Publishing, followed in June by a segment on Artist Management. The series is an exclusive benefit for members of CMA.
Future episodes include topics from Social Networking and Entertainment Law to Country Radio and Touring. Episodes are posted on the third Monday of the month. With each new episode, CMA members are able to submit questions to the panel of experts. Each segment, which is roughly 10 minutes long, is archived for easy access at any time.
Trace’s Superhero, Julianne’s Emmy Nod, Kershaw’s TV Track
/by Sarah Skates——————————————-
Julianne Hough and her brother Derek are nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. Their “Great Balls Of Fire” routine on Dancing With The Stars earned the nod. The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will air Sun., Sept. 20 at 7 PM/CT on CBS.
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Sammy Kershaw’s “Louisiana Hot Sauce” was featured prominently in a recent Sunday night episode of HBO’s hit series True Blood. The song, written by Kershaw and Keith Stegall, appeared on his Maybe Not Tonight record that was released by Mercury in 1999. By Monday morning the track was one of the top downloaded tracks on iTunes.
Jack Ingram, Mac McAnally Set Release Dates
/by Sarah Skates—————————————-
McAnally received his first No. 1 single as an artist and sixth as a writer on his recent collaboration with Kenny Chesney, “Down The Road.” He was named 2008 Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association, and is also a 2007 inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Starting as a Muscle Shoals session musician, then signing as Geffen Records’ first artist at the age of 16, McAnally went on to become a respected guitar player and singer, working with artists including Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Jimmy Buffett, Travis Tritt, and Dolly Parton. As a producer, he’s helmed successful projects by Sawyer Brown, and Chris LeDoux.
News From The Road: Flatts, Chesney
/by Sarah SkatesRascal Flatts became the first country act to perform a concert in historic Wrigley Field in Chicago this past Saturday night. The group entertained a sold-out crowd of 37,000 fans for one of only four concerts ever played in the Chicago Cubs home stadium. Vince Gill and Darius Rucker opened. The Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour hits its second stadium of the summer in Columbus, Ohio on Aug. 9.
Kenny Chesney’s Sun City Carnival sailed into San Francisco over the weekend, selling even more tickets (over 36,000) than it did at the same stadium last year. The Corona Extra sponsored tour has already had sold out NFL stadium stops at Chicago’s Soldier Field, Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field and Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. Unfortunately Sugarland had to cancel their performance that night because Jennifer Nettles is on vocal rest, but Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum rocked the crowd.
Country At The White House: Charley Pride Added, Watch Online
/by Sarah SkatesW.O. Smith School students and their families celebrate Sunday, July 19, as the group departs for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C., and a special concert series and educational workshop at the White House.
Charley Pride has been added to the list of artists performing at the White House tomorrow (7/21) as part of its educational workshop about Country music. Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and Union Station were previously announced.
The event in the historic East Room will be livestreamed on whitehouse.gov/live starting at 6:25 PM/CT with President Obama’s opening remarks. First Lady Michelle Obama, White House staff and Members of Congress will be in attendance. The White House Music Series is hosted by the First Lady and its goal is to celebrate the arts and the importance of arts education.
The Country Music Association and Country Music Hall of Fame are participating in the program by sending local students to the workshop. The CMA is underwriting all travel costs for 40 students from the W.O. Smith Music School, using funds from the CMA Music Festival and the “Keep the Music Playing” program, which supports music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The Museum was asked to provide an educational component at the event and will be sending one of the students who participated in its Words & Music educational program during 2008-09, rising 5th grader Sal La Rosa and Gary Michael Smith, the professional songwriter who added a melody to Sal’s lyrics, to the workshop to perform their composition.
Is Country Crushing Nashville’s Creativity?
/by bossrossAn article in the Sunday Tennessean (by Naomi Synder) asks “Could Nashville’s country and Christian music industry be crushing innovation? It sounds like a ridiculous question, were it not for the musicians who think it might be true.”
The feature length article confuses quality, diversity and professionalism in a swirling discussion which fails to distinguish and/or benchmark any kind of serious criteria with which to explain or build its premise. Read it here.
String Theory Media’s Craig Havighurst has fashioned an interesting response to the allegations in which he looks candidly at the reality of today’s music marketplace and how it effects the artists, writers and musicians that live and work in Music City. Read it here.
Tech Tracks: Kazaa, Rock Band, Twitter
/by Sarah Skates—————————————
The Rock Band Network is a ground-breaking initiative that gives musicians and record labels the ability to author their own original recordings into gameplay files and sell their music as playable Rock Band video game tracks through the newly-created Rock Band Network Music Store. From Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games, The Rock Band Network will launch as an open beta in late August 2009 in the U.S. and provide a sophisticated toolset, with detailed documentation on how bands can begin the process of authoring songs into Rock Band gameplay files.
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Wonder what the most popular subject matter is on Twitter? Find out what’s trending and why at whatthetrend.com. You can also see the latest tweets, Flickr photos and news stories
AMA To Honor Sam Bush
/by Sarah SkatesS
am Bush will receive the Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist award at the 8th Annual Americana Honors & Awards ceremony, presented by the Gibson Foundation, on Thurs., Sept. 17 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. As co-founder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival for 18 years, Bush was among the first purveyors of newgrass–the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock ‘n’ roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams–and he continues to burn as one of the genre’s most brilliant lights, both as a sideman and the leader of the Sam Bush Band.
Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association, praised Bush’s standing as one of the greatest mandolin players ever. “Sam has created his own genre and has become such an integral part of the Americana community,” Hilly said. “It’s such a privilege to honor him this year.”
The past 20 years have found Bush performing as a sideman with Emmylou Harris; special guest artist with the likes of Lyle Lovett and Bela Fleck & The Flecktones; spearheading boundary-stretching collaborations with Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and David Grisman; and driving nearly every “bluegrass supergroup” imaginable with his mandolin playing. Bush’s newest album, Circles Around Me, will be released Oct. 20 on Sugar Hill Records.
The Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist is one of several career honors that will be handed out during the awards ceremony on Sept. 17, to be hosted by Jim Lauderdale with Buddy Miller leading his all star band. Running Sept. 16-19, the 10th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference will offer seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center by day, and bring a stellar lineup of musical showcases each evening. Conference registrations currently at the early bird discount rate of $350 for members and $450 for non-members are available here.