Game Changers: Grammy Submission AMA

WITH

President Lakeshore Records

BRIAN MCNELIS

CoFounder White Bear PR

CHANDLER POLING

MODERATED BY THOMAS MIKUSZ (AWFC)

YouTube Live Stream Q&A 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23

12:00-2:00pm PT /2:00-4:00pm CT/3:00-5:00pm ET

2022 marks the debut of a brand new Grammy category – Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games. Lakeshore Records’ Brian McNelis and White Bear PR’s Chandler Poling answer questions about how video game composers can participate in the new category and discuss basics like how to enter, what qualifies, and the timeline of the Grammys, plus information about how to promote your album to voters, who the Grammy voters are, and how the nomination and winning process work. Bring your questions and ask Brian and Chandler anything about the new Grammy for video game music.

Brian McNelis is a Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack album producer, Guild Of Music Supervisors Award nominee, and former Head of Music for Lakeshore Entertainment for nearly two decades. As the executive in charge of music, Brian had overseen all aspects of music at Lakeshore Entertainment. Since 2001 he has managed the day-to-day operations of Lakeshore Records, the company’s highly respected soundtrack and film score-focused record label. Brian redeveloped Lakeshore Records from a fledgling indie label into one of the most respected brands in film music, releasing titles by the top film & television composers in the world. Brian is the President of Lakeshore Records, which was acquired by The Cutting Edge Group in August of 2019. 

Chandler Poling is a co-founder of White Bear PR, a public relations firm specializing in publicity for composers, songwriters, music supervisors, and film & music festivals around the world.  Throughout his career, Chandler has run successful Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, BAFTA, and Emmy campaigns securing nominations and wins for his clients.  His clients have been featured in national and international publications, such as Time magazine, Vanity Fair, New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, LA Times, and Rolling Stone magazine to name just a few. He created the first ever composer-focused panel at Comic-Con San Diego, the world’s largest pop culture convention.  These panels are now an ongoing tradition – a platform for composers to discuss their craft and meet their fans. In addition to producing and moderating panels, Chandler has been invited to give lectures on PR for composers at Berklee College of Music, Royal College of Music, NYU, USC, and internationally in Prague, Amsterdam, Vienna, Krakow, Cologne, Ghent, and others. In Los Angeles, he is a radio DJ for the independent station Dublab where he hosts a monthly program called Studio Soundtracks featuring conversations with music professionals in the film, television, and video game industries. He is proud to be part of the founding leadership of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and Vice President of Qweerty Gamers, a non-profit LGBTQ video game advocacy organization.

Thomas Mikusz is the co-founder of White Bear PR, a public relations company, specializing in composers, music supervisors, international film & music Festivals, and event management & production. He spearheaded successful award campaigns for artists such as Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker, Chernobyl, Battlefield 2042) and Carlos Rafael Rivera (The Queens Gambit). In addition, he lead the PR campaign for the Academy Award-nominated Best Original Song “Husavik,” and works with composers such as Natalie Holt (Loki), Dan Romer (Station Eleven), Mizer & Moore (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Nainita Desai (14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible), Adam Blackstone (Super Bowl Halftime Show), Rachel Portman (Julia), Dickon Hinchliffe (The Lost Daughter), Uno Helmersson (Flee), Daniel Hart (The Green Knight), Volker Bertelmann (Your Honor), and John Murphy (The Suicide Squad), to name just a few. Over the past decade, he worked on a multitude of award-winning projects and has represented clients at major film festivals, such as Berlinale, Festival de Cannes, Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, and Tribeca Film Festival.

For the past four years, he served on the leadership of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, amplifying and supporting the work of women composers. 

*** IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ ***

FREE for current SCL members (click HERE to check membership status).

Attendees will be emailed a Screening Link upon Registration and a Q&A YouTube Live Stream link on Tuesday, August 23, 10 minutes before Q&A start.

Attendees can ask questions on YouTube chat, and the SCL Host will pass them on to the Moderator. The SCL Member Code of Conduct applies to online Q&As.

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