The Music+Sound Awards Talks To: Julianne Wilson
With a knack of finding the perfect tune, Julianne’s a master at weaving sound into storytelling. From TikTok to Google, Nike to The Red Cross, her diverse portfolio boasts a host of iconic brands. In this interview, we delve into her path from filmmaker to music connoisseur, her memorable high-pressure moments, and her current endeavours, including her involvement in the Sephora Sounds Music Collective…
With a decade of music supervision experience, on set, and post production, Julianne Wilson has provided music and sound solutions for hundreds of clients including Planned Parenthood, Google, Pinterest, Nike, Tik Tok, The Red Cross, and The United States Democratic National Committee. Over the course of her career, she's had the pleasure of working with acclaimed artists including U.S. Girls, Wye Oak, Emile Mosseri, The Album Leaf, Dan Romer, Photay, Madison McFerrin, Tank and the Bangas, Rapsody, Sylvan Esso, and Gabriel Garzón Montano.
Meet Julianne, a dynamic force in the world of music supervision…
Q> Would be great to hear about your musical background and how you got a break into the industry? How has your career progressed to where it is today?
Julianne> In college I was a filmmaker, and thought for a while that I wanted to be an editor. Quickly I realised that my favourite part of the process was finding the perfect song for the films I was crafting. I dipped my toe into the world of music supervision by Moondog and Search Party Music, and two weeks after graduation I moved out to Portland, OR to work with Sara Matarazzo at Walker. After seven years with the Walker team and a year spent pursuing my masters in global entertainment and music business at Berklee Valencia, I joined the team at SixtyFour. Outside of work, I also write and produce music under the name Sharonis Karen.
Q> You joined the SixtyFour Music team in 2022. What drew you to the company and what made you think they were a good fit for your skillset?
Julianne> I was drawn to SixtyFour by the wonderful and interesting people on the team, and the company's deep relationship with the inimitable director, Yorgos Lanthimos. I joined SixtyFour as part of a major restructuring of the New York team, and felt well equipped to take on a leadership role in music supervision and production, especially after finishing a leadership and management focused thesis project at Berklee.
Q> Can you tell us a bit about what you’re currently working on?
Julianne> Over the last few months, I've been working on a quippy heist comedy called Stealing Pulp Fiction. The film is the debut feature of director Danny Turkiewicz and boasts an impressive cast, including Jason Alexander, Cazzie David, Jon Rudinsky, and Karan Soni. SixtyFour New York has also been busy at work with the Sephora Sounds Music Collective, a long-term, strategic partnership that amplifies underrepresented and emerging musicians through the brand’s social media channels and top of funnel advertising campaigns.
Q> What about a project of recent years that you're particularly proud of, and what made it stand out to you?
Julianne> Working on music for the Democratic National Committee's 2020 campaign. I worked on the music for two spots - one spot I placed an instrumental of Regina Spektor's ‘Us’, and for the other I licensed Flying Lotus's ‘Siren Song’ for a film directed by Savannah Leaf and narrated by Nikki Giovanni. Obviously, it was an important election, and it meant a lot to harness the power of great music for a meaningful cause.
Q> What tools do you utilise in your work as a music supervisor? Are there any specific platforms or resources you find particularly useful?
Julianne> I love Disco (totally original answer, I know!) Their inbox feature and ability to see the history of what tracks have been pitched, where, have greatly sped up my workflow.
Q> How do you handle tight deadlines and high-pressure situations? Can you share an example of a project where you had to deliver under challenging circumstances?
Julianne> Prior proper planning and dividing and conquering! I try to do all of the prep work possible to avoid fire drills (although they are truly inevitable) and when high pressure, tight deadlines arise, my team and I combine forces and delegate production tasks in order to get things done as quickly as possible.
A few weeks ago, we had a quick ask to licence a well-known track for a commercial that was airing in conjunction with a sports broadcast. The label and publisher both were on board for the use, but could not get in touch with the artist and his manager for formal approval as they were at a festival with no service. After a weekend of checking in with no response and with a Monday ship date, I started pulling similar songs from our library as backups. Shortly after I sent them through, I heard from the label that the artist had declined the use and gave no reason for refusal. It came as a shock to the label, the publisher, and to our client, but thankfully one of the tracks I had sent through earlier that morning proved to be a winner.
Q> Best ad you’ve seen in the last three years, music-wise?
Julianne> Apple - The Greatest!
Q> Which artists are you currently really into?
Julianne> Ava Swan, Rachel Angel, Hannah Jagadu, and Nelleke have all been on my heavy rotation list as of late! All are truly amazing songwriters with tight production.
Q> And lastly, what are you looking for when judging The Music+Sound Awards? What makes a piece of work worthy of a MAS Award?
Julianne> I'm looking for pieces of work where music not only supports the story, but adds new complexity and dimension to the message.
Soon we’ll see the results!
Check out SixtyFour Music’s site here.
2023's Music+Sound Awards Finalists will be announced September 28th and Winners, October 12th.
