Uniting Film, TV and Advertising through Music and Sound

A 12-year member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, Rory Doggett is an experienced freelance music editor, as well as a composer for TV, film and advertising. He is also the owner and creative director for Model Citizen Creative, an LA-based music and sound company specialising in original music, music editorial and sonic branding, as well as sound design and final mix in the worlds of film, TV and advertising.

Prior to this, Rory put his multi-genre musical talents to use as an engineer, producer and songwriter for various independent and major label artists, including Black Eyed Peas, Noel Gallagher and Tinchy Stryder to name a few, and worked alongside producers like Guy Massey, Keith Harris, Printz Board, Tony Plat, Michael Zimmerling and Ariel Reichstadt.

Today, at Model Citizen, Rory oversees all things music and sound - creative directing, writing music and providing his own music supervision and editing talents, not to mention supporting his other composers to create bespoke tracks.

Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, Rory discusses how Model Citizen was formed, opening its first physical offices and combining ad skills with film and TV knowledge.

LBB> What skills and valuable lessons have you brought with you from the motion picture industry to adland? How does your creative approach differ between the two?

Rory> While many think the stress level is higher when it comes to film and television, that’s not always the case. Advertising brings plenty of its own challenges. The thing that I took away from the motion picture industry is an attention to detail. There’s a lot of room for things to slip through the cracks on a feature length project, so being aware of that and staying organised is very important. That translates to advertising as well. On the ad side, it’s always fun trying to create something that grabs your attention in a short time and it really allows you to test your skills. To be fair, my work in ads has provided just as many great skills, so they are both crucial parts of my current workflow.

LBB> You founded Model Citizen in 2020 - what were the catalysts and motivations that led to that? What has been your ethos since then?

Rory> When I started Model Citizen, it came from necessity. The workplace dynamic was shifting due to covid and everyone was hunkering down and working from home. I was freelancing as a composer and creative director at the time and it became clear that if I wanted to make bigger moves in the industry, I had to do it myself. I also knew that I wanted to do something different to what I had been doing and wanted to create a world where film, TV and advertising weren’t separated. From that, Model Citizen Creative was formed. 

Since that point, my goal has always been to play a part in any project, big or small, that excites and challenges me. Fortunately, that’s been happening. I’ve always loved the trailer and gaming sides of advertising and that’s always been a big push for us, as well as sports branding which I’ve also really enjoyed. 

Another big push for me was expanding the team to bring in top tier talent. With that in mind, we brought on Josh Good who’s our new partner and creative director. He’s been at other music houses as well as in-house with agencies, so his experience has been an amazing addition to the team.

[Above: Rory Doggett]

LBB> You’ve just opened your first physical offices in Marina del Rey - what does this big step mean for you? Why is a physical space important in an era when so many companies are choosing to operate remotely?

Rory> This has been a long time in the making. For us, it is a big step forward in the direction we are trying to go. We have had consistent growth the past few years and our remote work style was reaching its max capacity. There’s just something to be said about the water cooler atmosphere when in a creative space and I personally thrive off of the feedback of my team. Audio is an interesting space where we still need to be able to provide a space for clients to review in person, so these new offices were really a must for us.

LBB> The offices include a Dolby Atmos mix room - how significant is this for your work? What other innovative and emerging technologies are you currently interested in or working with?

Rory> This is a topic that has been coming up more and more - as were the requests [for Dolby Atmos] - especially with Model Citizen floating between the advertising and film worlds. It was always being mentioned in the deliverables and while we were already providing surround mixes, we were constantly having to book out studios to finalise our Atmos mixes. At that point, we knew we had to integrate it into our current studio buildout.  

I’m interested to see how much more spatial and AR-based advertising comes into focus.  It’s another conversation that continues to arise but it hasn’t quite crossed over to us personally yet. That as well as the continued conversation on AI-based music are things I’m paying attention to.

LBB> You’ve been working with tech brands recently - tell us a little about those projects! 

Rory> We have been fortunate enough to do a tonne of work in the tech space and, without going into specifics due to NDAs, we’ve worked on many of the largest product launches by some of the biggest players. It’s really great being a part of projects like those as you get a first-hand glimpse of the amazing technology that’s to come and the creative coming out of clients and agencies is always top notch. There’s nothing better than working on a project with a brand you love and creative that excites you. That’s always a feeling we get when working with those guys.

LBB> Model Citizen’s work spans the worlds of video games, automotive and sports - what would you say are the business’ cornerstones, and what sorts of projects and partnerships do you look for?

Rory> The directions I’ve always pushed have been (in no specific order):

• Film/TV music editorial
• Video games
• Sports 

There’s just something about those worlds that I relate to most, and luckily they keep us busy. With that being said, if something comes across our plates that is new and fun, we are always eager to jump in. Most importantly for us is providing something we think is creative, high quality and reflects us as a brand. 

LBB> Are features a prominent focus for Model Citizen too? 

Rory> Yes, feature work is definitely something we prioritise and enjoy. But we love the balance between them and advertising. We are currently working on music editorial for the new feature ‘Half Baked 2’ which is a lot of fun. We have full teams on each side as both advertising and films can be labour intensive. But having team members that can handle any task whether long or short-form is super important. Any project that comes through the door gets our full attention and as our backgrounds began in the ad world, they still are at the core of the company. 

LBB> What is a recent project that you’re most proud of, or one that provided a particularly interesting creative challenge?

Rory> We recently rebranded the sports network MSE (Monumental Sport & Entertainment). This included writing a new network theme for their teams: The Washington Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, Go Go and more. This was a big undertaking for us as not only did it include the music, but we also provided all sound design and final mix for their broadcast assets, including bumpers and transitions. It was a huge project in size and scope, and something we are really proud of. It was really a team effort to get this one over the finish line and really proved to me that we were ready to take on and efficiently handle projects of any size.

LBB> What is on the horizon for Model Citizen in 2024 - any upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?

Rory> Keep any eye out for ‘Half Baked 2’ as well as a few top secret projects. We are also currently co-scoring an animated show which has been a blast. [There’s] definitely a lot currently in the works and pipeline so it’s looking like 2024 is going to be a good year for us.  We had always predicted that 2023 would entail a bit of a rebranding and rebuilding, and we have maintained that course. So we’re looking to come out of the gates strong in 2024.