Georgia State University's School of Music and the Popular Culture Collective (PCC) proudly present the second annual Sync Meetup, a weekend dedicated to the art of creating, pitching and placing songs with visual media (TV, film, video games, etc.) Featuring some of the top music supervisors in the industry, this event serves as a vital link between Georgia State University (GSU) students and seasoned industry professionals in the sync community. MTM Standard, GSU’s student-run Music Group, is spearheading this event under the guidance of faculty advisors Ben Yonas and Al Thrash.
"We are thrilled to announce the return of our Sync Meetup for its second year," says Ben Yonas, Professor of Music Production & Recording. "Music licensing is a key area of focus of our music industry program here at GSU and this event exemplifies our commitment to providing real-world opportunities for our students." Al Thrash, Professor of Music Management, adds, "MTM Standard was created to amplify artists and build the next generation of industry professionals. I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting our 2nd annual Sync Meetup, where we come together to celebrate and support our incredibly talented students and expose them to all the opportunities that sync licensing can offer."
The Sync Meetup, spanning from Friday, April 12th to Sunday, April 14th, welcomes all GSU students and the public alike. Kicking off the weekend is an exclusive music festival and carnival, proudly hosted by GSU’s Spotlight Program in partnership with MTM Standard on Friday, April 12th, from 5 PM to midnight at Center Parc Stadium’s Green Lot. Throughout the weekend, visiting supervisors will engage in a diverse range of activities highlighting Atlanta’s culture, including a guided tour of the iconic Trap Music Museum and visits to some of Atlanta’s legendary studios and record labels. A major highlight of the Sync Meetup is the student listening session, Saturday, April 13th, 3 PM – 5PM, where a select group of GSU students, who have recently released music under the MTM Standard label, will showcase their latest works to ten of the industry's most influential music supervisors. The listening session is followed by a networking mixer.
Closing out the week, the music supervisors will hold a series of panel discussions and networking sessions on Sunday, April 14th, from 12 PM to 5 PM. This event is open to songwriters, artists, music producers, aspiring music supervisors, aspiring TV & film producers, music publishers, labels, managers and other industry professionals. RSVPs are recommended.
Here’s a preview of the distinguished guests music supervisors:
Manish Raval - Supervisor at Aperture Music, Manish has worked on various well-known movies and TV Shows such as “This is Us”, “Green Book”, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and most recently HBO Max’s “The Idol”.
Jen Malone - Three-time Emmy-nominated Music Supervisor who has worked on credits such as “Euphoria”, “Atlanta”, “John Wick Chapter 4”, “King of Staten Island” and “Creed II”. Jen was also awarded the “Guild Of Music Supervisor Award for Best Music Supervision - Drama” for her work in “Euphoria”.
Thomas Golubić- Emmy-nominated Music Supervisor and Grammy nominated Producer. His Music supervision credits include “Breaking Bad”, “Walking Dead”, “Six Feet Under” and “Better Call Saul” amongst many others.
Mandisa Henry - Senior Coordinator of Music Supervision for Raedio. She has worked on projects such as “9-1-1”, “Rap Sh!t”, “Kings of Napa” and “Survivial of the Thickest”. She has been nominated for various Guild of Music Supervisor Awards and was a winner of one for Best Music Supervision-Reality Television.
Justine Van Winterfeldt - Justine has worked on various film and TV projects throughout her career which has been characterized by a diverse range of credits such as “The Rookie: Feds”, “Midnight Mass” and “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” just to name a few!
James Cartwright - Music supervisor with nearly 10 years of music industry, post audio and licensing experience. His credits include but are not limited to, “Spider-Man:Across the Spiderverse”, “Insecure”, “Abbott Elementary” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy”.
Reesha Archibald - A Creative Executive with A Bird and a Bear Entertainment- Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone's production company and she also works alongside Cheo Hodari Coker, who was the creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage as the Head of Operations for his Fighting 99th Productions company.
Ashley Davis - President of Syren Entertainment & Media Group, Ashley Davis has most recently Supervised for HBO Max’s “That Damn Michael Che” and an upcoming Documentary “Trap Jazz”. But Music Supervisor isn’t her only title, Davis is a Vocal Producer, Arranger, Songwriter and Grammy-nominated Recording Artist.
Eric Medina - Music Supervisor at Raedio and a recent “Music Supervisors Guild Award” nominee. Some of His credits include “Sweet Life: Los Angeles”, “Fresh Kills”, “Godfather of Harlem”, “And Just Like That”, and “Hotel Cocaine”.
Megan Francoeur - Acclaimed music supervisor known for her work on projects like "Harlem," "First Wives Club," and "The Blackening."
With a staggering 22% growth observed in 2022, Sync Licensing has become an indispensable outlet for music makers seeking to amplify their reach and financial sustainability. Even in 2023, a year in which film and TV production was shut down for a significant portion of the year due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Sync Revenue grew 4.7% (according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry 2024 Global Music Report).
About MTM Standard
MTM Standard serves as an incubator for artists, creatives and aspiring music executives looking to jumpstart their careers while pursuing higher education. Their main areas of operation are Music Production, Distribution Services and Sync/Licensing. These focus areas are in collaboration with the Music Industry curriculum taught at GSU’s School of Music. Visit our website at mtmstandard.com for more information or text “MTM” to 678-263-2572 to stay current with new releases.
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About the Popular Culture Collective (PCC)
The Popular Culture Collective @GSU is lead by Professor Mo Ivory of the College of Law with its mission to provide innovative curriculum offerings, curated special events and mentorship opportunities to all GSU students with a focus on the infusion of education, popular culture and career readiness.
For more information, please contact Ben Yonas and Al Thrash.
