Arnold Hattingh
Director
David Bass
Director
Dominic Bastyra
Director
Tom Stanford
Director
Who Are We.
Wake The Town / Theodore combine to become one of the largest music supervision businesses in Europe. Our main focus is within the advertising industry but we also work across TV & Film supervision.
Wake The Town focuses on bespoke composition and re-records, whereas Theodore is creative search and licensing.
We are a team of eleven industry experts from a diverse range of musical backgrounds.
Staff work for both companies and across all elements associated to moving media and sound.
This combination of skills means we navigate our clients through the vast music landscape with unique clarity and imagination.
People & Culture.
People are people; not just resources to be used. Thus, we are about our people and our culture. It revolves around a strong emphasis on the greater team and the cultivation of a positive environment where success is encouraged and rewarded, where people can be themselves and thrive, and personal development and mental wellness are paramount.
A Wake The Town / Theodore person has music present in every fibre of their being. They can have a conversation about it in an encyclopedic way, how it works & how it feels. They can pull into focus the abstract nature of it and talk about it in a non-academic way that our client partners can digest.
They are motivated by absorbing new things every day within the field. We put together team outings focused on music & art which feeds our core values: the constant pursuit of rich experiences & learning.
Importantly, we bring our culture of learning and experience into agencies and client partners. Ranging from in-house band showcases to show-and-tell sessions with artists or composers. Essentially, we bring music into the sphere of our client partners and thus, to the public.
We listen to our people. Everyone has a voice, and no voice holds more value than the other. It brings about a happy work environment of collaboration, fairness, freedom of expression and inclusivity.
What is Music Supervision.
As per the UK & European Guild of Supervisors; A music supervisor is a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required.
We find creative solutions for our clients through existing music or through bespoke and original composition.
We also find licensing solutions for our clients through our experience and deep relationships within the music industry.
Dominic Bastyra occupies a seat on the Guild.
- Identify, secure, and collaborate with any and all music related talent.
- Liaise and effectively communicate with other related and involved professionals & support staff.
- Possess an accurate knowledge of all costs associated with delivery of music elements.
- Advise on feasibility of schedule based on release, broadcast, campaign or product delivery.
- Determine the viability & creation of and securing exposure or distribution of any music related product, i.e single, video, digital downloads, etc. for the purpose of promotion or additional revenue streams.
To our client partners.
We are music tastemakers. We know about the new & exciting, the about-to-break to the resuscitation and amplifying of older, hidden gems that no-one knows but everyone would love.
We act as translators between agencies, film & TV production companies and record labels, publishers & composers to ensure that the collision between music and moving media is done in the most impactful and interesting way possible.
We negotiate & buy music rights for the use on adverts, film and television shows. We focus on hard savings, cost avoidance and value add, all at the core of what we do.
We provide asset support to agencies, film & TV production companies. Managing usage licenses, union fees and all other administrative areas associated with the use of music.
How we connect the music industry to our client partners.
Existing Services.
Core Services.
Other Services
Our Suppliers.
Record Labels (Universal / Sony / Warner / Warner Bros / XL / Domino / Ninja Tune)
Publishing Companies (Universal Music Publishing / Warner Chappell / SonyATV / BMG / Kobalt / Concord / Wixen)
Sync Reps (A&G / Secret Road / Riptide / Woodwork Music / Greater Goods)
Craft Partners (Composers, Producers, Songwriters and Sound Designers)
Production Music Libraries (KPM / Extreme / De Wolfe / Cavendish / Audio Network)
Our Clients.
Agencies (Adam&EveDDB / Grey / TBWA / Leo Burnett / Fold7 / Leo Burnett / Havas / The&Partnership / Mother / Iris / BBH / Krow / Rothco) / Uncommon Studios
Brands (M&S / Emirates / Specsavers / COTY)
Production Companies (Knucklehead / Carnage / Somesuch)
Film Production (Midas Man / Sumotherhood)
Television Production (HBO / Netflix / Sky)
Platforms & Content Creators (Tik Tok / Facebook)
2021 Reel.
Outside Of Synchronization & Licensing.
Mark Ronson
Strategy & Creative Direction – Marriage
- We were approached by Facebook to come up with an idea to amplify the launch of the Spark AR platform.
- Our idea was simple, make a music video using AR filters; shot on mobile phones.
- We approached Sony Music UK to source an artist & song.
- Mark Ronson & King Princess ‘Pieces Of Us’ was selected.
- The launch of the video was done on Insta Stories, as pieces, over a 24 hour period.
- Fans used the AR filters, recreating scenes in the video.
- We repeated the story post but on the second run, fans saw their content next to Mark and King Princess’.
- This brought about a different type of attention and real proximity between the artist and the fans.
- Circa 240,000 unique videos were posted around the world using the AR filters from the video.
Spend within Music.
During 2021, Theodore was responsible for furnishing a considerable amount of income to record labels, publishers, and third-party synchronization entities for the use of music in moving media, Procuring a total of £7,885,890 of music rights on behalf of our client partners across agencies, brands and film & TV production companies.
In the same year, Wake The Town created exciting revenue opportunities for music producers, songwriters, composers and craft partners of £3,041,498. All of this for the wide range of services from the composing a new piece or creating a unique rerecord of a stone-cold classic.
Across both businesses and within the activity of each; we are proud to be responsible for providing this level of income to rights holders and more importantly. musicians.
- F1’s creative agency; Wieden & Kennedy approached us with an idea: how do we create the fastest song ever for the launch of the new F1 season.
- Our job, find the right talent that has a relationship with innovation and tech. Plus it would help if they were in a promotion cycle.
- After a creative search and in association with Universal Records; we proceeded with The Chemical Brothers.
- The three second track, WGTT15000BPM F1 NEEEUM MIX, matched BPM to RPM of an F1 car became the sport’s new sonic identity, whilst the full track ‘We’ve Got To Try’, accompanied by F1 inspired music video.
- The video was nominated for a Grammy.
- The Lotus F1 Team approached us to help them participate in music.
- Daft Punk was gearing up for the release of their last record, ‘Random Access Memories’.
- The Monaco Grand Prix is the biggest & most viewed race in the calendar. Our idea; rebrand the Lotus car with the visual language of the album and Daft Punk’s iconography.
- We produced content to tease the activity by shooting the Robots with the car, at Silverstone in England.
- On Race Day; the car was unveiled and the band lit up the pit lane dressed in the team colours and donning their iconic helmets.
Tullamore
Voice Over – Tell The People
- We realised that mostly, television commercials all sound the same when it comes to voice overs.
- Our idea was simple, musicians tells stories and they sound different.
- They have an audience that collides with them through music. Musicians can help brands tell their stories in a way that is different, exciting and more authentic.
- Going further; the opportunity exists for brands to collaborate with musicians and their penship to participate in the creation of copy.
- An opportunity exists for brands to sound different, be more authentic and tap into the artist fanbase and social media channels.
- Everyone wins, the brand has more cultural capital; they sound different. The musician amplifies themselves through the social channels of the brand. The audience experiences something fresh, unique and exciting.
Recent Awards.
2021
The AA ‘That Feeling’ – Best Use of Licensed Music – Kinsale Sharks
Ikea ‘The Hare’ – Best Use of Licensed Music – Kinsale Sharks
Ikea ‘The Hare’ – Sync of the Year 2021 – AIM Awards
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Commendation Award – LBB Awards
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Best Use of Music – Cannes Live
NHS ‘The Gift’ – 2021 Best Sync (Bronze) – Creative Circle
AMD ‘Where Gaming Begin’ – Best Re-Record (Finalist) – Music & Sound Awards
Ikea ‘The Hare’ – Best Sync (Finalist) – Music& Sound Awards
Season 1, Epoisode 8 Finale of ‘Industry’ – Best Sync TV programma (Finalist) – Music & Sound Awards
2020
Music Supervisor of the year ‘David Bass’ – Music Week Awards
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Sync of the Year – Music Week Awards
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Best Use of Composition (Gold) – Creative Circle
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Best Use of Music – Creative Circle
Lucozade ‘Lionesses’ – Best Use of Composition (Silver) – Creative Circle
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Best Use of Music – British Arrows
Lucozade ‘Lionesses’ – Best Re-Record – British Arrows
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Best Use of Music – D&AD
Ikea ‘Silence The Critics’ – Original Composition – D&AD
Samsung ‘Awesome Phone’ – Best Use of Music – D&AD
2013-2019
Kinsale 2019 – Best Use Of Music – Brewdog
Kinsale 2019 – Best Composition – Lucozade
Production Music Awards 2018 – Best Use Of Music – Sane ‘The Intruder’
Creative Circle 2016 – Best Use Of Music – The Times ‘Icons’
Music & Sound Awards 2015 – Best Use Of Music – John Lewis ‘Tiny Dancer’
Music & Sound Awards 2015 – Best Original Composition – Honda ‘The Other Side’
Cannes Lions 2014 – Best Use Of Music – Adidas ‘Jump Store’
Cannes Lions 2013 – Best Use Of Music – Ikea ‘Playing With My Friends’
Contact Us.
David Bass – david@theodoremusic.co
Arnold Hattingh – arnold@theodoremusic.co
Dominic Bastyra – dominic@wakethetown.com
Tom Stanford – tom@theodoremusic.co