LEGENDARY SONGWRITER PAUL WILLIAMS RECEIVED THE ICON AWARD AND MUSIC SUPERVISOR PILAR MCCURRY AWARDED THE LEGACY AWARD
The Guild of Music Superviors (GMS) held their 13th annual awards ceremony at The Wiltern Sunday night, March 5th in Los Angeles. With more than 1,000 guests in attendance, the historic Wiltern theatre was buzzing with a star-studded assembly of presenters, performers and nominees celebrating the success of music supervisors in film, television, documentaries, trailers, video games and advertising.
“Everything, Everywhere All at Once” was a big winner of the night earning the awards for Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted $25 Million and Under and Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film. Songwriter and Oscar nominee Ryan Lott was on hand to accept the award. Lott was gracious in his appreciation for the guild. “It’s an honor to be here. My career has not centered around scoring. It’s centered around the work I do with my band” shared Lott. ” Music supervision has been a huge part of why I can do what I do. Partnering with music supervisors is how I’ve been able to make a living.” Lott continued “To be here in this community and to be honored in this way is awesome.”
Icon Award recipient and Academy Award winner Paul Williams was honored for his achievements as one of the most loved and renowned lyricists and composers in the world. In addition to his Oscar, Williams accolades include three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and an Ivor Novello International Award. In 2020, “Rainbow Connection”, the song written by Williams for the 1979 film “The Muppet Movie” was added to the Library of Congress and preserved in the National Recording Registry. It is also listed as one of the American Film Institute’s Top Movie Songs of All Time.
Williams has been open about his recovery and has been sober for over 30 years. His legacy also includes his work to supporting those struggling with alcoholism and addiction. Williams was quite emotional as he accepted his award. “Music has given me a life that continues today. A lot of these songs were written back in the ’70’s,” says Williams. “Time goes on, decades pass and things seem to disappear. Then all of a sudden there’s this amazing gathering of people that know all of these songs and everything that’s been recorded.”
Williams continued his praise for music supervisors and the guild. “The gift that you give songwriters deserves a lot of attention and a lot of thanks because of the skills that you embrace by your love of music.”
Other winners included “Elvis” for best music supervision for a film budgeted over $25 Million by Anton Mosted(Grammy nominee), Rob Lowry with two wins for “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Do Revenge”, Nora Felder for “Stranger Things” Season 4 and Adam Brodsky and Rivka Rose for “The Come Up” Season 1 winning in the new category of Best Music Supervision- Reality Television.
The song “Perfect Day” from “Better Call Saul” took home the award for best song written and/or recorded for television. Performers Dresage and Slow Shiver were excited to work with the composers. “As an artist it’s exciting to know that there are people who care about what’s happening musically on screen” shared Dresage. “To work in cinema with a narrative and character arc was thrilling. It feels like something that is going to stand the test of time. It’s a little piece of tv history that we are a part of.”
Legacy Award winner and veteran music supervisor Pilar McCurry was honored posthumously as an acclaimed, diverse and passionate trailblazer in the music industry. Her daughter Issa accepted the award of behalf of her mother. McCurry collaborated on soundtracks for films such as “Love & Basketball,” “Doctor Dolittle,” and “Love Jones.” She developed the “Men in Black” soundtrack which reached platinum five times. McCurry worked with artists like Beyonce, Will Smith, Aaliyah, Enrique Iglesias, En Vogue and Macy Gray, who made a surprise appearance to perorm her hit song “I Try” in honor of her friend and colleague Pilar.
Presenters included the stunning and multi-faceted Sharon Stone (founding member of GMS), Debbie Allen, Tom Everett Scott, Chris MacDonald, Pamela Adlon and Steve Schnur (winner Best Music Supervision in a Video Game Original).
Performances by Gaby Moreno, Sam DeRosa, Ruth B, Joshua Radin, Nella B and spotlight artist Joy Oladokun took place throughout the show reminding the audience how impactful music is in the medium of film, television and beyond.
The Oscar-nominated original song “This is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once by David Byrne, Ryan Lott and Mitski won for Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film. Rob Lowry took home a double-win for his work on Cha Cha Real Smooth and Do Revenge. Paul Williams received the Icon Award to celebrate his contributions to the music and film industry and Pilar McCurry was posthumously awarded the Legacy Award for her impact within the industry over the course of her career.
Presenters from the evening included: Sharon Stone, Debbie Allen, Stephanie Economou, Tom Everett Scott, Pamela Adlon, Lindsey Blaufarb, Odeya Rush, Christopher McDonald, Aloe Blacc, Justin Hurwitz, Joel C. High, Steve Schnur, Jen Malone, Nora Felder, Sami Posner, Sanaz Lavaedian, Amine Ramer, Ed Gerrard, Steve Gizicki, and Howard Parr.
The event is produced by the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Production Committee: President Joel C. High & Vice President Madonna Wade-Reed. Show Production is handled by Angelia Bibbs-Sanders from ABS Collective with Talent Producer, Julie Donsky, and Technical Production by Nick Urbom from Big Push Media Group.
The complete winners list for the 13th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards is listed below.
FILM
Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted Over $25 Million
Anton Monsted – Elvis
Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted $25 Million and Under
Lauren Marie Mikus, Bruce Gilbert – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted $10 Million and Under
Rob Lowry – Cha Cha Real Smooth
Best Music Supervision For A Non-Theatrically Released Film
Rob Lowry – Do Revenge
Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film
“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once
Songwriters: Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski Miyawaki
Performers: David Byrne, Mitski, Son Lux
Music Supervisors: Lauren Marie Mikus, Bruce Gilbert
TELEVISION
Best Music Supervision – Television Drama
Nora Felder – Stranger Things Season 4
Best Music Supervision – Television Comedy or Musical
Kier Lehman – Insecure Season 5
Best Music Supervision – Reality Television
Adam Brodsky, Rivka Rose – The Come Up Season 1
Best Song Written and/or Recorded for Television
“Perfect Day” from Better Call Saul – Season 6 Ep. 9 – “Fun and Games”
Songwriter: Harry Nilsson
Performers: Dresage, Slow Shiver
Music Supervisor: Thomas Golubić
DOCUMENTARIES
Best Music Supervision for a Documentary
Allison Wood – Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off
Best Music Supervision in a Docuseries
Amanda Krieg Thomas – The Andy Warhol Diaries
TRAILERS
Best Music Supervision in a Trailer – Film
Evelin Garcia – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Teaser “Leaders”
Best Music Supervision in a Trailer – Series
Deric Berberabe, Jordan Silverberg – The White Lotus Season 2
Best Music Supervision in a Trailer – Video Game & Interactive
Lindsey Kohon, Naaman Snell – Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – Launch Trailer
ADVERTISING
Best Music Supervision in Advertising (Synch)
Abbey Hendrix, Jonathan Wellbelove – Apple – The Greatest
Best Music Supervision in Advertising (Original Music)
Sunny Kapoor, Mike Ladman, Brad Nayman, Brandy Ricker – Meta – Good Ideas Deserve to be Found: A (Slightly) Life-Changing Story
VIDEO GAMES
Best Music Supervision in a Video Game (Synch)
Dylan Bostick, Josh Kessler – Saint’s Row V
Best Music Supervision in a Video Game (Original)
Steve Schnur – Battlefield 2042 DLC – Season 1 – Zero Hour, Season 2 – Master of Arms, Season 3 – Escalation
Composers: Hildur Guðnadóttir, Sam Slater
About the Guild of Music Supervisors
The Guild of Music Supervisors is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2010 with the mission to promote the craft of Music Supervision within all forms of media. The Guild holds numerous networking and educational events throughout the year that include the annual State of Music in Media Conference and recently a mentorship program for aspiring Music Supervisors. For more information, please visit www.guildofmusicsupervisors.com