Able Baker: An NYC Firm Hears the New ABC’s of Music Supervision

Call it an inner convergence. The latest music supervision service providers are bringing together more tools to help brands and content creators.

A new NYC-based example is Able Baker. The firm is co-founded by two Executive Producers of Music/Music Supervisors, Peter Gannon and Jessica Dierauer, whose combined experience is expansive — Wieden + Kennedy, Ogilvy & Mather, The Martin Agency, BBH, CP+B, Y&R, McCann NY, and sister agency Commonwealth.

Delve deeper, and you see music-driven projects off the beaten path. Gannon created “The Quietest Show on Earth” for Nature Valley, a music platform presented by Nature Valley on behalf of the National Parks Conservatory Association. Meanwhile, Dierauer partnered with Hudson Rouge and Lincoln Motor Company on the interactive music video for Aloe Blacc’s, “Love is the Answer.” As department heads, their collective client roster has included Coca Cola, ESPN, Old Spice, American Express, Land Rover, Nike, Dell, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Target.

Able Baker’s offerings are numerous, but wholly cohesive. They provide original composition, music supervision and licensing, offering music strategy/consultation and content production across TV, film, digital and non-traditional disciplines for both the advertising and entertainment industries.

In accordance, the company aims to serve as a connector between brands and musicians. The objective is a partnership to create music for content and content for music. Along the way, creative ideas are protected and all parties are strategically aligned in music production.

Working in partnership with the ambitious audio post concern, Heard City, Able Baker seems most excited about the collaborative possibilities moving forward. Gannon elaborated on what can happen next with their business model.

Able Baker together: Peter Gannon and Jessica Dierauer.

What makes now a particularly good time to launch Able Baker – what are the latest trends in the advertising/entertainment landscape that are advantageous for launching an entity such as yours?

Closer integration of brands and music is pretty well established by now. It’s been hugely beneficial for both industries, and it only continues to get more sophisticated. There have been companies on the leading edge of brand and artist integration for some time now.

Eight years ago, when I started as an agency music producer, I loved developing original music, or licensing the perfect piece of music. I still love doing that as Able Baker, but once I did my truly first unconventional, music-centric job for the launch of the Zync Card for American Express, there was no turning back.

In your grand opening announcement, you said Able Baker was “differentiated by their offering of music strategy/consultation and content production across TV, film, digital and non-traditional disciplines for both the advertising and entertainment industries”. But there are other companies that make similar claims, such as Music & Strategy (http://bit.ly/OxyOXt). What further differentiates you in this field? 

I worked with them for many years as their client, and I’m a huge fan. Able Baker’s primary purpose is creating or licensing music at the highest possible creative level for any project. We also advise brands and clients directly where they can be musically.

Our differentiator is in content creation. It is not for the faint at heart. We are forging ahead creating content that we can sell or distribute on behalf of our clients, or for ourselves. I also think that both Jessica and myself offer a very unique perspective, insight, and expertise having spent time being client-facing, and client-protecting entities who were exposed to every type of media need global clients expect.

Heard City just made news by announcing their expansion into Brooklyn. Why are you choosing to team up with them for this venture?

Able Baker is buddies with audio posters Heard City.

Phil Loeb, Partner at Heard City, is a long-time friend to both of us. He is someone we both admire for his business sense, and share a vision of the future.

This partnership enables us a level of support we would not have had, had we gone solely out on our own. We will share space at a new location in Dumbo, but the offices, studios and companies are separate.

Both you and Jessica have been employees of large agencies at one point. What are the challenges and opportunities inherent in striking out on your own and forming an independent shop?

Striking out on our own allows us to be nimble and create our music driven ideas for both advertising and the entertainment industries. We are also now in a place to be both reactive, but much more proactive.

Both Jessica and I spent time at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland. Every day, entering the office, you pass an installation of thousands of push pins that spells out “Fail Harder”. We are both creative people working in a creative field, and we are both dually rebellious and perfectionists. More than a clever phrase, “Fail Harder” was an ethos of how to approach every day in this business that was difficult not to embrace. So, here we go!

– David Weiss is the Founder/Editor of SonicScoop, and co-author of the book Music Supervision: Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games & New Media.

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.