From Song to Score: Crafting the Sound of a Story - Sponsored by BMI
MAY 1TARA THEATRE
romancedocumentaryclassichorrorindie
Fri, May 1 · 11:30 AM
About
Music can define character, elevate emotion, and shape how audiences experience a story. This panel unpacks the creative collaboration behind the music of film and television—from needle drops and licensing to original score and sonic world‑building. Through real‑world examples, they’ll explore how songs and scores work together to serve story, culture, and character on screen. Co-Moderator: Tracy McKnight (VP Creative - Film, TV, and Visual Media - Los Angeles) Co-Moderator: Catherine Brewton (VP Creative - Atlanta) Panelists: Kurt Farquhar (Composer), Joel C. High (Music Supervisor), EmmoLei Sankofa (Composer), and Serayah (Singer, Songwriter) Tracy McKnight is VP, Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media at BMI, where she signs and supports affiliates and develops programs championing BMI composers. She is an award-winning music supervisor with 170+ credits. Tracy previously led film music at Lionsgate. Catherine Brewton is Vice President, Creative at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) based in the BMI Atlanta office. In this role, Ms. Brewton manages and cultivates relationships with a myriad of songwriters and composers throughout the Atlanta region and on a national level as well. She directs all of the outreach for the BMI Atlanta office to songwriters and music publishers while working closely with Creative staff members in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and London to bring top writing talent to BMI. Chicago native, Kurt Farquhar , is a Los Angeles based composer known for shows such as King of Queens, Girlfriends, Black Lightning, The Neighborhood, Proud Family: Louder & Prouder, Abraham Lincoln, Not Easily Broken, and The Perfect Match . In 2022, he was presented with the Hollywood Music in Media Career Achievement Award. Kurt is a ten-time BMI award winner, four for his work on The King of Queens , three for The Neighborhood , two for Being Mary Jane & and one for The Game . Joel C. High is a music supervisor and producer who has worked on over 250 films, television projects, and video games—and is also chief executive for a supervision, production, and events company he co-founded in 2006. Over the last three decades, he created and supervised the music departments for two of the leading independent studios in the industry: Trimark Pictures and Lionsgate Entertainment as well as helped launch the music side of Tyler Perry Studios. As a ground-breaking music supervisor, Joel has worked with directors such as Tyler Perry, Marc Forster, Peter Bogdanovich, Don Roos, Roger Avary, James Foley, Bill Paxton, Billy Ray, Mario Van Peebles, Duane Adler and Rob Zombie. In addition, he has served as producer on several music-intensive films and television series. EmmoLei Sankofa is a composer, executive producer, and story architect whose notable credits include Lizzo's Emmy Award–winning Watch Out for the Big Grrrls , Hulu's The Other Black Girl , Disney+'s Project CC , Three Ways , Undercard , House of Aama: Threads of Legacy , and Step Up Season 3. Her score for The Other Black Girl earned an NAACP Image Award nomination in the inaugural Outstanding Original Score for Film/TV category, placing her among the first composers recognized in its history. EmmoLei is an alumna of the Sundance Composers Lab and VIFF Composer–Filmmaker Accelerator, and a leading advocate for equity in the industry through her role as VP of Outreach for the Alliance for Women Film Composers. Serayah McNeill is an actress, singer, and model who rose to fame as Tiana Brown on FOX’s hit series Empire. Since then, she’s built a diverse portfolio with standout roles in True Story, BMF, and the BET+ drama Kingdom Business. Most recently, Serayah stars in the Netflix film Ruth & Boaz — a modern, faith-based reimagining of the biblical love story — where she takes on the lead role of Ruth Moably. In addition to her acting career, Serayah is an accomplished music artist. Her latest EP, Archives, showcases her growth as a vocalist and songwriter. She also appeared in Taylor Swift’s iconic “Bad Blood” music video, further cementing her presence across pop culture. Off screen, Serayah embraces creativity, authenticity, and a new chapter in her personal life as both a mother and fiancée. She is also a passionate advocate for mental health and self-worth, serving as a board member of Deserving Love — a nonprofit she co-founded with her mother to empower women and young girls.
Details
Show
11:30am
Tickets
Tickets available ↗
Getting There
2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, USA Brookwood, GA
Five Points · 2 min walk
Deck parking · available