BMI. I work with major publishers
and record labels and major composers and songwriters who license
and write music for our programming. Turner promotes innovative
thinking and I am grateful to report
up through leaders who are receptive to new ideas and open to new
business practices and technologies,
critical in a changing industry.
In my managerial role, I am lucky
to oversee a team of experienced
and passionate music lovers who
do incredible work. Our Clearance
Team clears popular music, from
The Rolling Stones to Bruno Mars,
for use in our television shows.
The Reporting Team reports “cue
sheets” to PROs identifying all music performed on our networks.
Turner’s Music Publishing Team
administers royalties from decades
of music owned by Turner. And the
Original Music Team devises and
implements strategies for exploiting and repurposing our original
music (e.g., soundtracks and licenses
to third parties).
I am fortunate to practice music law
in Atlanta where there has been an
uptick in entertainment business
from tax incentives dating back to
the early 2000s. Hundreds of productions are shot in Georgia, and
Atlanta was called the “Hollywood
of the South” by the Washington
Times in 2015. According to the AJC,
production companies spent $1.7
billion on 248 projects in 2015, and
Georgia was ranked third in a survey
of primary filming locations behind
only California and New York.
Community and Personal
My music and entertainment interests have helped me meet and
interact with some amazing leaders
in our community. I have found
enjoyment and camaraderie working with passionate, philanthropic
lawyers at the Atlanta Bar Foundation where I serve on the Board
of Directors. Since 2010, I have
managed the stage and technical
aspects of “LawJam,” one of the Atlanta Bar Foundation’s signature
fundraising events held at Variety
Playhouse and Buckhead Theatre.
I also served as a board member of
Georgia Lawyers for the Arts for
many years, and continue to support the organization.
I write and play music in a recording
studio in my basement after the kids
go down and on weekends when I
can grab a moment. My goal is to
release an EP (a short record with
about 4 or 5 tracks) in the next six
months and a full record in the next
12-18 months. I have even started
writing some children’s tunes–my
kid band is called “Trucks ‘n Stuff”
because it’s an awesome and manly
kid band!
In Summation
A traditional Chinese saying states:
“may you live in interesting times.”
During this time of change in the
industry there has been dramatic
change in my life, from musician
to lawyer. I have had the interesting
fortune to be a part of, and witness
first hand, music industry developments from the perspective of an
artist, a music lawyer, consumer,
and music enthusiast, and I look
forward to many disruptions to
come.
▪
Brenton performing for his son Liam's Pre-K class.
16
November 2016