Martin Sutton
FOUNDER & LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Backstreet Boys, LeAnn Rimes, Celine Dion...
Multi-platinum award winning Martin Sutton has over three decades of success in the music business as a full time songwriter, producer, engineer, mixer and multi-instrumentalist. He founded The Songwriting Academy 10 years ago and has since helped thousands of songwriters around the world leap forward with their music.
Martin has worked with some of the biggest artists in the world including Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, LeAnn Rimes, Katrina & The Waves, Des’Ree, Kim Wilde, Gary Barlow, Mica Paris, Blue, Andrew Roachford, Mike & The Mechanics, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Super Junior, Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton John, Garou, Pixie Lott, Michael Patrick Kelly, Lulu, Lena, plus multiple Voice and Idol winners around the world.
Martin owns a sync agency and works closely with music supervisors to provide music for movies, TV shows and video games.
He is also an Amazon best-selling author of the spiritual guide : Conversations With Nishu.
Bob Harris O.B.E.
British Broadcasting Legend
Bob Harris has had music at the centre of his life from the moment he discovered the energy and excitement of the first wave of Rock n Roll records in the mid-1950’s. Those incredible early singles by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy and Chuck Berry formed the spine of a record collection that inspired Bob to want to spread the joy of this fantastic, life-changing music.
He became a DJ in the late 60’s, introducing Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Elton John and a whole new wave of rock n roll inspired performers to audiences at gigs across London and beyond, co-founding the internationally renowned ‘Time Out’ magazine in 1968 to further support the music he loved.
Two years later, he got the gig of his dreams, broadcasting barrier-breaking programmes on BBC national radio, his home for the past fifty-two years, during which time he has established a worldwide reputation as one of the most trusted and influential tastemakers of his generation.
He was the host of the award-winning BBC TV music show ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ throughout the 1970’s, introducing some of the greatest musicians ever, giving first broadcasts to icons who still dominate the charts today. He compered some of the biggest-ever rock concerts and filmed with some of the greatest stars in the world, including John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Queen. It was a heady time.
From then to the present day, Bob has worked tirelessly, discovering and promoting emerging artists and collaborating with world-class stars, demonstrating a passion for music that in recent years has seen him spend more and more time in Nashville, immersing himself in the culture of Music City, while presenting his Country Show on BBC Radio 2.
He is a four-time winner of the CMA International Broadcaster of the Year Award and a recipient of the Wesley Rose International Achievement Award in 2012. He received the Americana Music Association Trailblazer Award from Emmylou Harris on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in 2011, before flying back to Britain to be honoured, two days later, with an OBE, given to him by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle, in recognition of his services to British music and culture.
He is an award-winning documentary programme maker and the author of three books, including his chart-topping autobiography ‘Still Whispering After All These Years’, published in 2016.
Bob is much loved and unique. He is a major and respected figure at the centre of the music industry – a man born to music. His has been a warm, knowledgeable and familiar voice across the airwaves for more than half a century and he is as enthusiastic now to support his favourite music as when taping his first teenage home-recorded rock n roll shows in the late 1950’s.
Bob Harris truly is a legend of British broadcasting.
“Bob Harris is a straight-up legend”
Chris Martin, Coldplay
Sam Hollander
Chart Topping Songwriter/Producer
As one of the most renowned, multi-platinum songwriters and producers in the game, Sam Hollander has written and produced for the likes of Panic! At The Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, Katy Perry, blink-182, Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Carole King, Billy Idol, Jewel, Train, Tom Morello and Gym Class Heroes amongst many others. To date, he’s achieved 22 US Top 40 Hits, as well as 10 Number 1's, 10 top fives, and 87 Top 10 chart positions globally. His songs have been streamed over 7 billion times, and in 2019, he held the #1 position on the Billboard Rock Songwriters Chart for nine weeks, a year-end record. Sam has also been chosen to be on Variety's Hitmakers list, as well as being named Rolling Stone's Hot List Producer of the Year.
Andrew Roachford
Roachford, Mike & The Mechanics
Andrew Roachford has achieved four gold status albums and was Columbia Records' longest serving recording artist, achieving a total of eleven top 50 hits.
His most well known song is 1988's 'Cuddly Toy', which on a re-release a year later reached No.4 in the uk chart. 5 years later in 1994 he gained huge sales and critical acclaim with the album 'Permanent Shade Of Blue', combining pop, soul, blues and rock with socially and politically aware lyrics.
Andrew Roachford is currently a member of the reformed Mike & the Mechanics, who are slated to release a new album and tour the UK in 2011.
Michelle Escoffery
President PRS Members Council, Songwriter, Producer, Artist
Michelle Escoffery is a powerhouse in the music industry, celebrated as an award-winning singer-songwriter and an inspiration to all who cross her path. With an impressive career spanning over three decades, Michelle has proven herself time and again as a force to be reckoned with.
She has been honored with prestigious accolades such as the Ivor Novello Award and Brit Award, which stand as testament to her creative talent and professional contributions.
She is currently making history as the first President of PRS for Music Member's Council, where she passionately represents and advocates for her fellow music creators. Additionally, she dedicates her time as a Trustee for the PRS Foundation, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to supporting and uplifting the wider music community.
Beyond her musical prowess, Michelle is a champion of wellness. For over two decades, she has empowered creative entrepreneurs as a Life Navigation Consultant and executive mentor. Her transformative guidance helps individuals meet the demands of daily life with creativity and spiritual practice, enabling them to ignite their energy, maintain their flow, and avoid burnout. Above all, Michelle's unique speciality as a Joy facilitator, helps individuals access and embody boundless joy in every aspect of their lives.
Kate Hyman
Previous Senior VP at BMG Entertainment
Combining creative strategy and commercial mindset in a unique approach, Kate Hyman is a seasoned professional in the world of artists and repertoire. With a true passion for discovering and nurturing talented musicians, Kate has a keen ear for identifying potential hit songs and has a talent for spotting up-and-coming artists before they hit it big, working with some of the biggest names in the business. These include Moby, Toots and The Maytals, Paula Cole, Aimee Mann, Sinéad O'Connor, World Party, Julia Wolf, Beth Orton and Tianna Esperanza.
Kate currently has a successful joint venture with BMG Rights. She has extensive experience as an A&R executive at Warner Bros, V2, Imago, Chrysalis, MCA, ZE/Island Records, and Shelter Records. She is also the founder of "Little Monster", a Children's Music Label.
Kate has also done several music book deals, such as "Dreaming of Dylan" by Mary Lee Kortes, "Knock Knock Knock on Wood" by Eddie Floyd and Tony Fletcher, a series of books on the stories of independent labels (under the banner RPM) and "Say It One More Time For the Broken-Hearted” (Country Soul and the American South) by Barney Hoskyns.
Jeff Nedza
VP Marketing, Cadence Music Group
Jeff Nedza is a music business expert who has worked with artists including The Rolling Stones, The Who, Slash, Rob Zombie, Seether, Eric Clapton, Queen, Jimmy Cliff, U2 and Soundgarden. He has over 20 years of strategic marketing excellence under his belt, holding creative and senior marketing positions within both the music and film industry. While at Universal Music Canada he spearheaded highly successful domestic marketing campaigns for many international superstars. His work in film is highlighted by marketing the feature-length documentaries Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World and History of the Eagles.
Following a passion for artist development, he moved to his current role at Cadence Music Group where he serves as Vice President of Marketing and is the principal architect for all marketing initiatives, artist development, release strategy, brand and creative direction. He is actively involved in the company’s ongoing roster development across its four label divisions and overseas an owned e-commerce subsidiary. Since joining the company Jeff has been instrumental in attracting both legacy artists as well as emerging acts with a highly collaborative, transparent, and pragmatic approach to artist marketing and release strategies.
As a complement to his marketing prowess, Jeff is an accomplished graphic designer with several album cover credits and is equally comfortable editing video with countless promo reels, teasers and 3 feature film trailers in his portfolio. Jeff is a member of the Canadian Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.
Anya Marina
Sync Artist, Twilight, Grey's Anatomy...
ANYA MARINA is a provocative and gifted live performer, sharing stages with such artists as Jason Mraz, Matt Pond PA, Eric Hutchinson, Joshua Radin, Tristan Prettyman, Jewel, Chris Isaak, Paolo Nutini, Spoon, Dandy Warhols, and most currently, comedian Nikki Glaser in theaters across the U.S. and in Europe.
Marina is also a prolific songwriter, perhaps best known for “Satellite Heart,” from the platinum-selling soundtrack to Twilight: New Moon, and her provocative cover of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” (6 million YouTube views and counting). Marina’s songs have been featured in national ad campaigns and influential TV series (13 Reasons Why, Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Castle, United States of Tara, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Batwoman), remixed by Interpol’s Sam Fogarino, and called “a mixture of Liz Phair sex appeal with a dash of [Carl] Jung” by Rolling Stone.
After releasing two critically acclaimed albums (Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II and Felony Flats) and an EP (Spirit School) on Chop Shop/Atlantic, Marina independently released Paper Plane and EPs Serious Love, and Over You - the lead single from which was featured in the award-winning web series Anya Marina: Indie-pendent Woman (
https://www.anyamarina.com/web-series)
Anya's full length album, Queen of the Night, was released in 2020 and her Live & Alone in New York album was recorded live over two nights at Rockwood Music Hall and released in 2021.
Rupert Hollier
Music Supervisor, VP Guild of Music Supervisors
Ru started life in music Publishing at MCS in 1999, moving on to Kingstreet Media in 2002 where he worked on brands and advertising for clients such as Desmond Childs and Fleetwood Mac. Ru left Kingstreet in 2004 to become a freelance music supervisor, working on many high level advertising campaigns with brands including Marks & Spencer, Nike, as well as the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
In 2009 joined Imagem Music, specialising in film & TV synchronisation. During his time at Imagem, he represented the Rodgers & Hammerstein and Boosey & Hawkes catalogues, as well as numerous artists and bands on the contemporary roster including Daft punk, Mark Ronson, Pink Floyd, Vampire Weekend, Genesis and The Stone Roses. During his five-year tenure Rupert worked with brands such as Reebok, Skoda, Next, Iceland, Hyundai and Tesco amongst others, and several successful US, UK and European based films.
He joined Metropolis Group in 2014 as Creative Director and founded the publishing division (Metropolis Music Publishing) and quickly secured an impressive repertoire of artists, bands and composers, racking up multiple synchronisation placements and campaigns. In 2016 he won both Best TV Advert and Overall Sync of the Year,as music supervisor, at the MusicWeek Sync Awards.
Since co-founding music supervision agency Redfive, Ru has supervised films such as “The wife”, “McQueen”, “Greed”, “Worth”, and “The Silencing”, to name a few.
He has recently produced his first film based on the 50th Anniversary of the release of Sgt.Pepper, and is following that up with the soon to be released western drama, “Dry River”.
Rupert also sits as a co-founder and senior board member of The UK & European Guild of Music Supervisors.
Nathan Cross
Grammy Nominated Songwriter/Producer | Piece Of My Heart
Nathan is an acclaimed Grammy Nominated Music Producer, Writer & DJ from London, UK. His tracks have featured on many reputed independent Dance labels from Toolroom, Spinnin and Selected, right through to the majors with releases on EMI, Atlantic and Sony. Nathan co-wrote 2019’s biggest dance hit ‘Piece of Your Heart’ by Meduza & Goodboys, which surpassed a billion global streams, hit platinum in the US and double platinum sales in the UK and earnt him a Grammy nomination for best Dance Single at the 2020 awards.
Nathan’s catalogue includes widely supported official productions for Marshmello, Martin Solveig, Bastille and Flume amongst others.
Master of many artist projects including Joy Club (with Rick Boardman, Pablo Bowman and James Watts) - Creating “anthemic, classy, catchy” electronic music, Joy Club’s first release in 2020 on Positiva / EMI, ‘In The Night’ debuted on Scott Mills - BBC Radio 1 Party Anthems and has been championed by Tiësto, David Guetta and Axwell, with features in official Spotify playlists, Massive Dance Hits, Cardio, Happy Dance & Mint Canada, to name a few. Further to this, their 3rd single ‘Lifted’ made it onto the official EA Sports FIFA 23 Soundtrack.
As the sound of Drum & Bass fast becomes the hot sound of 2023, Nathan has been writing and producing with many new artists in the scene including Goddard, Turno, KMotionz, Emily Makis, High Contrast and Mila Falls. Furthermore creating a new project with fellow writer Kye Sones called HABITS.
Nathan manages a relentless production schedule running his own studio and producing/writing for a number of DJs and Producers in the House scene.
Trudie Myerscough-Harris
Manager, Beth Neilsen-Chapman
Al Berry
Nile Rodgers, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson...
Al is a seasoned world-touring musician, songwriter, bassist, vocalist and recording artist who has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry.
He has written with Nile Rodgers, toured with Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson, and worked with Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, BB King, as well as featuring on the Grammy award wining multi-platinum album "Family Style' by Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughn.
His network in the industry is vast and his compassionate approach to helping and supporting new songwriters and artists is an inspiration.
Patrik Kindvall (Klur) been producing music for 20+ years, professionally composing music for media, film and TV. Since 2022 he has been creating melodic house under the alias Klur and has reached over 2 million streams per month.
As Klur he received the award for one of the fastest growing artists in Sweden by PRO STIM and was the third most played artist on SiriusXM Chill radio station last year.
Inspired by the beauty of nature, Klur has a dedication to crafting a unique sound and bringing life to effervescent synths. His music has the ability to transport listeners on a mesmerizing and tranquil auditory journey, captivating them with its emotional depth.
Whether creating upbeat, danceable tracks or more atmospheric, contemplative pieces, Klur consistently pushes the boundaries of the genre and leaves a mark on the world of music.
Mark Garfield
Sync Agent Pop-Up Music
Mark Garfield is a drummer, producer, songwriter and music publisher – founder co owner of Pop-Up Music a UK a music publisher and sync agent.
Music career: He has drummed, produced and written for artists including, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Dr Fink (Prince), Eddie Kramer (producer Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin…), Pete Brown (Cream), Mo Foster (Jeff Beck, Phil Collins), Clem Burke (Blondie), Neal X (Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Marc Almond), Arthur Brown, Micky Moody/Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake) and Hotei (Kill Bill OST). Netflix composer on Insatiable.
Gig highlights include: Glastonbury, Marquee Club, Hua Hin Jazz Festival Thailand, Hermitage Park Festival Moscow, SXSW Austin Texas.
The serious stuff: Mark graduated from the University of West London with an honours degree in music performance – honours degree in teaching from The University of Greenwich.
Pop-Up Music notable syncs:
• 3 tracks in Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood;
• Netflix: Stranger Things, Ratched, I Am Not Okay With This, Insatiable, Nasty Cherry, Street Food, Close; Pose, The Serpent
• Amazon: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, I’m Your Woman, The Grand Tour
• Apple TV: Long Way Up, Amazing Stories, Pam and Tommy, Welcome To The Chippendales
• BBC: Giri Haji; The Little Drummer Girl, I May Destroy You,
• CBS: Blood And Treasure; The Twilight Zone
• History Channel: Project Blue Book
• Far Cry 5, Watch Dogs Legion, Rock Band 4
• Poretti, Estee Lauder, Nina Ricci, Jeep
These Days: Now based in London with offices at home and RAK studios, Mark with Pop-Up Music continues to provide the sync industry with great music.
Mike Murphy
DITTO Music Global Head Of Events and Partnerships
Mike Murphy is the Global Head Of Events and Partnerships as well as the Indie / Rock Artist & Label Services Manager for Ditto Music.
He has been in the music industry since he was 18 as a recording artist having toured and released music extensively, running an independent label and helped local artists in Merseyside and across the UK to get started releasing music.
This ultimately led him to join Ditto Music in 2016 where he covered everything from artist support, managing Record Label In Box (a service that help set up and mentor over 3,000 new record labels globally), mentoring hundreds or independent artists on 1-2-1 sessions, leading Record Label Services Rock / Alt division (where Mike signed and helped careers for some incredible acts such as Inhaler, The Ting Tings, Calva Louise, The Coral, Rick Astely, Ian Brown, Yeasayer as some quick highlights).
Mike now coordinates Ditto Musics events globally and partnerships with Ditto Music’s own programmes (such as Industry Access, Ditto X Conferences and Ditto Live showcases) also placing Ditto Music across partnered events working with the likes of the BBC, Amazon Music, The Great Escape, Sound City, Midem and more. Mike also manages artists such Calva Louise, lostboy and Sundowners.
Andy Ross
Music Supervisor
Andy is an award-winning music supervisor and executive music producer with over 30 years of diversified experience in the music industry, including stints as artist manager, label chief, and publisher.
Andy won a Guild of Music Supervisors Award for his music supervision on director Damien Chazelle's three-time Academy Award winning jazz movie Whiplash, and has been responsible for music supervision and curation of music in over 200 film, TV and advertising projects. As manager of UK band Psapp he helped land them the theme song to the award winning ABC show 'Grey's Anatomy', currently gearing up for its 18th season after 365 episodes. He has commissioned over 100 original songs by writers such as Diane Warren, Dr John, Conor Oberst, Gary Numan & Howard Jones.
Currently he is the Creative Director and co-founder at Exit Strategy Productions where he oversees all aspects of creative music production and works on the development, creation and production of feature films and TV projects.
Dylan Myerscough-Harris
A&R Manager, Peer Music
Dylan Myerscough-Harris is a London-based A&R Manager originally from Oxford, England. Dylan has grown up in the world of music, working on projects since the age of 15, and is heavily connected with both the UK and US music spheres.
Dylan is currently UK A&R Manager at peermusic UK, the biggest independent music publisher in the world, looking after a roster of artists, writers, producers and composers, as well as running all peermusic UK socials over the past 4 years, helping set the musical strategy for the UK and working to deliver an ever changing, growing and diverse roster. Before peermusic Dylan has worked as an A&R at Under the Apple Tree, frtyfve, Warner & Atlantic Records.
Dylan has worked on artist management projects with international acts such as Catherine McGrath, The Overtones and Victoria Canal, developing acts from their first releases up to Spotify, iTunes and UK top 40 charts, and across an eclectic mix of genres and platforms.
Dylan also helped develop the online A&R Scouting platform; TalentAI, with the record label frtyfve, and has presented talks on the modern music landscape and the power of the online world at BBC Introducing Live, Resonate Music Conference and the AMA-UK Awards, as well as regular lectures at ICMP, BIMM, the Rhythm Studio and Leeds College of Music.
Prior to this, Dylan worked on live music sessions and events with Under the Apple Tree, a platform for new artists to be discovered, and has worked on festivals both in the US and UK. Dylan’s passions lie in the discovery, nurturing and development of new musicians breaking into the wider music industry.
Jack McNeilage
Able Faces, Marc Benjamin, Pete Tong, Todd Terry
Ex TSA Student Jack McNeilage is a songwriter, producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the duo Able Faces with his brother Mark. Since 2020 they have written for a variety of artists across multiple genres, as well as building the Able Faces artist project. Based in their Glasgow studio, they are regularly travelling across Europe to write in cities such as London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and others.
Jack has been managed by John Saunderson at Ostereo Management since 2020 and since his first cut in 2020, Jack’s music has been streamed over 100 million times so far.
Superstar DJ Sam Feldt was so impressed with Able Faces that he offered them a publishing deal and EP recording deal. They became the first signings to Heartfeldt Publishing in 2021, which is a joint venture with CTM Publishing in the Netherlands
Able Faces recently passed 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone
His composition ‘Losing Focus’ was a hit in across Europe, having been streamed over 16 million times on Spotify so far, and has been played by DJs including Alesso at festivals all over the world
Able Faces have performed live at The Royal Albert Hall and KOKO in London
At Tomorrowland 2022, one of the stages was named after Jack’s song “Renaissance of Rave” which was released by Sub Zero Project, and 12 of his songs were played by various DJs across the festival
His many cuts with other artists include 6 releases with Dutch DJ Marc Benjamin, co-writing on 5 Hardstyle albums including Sub Zero Project’s multi-award winning latest album, title track of Dutch TV star WULF’s ‘Restart’ EP, Romanian star Loredana’s latest single, and AN21’s comeback single “Alright” which was championed by Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1
Jack has 13 releases coming out in the second half of 2023
Tobias Rauscher
YouTube Artist & Entrepreneur
Tobias Rauscher is a "Modern Percussive Fingerstyle" guitar player from Germany and part of the modern acoustic guitar movement that is led by players like Andy McKee, Mike Dawes and Tommy Emmanuel. His playing style combines melodies with percussive elements in own compositions full of technical refinements - pure and clean - performed on only one guitar.
He received first attention through his videos on YouTube with more than 45 million views by now. His most popular tunes Memories and Still Awake went viral several times and they introduce Tobias's music to new audiences on a daily basis.
Tobias started to play the electric guitar at the age of 14 as an autodidact and initially played mainly Rock and Heavy Metal. In 2004 he founded his first band „Synatic“ and played the guitar in several other musical projects. In 2010 he finally decided to fully focus on playing solo acoustic guitar.
In 2015 Tobias created his own Guitar Academy (www.tobiasguitar.com) to teach other aspiring guitarists how to play Modern Percussive Fingerstyle.
Chris Johnson
Celebrity Vocal Coach
Chris is a highly experienced vocal coach trained in vocal manual therapy, massage and myofascial release who has helped thousands of vocalists to be the best possible version of themselves.
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Major label contemporary artists, singer/songwriters, West End lead performers, and vocal coaches all trust Chris to take good care of their voices, develop their techniques, and bring out all of the style and artistry needed to take on THE career.
Chris is also the co-founder of popular iTunes podcast for singers, The Naked Vocalist, founder of teacher training company Teach Voice, and his unique teaching style is in-demand from London to Los Angeles.
worth over £600.00
