BMI Hosts Two Insider Panels for Tribeca Festival’s Music Lounge

BMI was excited to return to Tribeca Festival’s Music Lounge with two panels that gave an insider’s look into creating the music behind some of today’s most popular films and TV shows. On June 10, BMI presented How I Wrote That Song® for Film & TV featuring songwriter/producer Ali Dee, and on June 11, BMI presented How I Wrote That… Behind The Score featuring composers Jongnic Bontemps, Anna Drubich, Meredith Ezinma Ramsay and Gil Talmi. Both panels were moderated by BMI’s VP, Creative, Film, TV and Visual Media Tracy McKnight at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, NY.

Hitmaker, songwriter, producer and composer Ali Dee took attendees through his journey from his early days with his hip-hop group The Next School and their recording deal with Chrysalis Records, to writing songs for artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Eric B & Rakim, Slick Rick, Mary J Blige, Natasha Bedingfield and more. In 2002, Dee saw tremendous opportunity in music for film and television and explained his migration from working with recording artists to creating songs and music for film & television. He has written songs and produced music for over 250 feature films and is ranked the #3 highest grossing Executive Music Producer on Worldwide box office receipts.

Each with films screening at Tribeca Festival, Bontemps, Drubich, Ramsay and Talmi spoke in front of a packed crowd emerging and established composers, sharing insights on everything from how to navigate the business and collaborate, their favorite software programs and how to stay true to your talent and craft. Collectively, the panelists have produced music for a variety of films including Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Black Panther, Harry & Meghan, Tales of the Waria, and many more. Following the panel, guests and composers mingled at a private happy hour event hosted by BMI at OTB.