Creative Lab Hawaiʻi

Amy Stroup

Amy Stroup is a Boston born, Abilene, Texas raised independent artist, living in Nashville who has had her songs featured on more than 30 TV shows (This Is US, Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Vampire Diaries, Walking Dead, One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars) as well as National TV ads for Calvin Klein, New Balance, Lexus & more.  Amy has released 3 digital EPs and one nationally distributed full length solo recorded entitled Tunnel.  She is the newest member of the TEN OUT OF TENN tour where she is one of ten featured artists along side Andrew Belle, Katie Herzig, Joy Williams and more. Recently Amy released a single called ‘This Is My Time’ featured on NBC’s hit show This is US she co-wrote with Mary Hooper her creative partner and co owner of their design boutique Milkglass Creative. 

In 2012 Trent Dabbs and Stroup released a self-titled band project called Sugar & The Hi-Lows. Billboard magazine called the project ‘Sweet Stuff.’ USA Today said,’The only thing better than the bluesy, garage-rock guitars is Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup’s vocal chemistry.’ Marie Claire magazine stated, ‘This Nashville duo’s sultry garage rock comes in like a lion, thanks to fuzzy guitars and Amy Stroup’s salted-caramel voice.’ She is currently on tour with Sugar and The Hi-Lows and has shared the stage recently with Chris Stapleton, Kings of Leon, Kacey Musgraves, Ingrid Michaelson and more. 

Andre Merritt

Super songwriter, Andre Merritt, has helped create career defining hits and a musical sound that is proven timeless and fits all genres. By taking emotions, life experiences and words that people dare to speak, he uses them to tell a story through song. Over the last 10 years, Andre Merritt has won Grammys and topped the Billboard charts time and time again. He continues to build himself as a writer and as the recording artist- Apollo Grey.

Andre launched his songwriting career in 2006 with Marques Houston’s “Favorite Girl”. He following up shortly after with Omarion’s hit single “Entourage”, which garnered interests from every major publishing company in the industry. Shortly after he co-wrote Chris Brown’s “Down” featuring Kanye West and topped the charts once more with Chris Brown’s “Turn Up The Music”. In 2011 and 2012 Andre earned a Grammy, as well as Billboard, NAACP, and American Music Award nominations for his work on one of Chris Brown’s most notable albums- F.A.M.E. Chris Brown’s “Wet The Bed” feat Ludacris from the F.A.M.E. Album, climbed to #6 on Billboard’s Hip/Hop and R&B Charts. Other chart toppers include “Forever” by Chris Brown, “Disturbia” by Rihanna, “Dont Want to Dance Alone” and “Going Nowhere” by Fifth Harmony and “Fight For This Love” by X-Factor judge superstar Cheryl Cole in the UK. His latest work will be released by K-Pop artist XO in 2016. Andre has worked with some of the top artists in the world including Chris Brown, Rihanna, Usher, Cheryl Cole, Natasha Bedingfield, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Black Eyed Peas, Willow Smith, Jason Derulo, Mila J, Melanie Fiona, Katy Perry, Jack & Jack, XO, Timbaland, Jessie McCartney, Alexandra Burke, Goapele, and the list continues to grow.

In 2014 he launched himself as the artist Apollo Grey, with his debut single “Cause I Want To”, Apollo Grey gave his listeners the sound R&B has been missing. “I am truly blessed to be able to work with the artists that I have been able to work with. I was able to really grow creatively through the process to develop a unique sound I can call my own”, Andre comments.

Andre Merritt feels “Living grand is living out your dream, exceeding all expectations and doing what you want to do…” He not only looks forward to winning another Grammy as a songwriter but also as a recording artist himself.

Super songwriter, Andre Merritt, has helped create career defining hits and a musical sound that is proven timeless and fits all genres. By taking emotions, life experiences and words that people dare to speak, he uses them to tell a story through song. Over the last 10 years, Andre Merritt has won Grammys and topped the Billboard charts time and time again. He continues to build himself as a writer and as the recording artist- Apollo Grey.

Andre launched his songwriting career in 2006 with Marques Houston’s “Favorite Girl”. He following up shortly after with Omarion’s hit single “Entourage”, which garnered interests from every major publishing company in the industry. Shortly after he co-wrote Chris Brown’s “Down” featuring Kanye West and topped the charts once more with Chris Brown’s “Turn Up The Music”. In 2011 and 2012 Andre earned a Grammy, as well as Billboard, NAACP, and American Music Award nominations for his work on one of Chris Brown’s most notable albums- F.A.M.E. Chris Brown’s “Wet The Bed” feat Ludacris from the F.A.M.E. Album, climbed to #6 on Billboard’s Hip/Hop and R&B Charts. Other chart toppers include “Forever” by Chris Brown, “Disturbia” by Rihanna, “Dont Want to Dance Alone” and “Going Nowhere” by Fifth Harmony and “Fight For This Love” by X-Factor judge superstar Cheryl Cole in the UK. His latest work will be released by K-Pop artist XO in 2016. Andre has worked with some of the top artists in the world including Chris Brown, Rihanna, Usher, Cheryl Cole, Natasha Bedingfield, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Black Eyed Peas, Willow Smith, Jason Derulo, Mila J, Melanie Fiona, Katy Perry, Jack & Jack, XO, Timbaland, Jessie McCartney, Alexandra Burke, Goapele, and the list continues to grow. In 2014 he launched himself as the artist Apollo Grey, with his debut single “Cause I Want To”, Apollo Grey gave his listeners the sound R&B has been missing. “I am truly blessed to be able to work with the artists that I have been able to work with. I was able to really grow creatively through the process to develop a unique sound I can call my own”, Andre comments. Apollo is working on his artistry and is due to release his latest EP in 2016.

Andre Merritt feels “Living grand is living out your dream, exceeding all expectations and doing what you want to do…” He not only looks forward to winning another Grammy as a songwriter but also as a recording artist himself.

Chance Peña

Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, Chance Peña is a 19 year old singer/songwriter and producer. Making music from an early age, he has cultivated a unique style of traditional storytelling infused with modern musical influences. After building a following by writing and performing in his hometown, Chance competed on season 9 of the hit TV show, The Voice, at age 15. His experience on the show and working with coach Adam Levine further advanced his knowledge and confidence as an artist. When the show wrapped, he began working with Secret Road Music Publishing as a songwriter and saw immediate success. Peña continues to cultivate his artistry by writing, producing, engineering and performing his own songs. Peña plans to release a full EP in 2019 via Secret Road Records.

Chris Mollere

Independent Music Supervisor

Music Supervisor Chris Mollere’s diverse interest in the world began quite early in life. Growing up in a military family, he traveled extensively while living in Europe and various stateside locations. At an early age he developed a unique appreciation and love for all styles of music. He especially credits his family’s love of music and his father’s extensive record collection as an early influence. His passion and love of music evolved even further as he began attending concerts and playing music himself. Chris attended and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and in addition to receiving an excellent education in the areas of psychology, advertising and business, he participated in countless music events that the city and state had to offer. Living in Austin provided Chris unlimited opportunities to attend concerts ranging from the most seasoned performers to a diverse variety of new artists. Becoming friends with many musicians and music venue owners provided Chris with a unique perspective of the behind the scenes challenges and business aspects of music. To further expand his knowledge of the music business, Chris worked with bands in management, production and promotional capacities. These early positions helped Chris understand many of the diverse facets involved in the music industry. After graduation, Chris moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a full time career in music and entertainment.

Chris has had numerous credits as a Film and TV Music Supervisor, including working on the CW television series THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES and THE ORIGINALS, as well as ABC Family / Freeform Television series PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, FAMOUS IN LOVE, GREEK, CHASING LIFE, KYLE XY and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, as well as on the feature films GET OUT, BAD WORDS, THE FAMILY FANG, THE BOX, I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY and many more.  To date Chris has worked as a Music Supervisor on our 700 episodes of TV and over 30 films.

C. J. Carney (PONO)

PONO is a multi-talented R&B influenced pop singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer. He was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii and now resides in Los Angeles. PONO got his start working alongside major label artist Luke Christopher straight out of high school with Interscope Records and went on to engineer, write or co-produce many of his songs, mixtapes and recently debuted Album TMRWFRVR through RCA Records.

PONO began his songwriting career creating music with Grammy winning and nominated songwriters such as Desmond Child, Manuel Seal, Sam Barsh, Brian Morgan & Dan Seeff. PONO has produced and written for many rising artists, as well as for movies, TV and mobile apps. To date, he has released an EP and 5 singles. He is currently working with the Grand Cru Entertainment team on securing major label placements as well as with Luke Christopher on his upcoming projects. 

Danny Ayer

Danny Ayer is a 33 year old recording artist, songwriter, composer and producer, represented by Secret Road Music Services in Los Angeles, California since 2015. Having tapped into the zeitgeist of his generation with unique indie electronic music, his credits now include dozens of TV shows, movies, film trailers, web series, commercials and international promos. He is presently working on his self-titled debut album as well as a number of releases through his electronic music project AYER. 

David Fisher

Music Supervisor/Chief Creative Director; Songs for Film & TV

David Fisher has over 20 years experience in the music industry. As a recording artist David had record deals with Interscope, Geffen Records, and Big Machine Records and recorded with producers, T. Bone Burnett, Roy Thomas Baker and Nathan Chapman among other prominent musicians.  David released three major label records under the names Big Blue Hearts and Fisher Stevenson, and spent five years as a songwriter for Bluewater Music in Nashville. He has toured domestically and internationally supporting major artists such as Carrie Underwood, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Lady Antebellum, Gary Allan, and Taylor Swift. 

After his career as a recording artist, David founded Songs for Film & T.V. in 2010, a music services agency specializing in music supervision, music production and music curation. David and his team have secured thousands placements in advertising, film, television and video games for clients such as Airbnb, Reebok, MINI, Sheraton, Massage Envy, REI, Revlon, Blue Moon, Google, Nationwide, Audi, Mercedes, Gevalia, Under Armour, Hershey’s, Pepsi, PlayStation, Absolute, Phillips 76, Conoco and American Idol. Network television and film studio clients include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel MTV, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Fox, FX, Bravo, AMC, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., and many more.

Heather Anderson

Music Attorney

A seasoned entertainment attorney with over 20 years experience in various aspects of the media and music business, Heather is currently a digital media, product, and technology attorney specializing in mobile apps, video games, interactive connected experiences, and the Disney Digital Network. Formerly an attorney in the Business and Legal Affairs department of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Heather handled recording, production, and license agreements for artists such as 50 Cent, The Neptunes, and Sheryl Crow. Prior to Interscope, Heather was Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at Fox, handling copyright and trademark issues – particularly in the digital space – for all Fox companies worldwide (motion picture, television, sports, etc.). While at Fox, Heather also owned and operated Good Girl Entertainment – her music law practice, artist management company, and independent record label – stemming from her desire to assist other artists after her time as an aspiring singer and rapper in middle school, high school, and college. Heather has also practiced as a TV and short form production attorney, and as a litigator at Thelen Reid & Priest LLP. She mentors 26 young people, ranging from college students to young lawyers, through four mentoring programs. She has two sons and received her B.A. from UC Berkeley and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Joshua Bartholomew

Joshua Bartholomew is an Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter, producer, performer and multi-instrumentalist. He and his wife, Lisa Harriton, form the writing/production team, JoLi. Together, they are responsible for co-writing and producing “Everything Is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie. You can also hear them signing as the featured performers in the movie version of the song. In his native Canada, via Nashville, Joshua cowrote the #1 hit, “Let Your Love Speak” by the band, Emerson Drive. He’s also written and produced songs for several major-network TV shows, commercials and video games.  As a performer, Joshua has shared stages with some of the world’s biggest stars, including Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Slash and Mike Posner. Currently, he and Lisa are in the studio recording for their duo project littleDNGR.

Kasey Truman

Music Supervisor; Chop Shop Music

Kasey Truman has been a Music Supervisor at Chop Shop Music since 2007. Most recent shows include: Veronica Mars (Hulu Series), iZombie (CW) and Splitting Up Together (ABC). Past projects include: Veronica Mars (Film), Grey’s Anatomy, Hart of Dixie, Scandal, Mad Men, Unforgettable (Film), The Bachelors (Film), The Catch, Gossip Girl, Private Practice, Chuck, Suburgatory, Selfie, Rescue Me, Off The Map, FlashForward, Supernatural, Numb3rs and Without A Trace.  Other Chop Shop film projects include a five film/soundtrack run with The Twilight Saga, Perks of Being A Wallflower, Warm Bodies, Water For Elephants, and Remember Me.

Kasey has been with Chop Shop since 2007, but got her start in Music Supervision working as a Coordinator for Mary Ramos in 2004 (Be Cool, The Big White, Freedom Writers, Keith, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, and I’ll Always Know What you Did Last Summer). She is a graduate of Duke University (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology), where she was the Captain of the Women’s Soccer Team. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology from Cal-State Fullerton.

Katy Gavillet

Creative Director, Music; Fox Broadcasting Company

Supporting the music needs of Fox’s marketing division, Katy Gavillet interfaces with all aspects of music in relation to the Fox network; serving as an in-house music supervisor for promos, overseeing song clearances, and commissioning original songs and re-records. Collaborating closely with her counterparts at TV studios, production companies, major record labels, and publishers, Gavillet identifies and brokers key sync opportunities that create a unique and impactful sound for FOX’s award-winning promotional campaigns.  Prior to joining Fox, she spent several years as Manager of Creative Sync Licensing at Warner Bros. Records. Working with a broad roster of talented artists including Gallant, The Black Keys, Dua Lipa, Muse, and PARTYNEXTDOOR, she pitched WBR releases for strategic placements in film, TV, promos, and trailers.

Kayla Masnek

Creative Manager, Film & FV; Secret Road Music Services

As part of Lynn Grossman’s team at Secret Road, Kayla Masnek focuses on music licensing. Recently, she has been responsible for getting Secret Road music placed in many TV shows, including Nashville, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, Notorious, The Catch, and Royals, and trailers and TV promos for ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon, and HBO.

Lindsey Bachelder

Lindsey Bachelder‘s songs have been recorded by outside artists such as Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey, Deana Carter and others. In addition, songs from her own artist projects (Lindsey Ray, Farmdale, Rayelle, Olly Anna) have appeared in several television shows, promos, movie trailers, and commercials for brands such as Target, T-Mobile, Lexus, JC Penney, Kohl’s, Verizon, Samsung, XBOX, Best Buy, and more. Most recently songs from Lindsey’s Olly Anna project have been used in promos for 3 season’s of HBO’s hit show INSECURE, trailer for Netflix original INSATIABLE, as well as international commercials for Special K and Samsung. Songs from Lindsey’s Rayelle project are currently being used in Kohl’s ads in the US and Samsung S10 ads internationally.

Lisa Harriton

Lisa Harriton is a Grammy and Oscar Nominated songwriter, producer, keyboardist and sound designer with deep roots in the Los Angeles music scene. The daughter of a film/tv composer Father and studio-singer Mother, she discovered her passion young. By the age of 8, she was already recording in the studio with industry vets. 

At age eleven, she propelled her music education even further by enrolling in London’s prestigious, Royal Schools of Music, where she received a degree with honors in classical piano. Shortly after, Lisa received a scholarship to study at USC where she graduated with a Jazz Piano degree. As a keyboardist, Lisa has toured the world with several top artists including, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kesha, Adam Lambert. Always a songwriter at heart, Lisa and her writing partner, Joshua Bartholomew co-wrote and produced the Grammy and Oscar-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome!!!” for the Lego Movie. Operating under the moniker “JoLi” they have written and produced songs for artists, film/tv and video games. Currently, she and Josh are in the studio recording for their duo project littleDNGR.

Matt Mugford

Music Supervisor; NBC Universal

Matt Mugford is a Los Angeles based music supervisor with experience in film, TV, promos, and ads. Currently, Matt serves as the promo music supervisor at NBCUniversal supporting the music needs for marketing efforts across the NBCU networks. He has worked on several high profile campaigns for shows like The Voice, This Is Us, Sunday Night Football, America’s Got Talent, and the Olympics. Prior to working at NBC, Matt spent time as a music creative for Walt Disney’s Live Action Film Music department as an in-house music supervisor on several major motion pictures. He got his start working with Alexandra Patsavas at Chop Shop Music Supervision where he contributed on several TV and film projects like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Mad Men, and The Twilight Saga. He has also served as music supervisor on advertising campaigns for brands like Google, Facebook, YouTube, Ray Ban, State Farm, Marshall’s, Toyota, and many others.

Michael Eames

President and Founder; PEN Music Group, Inc.

Michael Eames is a trained composer, songwriter and pianist with experience in film scoring who studied music at Cornell University and UCLA Extension; Michael also secured a minor in Business Management from Cornell. As President of PEN, Michael oversees all aspects of the operation as well as focuses on pitching the catalogue to all media and business development.  Prior to starting PEN, Michael oversaw the international activities and film & television department of Don Williams Music Group where he was responsible for song catalogues such as Jimi Hendrix, Chicago and Roy Orbison among numerous others. He also worked previously for Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and the management and music supervision firms The Derek Power Co and Seth Kaplan Entertainment.  Michael is currently the second-term President of the Association Of Independent Publishers (AIMP) and proudly serves on the Independent Publishers Advisory Council (IPAC) of the National Music Publishers Association.

He is also a member of the California Copyright Conference (CCC) and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

Michael recently co-authored a book entitled FIVE STAR MUSIC MAKEOVER: The Independent Artist’s Guide for Singers, Songwriters, Bands, Producers and Self Publishers (Hal Leonard) and is a frequent guest speaker in classrooms and panel discussions nationwide.

Richard Harris

Published with Peer Music LA, Richard Harris has had Billboard, iTunes, and other chart-topping cuts around the world with artists like Katharine McPhee, South Africa’s Idol winner Elvis Blue, Anahi, Boh Runga, Sabrina Starke, Camera Can’t Lie, Shawn Hook, Tyler Shaw, Lead, Felix Cartal, Greg Cerrone, DJ Stonebridge. #1 Billboard hits include “Lie to Me” with Cole Plante and earlier in 2018, “Meet in the Middle” by StoneBridge feat. Haley Joelle. Co-writers include Grammy award winning and multi-million selling writers like Lazonate Franklin, Justin Gray, Erika Nuri, Mark Hudson, Pam Sheyne, Victoria Shaw, Gary Burr, Keith Follese, Jeff Franzel and Boots Ottestad. Richard’s music can be heard in commercials and TV shows like Beauty & the Beast, One Tree Hill, Cold Case, Third Watch, The Closer, The Hills, Joan of Arcadia, Critic’s Choice, and Cinematheque on CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, The BBC, History Channel, Lifetime, MTV, Discovery Channel, TNT, and many others. Recent film credits include This Means War and Single Moms Club.

Rob Kleiner

From starving artist to Grammy nominated Songwriter/Producer, Rob Kleiner moved to Los Angels in 2011 to pursue songwriting. In a short time, Rob has established himself with his signature warm soulful style, the likes of which can be heard in his collaborations with such artists as of Sia, Cee Lo, Andra Day, Natalia Jimenez, Haley Reinhart, ZZ Ward, LP, Chantal Claret and many more. In 2012 he was also responsible for making the music for the infamous Kate Upton Carl’s Jr Commercial. In 2013 Rob produced an album for Canadian artist Nikki Yanofsky, which allowed him to collaborate with the albums executive producer Quincy Jones. Rob is currently published by BMG and works out of his Hollywood studio: Studio Edison. In addition to songwriting Rob is an experienced engineer and vocal producer with hit credits such as Sia’s “Elastic Heart”, David Guetta’s “Titanium”, and Flo Rida’s “Wild Ones” as well as credits from such heavyweights as Britney Spears, The Weekend, and Kylie Minogue. Audio mastering is another passion for Rob, with hundreds of credits to his name. 

Simone Benyacar

Simone Benyacar is an award-winning composer/producer who has been living and breathing music his entire life. He began as a classically trained pianist at the age of 4. From Italy he moved to the US to study music composition, where he graduated from UCLA in Composition and Musicology. He has spent the past twenty years making his name in the world of music for film and TV, and is considered an industry leader.  Simone has provided music supervision services and written original compositions for a wide variety of campaigns including: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Transformers, The Wolf of Wall Street, Mission Impossible, Joy, Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed, and has written custom mnemonics for companies like Amazon Studios, Pepsi and many others.

Steven B. Ray

Red River Productions

Steven B. Ray continues to enjoy a long career in the entertainment industry by thriving in a variety of roles, cultivating strong creative relationships and bringing his historical acumen to the contemporary landscape. His journey began while in his high school jazz band, when Steven was introduced to George Rhodes, conductor and arranger for Sammy Davis, Jr. This event was the catalyst for his induction into show business as a roadie on summer tours with the entertainment legend. Following college, Steven had the great fortune of securing a job working for Quincy Jones. As his production assistant, he participated on the many illustrious projects that Mr. Jones laid his hand to, beginning with Michael Jackson’s iconic album “Thriller”, the USA for Africa benefit recording “We Are The World”, James Ingram’s platinum selling solo debut album, Frank Sinatra’s “LA Is My Lady” and the film, The Color Purple for which Steven was a consultant for all on-camera musical casting and performances. Steven went on to hold a senior executive A&R position at Capitol Records becoming the first person of color to run their New York office, while also overseeing recordings (domestic & international) for Freddie Jackson (RIAA double platinum), highly successful re-mixes for Duran Duran and The Pet Shop Boys, as well as the signing of Bebe & Cece Winans, and was part of the team that signed MC Hammer, which led to over 50 million units sold. Steven eventually accepted a position at Windswept Pacific Publishing where he had the unique job description of creative executive, staff writer & music supervisor. While at Windswept, he developed and solidified their highly successful urban/pop music department by signing such writer/producers as Manuel Seal (co-writer on Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby”, “We Belong Together” and Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna”), Quincy Jones, III (co-writer/producer for TuPac, Ice Cube and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme) and the co-venture with LA Reid’s publishing company, HitCo Music (which spawned such hits as TLC’s “Waterfalls”, Anita Baker’s “I Apologize”, as well as Destiny’s Childs’ “Survivor” and numerous Beyonce Knowles solo hits resulting in over 150 million units sold). During this time Steven was secured as music supervisor for New Line Cinema’s “Hangin’ With The Homeboys” which earned him a Spirit Award Nomination for best film music. In addition he provided music supervision support to Joel Sill on the feature films, Havana (Universal) and Forrest Gump (Paramount).

Steven’s current focus is management for talented singer/songwriter from Denmark, Viktoria Hansen (co-writer on “Paradise” by Brandon Beal ft. Olivia Holt and “Calm Down” by Krewella). Andre is currently at work on an artist duo project with hit writer/producer Jonas Saeed (Jennifer Lopez, Robin Thicke), and Viktoria is currently writing with hit writer/producer, Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande, Big Sean, Meghan Trainor). Steven is also developing/co-producing a handful of properties for film and television.