37th Annual Music Conference "Kick Off" - Friday September 8th in the Bristol Bar Sat. & Sun., Sept. 9th & 10th All at the Holiday Inn at the Wharf, San Francisco Saturday Night Afterparty at the Fiddlers Green

1 Conference Schedule -Saturday Room SAUSALITO ROOM SONOMA ROOM 10:00 CONFERENCE WELCOME 10:30 The CURSE OF THE 2nd VERSE YOU ARE THE SHOW! The place where most writers seem to get stuck. We will discuss Presenting yourself as a show on stage. Looking at different strategies that can make your second verse even stronger than aspects of your presentation including figuring out your sound. your first - Steve Seskin John Lester Michael McNevin and Victoria Theodore

11:45 LUNCH BREAK LUNCH BREAK

1:00 MELODY WRITING MASTERCLASS LEGAL PANEL: How to protect and make money from 40 Ways To Write In The Key Of D - Jimmy Borja your songs. Al Evers, Todd & Jeff Brabec, Eliot Cahn and Ned Hearn, the legal dream team!

2:15 WRITING A HIT SONG WITH ONE FINGER PRODUCER PANEL A Primer On Making Music With Minimal Skills and Equipment - Our hit producers share their experiences working with artists and Ed Clare the industry. Howard Benson, Cookie Marenco, Scott Mathews, Ken Caillat moderated by Jerome Rossen 3:30 MAKING EVERY WORD COUNT MUSIC THINK TANK The importance of first lines. Balancing out your song. Panelists will answer your questions on "Where Do I Go From Knowing when your song is finished.- Steve Seskin Here?" Crombie, Scheibner, Silversher & Silversher 4:30 JOHN ONDRASIK INTERVIEW Hit /artist John Ondrasik interviewed by Andre Pessis Song Screenings Room MENDOCINO NAPA ROOM 240 ROOM 238 ROOM 242 10:30 Rodney Gordy Dianna Maher Nancy Peacock Jen Adan Jimmy Borja Film & TV Country All Styles Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 11:45 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 1:00 Marcus Barone Debbie Zavitson Monica Benson Steve Seskin Jen Adan Film & TV/Artists Country All Styles/Artists Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 2:15 Darian Cowgill Dianna Maher Nancy Peacock Andre Pessis Silvershers Film & TV Country All Styles Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 3:30 Rodney Gordy Debbie Zavitson Howard Benson Jen Adan Jimmy Borja Film & TV Country All Styles Song Evaluation Song Evaluation

One On Ones Room TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON 10:30 Ken Caillat Marcus Barone Debbie Zavitson Howard Benson Darian Cowgill Monica Benson

11:45 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 1:00 Scott mathews Rodney Gordy Cookie Marenco Dianna Maher Ken Caillat Andre Pessis 3:30 Monica Benson Marcus Barone Scott Mathews Nancy Peacock Darian Cowgill Antoinette Olesen

Performance Showcases Dinner Break: 5:30PM Room BRISTOL BAR 11:00 Andre Pessis & Antoinette Olesen Sunset Concert 11:45 LUNCH Sausalito Room 7PM 1:00 John Lester & Antoinette Olesen 2:15 Antoinette Olesen & David Scheibner Afterparty John Lester & Spencer Day 3:30 Fiddlers Green across the street

2 Conference Schedule -Sunday Room SAUSALITO ROOM SONOMA ROOM 10AM THE ANATOMY OF COWRITING A #1 SONG YOUR SONG IN A MOVIE Cliff Goldmacher & Spencer Day We are carrying last year's popular workshop forward. A new movie The do's and dont's of collaboration. How to make it work. and your songs. Let's see what works and what doesn't. Marcus Barone

11:00 INSPIRATION: WHERE DO SONGS COME FROM? This workshop explores ways to "jump start" your creativity with NAPA ROOM morning pages, object writing, etc. Steve Seskin INDIE ARTISTS ARE THE FUTURE Discussion about the current music industry including how to suc- cessfully navigate the many steps from completing your recording to store shelves. Valuable for artists, and labels. Steffen Franz and IDC Team 12:00 LUNCH BREAK LUNCH BREAK 1:00 SONGWRITER PANEL Songwriters share their stories of success and failure Borja, Seskin, Silversher, Silversher 2:00 CLOSING CEREMONY Song Screenings Room MENDOCINO NAPA ROOM 240 ROOM 238 ROOM 242 10AM Rodney Gordy Ken Caillat Debbie Zavitson Steve Seskin Andre Pessis Film & TV Film & TV/Artsists Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 11:00 Nancy Peacock Ken Caillat (ROOM 540) Dianna Maher Jen Adan Larry Batiste All Styles Artists & Songs Artists & Songs Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 12:00 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH

1:00 Darian Cowgill Marcus Barone Scott Mathews Antoinette Olesen Larry Batiste Film & TV TV & Film Artists & Songs Song Evaluation Song Evaluation

One On Ones Room TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON TIBURON 10:00 TBA Nancy Peacock Dianna Maher Darian Cowgill Antoinette Olesen Steffen Franz 11:00 Cliff Goldmacher Rodney Gordy Debbie Zavitson Spencer Day Michael Silversher Patty Silversher 12:00 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH Performance Showcases Room BRISTOL BAR 11:00 Antoinette Olesen, Jimmy Borja, Andre Pessis 12:00 LUNCH

1:00 Steffen Franz & IDC Group

• • PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE • •

3 One-on-One Consultations – held in the Tiburon Room. These are 15-minute personal meetings with publishers, produc- ers, TV & Film Placement or other industry professional. For- Conference Details mat (discussion, live or CD performance) is left to attendee to architect. Cost is $25 each (in addition to basic conference fee), prepaid or on the day of sign-up. Maximum of one per weekend "KICK OFF" — Holiday Inn at the Wharf 1300 Columbus Ave., Fisherman’s Wharf. (415) 771-9000 5PM- unless more unexpectedly become available. The first pre- registered WCS members will benefit from available One-on-One 10PM in te BRISTOL BAR. Free entry. Enjoy a no-host dinner and drinks with our guests. Pick up your Conference Registra- appointments. You will receive notification before the Confer- tion package. ence. Sign-up takes place online in advance or at the One-on- One table if there are any spots left. Appointments made on a first come, first served basis; Because of their popularity, and the CONFERENCE DATE/TIME fact that there are a limited number, there is no guarantee that Sat. & Sun.September 9th & 10th at the Holiday Inn at the Wharf you will get your choice. 9:00 am–9:00 pm Saturday & 9:00 am- 2pm Sunday (Sunset Concert Saturday, 6pm Ballroom) Performance Showcases – Scheduled in the Bristol Bar. Please bring your instrument and be punctual! Sessions last ex- REGISTRATION OPEN TIMES actly 15 minutes. ALL Performance Showcase sign-ups are done 8:00am – Volunteers on online in advance of the Conference. Cost is $25 each (in ad- 8:30am – Pre-registered Attendees dition to basic conference fee); maximum of one appointment per 9:00am – All Other Attendees act per weekend. No guarantees of getting your choice of guest.

WEEKEND EVENTS PRE-REGISTERED ATTENDEES Seminars and Panels on the craft and business of songwriting Pick up your registration package on Friday at the Kick Off, or Go from 10:30am to 5:45pm Saturday and 10am to 2pm Sunday to the Pre-registration Table Saturday in the foyer to pick up your (lunch break Noon to 1:00 pm Saturday). conference badge and information packages. Songscreening Sessions: 10:30 am–4:30 pm Saturday and 10am–2pm Sunday REGISTERING ONSITE Performance Showcases: 11 am–4:30 pm Saturday and 11am– Go to the Registration area. Complete a registration form and 1pm Sunday pay the volunteer. We accept cash, checks, money orders, and Noontime Acoustic Concert: Noon–1:00 pm VISA®/MasterCard®/American Express®/. You will receive your Sunset Concert: 7pm –9:00 pm Saturday only badge and package of conference information at this time. To save time at registration, go to our website at , print out the Conference registration form (see PARKING home page), fill it out and bring it with you. If you arrive after 9am, There is paid parking at the Holidayy Inn. Many local lots at dif- registration is at the WCS center. ferent prices...or Uber in! SONG CHECK-IN (8:30 am - 9:30 am) MAIN HOTEL Song Check-In, after the initial online sign-ups, will be held at Holiday Inn at the Wharf - 1300 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, SONG CHECK tables You are guaranteed one listen per day in CA 94133. (415) 771-9000 Mention West Coast Songwriters. Songscreening Sessions. Submit songs for screening sessions There is a Hostel just steps away from the Generals' Residence during Song Check-In Time from 8:30 am to 9:30 am only daily. Screening choices are on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive INSTRUMENT CHECK early to increase the chances of getting your choice of guest Secure storage of your instrument at the Instrument Check at screener. the WCS Center in the lobby. Instrument Check opens at 8am • Songs must be submitted on CD (one song per submission) and closes at 5pm Saturday and 1pm Sunday so that you may with a legible lyric sheet (preferably typed). If there's more than choose to check your instrument before heading to Check-In. one song on the CD make sure to indicate the track number you want played. • Once you're checked in, you'll bring your CD to the session WHOVA APP room and hand it to the DJ. To make life easier and to avoid paper waste, we have the Con- • Approximately 9 am, it will be announced if there are openings ference information all on an app We will send you links to the for any additional song submissions. Song Check-In will close app so you'll be ready to connect with each other and have the for the day at 9:50 am. program in your hand. CDs not taken by industry guest will be available after song screening sessions outside of the room. CDs may not be re- trieved during sessions, make sure you have brought plenty of THE PROGRAM copies. At the end of each day, CDs will be brought to the WCS Seminars –Sausalito and Sonoma Room Center. Songscreening Sessions – Mendocino, Napa, room 240, room (both days). In these 60/90-minute sessions, songs will be played over a sound system so everyone can hear each song Marking Your CD Properly and the publishers’ comments. Hand your CD to the DJ when Make sure you mark your CD with everything that needs to be on your name is called. there. In particular, make sure all your current contact info is on Song/Lyric Evaluations: 340 and room 440,. 90 minute and 60 your CD! minute sessions with experienced songwriters giving feedback. 4 Conference Details, continued A message from Ian Crombie, SONG TITLE © Your Name WCS Executive Director This is the WCS 37th annual Conference and my 29th year as Executive Director for the Your Address Phone # • email organization.

We have an amazing list of guests coming to share their experience and expertise with us. I have been chasing John Ondrasik for years to come as Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In a guest, and finally this is the Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In is held at the Song Check-In year! Check out all the ses- table. There is a separate line in the Song Check-In area for all sions available to you. Song/Lyric Evaluation sessions. Song/Lyric Evaluations count as Guaranteed Listens. Space is limited and they will be accepted This is the first time we've on a first come, first served basis. Please bring your CD and presented the Conference at a 12 copies of the lyric to the room so that others in the room can hotel which will make it easier follow the plot. for those of you staying at the hotel. There are many restaurants and cafe's close by for you to One-on-One Consultation Sign Ups purchase food through the day, and Starbucks is only 2 blocks One-on-One sign-ups are done online. Available additional One- away for that caffeine fix. The hotel serves breakfast but not On-One sign ups at the One-On-One table. Check in at the One lunch on One Table (see info in previous column). We have a wide range of seminars and workshops, something for all. Whether you would like to know more about technology, DINNER TIME SATURDAY production, performing, collaboration, sustaining yourself as an Dinner time starts after the John Ondrasik interview on Saturday. artist, getting your songs into TV & Film, or getting feedback on You are on your own for this but there are many restaurants close your performance chops and songs by, and also the Holiday Inn has dinner available to purchase In the screening rooms, we have focused on areas of music SUNSET CONCERT - Saturday Evening where placement is possible, songs for TV & Film, self-contained Our Grand Finals Winners perform alongside our distinguished artists, and Nashville. guests in this not to be missed concert. This event starts at 7PM in the Pacific Ballroom One On Ones will give you the opportunity for personal atten- tion. You can choose how you use your time. You can play more songs and less questions, or less songs and lots of questions. SATURDAY NIGHT AFTERPARTY Take advantage of this opportunity to sit down with a music pro We will be moving the festivities across the street to upstairs at for 20 minutes, maybe a chance you would never normally have. the Fiddlers Green, 1333 Columbus Ave. starting at 9PM. Under 21's can attend but must wear a wristband given by our hosts. I want to thank the amazing volunteers who are making this No host drinks available from the full bar. Performances, social- weekend happen. We've had the same management team for izing and a fun time expected! YEARS! They are incredible. I want to thank our guests for giving up their weekend to be here. I also want to thank YOU Selling Your CD's? for deciding to take advantage of all there is to offer, and for You can check CD's in at the WCS Center where volunteers being open to criticism and change, and for smiling through the will sell them for you. Don't forget to check out at the end of the weekend. Conference - we will not store CD's beyond that point. Have a GREAT time!

Mentor Center CONTENTS Come to the Mentor Center, in the booth area, and get your Conference Program: Saturday ...... 2 questions answered by our group of music professionals. Our Conference Program: Sunday...... 3

Conference Details...... 4

Conference Guest List...... 6

Mentor Center...... 13

Seminar Details...... 15

WCS Staff ...... 15 YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR 5 Conference Guests JEN ADAN WCS Member who had the #1 Hit – “She Wouldn’t Be Gone”with Blake Shelton. My journey began in San Mateo, CA, when I was about 10 years old. I wrote my first song in history class and back then, I never knew that someone could make a career out of songwriting; I thought it was just a hobby. I never told anyone I wrote songs. I finally told my parents on their 25th wedding anniversary, when I was about 15 years old. I wrote a song for them and played it at their party. I told them that I had about 100 more songs that I had written. I entered contests and continuously won. I found out about the West Coast Song- writers Association (WCS), and I joined. WCS has given me tons of con- tacts and taught me so much about songwriting and the music business.

MARCUS BARONE Marcus is an executive in charge of music and music Supervisor for Motion Pictures. He served as Director of Music at Motion Picture Corp of America / Columbia Tristar ...and then as Executive in Charge of Music at Orion Pictures in Los Angeles . He was in charge of music for over 65 theatricals including "Dumb and Dumber", "King- pin", Beverly Hills Ninja", "Gang Related", and "Behind Enemy Lines". Directors he has worked with include The Farelly Brothers, Joe Mantegna as director, Kevin Spacey as director, Dennis Dugan, George Hickenlooper, Emilio Estevez and Jen- nifer Lynch. Today Marcus Barone operates Film Music Group/First International Pictures, a Motion Picture Music Supervision, Investment, Soundtrack, and Music Production Company in Los Angeles. It is a full staffed company with clients including Universal, Dreamworks Records, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, ABC, NBC, MTV, CW Network, The WB Network, Warner Brothers VOD,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and the A & E Networks.

LARRY BATISTE: Producer, vocalist, songwriter, publisher, instrumentalist, arranger, and educator. He is the musical director for the Grammy Awards Pre-Telecast, and the TEC Awards. Larry has written and published over 250 songs for artist such as Keysha Cole, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Shanice, Lisa Fischer, the Yellowjackets, , Lenny Williams, and Young Jeezy. His songs have appeared in over 25 television shows and films. He’s worked with Stevie Wonder, Ledisi, Steve Miller, Chaka Khan, Joe Satri- ani, Steve Vai, Koko Taylor, Tony Bennett, and Neil Young. He is a current Trustee of The Recording Academy and has received numerous accolades and city proclamations for his volunteer work as a youth mentor, community leader, and music rights advocate.

MONICA BENSON Monica Benson owner of BOK Music, an independent music publishing company with all styles of music made available for licensing to film, television, commercials, trailers, video games, etc. as well as artist placement. With over 20 years in the business, they have had songs in numerous TV shows, movies and recording artists. She had a #1 song on radio Selena Gomez's GOOD FOR YOU. Other cuts are Rita Ora single in the UK POISON, Selena Gomez's single SLOW DOWN, Cash Cash single SURRENDER, cuts on Demi Lovato, , Daughtry, Halestorm single I GET OFF, Little Mix, Hunter Hunted single LUCKY DAY

HOWARD BENSON Howard Benson is an American music producer and multi-instrumentalist. Benson has produced such artists as , The All-American Rejects, Kelly Clark- son, Daughtry, Gavin DeGraw, Rascal Flatts, P.O.D., ,Motörhead, Bon Jovi, Santana, Halestorm, Orianthi, Flyleaf, Skillet, , Adam Lam- bert, , Creed, Chris Cornell, Blindside and Howard Benson has been Grammy nominated twice for Producer of the Year: 2007 for producing Hoobastank (Every Man for Himself), Flyleaf (Flyleaf), Less Than Jake (), Three Days Grace (One-X), (Five Score and Seven Years Ago), Papa Roach (The Paramour Sessions), Head Automatica (Popaganda) and Saosin (Saosin) 2008 for producing Daughtry (Daughtry), Mêlée (Devils & Angels), The Starting Line (Direction), and Sound the Alarm (Stay Inside) He also received a Dove Award, 2009, Pop/Contemporary of the Year, Revelation by

6 JIMMY BORJA Jimmy Borja has written numerous hits in the Philippines with over 200 cuts for artists of Sony-BMG, EMI, Warner, Universal and other domestic labels in that country. His songs have also been recorded by a winner and finalists of Star Search, Britain's GotTalent, Canadian Idol and ABC's Duets as well as several upcoming pop and country artists. Renowned producer David Foster with singing sensation Charice and world class DJ Armin Van Buuren have performed his songs at their shows. Borja writes on keys and guitar and has been a full-time songwriter for over 20 years, the first non-artist home- grown Filipino songwriter to land an exclusive publishing deal in the U.S.

TODD BRABEC is co-author of MUSIC, MONEY, AND SUCCESS: The In- sider’s Guide To Making Money In The Music Industry (Schirmer Trade Books/ Music Sales) and is an adjunct associate professor at the USC Thornton School of Music where he teaches a course on music publishing, licensing of music and film, television and videogame song contracts. Formerly executive vice president for the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) where he was in charge of all of the Society’s membership opera- tions throughout the world, Brabec is the current budget chair, as well as former divi- sion chair for the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. A graduate of New York University School of Law, he lectures extensively on all aspects of the business, legal and financial sides of music.

JEFF BRABEC An entertainment law attorney and former recording artist, Bra- bec is vice president of business affairs for the Chrysalis Music Group. He has negotiated over 1,000 movie, television, video and commercial agreements and hundreds of publishing agreements for chart writers and writer/recording artists. Brabec is the co-author with his brother Todd of the book MUSIC, MONEY, AND SUCCESS: The Insider’s Guide To Making Money In The Music Industry (Schirmer Trade Books/Music Sales) and has been awarded the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism. Brabec is an adjunct professor at USC Thornton School of Music/Business Division and contributing editor to the Entertainment Law & Finance Magazine.

ELLIOT CAHN Over the past twenty-three years, Elliot has served as attorney for Primus, Papa Roach, Rancid, Exodus, The Offspring, Luce, Charlie Hunter, Ocean Park Music Group, and producers Mark Needham, Jim Scott, and Bryan Todd, as well as a number of indepen- dent record labels, publishing companies, merchandise companies, and film producers. He has managed the careers of Green Day (through the Dookie album which sold fifteen million worldwide and won a Grammy for best rock album), Testament, Fisher, guitarist Justin King and R&B songstress Goapele. Elliot was the CEO of a joint venture label with MCA Records and has music supervised two major studio films: Kevin Smiths’ Mall Rats and Angus.

KEN CAILLAT Grammy Winning Producer, Ken Caillat, Producer of one of the best selling records of all time, “Rumours” by , he’s also produced , Sir Paul Mc- Cartney, Joni Mitchell, , The Rambles, , Pink Floyd, and . He has his own label, Sleeping Giant Music Group to give new and upcoming art ists worldwide a better alternative. One recent focus has been artist placement in TV & Film. He placed Nicole Maguire's song in Robert Duvall's "Wild Horses" movie, as well as Karmina/Nicole Maguire's song of the same title in the soundtrack. He currently is aiding up and coming artists with Artistmax, a program that propels artists by offering them the tools they need to succeed

ED CLARE Edmond Clare a.k.a Great Oz Digital, SpookyRockstar, and more recently as Empathik is becoming known for creating the most trending and engaging sounds for artists and companies alike. Currently working under the banner of Focal Productions Inc., Edmond has recently signed to Inc. with separate contracts as both an artist and Producer/Com- poser. Edmond uses an obsession for “dramatic contrast” with an uncanny knack to quickly assimilate to current and upcoming trends of almost any style put before him. Edmond strives to bring underground edginess to pop and vice versa. By keeping things adventurous and testing musical boundaries, Edmond has found work with the likes of Universal Music, Sony Music, and Conde Nast. He has enjoyed working with clients in Europe, Canada, and in the United States.

7 DARIAN COWGILL Darian is an independent mix engineer and co-owner of The Den Recorders, a record- ing studio located in Pasadena with Josh Young, his Emmy Award-nominated business partner. The Den Recorders has been operational since its inception in late 1999. The duo of Darian and Josh also operates Atrium Music, a music licensing an publishing firm that focuses its continually growing music library of composers and independent artists for placement in television, film and other broadcast media opportunities. He served as an independent and engineer for American rock band, Oe- dipus. He has also worked with a number of other bands including Producing, Editing, Mixing, or Mastering for such bands as , Beware of Darkness, Flag- ship, Zen Robbi, Katastro, The Graves, Kevin Sandbloom, Jonny Santos, Rafael Moreira, When in Rome, Jimmy Gnecco and Sleeping Giant.

SPENCER DAY Audiences around the world have enthusiastically supported Spencer Day for over ten years at venues as diverse as Birdland in New York, the Hollywood Bowl, Alley in Seattle, the Pacific Rim Jazz Festival in Manila, the Kennedy Center in ashington,W DC, Tanglewood Music Center in Boston, and The Craig Ferguson Show. Day has been a pe- rennial favorite in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, NY, and is widely regarded for his original songs that blend compelling melodies, smart lyrics and lush arrangements. He enjoys the versatility and flexibility of his music and performs shows that infuse ele- ments of cabaret, storytelling, and comedy with his piano and vocals. For his recent album Daybreak, debuting #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart, Day crafted five new works that blend seamlessly with the cover tunes to create a moving tribute to the time, sound, feel, and sensibility that defined the California mid-century experience. Daybreak evokes the breezy feel of a sunny Southern California afternoon. Classics including Groovin, A World Without Love, and Never My Love have been re-imagined and interpreted in Spencer’s trademark honey baritone voice. Daybreak reflects Spen- cer’s roots in the Great American Songbook, with a contemporary, upbeat twist that has become his signature sound. For Spencer remaining relevant in the music industry is a constant. He continually exam- ines who he is both as a person and an artist.

AL EVERS Al Evers is the founder and owner of A Train Entertainment, started in 1985 as an option for independent artists to receive professional assistance in developing and manag- ing their musical careers. Over the years A Train has expanded its services to include publishing administration, artist management, worldwide physical and digital distribution, neighboring rights administration and more. A Train administers over 200,000 song titles, all while keeping ownership in the hands of the artists who created them. Our catalog of digitally distributed titles doubled in the last year and we anticipate similar growth in 2016 with an average of 50 new albums released every month.

STEFFEN FRANZ: President/Founder Independent Distribution Collective, Indepen- dent Producer, Owner Positive Sound Massive Recordings, President, Tarpan Records. Steffen has been in the music business for almost 30 years and brings his many years of experience to his current positions. For the past 18 years, Steffen has run his own independent , Positive Sound Massive Recordings, releasing over 20 differ- ent albums and singles over the past decade and a half. He has also produced dozens of albums for other people and has deep knowledge in both the production and label management aspects of the music business. In addition to running PSM for the past 18 years, Steffen founded a physical and digital distribution and marketing com- pany called Independent Distribution Collective in 2004 that currently manages a catalog of over 600 titles in almost 400 independent stores (and a few major chains) across the US. Steffen also developed “InstantDistro” a turnkey mar- keting and promotion system that now includes Print, Radio, Retail and Web promotions as well as music licensing, artist management and booking as well.

CLIFF GOLDMACHER Songwriter/Music Producer, Educator - In the music business for over twenty-five years, Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, engineer, author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee and Sonoma. A multi-instrumentalist and session musi- cian, Cliff has recorded, played on and produced thousands of recordings for major and independent publishers, record labels, up and coming songwriters and Grammy winners. Cliff has worked as a staff songwriter for a major Nashville publisher and his songwriting collaborators include multi-platinum selling and Grammy winning artists Ke$ha, Keb’ Mo’, Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead), Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), Mindy Smith & Lisa Loeb. Cliff’s songs have been cut by major label artists in genres ranging from country, pop and jazz.His music has also been used on NPR’s “This American Life” and in national adver- 8 tising campaigns. Cliff’s song, “Till You Come To Me,” went to #1 on the jazz charts. RODNEY GORDY Rodney Gordy is the Director of Licensing at Spirit Production Music in Studio City, CA. With over 150,000 tracks of music, Spirit Production Music and its sister company, The Music Collective, have placed music in and/or music supervised hundreds of hours of feature films, commercials and scripted and unscripted programming. Notable feature films include Spiderman: Homecoming , Girls Trip, Despicable Me 2, Wolverine and The Dark Knight and popular TV shows include Wahlbergers, Brooklyn 99, The Big Bang Theory and Scandal in addition to numerous national commercials and web programs. Rodney is a graduate of the University of Michigan and started his career at the legend- ary, and family owned, Motown Records Corp. He worked as a song plugger in the hit- rich Jobete Music Publishing company where he placed the 8 million-unit selling “Sweet Love” with Anita Baker, among other placements. From there, Rodney went on to be- come President of Avatar Music Publishing and returned to Motown as Vice President to start up a new publishing division for Motown. Rodney went on to stints at Sony Pictures and MTV before joining Opus 1 Music which is now Spirit Production Music. Rodney’s current clients include Funny or Die, reality show production companies Tre- mendous! Entertainment and Bodega Pictures, ad agencies Crispin, Porter & Bogusky and TBWA Chiat Day, direct response TV companies Guthy-Renker and Atomic Direct as well as the US Dept. of Justice and Jewelry Television among many others.

NED HEARN WCS Board Member/Past President Attorney/Author/ President Emeritus of WCS. Edward (Ned) R. Hearn: Intellectual prop- erty business law practice concentrating on the enter- tainment, Internet, and computer software businesses. Clients include record labels, music publishers, recording artists, writers, authors, producers, produc- tion companies, managers, software designers, multimedia product and website developers, and music and content digital delivery companies. Co-author of Musician’s Guide To Copyright and The Musician’s Business and Legal Guide.

JOHN LESTER John Lester is an accomplished singer-songwriter-bassist, back home in the Bay Area af- ter a decade of living and touring in Europe. After winning his second WCS “Song of the Year” award in 2001 and releasing his first album “Live at the Freight and Salvage”, John moved to Paris, followed by London and then Amsterdam, carving out a niche touring cir- cuit for himself in France, the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. John has toured three times as bassist and support act for Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Gretchen Peters, whom he met after his Sunset Concert performance at the 1999 WCS conference, and has been a featured performer at European Bass Day, UK Bass Day, and other festivals throughout Europe. John recently released his sixth album, “Fathers and Sons”, a collection of his most personal and powerful work yet, inspired by the often unspoken family relationships be- tween men. Gretchen Peters guests on background vocals on the single “The Beautiful Princess of Never Come True”.

DIANNA MAHER Dianna Maher, President and co-owner of Moraine Music Group, oversees both creative development and business affairs. The company’s brand includes film & television, inde- pendent record releases and artist management. Plaements include: “There’s Your Trouble” (Dixie Chicks); “” (); “Suds in the Bucket” (), “”, , and ’s “. The company’s songs have been released by Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Jonny Lang, Tim McGraw, , Alan Jack- son, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna, , Blake Shelton, The Judds and even rap superstar, T.I. Moraine and Amerciana artists, Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Bruce Robison, Solomon Burke. In Film & TV,songs have been featured in: Girls, Search Party, Lucifer, NASHVILLE, Bones, The Fosters, Parenthood, and House. Additional tracks appear in films & soundtracks including, Safe Haven, The Fourth Phase, The Best of Me and commercials ranging from Toys R Us & Subaru to Glade & Disney. Maher works with new talent and manages indie/folk sister band, SHEL, and with new writers, Gareth Dunlop, Michael Logen and represents Mark Selby, Billy Montana, Kim Richey, Johnny Reid. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications specializing in Record Industry Management. Maher was on the Nashville Board of the Association of Independent Publishers (AIMP) and is a member of the Americana Music Association (AMA), SOURCE, NSAI and the well-known Nashville based publishing group, with Hits. 9 SCOTT MATHEWS Scott Mathews is an American music producer,composer, performer and entrepreneur. With sales of more than 40 million units and downloads sold as a music producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and music publisher, he has earned over 20 gold and multi-platinum RIAA Certification awards and has contributed to five decades of GRAMMY and Oscar Award-winning projects. He has produced Elvis Costello, , Jerry Garcia, Huey Lewis, , ,Nick Lowe, , , Booker T. Jones, Van Dyke Parks, Bob Weir and many others. He has written songs or recorded with major artists from to John Lee Hooker, including Keith Richards, George Har- rison, , , , Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Da- vid Bowie, , , Robert Cray, ,, Bobby Womack, Sammy Hagar, Steven Stills, Patti LaBelle, Dr. John and Raphael Saadiq. He has performed on various musical instruments and vocals with Neil Young, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, John Fogerty,Kid Rock, Brian Wilson, Zac Brown, Steve Miller, Carlos Santana, James Hetfield of Metallica, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Waits, Etta James, , Pat Monahan of Train, Joe Walsh, Dwight Yoakam, , Boz Scaggs, Joe Satriani and many more. The recording artists he has worked with include more than 90 inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

COOKIE MARENCO With more than 25 years in the music industry, Cookie Marenco’s creative and technical skills have touched almost every aspect of the music and audio business. She is widely known for the quality of her audio engineering work and for drawing out passionate per- formances from the artists she produces. Marenco has been a pioneer indelivering DSD and HiRes Audio to consumers worldwide through her company, Blue Coast Music. After a 20-year career as a recording engineer/producer, the devolution of audio toward the convenient but low-resolution mp3 format concerned her. In response, Marenco returned to her roots in analog recording and developed a recording technique called Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) with audiophile champion, Jean Claude Reyn- aud. They began producing exceptional acoustic performances in E.S.E. that became the foundation of Blue Coast Records. While this was contrary to what mainstream music fans wanted, she knew an audience existed for better sound and performances. Combining the richness of analog tape with the latest innovations in digital audio, called Direct Stream Digital (DSD), Marenco launched Blue Coast Records in 2007. Blue Coast Collection was heralded as one of the finest acoustic recordings by many critics and has become a reference standard for manufacturers to test the accuracy of their systems.

ANTOINETTE OLESEN Antoinette Olesen has toured internationally and performed with numerous world class artists. As an independent song representative she has overseen or represented the catalogs hit songwriters and successful publishers including Rand Bishop (My List), Mon- ty Holmes (Troubadour), Jon Robbin (I Breathe In I Breathe Out) Danny Wells (These Days), and many more. Currently, Artist Development and Songwriter Development as well as songwriting is Olesen’s main focus at her Music Row office as well as internationally online. Genres include Pop, Rock, Country, Alternative and Americana. A frequent Nashville host to WCS writers, she has introduced numerous writers and artists to Music City living and included them in Writers Nights, Industry Events and Showcases. This year at WCS she will be working with artist’s songs and offering her popular song evaluations. She is always keeping an eye out for exceptional artists to work with.

JOHN ONDRASIK () John Ondrasik is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the top 40 hits, " (It's Not Easy)” (The hit sin- gle eventually became an anthem after the September 1), "100 Years" and "The Riddle" In his early years, Ondrasik learned the piano, and in his teens he learned to play the guitar and started to write music. While he also learned to sing opera briefly, he soon decided that he would like to be a singer and songwriter. John’s successful album re- leases include: Message for Albert, - , "", became a number one Triple A song and certified Platinum; “The Battle for Everything”- debuted at number 20 , included the single "100 Years" reaching number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAA; “Two Lights” - his first career top 10 album, its first single, "The Riddle", became Ondrasik's third career top 40 hit on the chart, reaching number 3 on AC charts and number 7 on Hot AC charts. The second single, "World", reached number 14 on Hot AC charts and the music video has been used to raise funds for various charities and as a theme 10 for NASA's International Space Station and Slice, which appeared on the iTunes top 10 albums on the first day.

NANCY PEACOCK Washington Street is an entertainment company with a focus on song placement for art- ists, film, TV, trailers and commercials. Our offices are located in Nashville, so of course we have great , but our multi-genre catalog also includes pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, electronic, jazz and more. We also rep indie artists and bands for film and TV licensing. We specialize in indie music for movies, television, commercials, movie trailers and games. We work closely with music supervisors, networks and advertising agencies from coast to coast. Though local opportunities have been increasing as more film produc- tion moves south - think "Hunger Games" and "Walking Dead" filmed in Georgia and our hometown show "Nashville" right here in music city. Our film and TV credits include movie trailers for the Ethan Hawke movie "Anarchy" and The Colin Hanks Tower Re- cords documentary "All Things Must Pass", and the pivotal montage music in the Rene Zellweger film "New In Town". We currently have a new concept business reality show in production in Los Angeles and we'll be working on the music for a new movie based on the screenplay "Belle Breezing" by Margaret C. Price

ANDRE PESSIS Andre has had 16 hit songs and been on 7 number one albums including the Bonnie Raitt “Luck Of The Draw” multi platinum CD that won 3 Grammys, and a song on the HBO Movie “Grey Gardens” that won 6 Emmies and 2 Golden Globes. He has 13 Plati- num records and one Diamond album (ten platinum) and won 4 ASCAP awards. He has been recorded by: Huey Lewis and The News, MR Big, Tim McGraw, , Journey, The Dead, Ratdog, Southern Pacific, Glenn Medeiros, Ann Wilson of Heart, Gregg Rolie, Paul Carrack, Ben E King, The Stylis- tics and Laura Branigan and Bigbird. He had songs on major Motion pictures including the theme song from “Pink Cadillac” (Clint Eastwood), a song on “I Love you Phillip Morris (Jim Carrey) as well as numer- ous TV shows including: Sesame Street”, the theme song for the CBS Prime time reality show “There Goes The Neighborhood” as well as the Theme song for “Pride Fighting” He and Eric Martin wrote a song recorded by MR Big and all the royalties were donated to the Tsunami victims in Japan. The song raised over 300 thousand dollars in a few months and was voted “Song Of The Year” in 2011. He has10 songs on the latest 2 Mickey Hart Albums co-written with Mickey and Robert Hunter and 10 songs on the MR Big CD released October of 2014 and entered the Japa- nese charts at number 6.

DAVID SCHEIBNER Songwriter and guitarist, David Scheibner has been a working composer in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. Moving to LA in the mid-80's he soon began writing for and with such diverse artists as the Little River Band, Juice Newton, and the Walt Disney Co. Additionally, there was TV theme writing ( "Sydney" starring Valerie Bertinelli and "Glory Days" starring Brad Pitt). David moved on to artist productions garnering a "Pop Critics Choice" in Billboard Maga- zine for the release "Heart Of Us All" by Karen Lehner. Most recently he has been writing for Paramount (Entertainment Tonight, The Insider) and various music production companies, licensing music to shows such as A&E Biogra- phies and channels that include MTV, VH1, Lifetime, E! Entertainment and the Discovery Channel. His current work is with the Atrium Music Group, which has licensed his com- positions to Extreme Makeover Home Edition, TLC, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and ABC's Disney Christmas Day Parade, starring Neil Patrick Harris.

STEVE SESKIN Steve Seskin is a successful songwriter who has written seven number one songs, including Grammy-nominated “Grown Men Don’t Cry,” recorded by Tim McGraw, and “Don’t Laugh at Me,” winner of NSAI Song of the Year and Music Row Magazine Song of the Year in 1999 as recorded by . His other #1 hits are “No Doubt About It” and “,” both recorded by Neal McCoy, “No Man’s Land” and “If You’ve Got Love,” both recorded by , and “Daddy’s Money,” recorded by Ricochet. Other chart toppers include “I Think About You,” by Collin Raye, and “All I Need To Know,” recorded by Kenny Chesney. The video for Raye’s “I Think About You” single was named the Academy of Country Music’s Video of the Year in 1997, and the song and vid- eo were also given an award by the Tennessee Task Force Against Domestic Violence. In 2014, Steve was nominated to the NSAI Hall of Fame. Recent recordings of his songs include “Pictures,” by John Michael Montgomery, “We Shook Hands,” by , and “I’ll Always Be There For You,” by Brian McComas, “This Too Shall Pass,” by Sinclair and “Standing Still”, “Proof”, “Lift You Up” and “Electricity” by Seth Glier. While Steve is best known for writing hits, he is also a successful performer and record11- ing artist. His 20th album, Some Sunsets, released in 2014, is filled with inspiring, hope- ful songs, and features Steve and the talented Julia Sinclair. “Don’t Laugh at Me” was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary and became the impetus for the Operation Respect/ Don’t Laugh at Me project, a curriculum designed to teach tolerance in schools. This program has already been implemented in more than 20,000 schools across the country. Steve now enjoys performing at school assemblies in support of this program. The song is now available as a children’s book, Don’t Laugh At Me, which was featured on PBS’s Reading Rainbow in September 2002.

MICHAEL & PATTY SILVERSHER WCS CO-FOUNDERS Three-times nominated for the prime-time EMMY Awards, this is GRAMMY-winning songwriters, Michael & Patty Silversher 40th year in music, theatre, films and television. In television, Michael & Patty Silversher have composed the score for four seasons (so far) of the hit TV series, "DINOSAUR TRAIN", a collaboration between Jim Henson Productions and PBS. They composed songs as well as the score for the new Henson/ Netflix show, “WORD PARTY” which premiered in July 2016, as well as another Henson/ PBS Sprout series, "PAJANIMALS," writing the theme song as well. They served as co- composers, arrangers and musical directors/supervisors of the Jim Henson Company/ TLC television series, "ANIMAL JAM", 2001-02. As songwriters, Michael & Patty Silversher’s latest recording is a January 2016 release by Social Thinking SUPERFLEX; A HERO INSIDE. The project involves songs written for a curriculum program for people on the Autism spectrum. They have written well over a hundred songs for the Disney song catalog including Don- ald Duck's 50th Birthday song, and Mickey Mouse's 60th Anniversary Song. They have also written the theme songs for two of Disney’s most popular series of the 80s and 90s; “GUMMI BEARS” and “TALE SPIN.” As well as the Warner Bros/ABC series "Eye to Eye" (Michael was the singer on the main title sequence). In 1997 and 1999 Michael and Patty were honored with Emmy nominations for Outstand- ing Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics for their work in two Disney specials, BOO TO YOU, TOO, WINNIE-THE-POOH, and WINNIE-THE-POOH: A VALENTINE FOR YOU. They were similarly honored in 1996 for Jim Henson Production's 1995 Christmas special, MR. WILLOWBY'S CHRISTMAS TREE (with songs by Michael and Patty and score by Michael). The soundtrack of "ELMO IN GROUCHLAND" won the Grammy Award for Best Chil- dren's Recording with Music in 2000.

VICTORIA THEODORE Victoria Theodore is a pianist/singer/songwriter/producer, known for her work as key- boardist for Beyoncé, keyboardist and background singer for Stevie Wonder. She trav- eled around the world with Stevie, performing for President Obama for his 2nd inaugural celebration in 2012, Queen Elizabeth for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert Live at Buckingham Palace, accompanying Stevie and other musical icons of every genre. Victoria is also featured in Stevie’s DVD “Live At Last”, and is seen in the Oscar winning documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom”. She was also the keyboardist and singer on the 2013 version of the Arsenio Hall Show. Victoria’s Debut Album, “Grateful, is available on her website, iTunes, Amazon.com, bandcamp, and several other platforms. The album is a beautiful 14-song collection of original songs, ranging from Jazz to pop to R&B, with hints of classical and lots of heart.

DEBBIE ZAVITSON After performing in her own band in California in countries all over the globe for the Department of Defense, Debbie Zavitson moved to Nashville TN. Her career in Nashville has spanned stints in A&R at Sony and Giant Records, signing multi-platinum artists The Kinleys, , as well as hit songwriter and Blake Shelton. When Giant folded into Warner Brothers, Debbie managed Blake during his first critical years and helped guide him to be the superstar he is today. Debbie Zavitson’s music career has always been driven by her love of songs and songwriters. She contin- ues working with artist and songwriters through publishing, artist/songwriter development and management.

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE

12 Congratulations to our Songwriter Competition Winners 2017 and the three winners chosen to perform at the Sunset Concert

Laurin Hunter, Mira Goto and Michael McNevin Photo courtesy of Liza Marie Sparks Congratulations to all this year's Playoff Winners Berkeley “Silver and Blue” Laurin Hunter Napa "Drinking to Forget" J. C. Tourbillion Palo Alto "Paper Doll" Samantha Margret Petaluma "Detroit Soul" Chris Hanson Portland “Carry You Home” Danny Sohn Redwood City "Deeper" Nate Walker Sacramento "Follow Your Heart" Gabriel Ojeda San Francisco “My Next Life" Megan McLaughlin San Jose "One Step Closer" Mira Goto San Rafael "Married Ghosts" Kress Cole Stockton “Chasing Butterflies” Kelly Fry Vallejo “Cradle to the Grave” Michael McNevin

13 14 15 16 Seminar Details Saturday Sunday CONFERENCE WELCOME COLLABORATION Cliff Goldmacher & Spencer Day. The do's and dont's of collaboration. How to The CURSE OF THE 2nd make it work. VERSE The place where most writers seem YOUR SONG IN A MOVIE to get stuck. We will discuss strate- We are carrying last year's popular workshop forward. A new movie and your gies that can make your second songs. Let's see what works and what doesn't. verse even stronger than your first - Steve Seskin Inspiration: Where do songs come from? This workshop explores ways to "jump start" your creativity with morning YOU ARE THE SHOW! pages, object writing, etc. Rob Hotchkiss, John Lester and Vic- toria Theodore INDIE ARTISTS ARE THE FUTURE - Our panel will focus on under- Presenting yourself as a show on standing the landscape of releasing music in the 21st Century. Focusing on stage. Looking at different aspects some very simple steps including a release plan, marketing plan and budget of your presentation. Figuring out and use of existing tools that will help an Indie artist compete in the industry your sound today.

MELODY WRITING MASTER- SONGWRITER PANEL CLASS Songwriters share their stories of success and failure 40 Ways To Write In The Key Of D - Jimmy Borja Best Of The Weekend Guests share a song they discovered over the weekend that touched them, LEGAL PANEL: Todd & Jeff surprised them, or inspired them Brabec, Ned Hearn and Elliot Cahn the legal dream team! “Given how WCS STAFF complex the digital music world has become for generating and calculat- Board of Directors: Larry Batiste, Bruce Ede (Treasurer), Ned Hearn, Shiloh Hobel ing income from music and master (V.P), Mark LeMon (President), Andre Pessis, Jerome Rossen, Jodell Seagrave, recordings, this panel will explore Pete Sommer, Alison Williams, Sonja Wolgemuth, Josh Young. what you currently need to know to protect and make money from your songs and recordings.” Executive Director: Ian Crombie WRITING A HIT SONG WITH ONE FINGER Conference Managers: Phil Bearce, Greg Biles, Jeff Campbell, Ian Crombie, Joanie A Primer On Making Music With Mini- Crombie, Bruce Ede, Peter Lamson, Mark LeMon, Poppy Peach Nichols, Starr mal Skills and Equipment - Ed Clare Saunders, Jodell Seagrave, Pete Sommer, Alison Williams, Corinne Woolworth. Nomi Yah, Linda Yelnick PRODUCER PANEL Our hit producers share their experi- ences working with artists and the Regional Directors: Chris Merrill , Kathie Rollins, Elyse Haren industry. Howard Benson, Cookie Marenco, Scott Mathews, Larry Ba- tiste, Ken Caillat Managers: Al Atkins, Bob Crane, Margaux Joy DeNador, Dudley DeNador, Tina Dinha, Margot Fleming, Josh Friedman, Jay Gottlieb, Gerry Grosz, David Hamil- MAKING EVERY WORD COUNT ton, Randy Hansen, Curt Ingram, Elyse Haren, Gary Koehler, Karl McHugh, Iari Steve Seskin The importance of Melchor, Chris Merrill, Becky Sanders, E.D. Schragg, Liza Marie Sparks, Pete first lines. Balancing out your song. Sommer, Nomi Yah, Linda Yelnick. Knowing when your song is finished.

MUSIC THINK TANK Advisory Board : Jocelyn Kane, Bruce Labadie, Scott Mathews, Andre Pessis, Panelists will answer your questions Mike Pinder, Merl Saunders, Steve Seskin, Michael Silversher, Patty Silversher, on "Where Do I Go From Here?" Janis Stevenson, Howard Thomas, Mira Veda, Narada Michael Walden. JOHN ONDRASIK INTERVIEW Founders: Michael & Patty Silversher Hit Songwriter/artist John Ondrasik interviewed by Andre Pessis 17 West Coast Songwriters 37th Annual Music Conference September 9 & 10 2017 Holiday Inn at the Wharf San Francisco SPONSORS

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