In a major development for the world of film music, a new joint venture has been announced between the Los Angeles based music conglomerate Media Ventures Entertainment Group, headed by Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer and producer Jay Rifkin and Britain’s media music mavericks Extreme Music to create Hot°House, a headquarters for coordination, supervision and full service agency of feature film music.
The companies will work together in handling all aspects of the preparation and production of film music and offer a full range of services to handle every aspect of film score pre-recording through mixing to final delivery. In London, the company will be co-headed by Karen Elliott and Becky Bentham.
Media Ventures Entertainment Group, the vision of a twenty year partnership between Zimmer and Rifkin, is a multi-faceted company that focuses on the creation, acceleration, ownership and distribution of content, technology and services in the motion picture, television, music and new media industries. Collectively, the Group focuses on a number of industry sectors including music, composition and production, studio facilities and services, the record industry, music publishing, new media and Internet services and film and television production. Media Ventures is not only headquarters to Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Golden Globe winning composer Hans Zimmer, but also serves as music headquarters for several other composers including Harry Gregson-Williams and Klaus Badelt.
"We are excited about looking to HotHouse as our gateway for undiscovered and up and coming European talent," stated Zimmer.
"We feel that we will be providing a service in both the UK and the US that is very much needed," stated Jay Rifkin, who has been partnered with Hans Zimmer in the LA based music conglomerate Media Ventures since 1988. "Frequently there is a lack of coordination of services between the US and London and we will be able to offer American and UK composers and studios a new opportunity to streamline the music production process," stated Rifkin.
Since 1997 London based Extreme Music’s rapid growth has been mainly due to their innovative approach to the production music industry. Exceptionally high production values and strategic venture partnerships have quickly established them as the undisputed masters in their field.
"HotHouse fills a long overdue much needed gap in film music arena and all of the partners involved are ideally placed to raise the bar and offer an extremely high level of service." said Russell Emanuel Extreme Music’s CEO.
The new companies together will offer a unique service both in the UK and Los Angeles to provide music production for composers, producers and film companies. They will handle briefing, composer placement, budgeting, booking musicians, studios, technical equipment, organizing creative teams as well as orchestrators, conductors, copyist, music editors and engineers and handling copyright clearance, negotiation of composer/artist contracts through the final delivery of the music.
Hot°House, which was established early 2002 by Karen Elliott and Becky Bentham represents the new breed of music supervision and composer agency in the UK and exploded onto the scene this month with it’s first blockbuster project "Lord Of The Rings," having just completed a Director’s Cut of the film, "Fellowship of the Rings," Howard Shore’s Oscar winning score, which was recorded at Abbey Road and CTS/Watford. Hot°House has already started working on film 2, which will record this Fall. Hot°House provided all pre-recording and score supervision for the recording of "Fellowship of the Rings" in England with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Hot°House has close associations with London’s major recording studios and post production facilities in sharing first rate attention and enabling prompt, secure electronic, and conventional transfer of recorded material overseas, either during or directly following completion of recording sessions.
Karen Elliot is a 14-year veteran of the music industry, who has been a commercials producer, publishing head and agent and has a wealth of experience clearing source tracks for films clearing master recording, publishing and performers rights. For the past 6 years, she has worked closely with composer Oscar winning composer Anne Dudley managing all aspects of her career including all of her feature film commissions, television and commercial projects. Elliott’s film credits include Miramax’s "Dirty Pretty Things," directed by Stephen Frears, "A Good Thief," for composer Elliot Goldenthal and director Neil Jordan, "Snatch," for director Guy Ritchie, New Lines "American History X," for director Tony Kaye, and "The Full Monty."
Becky Bentham, has been working in the music industry since 1987 at PRS and for the past 9 years has been a film music supervisor and agent, working closely with composers, producers, directors, handling all aspects of film music production. She recently was the music supervisor for Stephen Warbeck on the film "Secret Passage," as well as supervisor for "My Boy" for Ferndale Films. Her other credits include the upcoming release "Insomnia" for director Christopher Nolan and composer David Julyan, "Captain Corelli’s Mandolin" for composer Stephen Warbeck, "Shakespeare In Love," again with Warbech and director John Madden, "Les Miserables," with director Billie August and composer Basil Poledouris, "Wings of the Dove," for director Iain Softley and composer Ed Shearmur and "Muppets Treasure Island," for Jim Henson Productions and composer Hans Zimmer.
This Summer, Hot°House plans to launch a film music composer agency in the UK representing a elite group of composers in all musical genre’s both in the UK and the United States. An announcement of Hothouse’s first signings will follow soon.