“Bah bah bah bah bah... the joy of Pepsi.” You can hear it, can’t you? The jingle once sung by Britney Spears that was recently resurrected for Tori Kelly? If it’s in your head once again, blame Mary Wood. She’s the founder of Frisbie NYC, a music company that creates songs for film, television, and commercials. Wood co-wrote the famed “Joy of Pepsi” jingle, among other earwormy tunes that often take over one of the many training spaces for the up-and-coming actor: the wide world of commercials.
How did you get into music?
I grew up singing and I studied music in college. After waitressing for a while, I got a job at a recording studio that did a lot of music for commercials. Then, I got a job at an ad agency in the music department. I knew the type of company I wanted to work at, one that specialized in writing jingles, and the owner of that company gave me a shot, and I learned everything there.
Where do you begin with a jingle?
The clients come to us with some specifics: their target market, who they’re trying to reach, the style of music. There’s usually a visual, or even part of the lyric already written. From there, we get anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks to write a couple tracks. I like to think about the brand a lot, and about what I would want to hear if I was going to hear it on the radio.
How do you keep it fun?
I surround myself with a lot of different musicians and artists. We like to do things really collaboratively so we can bounce ideas off each other. We’ll bring in a rapper or people with skills we don’t have. Every few months, we’ll make someone bring in a new instrument, or a new plug-in for Pro Tools. Then it’s about the people—they need to be people you are comfortable with and have fun with.
Staffing seems pretty important to you. What do you look for in an employee?
Everyone has to have a few skill sets. Everyone is a musician, even the bookkeeper. Everyone has variance. But as a general personality trait, everyone has to have a great sense of humility. You can’t have a bunch of giant egos walking around.
What advice do you have for musicians looking to get into the field?
Don’t study music for advertising. Just try to stay as focused as you can on what you’re good at musically, and hone in on that and see how that would apply. Research the companies that exist and are doing the type of music you’re good at. Those companies are always looking for good people. Don’t just write music that you think is right for the brand.
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