GVN Interview With Filmmakers Donny Walker And Kelly Askam Talking 'THE SHOWCASE'

Mind Exchange Music, an outfit that’s work has been featured everywhere from Netflix to PBS, produce the new film “Mind Exchange Music Presents The Showcase” – an ambitious, engrossing doc about producing an entire album and 14 music videos in the space of one day!

Tell us about Mind Exchange Music? How did that come about, guys?

Mind Exchange Music is an international award winning sound and music production agency. We do all things sound and music from production planning to publishing and administration. Our primary bread and butter is sound (dialogue edits/ambiance/sound design/foley/re-record mixes) and music (scoring/production/licensing/mixing/mastering) for film and video, but we also handle publishing registrations, cue sheet filing, publishing & royalty administration, and we manage teams of audio masterminds and musicians doing what they do best. We’re essentially a one stop shop for award winning sound and music services.

Our content is featured on PBS, NBC, ABC, Netflix, Hulu, Bravo, Stars, Lionsgate, Magnolia Pictures, SyFy, E!, Terror Films, and many other platforms. Our work even gets picked up and licensed by companies like Universal Music Group. We adore working in the indie markets, and we love helping directors and producers in the pre-planning stages for their films to ensure that sound is done right. It is a central part of the story and assists the story before production even begins! On the music side, we don’t just drag and drop audio files into the scenes to see if they work. Rather, we spend time getting to know the unique styles of the directors and producers, and we work with them in ways that help us to better understand their subliminal intentions, the psychology, the long term narratives, the thematic cohesion, the blending, the relation to dialogue, and the audio conflicts unbeknownst to creators who don’t specialize in sound and music.

We really invest our knowledge and passion for sound and music into the films we undertake, and we custom curate everything according to the preferences of the directors and producers to fit the scenes perfectly. It’s our job to bring films to life, to inspire the audience, to care deeply about those creative investments. We work on big projects and small projects, big budget productions and lower budget projects, we have our own creative ambitions, a fully mixed and mastered licensing catalog, we do production, we do sound, and we absolutely love it all.

We met in college, worked on projects, recorded in studios together, built a team, came to understand each other’s passions, and got to know our respective strengths and weaknesses by the time we designed our company, Mind Exchange Music LLC. As a result, we’ve been able to facilitate everyone’s individual interests within a very versatile collective unit. Our company has grown in significant ways since we started, with more specialists, more musicians, and new communities of creatives. We’ve built our record label, our licensing catalog, and our recording studio with such purpose, drive, and dedication. We love connecting the dots along the way, and the deeper we dig in, the more other talented folks want to join us. We didn’t know this vision was going to become so strong, but everyone on our team cares deeply about what we do, and we want our clients to see that, to experience this family, and to keep it growing.

This is such an engrossing story – producing an entire album, and all 14 music videos in one day – but I have to know, how did you stumble upon the idea?

We had been working hard to be able to produce music, and most of our experience was derived from producing concerts and events for live musicians. Our previous musical training had prepped us to play and record live shows, but with the rise of digital instrument libraries, we wondered about the future of authentic instrumentation. Composers who had no idea how to do these things were getting access to awesome opportunities simply because they had figured out how to successfully remove real musicians and recording engineers from the process. Little did they know that our psyches can tell the difference. So we were looking at all of the competition at the time and kept asking ourselves, how do we stand out in a market like this? How do we create access to better opportunities to produce music using live genius virtuoso musicians, within the budgets to which we currently have access? So we figured, the best way to show how different we were and why we were worth the investment, was to do what we did best. We had to lean into our strengths and design something to showcase this, to push our own boundaries, to surpass our own expectations.

We knew we wanted to set ourselves up to do more live shows, but we also wanted directors, producers, and EPs to see what the quality difference was when real musicians were replaced with digital ones. So, that was more or less the approach. Every piece of music featured different types of artists to showcase a plethora of styles, and various compositional approaches allowed us to maximize that wide array of styles. Then we just hired the orchestras, music directors, and talent from among those with whom we had already developed working relationships. Most indie composers say they don’t have access to an orchestra, but they rarely reach out to see what kind of negotiations are possible. In any case, that gave us the orchestra. Then we hired the rhythm section using players we already knew and loved, and we kept supplementing and increasing the production size in relation to what we could budget for and who was available.

Everyone took on different roles and we outsourced the areas we didn’t know anything about, but we always provided what was needed to do each job with mastery, with timeliness, and with undeniability. What a rush! Then, after we finished assembling all the music videos, we realized how many amazing stories came out of that process and decided that’s what the movie was about… telling the story of the challenge!

And who did what on the film? Did you both wear different hats?

That day, we had over 50 people there to help. Some were performers, some were doing makeup, some were crafty, some were managing lightboards, some were working on stage lighting. We were insightful enough to delegate department leads (who just plain knew more than we did!) so that they could manage and coordinate details within their own teams. Everyone brought amazing focus and quality craftsmanship so it was really inspirational to see everyone doing what they do best without having to guide them. We knew the rough timeline, but since it was our idea, we assumed responsibility for figuring out the details.

Donny Walker: Composer, Arranger, Orchestrator, Director, Exec Producer, Music Editor, Copyist, Practice Track/Midi Mockup Creator for musicians & lighting designers, Communications Lead for musicians, Contracts Negotiator, Orchestra and Conductor Management, Senior Creative Director. Video Edits Supervisor, Color Editor, & Mix Engineers Coordinator

Kelly Askam: Sound Supervisor, Production Coordinator, Musician Staging, Recording & Mix Engineer, Re-Record Mixer, Individual Interviews Supervisor, Contract Writing Assistant, Co-Director & Producer

Zachariah Jarrett: Recording Engineer, Board Operator, Mixing, Mastering, Co-Arranger, Singer/Songwriter Talent Scout Assistant, Microphone Planning & Strategist Master

Can you tell us about some of the artists featured in the film?

The Lake County Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra): Located on the outskirts of Chicago, this orchestra programs public concert performances in all styles and genres. We’ve worked with them on an interactive children’s video game show, a clarinet concerto, a percussion concerto, fanfares, and all sorts of other chamber works. Their music director is maestro Ron Arden.

Maestro Ron Arden (Orchestra Conductor): A remarkable conductor, creative director and connoisseur of all things music. His music direction approaches are succinct and get the best out of musicians while respecting them every step of the way. We’ve collaborated on a multitude of projects with Ron, and he is as wonderful and sweet as he is talented in his craft.

Sami Wolf (Singer Songwriter): A super talented indie singer songwriter/rapper. She approached us about producing some content for her and we jumped in to work with her. Her creative approaches were very similar to journal entries, which made her work individually therapeutic. She’s worked on a few albums, but she and the composer spent a lot of time bouncing ideas off each other about her song contribution to this show and their individually disgruntled love lives!

Nikki Morgan (Singer Songwriter): As Inspirational as they come, this acoustic roots singer songwriter can steal the stage with no effort at all. Her songs are emotional, her singing penetrates the soul, and her energy is as loving and welcoming as the sun. She plays acoustic guitar and has been killing it with her career left and right!

David Becker (Contrabass Trombone Soloist): Former Fulbright scholar and performer with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Zach Marks (Drummer Extraordinaire): Drummer with New Nostalgia, Bonelang, Bumpus, Bonzo Squad, Hip Trip & Terrible Spaceship. Zach studied jazz drumming at DePaul University and teaches percussion at Near North Montessori. He’s the past big band director at T.F. North. His solo chops are unbelievable and rad. His timing, groove & fills are beyond perfect and can learn crazy hard drum parts on short notice.

Diana Lawrence (Vocal Trio): has written music for Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Tap Theatre and North Shore Choral Society. As a music director, pianist and improviser, Diana has worked with The Second City, the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University & Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Kaitlin Foley (Vocal Trio): has performed works ranging from Bach to Mozart to Schoenberg. She recently had her debut with Haymarket Opera Company, has sung with the Grant Park Chorus, Bella Voce, Schola Antiqua, Prometheus and more. Ms. Foley is a Vocal Artist in Residence at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. She is also the director and founder of the Rockefeller Children’s Choir.

Alexandra Olsavsky (Vocal Trio): is a past performer with: Alchemy Viols, Bacheler’ Consort Lute Ensemble, Bach + Beethoven Ensemble, Baroque Band,Chicago Acapella, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Playhouse, Chicago Sinfonietta, Haymarket Opera Company, Schola Antiqua, backing ensemble for the Rolling Stones’ “50 and Counting” tour.

Layne Marie William (Film Collaborator): Film, television, & commercial director located in Los Angeles, CA. She is on the directorial roster for creative agency Pink Hippo. Williams directed feature film THE CHRISTMAS PITCH produced by Questar Entertainment now available on Amazon Prime, RedBox, Vudu, Google Play, iTunes as well as premiered on cable and on demand this past holiday season via Comcast, Charter, & Cox. Williams’s short film Scutly (2019) went on to screen at 10 film festivals, win 5 awards & 2 nominations all over the USA and Internationally. Some of her other credits include but are not limited to VEILED TRACTATE (2019), BLANCHE (2020), and GOLDEN VOICES (2018).

The doc you scored on mental health awareness is especially intriguing. I have to ask, what personally interested you in that project?

Donny: While I was getting my musical training – taking instrument lessons, learning about theory, notation & composition – I was surrounded by people who had unique neurological challenges. When I was younger, maybe age 6-7, I spent a lot of time visiting my grandma who was in and out of mental health institutions. I witnessed how hard those folks had it, I saw the way their minds worked differently. I also experienced their sweetness, and concern, their craving to be loved. They had the same needs as everyone else, life was just harder in a lot of ways. My little brother Eric has Down’s Syndrome, so growing up around special needs folks was normal.

When I was 13, I got a job working as a CNA in a nursing home, which I just hopped the fence from my backyard to get to. While working there I spent extra time with the folks who had no one, I held their hands while they died, read to them, and I was vulnerable about my middle school & high school dramas so they could contribute their own wisdom, in a way that was like a mentor would, except they were bed bound and more or less knew their days were numbered. I wanted them to feel important, and I thought if I could use my ‘life drama’ as a conversation starter, they could feel important. That made them care, and gave them an ability to relate to a world that had left them behind. Many of them were heavily affected by mental health issues.

After that, I continued my musical studies but began working in more skilled nursing facilities and psych facilities and once again, spent time taking care of folks affected by personality disorders, who were ignored, forgotten and left behind. It helped me realize that most of those souls had neurological challenges that so many other people didn’t, and my parents raised me to care about them, to show up for them. I’ve had my own share of these similar challenges since, they come in waves, and sometimes people get the raw end of the stick worse than others. This last month has been brutal as I’ve come to realize our ability to recognize in ourselves, that which we see in others, is not comparable.

My audio partner Kelly Askam introduced me to that filmmaker, Margaret Byrne, and she filled me in on the PBS opportunity. I shared my own healthcare experience with her, and told her why this film meant a lot to me. She signed me on as the composer immediately. Nevermind the fact that I was a talented composer & exceptional music producer, I could relate to the humanity of their life situations. It was a great working collaboration, as she was so attentive to the energy that we accompanied those souls with (because they’re real people not actors) so she was meticulous in making sure we intentionally created every music cue in a way that helped the audience understand their circumstances, not judge them as being unsafe. I cannot praise her enough for being honest and courageous about maintaining that level of integrity, to share such a level of vulnerability is an act of courage, and it would not be fair if it was simply accompanied by doom and gloom music. Mental health issues aren’t a death sentence but rather an opportunity to grow and flourish, they just must be maintained like everything else we invest into. I believe that was her core message and honest intent. Working on that project was amazing, and I think everyone should go watch “Any Given Day” by Margaret Byrne and support her career. She’s doing an amazing job focusing on the topics that our society needs to hear about, despite how much we subconsciously want to ignore them.

‘Any Given Day Soundtrack’

Did it airing on PBS open a lot of doors for you both?

Donny: Yes, no, maybe? Not sure yet. I will have to fill you in on that after we see what comes about. Regardless, that’s our second documentary scored for PBS. Our first one was called Frank Lloyd Wright’s Emil Bach House by Production One Media (David Cannek & Andrew Edeker), which was a story about the historic restoration of one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie homes in east Rogers Park Chicago. Ironically, that home was just a short bike ride away so I knew the building well and was always more in love with it every time I passed by. I’d love to do more work with PBS and all other networks and streaming providers, but we have to know people who have access to those creative opportunities, and they need to believe in us and know we’re the best fit for those jobs first. We are proud to show off our work on each project we undertake, and we’re always happy to take on new ones! I believe that for a client to be considering us for their own sound and music, those successes and achievements are validating as an investment. How the personality comes through what’s being heard on film and media speaks to investors in a way that allows them to see how much value we could add to any project. BRING ‘EM ON!!!!

‘Frank Lloyd Wright’s Emil Bach House Soundtrack’

Has being involved in so many acclaimed projects awakened any interest in either of you to possibly do a narrative feature of your own? Say, your own Mamma Mia! Type project?

Donny: Yes! Absolutely! We have worked on so many projects, and Kelly Askam (our sound supervisor) is usually on set doing the audio work for our client projects, so we’ve discussed more than a few times plotting out something narrative to work on. We have our ideas but before we raise money, or find investors, or do fundraising, we need to wait to see the quantitative achievements our other strategy moves bring first. Simply releasing “Mind Exchange Music Presents The Showcase” isn’t enough. Really, we need to follow through patiently every step of the way to see if the end goals can be achieved. Being in a rush to move onto the next one doesn’t necessarily make sense for us because we have a pretty perpetual stream of cool projects to work on, so the ones our company makes and is responsible for really need to have a high impact. But to re-answer your question, yes we have scripts we’ve been grooming and screenplays we’ve been pitching. We know we are more than capable of what we do now simply because we’ve already proven it to ourselves. Team inspiration goes way further than short time gigs.

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