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On May 6th, during The Sync Awards ceremony held in Toronto by the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada, Music Rights Clearance’s very own Katie Seline was honoured with her first award for her work. Nominated in the Commercial / Advertisement category, Katie won for her involvement in DoorDash’s “Your Door To More” campaign created by Toronto agency Hard Work Club.

“I’m extremely flattered because I was up against people I admire tremendously, some of whom have been in the sync business much longer than me”, Katie said after her win. “But what makes me happy is that we won for this specific campaign, which illustrates the kind of complicated and often misunderstood work we do.”

While Katie’s role was, on paper, straightforward (finding music and negotiating and clearing rights with record labels and publishers is MRC’s wheelhouse), the reality was much more complex. In this case, securing the rights to “The Hamburger Song”, a joyful novelty song by Bobby Moore and the Rhythm Aces was the only solution available. “It was one of those miracle jobs”, explained Katie. “We had zero wiggle room because the whole creative process was completed even before we got involved. The directing and the choreography, basically the whole shoot, were created to this specific song, so not getting it cleared was not an option.”

This is where experience and an important network of contacts come in. Having collaborated with them several times, the Producer for Hard Work Club knew that MRC could deliver under pressure.

A key player in the industry

This award is especially significant because it is handed out by the members of the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada, a small but extremely important group in the world of media production. Music Supervision plays a huge part in television, film, video games, and advertising, and the job requires extensive knowledge of an ecosystem that includes creatives, directors, record labels, and music publishers. 

“Although we do a lot of music supervision work at MRC, sometimes that can get lost in our name. Of course, we clear music rights, but there can be so much more to it on any given job. To be embraced by the sync community in this way is really validating, especially being based in Montreal, far from the center of our industry, which is in Toronto.”

Katie had a busy week as she had also been invited by Music Publishers Canada to take part in several events as part of Departure Festival (formally known as Canadian Music Week). “In meeting with, and being surrounded by our friends at many music publishers and record labels, as well as fellow music supervisors all week, we’re reminded that we all have the same goals and desires. In the end, we all pull together to get to the finish line. It’s amazing to feel that, award or not, we are part of a wonderful community”. 

Thanks to Katie and her team’s hard work, Music Rights Clearance keeps expanding its reach, solidifying its central role in the industry. Getting recognised along the way only reinforces the desire to go further.