It’s not every day that you meet someone whose company name truly befits their mad skills and craft, but Olivia Schlichting definitely brings a super music vision to her work for LA-based
. That’s why we knew we had to snag her for our Q&A series and delve into what keeps her inspired, what most people don’t know about her and what she wishes more people understood about what she does. Olivia’s answers were both entertaining and passionate, as she encouraged readers to learn about and help promote equity in pay for music supervisors. Read on for that insightful discussion:ALIBI: How did you get into music supervision?
Olivia: I've been working in music supervision professionally going on four years now. Before that, I was mostly just a big music fan with occasional music industry gigs such as DJing or working in venues. I always imagined working in the film industry, but didn't combine that with my love of music until I moved to LA and found out music supervision was a job that exists.
ALIBI: What do you enjoy most about your work?
Olivia: I most enjoy working with our various production teams and learning from
, playing with creative ideas, dissecting scenes, story, characters, emotion and music.ALIBI: How do you find inspiration on an average work day?
Olivia: Blasting a good song! Especially on the stressful days, just reminding myself that I'm helping turn a script into magic.
ALIBI: What’s your personal motto?
Olivia: To quote Swamp Thing, "Much beauty in the swamp, if you only look."
ALIBI: What musical instruments do you play, if any?
Olivia: I used to play oboe in school and city band, and have dabbled in guitar, piano, drums, and my most recent defeat, harp. I don't really consider myself a musician, and would rather listen to more talented people play.
ALIBI: Quick – give us your 5 rapid-fire favorites:
Olivia:
Band/Artist? It's impossible to pick just one so I'll go with who I've had the most euphoric live experiences with, The Chemical Brothers
Film/Show? Working on “Better Call Saul”!
Food? Cheese!
Vacation Spot? Anywhere I haven't been yet!
Hobby? Hiking
ALIBI: Tell us one crazy or interesting fact most people don’t know about you.
Olivia: I've been to 50 US states and over 40 countries!
ALIBI: What do you wish more people understood about what you do?
Olivia: Music supervision is a dedicated craft that takes years, if not decades, of hard work and knowledge to be good at, and we should be paid equally alongside our peers. Music supervisors don't have a union so we have to take on many projects at a time just to survive. We work just as hard as everyone else in production. From the very beginning, we’re crafting the tone with the creators and producers, helping hire crew such as composers and music editors, and figuring out the logistics of music moments in pre-production. Then, we’re helping throughout production, especially if there are on-camera music performances, and we're vital in post-production, feeding music to the editors, clearing songs that have a million writers with insane deadlines, and then handling the licensing paperwork, sometimes well after the project premieres.
It’s all this work for old, outdated episodic rates that just don't make any sense when you look at the amount of work done to the amount we're paid, and with no security or benefits. I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining because I love my job, but I wish more people understood this inequity, particularly the studios that hire us.
ALIBI: We could not agree more! All things considered, what is your best advice for others hoping to get into your line of work?
Olivia: Start with the Guild of Music Supervisors'
and learn everything you can about the craft before trying to get into it. If the grueling pace, low pay, copyright detective work and endless administrative paperwork involved doesn't scare you away, then join the GMS as a Friend of the Guild for volunteer opportunities to get introduced to the world and make contacts, that will surely lead you to an internship or assistant job. Everyone starts at the bottom in this field. I got my first music supervision internship at age 32.ALIBI: Any side projects or activities you’d like to promote?
Olivia: I'd love everyone to give our
a follow and tag #MusicSupervisorEquity so we can see your support.ALIBI: How can people follow your work?
Olivia: Follow SuperMusicVision on all socials, and check out our
!