2013 in Review with... Brent Nichols

Brent Nichols, executive creative director of music company Elias Arts, discusses his view of 2013, how the relationship between brands and music is changing and what he would do over Christmas if he was actually given some time off.

How would you describe 2013 for the industry, creatively speaking?

It’s been crazy to watch the industry grow and with it have come exciting partnerships. Companies have innovated creative solutions to make budgets work. Over the year the word “client” has been completely redefined, giving Elias a new perspective on new collaborations and surprising paths to creativity.

And what about your own creative performance in the last 12 months?

Over the last year Elias worked on some really great projects that allowed us to take risks and creative liberties. Elias went beyond the walls of typical advertising, scoring Intel/Toshiba’s The Power Inside.

We were able to partner with directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon throughout the process, bringing them into our sessions, talking through the music cues, the energy, the vibe. The result was a huge film score mixed with some cool indie elements.

What do you think your own best personal achievement has been in the past year?

It’s been great to get a new perspective with this leadership role, having the opportunity to expand upon the amazing legacy of Elias that Jonathan Elias has built and seeing people get excited about my vision for the company. Needless to say I haven’t slept much! But I’m enjoying the challenge.

What are you most excited about for 2014?

We’re continuing to diversify our scope by bringing in unexpected new talent, expanding in Brazil, overseas, and composing for more trailers and feature films. We’ll continue to pursue projects that push the Elias brand - and what we do sonically - in new directions. We have lots of new partnerships and projects in the works. We’re excited to unveil those throughout the next year.

And what are your predictions for the industry in general in 2014?

People are going to be taking more creative risks. Musically, people are looking more for authentic collaborations. They want inspiring pieces of music – it needs to be real, it needs to build, [it needs to be] something you’d actually buy on iTunes.

I predict more and more of these brand/band collaborations, more licensing, more one-offs from big artists doing a track.

Music is at an exciting place, the lines of where music has typically been over past generations has blurred. More and more, bands are interested in creating brand partnerships, creating “on brand” music, seeking followers, more subscribers, and wanting ultimately to grow their fan base.

Advertising is playing a huge role for these musicians; an ad can take a track and make it an overnight success. Crazy.

Which campaign or piece of work will you remember from this year?

For Elias, obviously The Power Inside was an amazing opportunity that we’re incredibly proud of. But there was also just a lot of dope new music that came out this year, 80’s inspired stuff like DIIV and CHVRCHES.

How has your company/office celebrated Christmas this year and are you getting involved?

We had a killer holiday party in early December in LA, partnering with our friends over at MPC, with three amazing bands, Jaymes Young, Moses Sumney and Tycho. Our NY office also had a showcase last month with live sets from Benjamin, Au Revoir Simone and DIIV.

What’s the one thing you look forward to in your time off over Christmas?

Apparently there is no time off as an ECD!  But if there were, going snowboarding, or just playing music to play music.

What’s your new year’s resolution workwise or other?

To use all my old analog synths.

And if you had a piece of advice for the creative industry to learn from this year and take into next, what would you say?

Take more creative chances and trust the talent.