JSM Fine Tunes IBM's Search for a Smarter Planet

Original music and sound design company JSM just completed scores for a trio of IBM :30s that tout the many virtues of the computer maker's powerful machines helmed by Pytka via Ogilvy, NY. President and Executive Producer Joel Simon led his team of top composers that created the diverse tracks, ensuring that each was exactly tuned to the distinct message that each spot delivered.

Each :30 is part of IBM's Let's Build a Smarter Planet campaign, and each follows a similar pattern - a multiethnic cast of varying ages and sexes rattles through the finer points of the computers' superior functions, the shot switching from one user to the next, each continuing the previous person's sentence or expanding upon their idea. The affect is the unmistakable impression that IBM users are a unified force determined to make a smarter planet. In each case, JSM's score synchs beautifully with the live action without overwhelming the message or the onscreen images.

The bold, rapid strokes of composer John "Scrapper" Sneider's original score reinforce the power of IBMs in My Cloud, which explores the computers' limitless functions, from e-mail and photo-sharing to more advanced capabilities like software development and predicting traffic patterns.

An upbeat soundtrack lends perfect cadence to the world on the move portrayed in Secure Collaboration, which focuses on the importance of businesses, suppliers, and customers working together to help goods and services move more rapidly around the world. Composer Jim Nicholson's optimistic tune serves as a positive counterpoint to the fears of devastation that images of such a sprawling globalized world sometimes stoke.

Smarter Public Safety takes a more subdued note, as composers Sneider and Jordan Lieb strum out a relaxed number to complement a serious subject: crime reduction. The :30 shows skylines of various global cities accompanied by local authorities ticking off the plummeting crime rates of recent decades and explaining how IBM technology has been central to those drops. The melodic beat subtly recalls old time detective films and their fearless and effective crimefighters, reinforcing the scripted message.

"We've have had the wonderful opportunity to work on IBM in the past, and have established a unique working relationship with Ogilvy while garnering a full understanding of their vision and expectations," noted Simon. "The challenge here was to create three distinct scores to fit with IBM's dynamic range of products. With the guidance and musical supervision of Ogilvy's Karl Westman, our entire shop immersed ourselves in the project and are thrilled with the outcome."

Client: IBM
Spot Title: My Cloud, Secure Collaboration, Smarter Public Safety
Air Date: September 2009

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, NY
Creative Director: Susan Westre
Group Creative Directors: Tom Godici, Greg Ketchum
ACD/Copywriter: Ryan Blank and Rob Jamieson
ACD/Art Director: Mike Hahn
EP: Lee Weiss
Executive Music Producer: Karl Westman

Prod Company: PYTKA
Director: Joe Pytka
DP: Joe Pytka
EP: Tara Fitzpatrick

Post/Effects: Nice Shoes
Lead VFX/Inferno Artist(s): Rich Schreck, John Shea
EP: Pat Portela
Colorist: Chris Ryan

Editorial: Go Robot
Editor: Ben Suenaga (My Cloud)
Editor: Adam Liebowitz (Secure Collaboration)
Editor: Tim Wilson (Smarter Public Safety)
Graphic Design: Carl Detorres (My Cloud)
Animator(s): Kaine Asika and Christian Matts (My Cloud)
EP: Laura Molinaro

Music: JSM Music, Inc.
Composer: John "Scrapper" Sneider (My Cloud)
Composer: Jim Nicholson (Secure Collaboration)
Composer(s): John "Scrapper" Sneider, Jordan Lieb (Smarter Public Safety)
EP: Joel Simon

Shoot Location: New York City

NYC-based JSM has been an original music and sound design leader for the world's most influential and compelling brands for over two decades. Constantly evolving, JSM remains ahead of the curve by securing the finest creative musical talent while always nurturing their unique vibe and imaginative vision. Housed in a 20,000 square foot facility in Chelsea, JSM maintains 12 state of the art recording studios and suites, making it one of NYC's most comprehensive recording playgrounds.

Led by Owner/CD Joel Simon, JSM has always viewed its clients as creative partners. By embracing new ideas and striving for powerful solutions, JSM talent has garnered countless gold and platinum records, Grammys, Emmys, as well as every advertising award imaginable. JSM has worked with agencies such as CP+B, Ogilvy, DDB, BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi and brands like Burger King, IBM, Amstel, Motorola, and Diet Pepsi to name a few.