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Glen Brunman

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Glen Brunman
Born
New York, New York
NationalityAmerican
Alma materQueens College
Occupation(s)Music industry executive and consultant
Film and TV soundtrack executive and producer

Glen Brunman (New York) is an American music executive. Noted as an "architect of the soundtrack landscape,"[1] Brunman’s credits include more than 200 soundtrack releases which have cumulatively sold in excess of 150 million albums worldwide. In various capacities, he has been associated with releases which have won 21 Grammys and nine Academy Awards.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

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Brunman was born and raised in Forest Hills, Queens. He was educated in the New York City public school system, and attended Queens College, where he became a leading student activist.[5][6]

He served as student body president in 1968–69, and was a member of the National Supervisory Board of the United States National Student Association from 1967 to 1970.[7] Following his graduation, Brunman served as a statewide student coordinator for New York Senator Charles Goodell's 1970 re-election campaign.[8]

Career

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In early 1973, after a series of odd jobs, Brunman was hired as a political reporter and music critic for Good Times, an alternative newspaper based on Long Island. He was promoted to managing editor in the summer of 1973; in that position, he increased the paper’s focus on music.[9] In February, 1975, Brunman was hired by Columbia Records as a publicist.

Working with Bruce Springsteen, Brunman designed a publicity campaign that de-emphasized interviews and feature stories and instead concentrated on getting as many journalists as possible to see Springsteen in concert.[10] The strategy proved effective as critics turned in "rave reviews,"[11] which helped to build the momentum that resulted in Springsteen’s simultaneous appearance on the covers of Time and Newsweek in October 1975.[12][13][14]

Brunman continued to serve as Springsteen’s publicist through the release of Darkness On The Edge Of Town. He also led the press campaigns for Billy Joel’s breakthrough albums, The Stranger and 52nd Street.[2][4] In December, 1978, Brunman moved to Los Angeles to become Director of West Coast Publicity for Epic Records. At Epic, in addition to representing other artists, Brunman served as Michael Jackson’s primary label publicist, working with him on the Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad albums.[15]

Brunman was named Head of Publicity and Media Relations for the label in 1988, a job that also included artist development and marketing responsibilities. In addition to overseeing the media and artist development campaigns for Celine Dion, Brunman served as a marketing strategist for her first two English language albums.[16] In 1990, Brunman played a pivotal role in Epic’s acquisition of the soundtrack rights for John Barry’s Academy Award-winning score for Dances With Wolves,[17] and directed the marketing campaign for the album.[18] Following that album’s success, Brunman was charged with creating Epic Soundtrax, the first major label imprint dedicated to soundtracks.[19]

The label’s first hit was a 1992 country and rock Elvis Presley tribute album which served as the soundtrack for Honeymoon in Vegas. In 1993, Epic Soundtrax released the Judgment Night soundtrack, the first album where each track featured a collaboration between rock and hiphop artists.[20] Between 1993 and 1994, the label released three soundtracks for films starring Tom Hanks: Sleepless In Seattle, Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.[21][22] The Philadelphia soundtrack reunited Brunman with Springsteen, who composed "Streets of Philadelphia" for the film.[23] The song went on to win an Academy Award and four Grammys.[24] As of 2014, the three soundtracks combined had sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.[25][26]

In 1996, Brunman was put in charge of soundtracks for all of the Sony Music labels as Executive Vice President of the newly created Sony Music Soundtrax.[27] In 1997, in conjunction with Columbia Records, Brunman helped assemble the first 'inspired by' album, the multi-platinum Men in Black compilation.[28] Additionally, in partnership with Sony Classical, Brunman acquired the soundtrack for Titanic. The album included the James Horner score for the film and the song "My Heart Will Go On," written by Horner and Will Jennings and performed by Celine Dion.

Horner won an Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score, and "My Heart Will Go On" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in addition to four Grammy Awards.[29][30] "My Heart Will Go On" was the fourth movie/music opportunity that Brunman generated for Dion.[31][32] It followed the title track duet for 1991's Beauty and the Beast, the 1993 "When I Fall In Love" duet for Sleepless In Seattle, and 1995's "Because You Loved Me" for Up Close and Personal. "My Heart Will Go On" appeared on both the Titanic soundtrack and Dion's Let's Talk About Love album.

Both were released on November 18, 1997; to date, each album has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.[29][33][34] In 1998, under Brunman’s auspices, the Sony labels started to release soundtrack albums for television shows. Between 1998 and 2001, they released four Ally McBeal collections, two compilations each for Dawson’s Creek and The Sopranos, and single discs for South Park and Touched By An Angel.[35] Combined, the albums sold more than 17 million copies worldwide.

Other notable releases included the movie musicals Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture (2002) and Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture (2006),and the soundtracks for the independent films Garden State (2004) and Once (2007). [36][37] In June, 2007, Brunman was named Executive Vice President, Head Of Creative, for Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of the Warner Music Group.[16]

At Warner Chappell, Brunman was instrumental in signing Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum,[38] prior to their commercial breakthroughs. He also signed the Academy Award-winning songwriting duo, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as well as singer/songwriter Melody Gardot.[39] In a 2007 interview regarding his position, Brunman said: “No matter what role I have been in, there are three things that have held true: Music has the power to change lives, great songs live forever, and rules are made to be broken.”[2]

In 2009, Brunman established the consulting firm, Brahma Unlimited. His first client was Columbia Records, who hired him to acquire and develop soundtrack projects for the label. Soon after, Brunman brought Glee to the label.[40][41]

The first Glee album was released in November 2009; since then, the Glee cast has charted more singles on the Billboard 100 than any artist in history, and have exceeded sales of 13 million albums and 63 million downloads worldwide as of February 2014.[42] Brunman has been principally involved with the music from Glee since the series debuted.[43]

Selected discography

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[3]

Year Album Artist Credit
1990 Dances with Wolves Original Motion Picture Soundtrack John Barry Soundtrack executive
1992 Honeymoon in Vegas Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
1993 Sleepless in Seattle Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack executive
Music from the Motion Picture Judgment Night Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
1994 Philadelphia Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
Forrest Gump The Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
1995 Desperado: The Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack executive
1996 Jerry Maguire Various artists Soundtrack executive
That Thing You Do! Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive
1997 Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture James Horner, Celine Dion Soundtrack executive
My Best Friend's Wedding Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
Men in Black: The Album Various artists Soundtrack executive
1998 Armageddon: The Album Various artists Soundtrack producer
1998
through
2001		 Songs from Ally McBeal (television) Vonda Shepard Soundtrack executive (four album releases)
1999 Runaway Bride Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack producer
1999
and
2001		 Original Television Soundtrack The Sopranos Various artists Soundtrack executive (two album releases)
2000 Charlie's Angels Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive
Wonder Boys: Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive
2001 A Knight's Tale Soundtrack Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
2002 Music from and Inspired by Spider-Man Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive
2004 Garden State Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive
De-Lovely Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
2006 Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture Various artists Soundtrack executive producer
2007 Once Music From the Motion Picture Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova Soundtrack executive
2009
through
2015		 Glee The Music Glee cast Soundtrack executive (multiple album releases)

References

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  1. ^ Variety Staff (15 July 1997). "Twenty-one exex with 20/20 music biz vision". July 15, 1997. Variety. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Gallo, Phil (June 26, 2007). "WMG adds Brunman". Variety. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Glen Brunman at All Music". All Music. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b Butler, Susan (21 July 2007). "Restructuring Warner Chappell". July 21, 2007. Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  5. ^ Katz, Abbott (May 1, 1969). "Brunman Sees Nixon Aides; Blasts Vietnam War Policies". Page 3. Queens College Phoenix.
  6. ^ Nussdorf, Harry (April 24, 1969). "Student Leaders Advise Nixon 'We Won't Go'". Queens College Phoenix.
  7. ^ Pasternak, Steve. "Just Us". 1970. House of Bamboo (Queens College). Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  8. ^ Fogarty, Kevin (November 3, 1970). "Conflicting Trends in New York Campaign". Boston College Heights. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  9. ^ Shelton, Robert (2011). No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. New York: Da Capo. p. 430. ISBN 978-1617130120.
  10. ^ Dennisoff, R. Serge (1986). Tarnished Gold: The Record Industry Revisited. Chicago, IL: New Brunswick/Oxford. p. 184. ISBN 0887386180.
  11. ^ Kemp, Mark. "Bruce Springsteen Biography". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  12. ^ Marsh, Dave (October 2003). Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts, the Story. New York: Routledge. pp. 2, 44, 68, 133. ISBN 978-0415969284.
  13. ^ Hilburn, Robert (October 14, 1985). "The Boss Resurrects Rock Power". Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  14. ^ Markatt, Jay (November 5, 1975). "Clippings". The Newark Advocate. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  15. ^ Griffin, Nancy (24 June 2010). "The "Thriller" Diaries". July 2010. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Glen Brunman Named Executive Vice President and Head of Creative for Warner/Chappell Music". June 27, 2007. Warner Music Group (press release). Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  17. ^ Cummings, Robert. "Dances with Wolves at All Music". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  18. ^ Morse, Steve (February 27, 1998). "Titanic Music Makes A Big Splash". Star News. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  19. ^ Phillips, Chuck (May 5, 1996). "Charting Sony Music's Future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  20. ^ Horn, John (August 20, 1993). "Everybody's Scoring in the Movie Business Music Boom" (PDF). Associated Press (Savannah Now). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  21. ^ Hochman, Steve (July 3, 1994). "For 'Gump,' Every Oldie Was Just Too Goodie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  22. ^ Hilburn, Robert, and Phillips, Chuck (August 28, 1994). "COVER STORY : Rock's Top 40 Power Players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Bordowitz, Hank (June 1, 2004). The Bruce Springsteen Scrapbook. Citadel. p. 127. ISBN 978-0806525532. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  24. ^ Hilburn, Robert (March 6, 1995). "Q&A with Bruce Springsteen : Boss: A Man and His Family : Springsteen Finds Balance and Grammys". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  25. ^ Moon, Tom (1994). "'Philadelphia': Where Audio, Video Are Inextricably Linked". Seattle Times (Knight-Ridder). Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  26. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Bruce Springsteen: Streets of Philadelphia". All Music. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  27. ^ Considine, J.D. (July 28, 1998). "Movie soundtracks find audiences on their own Music: Box-office hits help, but many CDs can survive a bomb". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  28. ^ Matzer, Marla (July 10, 1997). "These Days Soundtracks Can Be Sweet Music to Movie Marketers' Ears". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  29. ^ a b Truitt, Brian (April 9, 2012). "'My Heart Will Go On' grew as big as 'Titanic' itself". USA Today. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  30. ^ Sandler, Kevin S., and Studlar, Kaylyn (August 1999). Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster. New York: Rutgers University Press. pp. 53, 54. ISBN 978-0813526690.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ Hochman, Steve (March 23, 1996). "Power of Synergy: Hit Song, Hit Movie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014. That's exactly what Glen Brunman, senior vice president of Epic Records' Soundtrax division, envisioned when he first heard the song and imagined Dion singing it. Brunman had worked before with Dion when she contributed a track to the "Sleepless in Seattle" soundtrack--another case of a movie and music giving each other a boost.
  32. ^ Rule, Sheila (August 18, 1993). "Pop Life: Durante in Seattle". New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  33. ^ Simon, Clea (September 27, 1997). "Movie soundtracks used to launch new artists". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  34. ^ Morse, Steve (February 20, 1998). "'Titanic' Soundtrack Making Its Own Waves". Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  35. ^ Boucher, Geoff (May 8, 1999). "Soundtrack Flows From TV's 'Creek'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  36. ^ Crabtree, Sheigh. "Songs from 'Once' get the once-over for their Oscar potential". March 31, 2007. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  37. ^ "Sony Music Soundtrax at Discogs". 2014. Discogs. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  38. ^ BOC Editorial (24 July 2008). "Warner/Chappell Music signs singer/songwriter Katy Perry". July 25, 2008. BOC. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  39. ^ Donahue, Ann (8 March 2008). "Gold Standard". March 8, 2008. Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  40. ^ Burlingame, Jon (24 August 2009). "'Glee' eyes ratings, chart success". August 24, 2009. Variety. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  41. ^ Serjeant, Jill (November 9, 2009). ""Glee" brings joy to beleaguered music industry". Reuters. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  42. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 28, 2012). "'Glee' Hits Digital Sales Music Milestone (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  43. ^ "Glee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes Available March 25". February 24, 2014. Sony Corporation of America (press release). Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
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