Paul Williams, Pinar Toprak to Keynote Production Music Conference

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Paul Williams, ASCAP President and Oscar and Grammy-winning songwriter, and veteran composer Pinar Toprak (“Fortnite,” “Captain Marvel”) will be the keynote speakers at the Production Music Association’s sixth annual Production Music Conference, to be held from Sept. 23-26 at the Loews in Hollywood, Calif. The event features industry leaders and offers panels and networking opportunities. Its stated mission is to provide valuable information and share best practices in a positive and inspiring forum for attendees involved in all aspects of production music.

Williams is an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe and Ivor Novello award-winning lyricist and composer who has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and currently serves as Chairman of the Board and President of ASCAP. His timeless songs include classics like “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “The Rainbow Connection.” More recent honors include a Grammy as co-writer and featured artist on Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” and a World Soundtrack Award with Gustavo Santaolalla for their work on “The Book of Life.”

“The massive changes happening across our industry make this both a challenging and exciting time in production music. I’m thankful for all the incredible work that Adam, Morgan and everyone at the Production Music Association do to support the livelihoods of tens of thousands of composers, and I’m very much looking forward to joining them and all the incredible creators they serve at the Production Music Conference,” said Williams.

“It’s not an easy time to be a creator in music, so having an opportunity for our community to come together and discuss how to meet the challenges that face us is more important than ever. I’m grateful to Adam, Morgan and their team for putting together the Production Music Conference and giving us that opportunity, and I’m honored to be participating,” said Toprak.

For a schedule of events and roundtables at this year’s Production Music Conference and more information, visit: pmamusic.com/pmc2019 .

The Production Music Conference also includes the annual Mark Awards, the preeminent global award ceremony celebrating the best in production music to be held on Sept. 24 at the same venue. Mark Awards details and nominees will be announced shortly.