Hi, I'm Michael
I work at the intersection of music & brands, TURNING music into a strategic advantage FOR MY CLIENTS.
It all started with the launch of iTunes for Chiat Day, since then I’ve had the privilege of producing music & content with brands and agencies like Apple, Media Arts Lab, DoorDash, SONY, Wieden & Kennedy, Google, Cutwater, Nike, 72andSunny, Audi, META, Venables, Walmart, Innocean, BBH, Samsung, Barrett, Visit California, Fiji Water, and Visit California.
I’m passionate about results and about bridging the creative and business aspects of music, improving fluency, clarity, and collaboration for brands, agencies, producers, creatives, and artists alike.
My expertise includes creative direction; structuring talent partnerships; optimizing music licensing and supervision workflows; bespoke songwriting and original score; integrated music distribution and release planning; content strategy; and event production.
I've got longstanding & trusted relationships with artists, publishers, labels, managers, film & tv composers, agents, and music studios, serving all media.
I founded and scaled a bi-coastal music production company, catalog, and talent incubator, collaborating with, and developing artists including The Lumineers, Ziggy Marley, Foster the People, Abraham Alexander, Natasha Bedingfield, Chromeo, Linda Perry, Jason Mraz, Fitz & The Tantrums, Thievery Corporation, BØRNS, Capital Cities, Edward Sharpe, Band of Horses, Emma Stone, Arcade Fire, Sara Bareilles, Michael Franti, and Mondo Cozmo.
NOTABLE WORK
- Music Producer – Titanium Grand Prix–winning DoorDash Super Bowl Campaign Original score + operatic vocals for the (W+K & Monstera Group).
- Music Supervisor – Google “Year in Search” 3-month engagement leading music production and licensing for Google Brand Studio.
- Music Strategy – REI x Dr. Dog direct-to-brand partnership saving REI over $100K in licensing.
- Executive Music Producer – Michael Franti + San Diego Tourism Delivered a custom track, now his most-streamed song on LP.
- Clearance & Supervision – Primark / Belinda Carlisle Licensed “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” and cut six figures in costs.
- Music Supervisor & Producer –Teleflora “You’ll Never Walk Alone” Produced during Oscar season with Abraham Alexander for Wonderful Agency.
- Executive Music Producer – Adobe Summit, Keynote walk-on anthem for Dentsu. .
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
I start by answering the questions most teams are too overwhelmed to navigate.
- What should I know about subscription libraries & AI music?
- How do I secure a hit songwriter or an up-and-comer to collaborate on our campaign?
- Is there a difference between a demo fee and a kill fee?
- Can we re-record a well-known song and relase on TikTok?
- Who do we talk to at a label or publisher for music clearance?
- What’s the difference between master and publishing rights?
- What exactly are sync rights and how do we avoid overpaying?
- How do we avoid a YouTube take down notice?
- How much should we budget for a custom score and 16 16-piece orchestra?
- Can we release commissioned music on Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal?
- Can you help me design a music budget my client will approve?
The hits
DOOR DASH - SUPERBOWL
Executive Music Producer
Partnered with DoorDash, Wieden+Kennedy, and Monstera Group on the Super Bowl LVIII “All The Ads” campaign, leading music supervision for a custom score, with Laurence Fishburne on voiceover. The spot, directed by Mike Diva (Lord Danger) with CG by Modern Logic, anchored DoorDash’s “Your Door to More” platform and went on to win the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix and a D&AD Yellow Pencil.
GOOGLE - YEAR IN SEARCH
Music Supervisor
Long-term engagement with Google Brand Studio, collaborating with five of their creative teams, production, and business affairs, to oversee music supervision and original score development for the annual Year in Search campaign.
REI - OPT OUTSIDE
Music Supervisor
Helped REI Studio connect with outdoor enthusiasts through a direct-to-brand music partnership, licensing a track from indie band Dr. Dog for the Launch Outdoors campaign, saving the brand over $100K in traditional licensing costs.
PRIMARK - VCCP NY
MUSIC SUPERVISOR & CLEARANCE
Sourced and licensed Belinda Carlisle’s iconic “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” for VCCP and Primark, delivering the perfect nostalgic fit for the campaign while saving six figures in licensing costs.
QUICKBOOKS - TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Executive Producer
Executive produced the integrated QuickBooks “Backing You” GRAMMYs campaign and music platform in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day. Featuring breakout artist Willa Amai and legendary songwriter-producer Linda Perry, the campaign included a docu-style film chronicling Willa Amai’s journey, a satellite press tour, specialty radio campaign and a QuickBooks-sponsored SXSW keynote & concert honoring the self-employed creators and small businesses that power the music industry. The project earned Commercial Sync of the Year at Variety’s Music for Screens Summit while the single was given month long top billing on Apple Music.
SAN DIEGO TOURISM - HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT
EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER
Partnered with San Diego Tourism, Activist Music Management, and musician Michael Franti to create a custom song for the “Happy and You Know It” campaign. The track was released across DSPs in tandem with the campaign launch and Franti’s San Diego tour dates, becoming the top-streamed song from his latest album.
VISIT CALIFORNIA - ANNA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
“Anna,” featuring Emma Stone, was directed by Brantley Gutierrez with music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire. Produced by Subtractive Inc., choreographed by MTV Award–winning choreographer Ryan Heffington (Sia’s “Chandelier”), with makeup and hair by Jen Atkin and wardrobe styling by Petra Flannery. The cinematic piece follows Emma Stone dancing through the iconic Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN - MH/VCCP
Executive Music Producer
Executive produced the Clio-winning 25th-anniversary remake of Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train” for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The updated video leveraged modern geolocation technology to help locate missing children and featured performances by Skylar Grey, Gallant, and Jamie N. Commons. The single was produced by Jayzon Dezuzio (Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors) and directed by Jake Scott.
VISIT CALIFORNIA - DREAM GIG - FEAT. BAND OF HORSES
Executive Producer
Though Band of Horses originally formed in Seattle and now call South Carolina home, the heart-on-sleeve rockers maintain a deep affinity for California. That connection made them a natural fit for the state’s “Dream Gig” campaign, part of the Dream365 Project, where the band filmed live performances of “Heartbreak on the 101” and “No One’s Gonna Love You” atop the Hollywood Sign.
VISIT CALIFORNIA - DREAM 365 FEAT. EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
Executive Producer
When Edward Sharpe launched a music festival in Los Angeles, it was destined to be a full-blown spectacle, and one that demanded to be filmed. Created as part of California’s Dream365 Project, the event captured frontman Alex Ebert surrounded by fans inside a custom 360-degree circus tent at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
- Michael Frick is an amazing music supervisor and an even better guy. Over the last couple years, we've teamed up with him on lots of big campaigns here at Barrett Hofherr. He's always nailed the brief and found us killer tracks that work perfectly with our creative. He's helped negotiate and manage the licensing, all the while maintaining his calming laidback presence. He's a key and trusted partner to our agency. -Conor Duignan, Partner/Head of Production, Barrett Hofherr
- What can I say about Michael?? He is one of my favorite people to work with in music! He is able to find the track you didn’t know you were looking for and keep you smiling the whole time. He has the best energy! Work with Michael! -Cara Orlowski, Director of Business Affairs, VCCP
- Michael Frick and No Friction helped us bring our project Runaway Train 25 #MissingKids to life. He collaborated with us to find our music team, label partner as well as the producer and artists to bring our version of the song Runaway Train to life for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Michael was a partner in the truest sense and we couldn't have done this project without him or his insights. His connections and relationships are incredible, and he is creative in every sense of the word. I will do more work with Michael in the future! -Tanya LeSieur, Global Director Integrated Production
- Michael's skill and understanding of both the music and advertising industry was instrumental in the success of our multi-million dollar QuickBooks - Backing You brand campaign. He was a great collaborator and his expertise in creating and guiding the Daft Punk > Willa Amai partnership was invaluable, pushing the work out of the traditional ad space and into pop culture, subsequently earning us, and him, Variety Media and Clio awards. -Ben Beazley, ECD/CD (Vice, WK, 72andSunny, Chiat Day)
- Having worked with Michael for over the years, I am not surprised by his success. With a strong background in the media, advertising and entertainment industry, Michael is able to strategize and make decisions based on a variety of perspectives. As he is sharp, sincere and honest, I am lucky that he is both a client and friend. -Josh Binder, Partner at Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder LLC
BONUS CONTENT & BTS
Credits:
Thanks, Michael Frick michael@no-friction.net