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Communications Journalism Media

Sports Media and Music Panel

December 7, 2022 at 6:45pm – 8:05pm EST

Newhouse 3, Hergenhan Auditorium

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Tom Hedden, Stephanie Scarpulla, Claude Mitchell, Joe Khoury

The David M. Rezak Music Business Lecture Series and the Newhouse Sports Media Center present a panel on sports and music.

Panelists:

Tom Hedden

Tom Hedden is an Emmy-winning composer, best known for his tenure with NFL Films during which he penned music for numerous series and specials. Orchestras including The Cleveland Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Houston Symphony have performed Hedden’s work. In 2009, Hedden left the NFL to explore new creative opportunities scoring feature and documentary films.

His music is a mainstay in sports media. It’s been featured in the NFL and NASCAR halls of fame and in arenas and stadiums for the NBA, NFL and the Big East. His music has also been featured on the SEC Network, World Poker Tour, Amazon Prime, the Golf Channel, NPR and EA video games. Hedden has enjoyed extensive success in advertising, writing music for Reebok, Alltel, Exxon, Coca Cola, Carmex, Subaru, GMC and more. Hedden’s music has appeared in films such as “The Waterboy” and “Little Children,” as well as television programs like “The Daily Show” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Hedden is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and lives in New Jersey’s Pinelands.

Joe Khoury

Joe Khoury brings more than a decade of experience to his role as the vice president of A&R (artists and repertoire) and marketing at Atlantic Records. In his hybrid position, Khoury specializes in film and television licensing and original soundtracks, as well as leading the company’s strategy across gaming, sports and Web3. Under his A&R/marketing remit, Khoury has played an integral part in the soundtracks for multiple blockbuster films, including serving as co-album producer for “Birds of Prey: The Album,” and album director for “Suicide Squad: The Album.”

He has spearheaded notable artist activations and partnerships across ESPN, Roblox, 2K, Epic Games, XBOX, PlayStation, The Sandbox, Decentraland and more. Khoury’s personal interest in gaming, tech and sports led to an opportunity to build a dedicated team that works closely with Atlantic artists who are interested in exploring these passion points.

Claude Mitchell

Claude Mitchell ’88 is the vice president of A&R and marketing at ESPN. With a career spanning 30 years and credits that include the FIFA World Cup; Winter and Summer X Games; SportsCenter; seasonal sports packages for the NBA and college football; and NFL Monday Night Football, Mitchell sets himself apart as a leader in the innovative use of music in sports production.

Combining sports, music and business savvy, Mitchell leads the music department at ESPN. Mitchell and his team are key players in defining the sound of the network. ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports television, relies on Mitchell and his team of 13 to manage the creation of original music; oversee and negotiate licensing deals with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, J Cole, Thirty Seconds to Mars and U2; and coordinate placements for artists in content and events across all of ESPN’s media platforms.

Mitchell’s background is in music publishing, with more than 10 years in creative/A&R at major publishers. The majority of that time he served as creative director, signing songwriters to the publishers and developing their careers. Before joining ESPN, he made a quick foray into the digital music space working as director of partner marketing at MP3.com, where he managed high profile, strategic music partnerships for the website.

Stephanie Scarpulla

Stephanie Scarpulla ’00 is the senior director of global music partnerships for the MLB as well as the senior director of music and media clearances for both the MLB and NHL Network. She oversees music partnerships representing the MLB brand and supports the development of MLB’s music strategy. Scarpulla is also the lead on all relationships with labels, publishers and other partners to help create sync opportunities and brand activations that help enhance fan and artist engagement across the sport.

She also directs the clearance and licensing of all music, footage, image and intellectual property for both the MLB and NHL Network’s 24/7 programming, promos and brand campaigns. This included jewel event coverage of Opening Day, MLB First-Year Player Draft, MLB All-Star Game and the World Series. Scarpulla’s work on MLB Tonight garnered her three Sports Emmy Awards. She has been with the MLB since their network’s record-setting launch in 50 million homes in 2009.

Prior to MLB Network, Scarpulla worked as the director of licensing at TVT Music Publishing and TVT Records, where she was responsible for negotiating synchronization, master and sample licensing deals. Her career in licensing began at Diamond Time, a boutique copyright clearance company.

This event was published on December 6, 2022.

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