Daily Inspiration: Meet Olivia Schlichting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Schlichting.

Olivia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It was a winding journey to my life now in Los Angeles. I’m originally from Wisconsin, went to school for screenwriting in Minneapolis, moved to Chicago for a while, then Australia, then traveled and did the nomad thing for a while. I was kind of a weird kid, and am thankful I had parents that encouraged my creativity, particularly my love of stories and music. Fast-forward to today and it makes total sense that I’d wind up in music supervision, but honestly, I didn’t even know that this career existed until I moved to LA. My first job here was at a talent agency, and I went back to school at Antioch University while working there. My “Sources of Creativity” professor there happened to also be a musician working at a production music library. Together we created an independent study about this fascinating craft, and I was hooked. Telling stories with music? Come on, it’s a dream. I started working at the Guild of Music Supervisors, which led to me meeting Thomas Golubić, who I now work with at SuperMusicVision.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth. But what’s so good about a smooth road? The twisty and windy paths are always my favorite anyway. Honestly, I hated high school and felt pretty lost in my twenties. I really didn’t know who I wanted to be or what I wanted my life to look like, and I did a lot of extreme experimenting. Maybe that’s why I feel so at home in LA. There’s a lot of extreme people here. And so much bravery to experiment with who you are and what you want to create. I remember an ex of mine asking me once what I believed in, probably annoyed at my lack of spirituality. My answer was “music” as it was often the only comfort for me during dark times. Currently, the struggle of music supervisors trying to unionize is at the forefront of my mind. The job is so demanding and misunderstood. We’re in one of the last crafts in the film industry to not be unionized, and it’s long overdue. Our community has been working on this for a while, but it’s just now getting press and attention. Please follow and support if you can!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work in music supervision for film and TV. Most people think that it’s just picking the songs, but it’s so much more than that. Any music you hear on screen we have a hand in. We’re usually brought on in the script stage of pre-production and are on the project until the very last of post-production, often well after a project wraps or airs, dealing with the song licensing paperwork. That includes anything from a five-second whistle to an elaborate musical ensemble. Most every song has a complicated copyright history and we get to be the detectives to figure out where that melody comes from. We usually help hire the composer and with them help develop the musical tone of a project. We help with on-camera performances and almost always have to pre-record the actors’ vocals. Then once cuts start coming in, we supply the editorial team with music to add temp score and source songs for every tiny background use, but also those epic montage moments. That smooth jazz you hear playing in that coffee shop? Yep, that’s us too. You’d be surprised the amount of time we spend trying to find bland, forgettable music that no one pays attention to. Oh and the budgeting can be an absolute nightmare. People don’t understand what music costs! It’s crazy. Every day is fast-paced and there’s almost always multiple emergencies going on at once. There’s a twisted part of me that enjoys the unpredictability and stress of it all. Maybe I should unpack that in therapy. Ha!

But no really, I am proud of all I’ve learned so far and look forward to continuing to study the craft and hopefully work on more projects like Better Call Saul, I got to work on the last season, and our newest show that was a ton of fun, Poker Face. Still pinching myself that I get to work alongside such dream teams.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Yes, I think every day is a risk! Well, if it’s a good day it is. I wish everyone was more inclined to embrace stranger danger and face all the fears. I gravitate towards mystery and horror and dark unknown things. I want to uncover and discover what you didn’t even know existed. Let’s go there!

Community Link:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/musicneedssupervision

Image Credits:
Sara Jackson Photography
Preston Thalindroma
CKewer