Agency

IAMSOUND teamed up with Ford in late 2013 for a full service activation for the newly relaunched Transit Connect wagon. We invited Classixx, MS MR and Guards to the famed Mack Sennett Studios in Los Angeles where they performed for an invite-only crowd at a series of three private events. Our designers transformed the space into a colorful mod environment, highlighting the car and mesmerizing the crowds, a who’s who of the Los Angeles music, film and fashion industries. PitchforkTV filmed the performances, creating a video story for each artist. These premiered on Pitchfork’s YouTube channel, between January and March 2014, in conjunction with a large media buy coordinated by IAMSOUND, and have so far resulted in 1 million+ views.

Teenage, a new film by Matt Wolf features music supervised by IAMSOUND. Based on a groundbreaking book by the punk author Jon Savage, Teenage, directed by Matt Wolf, is an unconventional historical film about the creation of teenagers. Bringing to life fascinating youth from the early 20th century—from party-crazed Flappers and hipster Swing Kids to brainwashed Nazi Youth and frenzied Sub-Debs—the film reveals the pre-history of modern teenagers and the struggle between adults and adolescents to define youth.

The film is a living collage that blends archival footage with portraits of real youth from history. Their stories are told by young narrators (Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, Julia Hummer and Jessie Usher), whose emotional dialog is culled from the actual pages of teen diaries. Collectively they express a common desire: to re-imagine the future. Adults might think youthful rebellion is just a right of passage, but history proves that teenagers’ unrest brings about real change.

Teenage, distributed by Oscilloscope, premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and opened in theaters March 2014.

For the last three years, IAMSOUND and Vans have teamed up to celebrate the iconic Classics footwear collection throughout the US with a free concert series which included interactive video installations and merch giveaways.

In summer 2012, the Vans Classic & City events took place in Los Angeles, Portland and Brooklyn. Each event featured live performances from critically acclaimed local bands— YACHT and Papa in L.A., The Thermals and Fidlar in Portland, Dum Dum Girls and Widowspeak in Brooklyn.

An interactive video installation was provided by multimedia artists Radical Friend and Discipline, while Minx Nails offered guests custom Vans prints. Merch giveaways of customized Vans Classic shoes, totes and tees came courtesy of local designers Crybaby Presents and Christian Joy.

In the fall 2013, Vans once again partnered with IAMSOUND to present the Classic & City Events in Austin, San Francisco and Boston. The series ran over the span of three weeks in September and October featuring live performances from critically acclaimed musical acts – AraabMUZIK and Kate Boy in Austin, Nick Waterhouse and Cool Ghouls in SF and The Walkmen and Oberhofer in Boston.

In addition to the music performances, local artists from each city were invited to customize Vans Classics along with limited edition tees and socks - artists Sophie Roach in Austin, Serena Mitnik-Miller in SF and Brian Butler in Boston showcased their customized products. Additionally, interactive visual installations were created for each location by acclaimed visual effects specialist Whoman, who has previously worked with musical acts such as Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing, to create stunning customized laser and light displays for live shows.

And this past spring 2014, IAMSOUND collaborated with Vans again with the events traveling to Brooklyn, Chicago and Los Angeles. Headliners included The Horrors, Haerts and Superhumanoids with NuCalifornia providing the visual installation. Designers were Creatures of Comfort in NY, Chad Kouri in Chicago and NuCalifornia in LA.

IAMSOUND joined forces with The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and Smashbox Cosmetics in summer 2012 to present PLAY MOCA, a new multimedia festival bringing together a diverse group of musicians and artists at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. A celebration of the cultural vitality and diversity of the city of Los Angeles, PLAY MOCA attracted 5000 plus visitors to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA over the course of the three events on July 27, August 17, and August 24, 2012. The limited RSVP slots were claimed in less than two hours for each event, and the museum increased event capacity to meet the high demand.

Three nights of art and music featured live performances by Active Child, Cults, Io Echo, Lord Huron, Salem, and Zola Jesus; DJ sets by Ariel Pink, HEALTH, and Victoria Bergsman (Taken by Trees); and short films by Drew Barrymore, Emmett Malloy, and a collaboration by L.A. Dance Project / Benjamin Millepied and Rodarte — some of the music world’s most exciting new performers paired with contemporary visual artists from dance, fashion, multimedia and theatrical backgrounds. The Frank Gehry-designed canopy was transformed by COCO, an L.A.-based design group including alumni from internationally renowned architecture school SCI-ARC. Activating the Geffen outdoor space, 400 suspended white balloons served as the backdrop for projected images, while the event series attracted new audiences to the current exhibitions.

In Fall 2010, IAMSOUND launched Mondrian Sessions in Los Angeles with Morgans Hotel Group. One of the first of its kind, the IAMSOUND programmed and produced free music series gave artists a distinctive platform and audiences an intimate setting to experience live music. The immediate success of the series inspired a sequel, the Clift Sessions in San Francisco beginning a few months later in the beginning of 2011.

Mondrian and Clift Sessions Presented by IAMSOUND brought a well curated parade of exciting new music (araabMUZIK, Chairlift, Cults, Das Racist, fun., Gonzales with special guests Feist + Peaches, Jens Lekman, Little Boots, Lykke Li, Nosaj Thing, SBTRKT [first LA show], SoKo, Theophilus London, Warpaint and Zola Jesus, among many others). The Sessions brought people together from across Los Angeles and San Francisco with a unique musical experience. Media sponsors included KCRW, The FADER Magazine, Spin Magazine, Refinery29, AllSaints, San Francisco Bay Guardian and Guitar Center.