“AI: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities”

Date/Time
Date(s) -

03/11/2025

Location
Zoom

Moderator:
Kristina Benson | Founder, Sweet On Top, LLC

Panelists:
Judith Finell | Forensic Musicologist, Judith Finell MusicServices, Inc.
Jen Oloo | Chief Revenue Officer, DISCO
Zach Sinick | Music Supervisor, WOOFER
Patrick Smith | Director, US Business and Creative Affairs, peermusic

Questions? Email is at questions@theccc.org

Biographies

Kristina Benson | Founder, Sweet On Top, LLC

Kristina began her career with a degree in opera from University of California at Irvine and took piano lessons in her spare time under Miles Davis’s sideman Kei Akagi. After stints as a promoter and DJ, she segued into a role as a branding specialist for DoStuffMedia, where she spearheaded engagement initiatives for brands such as Goose Island, Grey Goose and Pabst Blue Ribbon, working closely with local influencers to produce interactive brand experiences. She went from there to acting as Music Director for Lip Sync, and after many successful placements and two wonderful years at Lip Sync, she decided the time had come to start her own agency.

In the short time since it has opened its doors, Sweet On Top has landed placements with high-quality brands such as Apple, Michael Kors, Macy’s, Vogue and St. Regis, promotions for the Olympics and “Songland”; and in television shows including “Station 19,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “All Rise,” “Firefly Lane,” “High Fidelity,” “Ray Donovan” and “The Blacklist.” Additionally, her writers have secured cuts with Dim Mak and Warner Records’ artists. Kristina also worked closely with the Guild of Music Supervisors’ education committee and is a member of the California Copyright Conference and the Association of Independent Music Publishers.

Judith Finell | Forensic Musicologist, Judith Finell MusicServices Inc.  – Faculty, UCLA School of Music

Judith Finell is a musicologist and the president of Judith Finell MusicServices Inc., a music consulting firm in New York and Los Angeles, founded 25 years ago in New York. Since then, she has served as consultant and expert witness involving music copyright infringement, advised on artist career and project development, and a wide variety of music industry topics. Recently, Ms. Finell was honored to be the 2018 commencement speaker at UCLA’s Herb Albert School of Music. She was also interviewed by NBC/Universal for a 2018 documentary entitled “The Universality of Music,” in which she discussed the ways in which she sees music as being an international language that can bridge cultural barriers that spoken language does not.

Judith Finell was the testifying expert for the Marvin Gaye family in the milestone “Blurred Lines” case in Federal Court. She has testified in many other notable copyright infringement trials over the past 20 years. She and her team of musicologists regularly advise HBO, Lionsgate, Grey Advertising, CBS, Warner, Disney, and Sony Pictures on musical works for their commercials, films, and television series. Ms. Finell also frequently advises attorneys, advertising agencies, entertainment and recording companies, publishing firms, and musicians, addressing copyright issues, including those arising from digital sampling, electronic technology and Internet musical usage.

Ms. Finell was invited to teach the first course in the country on forensic musicology at UCLA in 2018. She holds an M.A. degree in musicology from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. from UCLA in piano performance. She has written numerous articles and a book in the area of contemporary music and copyright infringement and has appeared in trials on Court TV and before the American Intellectual Property Law Association. She is a trustee of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., and has appeared as a guest lecturer at the law schools of Harvard University, UCLA, Stanford, Columbia, Vanderbilt, George Washington, NYU, and Fordham, as well as the Beverly Hills Bar Assn., LA Copyright Society, and the Association of Independent Music Publishers. She is co-founder and editor of Your Inside Track, a music copyright newsletter. She may be reached either by e-mail at judi@jfmusicservices.com or by telephone at (310) 301-3338.

Jen Oloo | Chief Revenue Officer, DISCO

Jen Oloo is a hands-on leader with a knack for bringing creative ideas to life and turning them into business success. With a career that spans music, marketing, and SaaS, she’s spent over two decades driving growth and building teams that deliver results. Currently the Chief Revenue Officer at DISCO, Jen focuses on growing the company’s global presence, leading efforts across sales, marketing, customer success, and partnerships. Her team’s contributions drive DISCO’s development as a cornerstone for the music industry, focusing on building strong partnerships and creating strategies that accelerate growth.

Zach Sinick | Music Supervisor, WOOFER

Zach Sinick has spent his career music supervising, producing, music editing, and placing songs in film, TV, ads, trailers, and games. His work has garnered awards and nominations from Cannes, the Clios, the Emmys, the VMAs, and AICP. First he ran the award-winning music house Squeak E. Clean, followed by the sync dept. at Universal Music’s KIDinaKORNER label. Now Zach helms his own sync and supervision shop WOOFER (a pun on his love for both music and dogs).

Over the years he’s collaborated with artists, directors, and producers like Kanye West, Imagine Dragons, Karen O, Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Alex Da Kid. Zach has also been a panelist at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Conference and a guest speaker at both UCLA and USC.
Music Supervision highlights:

· HBO Max “The Mortician” – upcoming true crime docu-series (Fall 2025)
· Amazon Studios “Good Rivals” – 2023 Sports Emmy nom (Best Docu-Series)
· “Imagining the Indian” – Washington Post “Best Films of 2023,” 2022 Ken Burns/Lib. of Congress Film Prize (Finalist)
· National Center for Missing & Exploited Children “Runaway Train 25” ad – 2019 Clio win, VMA nom
· Maker/History Channel comedy series “The Crossroads of History” – 2016 Emmy nom
· Adidas “Hello Tomorrow” – 2006 Clio win, 2005 Cannes Ads Gold Lion (Best Original Music)

Patrick Smith | Director, US Business and Creative Affairs, peermusic

With nearly two decades of experience working in the music publishing industry, Patrick Smith has cultivated an in-depth understanding of the complex nature of music rights management. He leads peermusic’s synchronization licensing and clearance team and develops and implements a range of agreements with peermusic’s legal, creative and administration departments. Patrick creates practical solutions for music publishers to address the challenges that come with changes in technology and media. His experience ensures that composers receive the recognition and compensation they deserve for their work.

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