CNN International
Sonic Identity

Agency: Expansion Team
Role: Music Creative Director, Composer

In 2008, an executive at CNN challenged me to reinvent the genre of “news music” which led to a two-year sonic branding partnership with CNN International.

We started by examining the history of sound related to news, from antiquity to current trends, and developed the forward-thinking audio identity that CNN used in over 200 countries for nearly ten years.

Over the course of the project, we developed a large toolkit of region-specific network themes which, based on our research on musical recognition, were composed to be consistent in chord progression rather than melody. This allowed us to maintain consistency across an enormous range of international musical styles. I presented the project's strategic insights at the 2010 Audio Branding Congress in Hamburg, Germany and the case study was included in the Audio Branding Academy 2010/2011 Yearbook.

The success of our audio identity led to further brand development, including a theme for CNN Freedom Project.

This noble initiative seeks the abolition of human trafficking by shining a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplifying the voices of the victims, and highlighting success stories.

To support CNN International's coverage of the 2010 World Cup in Johhannesburg, South Africa, I composed the theme music used throughout the event coverage and promotion.

I also created several remixes with different instrumentation and tempos that allowed CNN's producers to keep their audience excited and engaged over the many broadcasts.