Frank Fitzpatrick

Frank Fitzpatrick (born April 13, 1961 in Detroit, Michigan) is the founder/director of EarthTones, a social entrepreneur, composer and an award-winning music producer for film. He has also worked extensively in other areas of music and entertainment as a record producer, songwriter, and filmmaker. He has focused most of his recent work on integrated media strategies - using popular music and film projects to support arts and health programs along with social awareness campaigns.

Social entrepreneur/activism

Frank has teamed up with other international leaders and organizations to create influential social projects like: Just Like You – a United Nations sponsored project bringing awareness to the growing handicapped population resulting from weapons of war in the Middle East; Be On Our Way^[1]– an awareness and fundraising campaign to help build sustainable homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina, in collaboration with Miramax Films and Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation; Yoga Revolution – a CD series and national awareness campaign to help fund yoga and fitness programs for at-risk youth; and Beat the World – an international collaboration between the world's top conscious Hip Hop artists and dance crews spanning over 20 countries.

In 2011, Fitzpatrick attended his first Executive Program at Singularity University at their NASA facility in Mountain View, CA.

In 2012, Fitzpatrick was a Delegate at the Skoll Foundation's annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, where he was joined by thought leaders, philanthropists and heads of foundations, corporations and governments all gathered to connect and collaborate on new ways to use Social Entrepreneurship to address global challenges.^[2]

In 2012, Fitzpatrick helped facilitate Singularity University's inaugural Hollywood Executive Program. Along with special guests, including filmmakers Neal Baer and Paul Lazaradus, he led a program for Singularity University’s 2012 graduates and international alumni introducing The Technologies of Emotion, a subject that would become the centerpiece of several international talks to follow, including TEDxFIAP.^[3]

Frank was Master of Ceremony and Creative Director for Yoga For Hope's Los Angeles Inaugural event – co-sponsored by EarthTones and part of City of Hope's national campaign promoting alternative and supportive therapies (music, yoga, meditation) for patients with life-threatening diseases. He served as Executive Music Producer on the film Amazing – a co-venture between Shanghai Film Group and the National Basketball Association (NBA), creating songs and videos from the film to help inspire health and fitness for NBA fans and youth across China.

In 2012, Fitzpatrick was featured in a variety of international speaking engagements, including Shanghai University’s Beyond Film seminar, Singularity University’s Graduate Studies and Hollywood Executive programs,^[4] and TEDx conferences hosted by FIAP in São Paulo, Brazil,^[5] and San Diego State University.^[6]

Round tables/Think tanks

Fitzpatrick has been a featured guest to a number of round table forums and think tanks since 2012, in which he has spoken on the topics of creativity, interactive technology, and music in education, wellness and social activism. In 2012, Fitzpatrick began collaborating with Glasgow Caledonian University for the application of their scientific studies about the effects of music on learning and human development. In 2013, he attended the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) Summit: Learning 2030 series at the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics, and hosted a roundtable on creativity with a group of leading physicists and artists.^[7] In 2014, he hosted a seminar and think tank in partnership with Pepperdine University’s Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture entitled Education Disrupted: Enhancing Creativity and Learning through Music, Media, and Technology.^[8] In the same year, he was also a featured speaker for SXSWedu in Austin, Texas,^[9] InnovatEd in LA,^[10] and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in the United Kingdom.^[11]

Film music

Fitzpatrick has created the soundtracks for over two-dozen films including: Disney's teen hit Jump In!, the animated The Proud Family Movie, Anne Rice penned Queen of the Damned, David Zucker's box-office record breaking^[12] Scary Movie 3, the Bill Gates–Steve Jobs' docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley, George Harrison's British comedy Nuns on the Run, Miramax's In Too Deep, and Ice Cube's & Chris Tucker's Hip Hop classic Friday.^[13]

Fitzpatrick was named one of the "Top Music Supervisors of the Decade" (1990's) by Variety. He has contributed to the sale of over 6 million soundtrack albums. He has recorded his own music with orchestras around the world including the China National Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra National de Venezuela.

In 2009, Fitzpatrick brought together a group of like-minded artists - including Grammy Award winner Van Hunt, New Orleans born rapper Supervision, Buku Wise and singers from the original Hidden Faces - to create the featured song "Be On Our Way" for Tim Story's film Hurricane Season, featuring Forest Whitaker.

In 2010, Frank Fitzpatrick's song Soul Music, performed by Anthony Hamilton, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The song was the title track for the motion picture Soul Men (Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac and Sharon Leal).

Fitzpatrick produced the original soundtrack for the film Beat The World, released in 2011 featuring international song collaborations with KRS-One and K'naan, Talib Kweli and Sway, Nneka and Ziggy Marley, and Les Nubians and MV Bill.

In 2011, Fitzpatrick composed the score and created an original soundtrack for the film Urban Roots, a documentary from Tree Media following the urban farming phenomenon in his hometown, Detroit.

Fitzpatrick composed the original score and theme songs, as well as produced the soundtrack, featuring Arturo Sandoval and Alpha Diallo, for the Canadian period drama High Chicago, making its debut at the 2012 Pan African Film Festival. He recorded the original score for Amazing, a partnership between Shanghai Film Group and the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the China National Symphony Orchestra featuring lead soprano Ying Huang. His title song from the film The Kiss (also featuring singer Huang) was performed live as the opening number for the 2012 Shanghai International Film Festival and is expected to be released in the Fall of 2012. Amazing won awards at the Chinese American Film Festival and the Macao International Film Festival.^[14][15]

Television music

Fitzpatrick was the composer and music director for HBO's hit TV series The Larry Sanders Show, creating the theme and all the original music. He also composed themes and scores for other series including, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Muddling Through, High Society,^[13] and a number of TV films for the Disney Channel, MTV and Turner Broadcasting.

Songwriter and record producer

Fitzpatrick's songwriting and producing credits include Jill Scott, Dave Hollister, K-Ci & JoJo, Les Nubians, Fat Joe, Jazz (Dru Hill), Akil (Jurassic 5), Slimkid3 (The Pharcyde), Brownstone, Public Announcement,^[16] Anthony Hamilton, Lina and Siren. His song Jump to the Rhythm (performed by Jordan Pruitt) was released on both Pruitt's debut album, No Ordinary Girl, on the Jump In! Soundtrack, and is featured as the opening song in the 2007 High School Musical Tour.^[17] The Sasha & Shawna duet single and Fitzpatrick-produced version of Fields of Gold (written by Sting) was featured in the 2007 PBS special Heavenly Voices. Frank Fitzpatrick produced the compilation benefit album, Yoga Revolution, as the first in a series that brings together musical icons and rising kirtan stars to raise funds for yoga and fitness programs for underserved youth. Yoga Revolution was released March 30, 2010 through Time Life Records in conjunction with Nettwerk Music and EarthTones, with net proceeds to benefit the Yoga Health Foundation. It features Sting, Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, Seal, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Franti, Angélique Kidjo, Anoushka Shankar, Ziggy Marley, Krishna Das, Deva Premal, Donna De Lory, and others.

A special edition of Yoga Revolution: Music For Hope was released in 2012 in support of City of Hope's Yoga for Hope campaign promoting music, yoga and meditation as alternative therapies for the support and prevention of life-threatening diseases (cancer, diabetes and HIV-AIDS)

Filmmaker

In 2001 Fitzpatrick directed and produced the short film Jungle Jazz: Public Enemy #1. Created in the style of a '50's propaganda film, Jungle Jazz incorporated rare Soundies film footage from the 1940s into an original story, accompanied by Fitzpatrick's own soundtrack mixing Big Band + Drum and Bass. Jungle Jazz premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival, winning The Silver Bear Award for best Short Film.^[18] The film played at several festivals around the world, winning additional awards in Sydney, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Kansas City and Santa Cruz.^[19][20] In 2007, Fitzpatrick completed his first animated short film The Rebel Angel.^[21]

Socially conscious media

Founder of the non-profit arts organization EarthTones, Fitzpatrick has created themes and music campaigns for many socially conscious and charitable media projects. These include, Reflections, (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood) an AIDS awareness film which premiered on BET and was distributed to high schools throughout the U.S.,^[22] Just Like You, a song and video collaboration with Middle Eastern rapper Rayess Bek broadcast as part of a United Nations sponsored peace initiative,^[23] and Scenes In Jazz, a compilation CD and arts awareness campaign which features different artists performing original jazz compositions to support music and arts education programs.

Early career

Fitzpatrick's professional career began in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan. While attending the University of Michigan's music and business schools, he worked for Eclipse Jazz and Major Events, producers of live shows for the likes of Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Jarreau, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles and Prince. Fitzpatrick also performed as a musician (guitar) and hosted his own radio show, Jazz 'Round Midnight on WCBN-FM. Through Eclipse Jazz, he helped host a series of educational workshops with many of the performing artists including Ornette Coleman and Dave Brubeck.

Fitzpatrick relocated to Los Angeles in 1983 to work for record producer Richard Perry of Planet Records' and Studio 55. Productions included the Pointer Sisters' multi-platinum Break Out album and Julio Iglesias' debut English-language duets with Diana Ross and Willie Nelson. Fitzpatrick expanded into film music by working as a music editor for the film composer Georges Delerue, going on to co-produce a 3-CD orchestral retrospective of Delerue's film scores entitled, The London Sessions.^[24] Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the collection included "Between You and Me" performed by Carl Anderson and co-written by Fitzpatrick and Delerue as the original title track for Bruce Baresford's Her Alibi.

In 1989, Fitzpatrick formed the studio group Hidden Faces with writing/producing partner David Kitay. Although Kitay left the group, Fitzpatrick continued to create some of his original soundtracks and recordings under the name Hidden Faces. Hidden Faces can be heard on soundtrack releases for Nuns on the Run, Highway to Hell, Breaking the Rules and Friday, as well as the score collection Pictures in the Dark and on the more recently released song compilation Best of Hidden Faces.

Health and wellness

Frank has studied the healing arts and yoga for over 25 years.  He is a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200) in the Hatha, Bhakti and Tantric traditions, having completed teacher training programs with master teachers Shiva Rea, Max Strom, Jeffrey Armstrong, Saul David Raye and Rod Stryker.

In 1984, Fitzpatrick produced the Feeling Great Show on KJLH radio with host Dr. Jeanne Segal. Frank has been a contributing writer for LA Yoga Ayurveda & Health Magazine and HelpGuide, and has been an advisor to, as well as had his work featured in Yoga Journal. In 2012, Frank was the Program Director and Master of Ceremonies for City of Hope's Inaugural Los Angeles Yoga for Hope Event. Frank is an advocate for the use of Yoga, music and mind-body practices as preventative and supportive care for patients, as well as their loved ones, dealing with life-threatening diseases. He is also a supporter of the integration of Yoga into schools as fitness and wellness programs for youth.

Awards and accolades

In 2001, Fitzpatrick received the Silver Bear Award from the Berlin International Film Festival for his short film Jungle Jazz: Public Enemy #1.^[25] The film also received top prizes at film festivals in Australia and Brazil.^[26] A number of his film soundtracks, including Friday, Jump In! and Queen of the Damned, were certified Gold or Platinum. In 2010, Frank Fitzpatrick's song “Soul Music”, performed by Anthony Hamilton, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. In 2013, Fitzpatrick was honored as a Gifted Citizen by Ciudad de Las Ideas for his development of the WHY Music Initiative.^[27]

References

External links

• Official website
• Frank Fitzpatrick's Non-Profit, EarthTones
• Yoga Revolution, Produced by Frank Fitzpatrick
• Frank Fitzpatrick at the Internet Movie Database