Going To Air with Mike Ladman (Droga5, McCann)
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton (Scoobert Doobert)
Guest: Mike Ladman
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Topics discussed
Host note
Mike Ladman is a music supervisor who's worked the agency side at Droga5 and McCann, picking the songs behind Super Bowl spots and multi-year global campaigns. We start where he did, discovering music behind a record-store counter, a sponge for everything that came through.
Mike walks us through what a supervisor actually does day to day: matching a song to a brief so it tells the story and supports the visuals, the licensing tangles that come with working across brands, and how the job has changed as streaming reshaped discovery. His working rule holds through all of it: better to lose a pitch with work you loved than win one with work you hated.
He closes on why he's still doing it, that specific high of hearing a song for the first time, one he says never really goes away.
Selected moments
- Welcome to the show 2:36 Mike introduces himself and shares his background.
- Music discovery at the record store 5:23 Mike discusses his early influences and experiences working in a record store.
- Changing landscape of music supervision 12:07 Mike explains how the role has evolved over time.
- The Super Bowl commercial 29:35 Mike reflects on his experience working on a memorable Super Bowl ad.
- Navigating licensing challenges 18:11 Mike describes the complications of music licensing in advertising.
- The importance of creativity in briefs 13:49 Mike discusses the balance between creative ideas and meeting client expectations.
Selected excerpts
I think a music supervisor's job is to make sure that whatever plays is going to tell the story and support the visuals.
When you hear a song you've never heard before, it almost unlocks an emotion that you didn't know you had.
It's better to lose with work we loved than to win with work we hated.
I feel like I'm a sponge when it comes to music because I want to absorb as much as I can.
You can use that same energy to seed your future success or the next thing that you're going to work on.
I love music because there's nothing like that high of hearing a song you've never heard before.
FAQ
What does a music supervisor do?
A music supervisor oversees the selection and licensing of music for visual media, ensuring the music complements the storytelling.
How did Mike Ladman start his career in music supervision?
Mike began as a guitarist in bands and transitioned to music supervision after working in a record store and exploring advertising.
What are the challenges faced by music supervisors?
Challenges include navigating licensing agreements, meeting client expectations, and staying abreast of new music trends.
These pages are host notes, not a full transcript. The episode itself is on the listen links above.