JULY 2024
Wilson is a creator, entrepreneur and founding partner of Antfood, one of the most lauded and innovative music and sound design studios on the planet. Founded in 2007, Antfood brings artistry, strategy and value to messages and brands through all things audio.
Wilson directs and composes work for clients such as Google, CBS, Nike, Apple, Instacart, Netflix, Microsoft, OpenAI, WarnerMedia and helps lead a team of more than 50 talented creatives and producers in New York, Los Angeles, São Paulo and Amsterdam. He champions the power of music and sound to solve clients’ problems and focuses on sonic strategy, creative direction, production leadership, and composition for and with new technologies.
His work has been honored at Cannes, Sundance, Annecy, Venice, TriBeCa, the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, AICP, ADC, One Show, D&AD, LIA, AMP, and Art Directors Club’s YG9, which recognizes the global vanguard of creative professionals. Wilson received undergrad and graduate degrees in Music Composition and Media from Brown University and a business degree from NYU Stern School of Business and NYC Mayor’s Office Made In NY initiative. He serves on boards and juries in the music, advertising and design communities, including serving as president of the East Coast board of the Association of Music Producers.
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MASA: Having chatted a few years ago, I know that music has been woven into the fabric of your life from a very early age. Can you tell us a bit about that and whether there was a particular experience, performance, or encounter that solidified your decision to pursue it as a career?
WILSON: I grew up in Philadelphia, PA and from a very young age, I wrote little songs for piano and voice, I played in school bands, non-school bands, and got into recording on cassette 4-tracks and later early digital recording. Enjoying and creating music was always a huge part of my personal, family and social life.
I studied traditional music composition and theory in college. I ended up taking time off school to work and save some money to eventually study 20th Century composition in Prague. I worked as a bartender at night and at an internet cafe-slash-coffee shop during the day. In my free time, I composed, produced and performed music and honed my composition and production skills. This period was definitive for me because it proved that I could focus on music, make a living and be content. In retrospect, it was a bit of a self-imposed test, or an experiment that gave me the confidence to pursue music and only music as a career.
MASA: The competitive landscape in our industry is fierce, yet Antfood has thrived for 17 years. Can you share some of the specific hurdles you've overcome to keep growing?
WILSON: It feels that for music professionals, there’s always something coming at us that threatens music rights, dilutes budgets, and suppresses opportunities. Our craft is essential in messaging emotion and creating connections, but it’s often considered a hobby or luxury.
At least in terms of staying in business for 17 years, I don’t view direct competition as a threat. When companies compete fiercely, they typically don’t last or morph into a shell of their former selves. When you put all your energy and money into snuffing out competition, you have fewer resources to make great work, develop a lasting creative culture, which makes it harder to attract and maintain talent and clients in the long run.
I think the real threat to music professionals today, and for the past 80 years of recorded music — is the broader perception that music is not valuable. From the era of early radio stations not clearing, or compensating creators, to our current reality where we have access to nearly every recorded song in the history of civilization for the price of a Starbucks coffee, music always faces downward pricing pressure, not in the least part because it is really fun to make.
As you implied, it’s hard enough to make a living and build a sustainable business in our industry. When we allow each other and outside forces to knock down the perceived value of our craft, everyone loses. When we do our jobs well, we create so much more value for our clients and audiences than is often budgeted.
MASA: Can you tell us about a recent campaign where your music really stole the show?
WILSON: We created an irreverent opening title sequence for an awards show in New York. We meant it as a love letter to our music-creating peers, who are very anxious about how generative AI technologies will disrupt our field. While some peers told us it “stole the show”, the best part was hearing so many people respond differently, from “Yeah! F—the robots!” to “I love this story about creative collaboration with new tech!”. So it feels successful, or at least a sign of the times that individuals were able to superimpose their own opinions and positions on the work.
We have a campaign here in the States for Google and Major League Baseball that is just some good old-fashioned Rock-n-Roll, and it pops out on the broadcast, so that’s always fun.
MASA: Creative disagreements happen! How do you navigate those with clients or agencies to reach that perfect musical harmony?
WILSON: I like what you did there! In general, disagreements are great, if sometimes uncomfortable. We are a creative services firm, and we have (mostly) really fantastic clients. Every job, relationship and brief is unique, but we like to talk it out, support our rationale and hear others’ opinions. Our main goal at Antfood is to take all of that information and find a creative solution that beats both sides’ preferences. Usually it works out!
MASA: How do you stay ahead of the curve and keep up to date with new trends, artists and composers?
WILSON: Listen to everything, listen to people who like things and try to understand why, and then connect the dots. I think we’re entering an interesting phase where technology is already emulating the most ubiquitous, generic trends pretty well – and it’s going to get better. In a world where you can create a passable version or extension of something that already exists easily and cheaply, are audiences and artists going to race to the middle, or get weirder? I am rooting for the latter.
MASA: Social media's here to stay. Do you think it's changed how music is used in advertising?
WILSON: Absolutely. In the famous words of Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message. For better or worse, social has changed the way we perceive content — and how music and sound accompany, support or drive content. People have shorter attention spans, brevity is at a premium and tastes are informed by both what fits into your TikTok feed, and what stands out.
We gained a lot of traction in the early days of Antfood by recognizing that the internet would provide effective and valuable means of messaging and advertising, while more established companies and studios were focused exclusively on broadcast media. Today those early OTT pre-roll spots and 6-second social ads seem quaint as we sit on the cusp of another technological revolution. Similar to what McLuhan theorized about television, I think we will look back on the effects of social media on greater society and the individual psyche. Similarly I think large model technologies will drastically transform how we work, how we perceive media and what is interesting and valuable.
MASA: Anything exciting brewing on your creative horizon?
WILSON: Yes! Lots — notably Games, New Tech & Experience. We’re developing a new platform, Better Problems, that leverages our expertise in music for brands and our back catalog to offer smarter solutions for clients than existing library music.
MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?
WILSON: I am looking for brilliance, risk-taking, seamless execution and a holistic vision for music and sound that supports the purpose of the work.
MASA: We really appreciate you taking the time to share your insights, Wilson. Thank you for being a part of the Music+Sound Awards jury – your expertise is invaluable!
