Click on image (above) to watch this short film, and hear Masson’s musical score.
In late 2023 / early 2024, I scored the musical soundtrack to this short 3-minute documentary by Katie Barkel. The film features local Detroit poet, James Fuson.
Kresge Arts in Detroit is partnering with the Detroit Free Press for the world premiere of the annual “Spotlight Detroit” film series featuring the latest cohort of fellows. Thirteen Detroit filmmakers collaborated with the 2023 Kresge Artist Fellows in Literary and Visual Arts to create 19 dynamic short films exploring the artists’ creative practices, expressions, and journeys as artists and humans.
Each year, Kresge Arts in Detroit produces films celebrating the latest cohort of Kresge Artist Fellows. Films from past years have gone on to win Michigan Emmys in addition to being screened and awarded at film festivals across the world.
James D. Fuson is a writer, artist, and collaborator with the Hamtramck Free School, and a member of the Writer’s Block at the Macomb Regional Correctional Facility. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Ugly Duckling Presse, the Washington Square Review (New York University Press), University of Michigan Press, and Essay’d (Wayne State University Press). He has presented at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the College for Creative Studies, Yale School of Art, and Michigan Radio, among others. His first collection of poems, “20 Years: Reflections of an Empty Sky”—a serpentine narrative of James’ first 20 years in prison—is in its second printing.
Screenshot from original Chevy TV spot aired in 2014. Created by Commonwealth / McCann ad agency. I do not hold rights to post original video. Available upon request, however.
Detroit-based ad agency Commonwealth / McCann hired me to score a musical composition for a 3 minute TV / internet film for Chevy’s Colorado. They asked me to create multiple short demo compositions with different musical directions (Strokes, White Stripes, Black Keys, Blues-inspired tracks, etc.). They finally decided on a musical direction that referenced the artist Mumford and Sons. From there, I composed and scored a 3 minute composition to their film.
Screenshot from McDonald’s animation project, created with ad agency Huge Inc in 2020. I do not hold the rights for this video. Available upon request.
Creative ad agency Huge Inc. hired me to score an original piece of music, and create sound design FX for a whimsical 1-minute animation project for McDonalds Corp. The title of the project was “McDonald's Global Technology Internal Meeting Music/Animation Project”. Below you can hear my final musical score, and the sound design FX that were used in the animation. McDonalds also licensed the track separately, so they could continue to use the piece throughout the year.
Creative ad agency Organic hired me to create very simple sound design FX for a “Save The Undies” Kotex campaign, where the brand offered an interactive app to consumers of their tampons and pads for women.
Motor City Wheels Chevy in the D campaign for Detroit Tigers.
Through the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers/Detroit Tigers Partnership, local ad agency Strive Creative hired me to create a “surf rock” composition (ala. Dick Dale, or The Ventures). People dressed up as various mascots and raced each other around the bases during the third inning break of every home game during the Tigers season (circa 2014).
Original Metro Times article promoting the “Slurp Song”, and Johnny Noodle King’s grand opening.
Fabian Halabou, Brent W. Smith (Blaksmith), and I were hired to write and record a fun old-school P-Funk-style rap track for local Detroit restaurant, Johnny Noodle King in 2015. The song was created to celebrate noodle dishes, Detroit’s blossoming food culture, and the restaurant’s grand opening. Five hundred copies of the 45” were pressed at Third Man Records to promote the new local eating establishment.
Below are various pieces of graphic design I created for Motor City Guitar’s website, advertising various guitar/musical equipment products we carried in our store. These design blocks would rotate on a weekly basis on the website’s homepage.
Random logos, brochures, illustrations for pamphlets, etc.
