Hoot/Wisdom Recordings president licenses music to HBO
Hoot/Wisdom Recordings and new Owl Radio station manager licenses music for HBO’s “Ballers.”
The Oxley Center, here seen as part of the set of the HBO series “Ballers.” Max Jackson | Photo Editor
June 5, 2015
It looks like Florida Atlantic University is becoming the lead role in the new HBO series “Ballers.”
“Ballers,” set to air June 21, came to the Boca Raton campus’ Tom Oxley Athletic Center to film back in early March.
Now, Owl Radio station manager and Hoot/Wisdom Recordings president David Gordon has licensed some of his music for the show. The senior commercial music major announced the news to his friends and family via Facebook on May 30, saying the track will be used in the worldwide trailer and that he can be heard playing the piano.
“I received a tweet from a company called Ignition which is a talent scouting agency. They were creating the soundtrack of the newest ‘Ballers’ trailer to be pitched to HBO and they wanted to use a piano cover I had done of ‘Hey Mama’ by David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj in the trailer,” recalled Gordon.
“I was ecstatic! Having my music placed into a huge trailer for a huge show is a major accomplishment. I am very grateful for the opportunity and thankful for this success. God has been very good to me!”
Gordon also had no idea that the show had previously visited the University, saying that all of his connections to HBO were done through Ignition. He also says that he has learned a lot about the licensing process through this experience.
“If one person is having a bad day, your track gets cut. That’s how the production side of the music industry has always been. In this case, HBO holds all the cards and I was very lucky to have my track used,” explained Gordon. “The complete process for me took about three weeks and many conversations back and forth between myself and HBO producers via email and phone calls … The level of professionalism is very high and I am very grateful that they took the effort to work with me. The background that I have in music law was essential in my understanding of the legal terms and processes provided by HBO.”
Former Owl Radio station manager Gabby Alvarado said, “I’m so proud and happy for him. He’s such a driven and hard-working man, and he deserves this. I’m sure this is only the beginning of a very successful path both for himself and Owl Radio.”
Gordon is also ready for his year with Owl Radio and Hoot/Wisdom Recordings.
“I believe the future of Owl Radio and Hoot/Wisdom is very bright! I’m excited to begin a new year at the station and also the label. I believe we have a lot of opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of within our grasp. Hoot/Wisdom and Owl Radio will be producing new and exciting things over this coming year!”
JekScience • Jun 2, 2015 at 5:11 pm
What? This is ridiculous! The animals are already stressed due to the noise of the stadium and the constant parking lot traffic! Now they want to put LOUDSPEAKERS and drunk frat guys with football’s over there? This is passive-aggressive bulldozing of the preserve areas! They can’t extirpate the wildlife, so they’ll Just harass it away! And what bloody petition? I haven’t heard one bit about this plan! This is garbage! BAD FORM, FAU!
caj • Jun 3, 2015 at 7:11 pm
As the article states, I Dont think six days out of 365 days in a year will destroy the habitat and drive all of the species to extinction or hardship. They have a plan to keep people and their garbage out of the preserve, so although I prefer the previous location I Dont really see the problem. Had they made the move and not announced any steps to ensuring the preserve’s safety I would be concerned as well but that’s not the case. Perhaps on the positive side it will make the preserve more visible to the FAU student population and inspire some to learn more about it and research innovative ways to continue to develop the campus in a sustainable manner that protects the natural resource.