We were lucky to catch up with Katie Garibaldi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
I wear various creative hats, including singer/songwriter, music supervisor, and filmmaker. My roles have brought me to many film festivals internationally, so I’ve seen the good, bad, and the ugly in the festival circuit. Last year, film composer Jospeh Metcalfe, and I, attended a film and music event in Belgium, where we were so impressed by how the festival was run. It was a true class act! It honestly put similar events to shame, making it blatantly clear how big the gap was. While a lot of events offer glitz and glam, we questioned, how are people’s careers being truly heightened? We know a filmmaker’s aspirations go well beyond a single screening. Joe and I decided to launch the SIMI Film Fest in Simi Valley, CA this year to hold a film festival that’s dedicated to empowering independent filmmakers to elevate their craft through expert insights, impactful networking, and essential resources. No industry professionals running off the stage after their panel, but rather taking extra one-on-one meeting time with filmmakers. No screaming in a loud bar to “network,” but rather providing a cool atmosphere that’s conducive to authentic conversations. The entertainment world should be a home for creativity, originality, and possibilities—not limitations. It breaks my heart when I hear a filmmaker say, “I can’t do that,” whether it’s using special effects or custom music in their film, because they’re not sure HOW to do it. Indie does NOT have to equal small. Micro-budget does NOT have to equal cutting corners. When creatives are empowered to step outside of their perceived limitations, the doors start to open up. Whether it’s music supervising a film, or running the film fest with Joe, helping to shift perspectives from impossible to possible is what I’m passionate about, and it’s what’s so important in this industry.
Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have a background in music, touring as a singer/songwriter for many years. Through making music videos, I discovered a curiosity and respect for filmmaking, and simultaneously met lots of filmmakers at festivals. They got to know me as ‘the music video girl’ and would often ask me if I knew musicians or bands that could record for their upcoming films. I started matchmaking a lot of filmmakers with music artists. In 2020 I couldn’t tour due to the world shutting down, so I immersed myself in education for music supervision and sync licensing. I learned a lot, but my biggest learning curve came with just diving in and doing it. I supervised some independent films, and I even wrote and directed my own short film so that I could also music supervise it. I ended up falling in love with filmmaking in all regards. With music supervision work, I still get a bit surprised by some filmmakers’ misconception of it. Filmmakers have often told me they can’t afford to hire me, before even having a conversation with me. On one film, the director said she wasn’t going to use any music because they didn’t know what kind of music to use, so they were about to settle for no music at all! But that is my job to figure out. I was able to work within their production budget and terms to place some really great music that they were super happy with. Again, affordable does not have to mean cheap quality. I love taking the burden off of filmmakers when I music supervise. As a director, your forte might not be music or licensing, and that’s OK! It’s your job to have the vision, and I’ll take care of the rest. And if you’re not sure about the vision, I can walk you through it with some options until we get there. When a filmmaker tries to cut corners with the music, it does show. Running the film fest, we watched a lot of film submissions and I was very aware of the difference between careless music placements verses thoughtful customized placements. My eyebrow raised up when I noticed a great song placement yet the credits had no supervision or license information. I wondered, ‘did they get proper license for that usage?’ And vice versa. When a film had an awesome placement that credited the supervisor/library/musician accordingly, I thought, ‘This person took care and pride in their film. They’re serious.’ It makes a big difference.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are so many ways I could answer this question, but one of the most rewarding things about living the creative life is that every day looks different. Co-directing the SIMI Film Fest might seem a bit random to some people, but it’s actually a very obvious endeavor for me on my path. I think we all like to place people in boxes, and that’s what titles and roles do, don’t they? Some people have said, “You’re running a film fest now? I thought you were a music supervisor?” My answer is, “Yes! Both. I’m a tarot reader too.” I actually am. I do other things too. This is why I love creativity. It is the ocean wave that I’m riding, and it is me. It’s supposed to be fluid, and so am I. Trusting the flow of where opportunities open up and what excites me is what’s the most rewarding. Whether I’m making my own music, or handling the licensing for someone else’s music in a film, it’s all in the creative realm. Every day is a different schedule, with its own set of progress, victories, and challenges. It keeps me feeling alive.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
While I sometimes struggle to recognize or articulate what my overarching life purpose is, I’ve discovered that I’m sure about one thing. I experience immense fulfillment when I’m able to ignite the light in others to realize their own divinity. When I show a director a cut of their film that I placed music in and they get chills from seeing their story come to life, my heart is full. When I write a song and someone cries when they hear it saying, “That’s exactly how I feel,” my heart is full. When I make a film despite never having made a film before and someone says, “Since you did it, I can do it,” my heart is full. When someone gets a tarot reading, searching for outside answers but I can empower them to call their power back, they remember who they are, and my heart is full. I have hard times and doubtful moments just like the next person, but I also know that when I shine, it’s a mirror for someone else to shine too. That is my joy and my mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.owlatmoon.com ; http://www.katiegaribaldi.com ; http://www.simiff.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katiegaribaldi ; http://www.instagram.com/simifilmfest
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katiegaribaldimusic ; http://www.facebook.com/simifilmfest
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiegaribaldi
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katiegaribaldi ; http://www.twitter.com/simifilmfest
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/katiegaribaldi
Image Credits
Katie Garibaldi, Joseph Metcalfe, World Soundtrack Awards team