Shooting TV Pilot for TopTune
Donation protected
"That's a TV show!"
"Magic from start to finish. It's a natural, a no brainer. "
"That was amazing! When's the next one?"
That's what we've been hearing from happy, excited, thoroughly engaged audiences at every single one of 68 live TopTune shows over the past 5 years.
I want to put a lot of talented people to work.
I'd like to ask you to help me raise $7,000 to shoot a TV pilot of TopTune, The Songwriters Game & Comedy Roundtable, in December 2017, the next step towards bringing it to television. By helping me make a lively, fast paced multi-camera pilot, you'll give me the tool I need to reach every TV producer, TV studio and Talent Agent in Los Angeles.
This modest budget is to pay for the video production -- the theater, sound and lights, the videographers and editor and a small honorarium for the performers.
TopTune goes like this.
I invite 6 of the best songwriters in the country to perform one of their own best songs so the audience gets to know what they're all about -- their songwriting, their voice and style and personality.
Then I pair them up into 3 songwriting teams. When the songwriters hear their names and their partner's name, they look at each other with curiosity and excitement. Because usually they've never met before. They've certainly never worked together before. Now the audience is intrigued.
Next I announce an inspiring title for a new song. That's when the songwriters' minds starts to focus and the adrenalin starts to flow. That's when the audience is hooked, trying to imagine what a song from these 2 musical artists might sound like.
Next I send the songwriters offstage to write that new song.
And I give them 17 minutes to do it.
And while they're offstage writing, members of our Celebrity Commentators Committee -- TV, Film Music Stars and Comedians -- perform a song!
After 17 minutes, the songwriting team returns to the TopTune stage to perform the new song for the thrilled audience and the Celebrity Commentators Committee who sit close by, wanting so much to fall in love with a new song.
What’s so wonderful and gratifying is that the songwriters at TopTune are writing great songs, licensable songs, publishable songs -- songs that need to be recorded by top recording artists and heard by millions.
So it's a Songwriting Game framed by a music loving panel of Celebrity Commentators, who talk about their love of music, give their opinions on the newly written songs and along with the audience, help to pick the winning song of the night. Every show is rich with big personalities, inspired by a love of music and driven by the drama and suspense of a ticking clock.
Audiences talk about the songs long after the lights go out and have strong identification with the songs and the songwriters. Some young kids came to one of our shows, loved it, went home and started playing their own home version. Everybody is along for the ride -- it’s contagious and it's for all ages.
On a personal note. TopTune embodies a lot of my life's work. It has given me the platform to do what I've prepared myself as a musician, performer, writer and producer to do my whole life and it is what I do best. Bring the best artists together, give them a framework, set a goal, ask them to find the magic that comes from collaboration and make sure that they have the resources and motivation to do their best work.
And wrap it all up in fun and lots of laughter.
I'd be so grateful for your participation in giving many up and coming deserving artists the largest possible exposure and sending lots of great new music out into the world.
Here is a compilation of short clips of some of our favorite songs written and performed at past shows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wxWyHuuP_Q
Here are some of the Celebrity Commentators with whom we've had the privilege of sharing the stage:
https://www.facebook.com/toptuneshow/photos/?tab=album&album_id=415031815300258
Here is a piece written by Xaque Gruber in Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xaque-gruber/toptune-is-las-most-fun-l_b_6456662.html
Here's our FB TopTune page with lots of great moments and personalities from past shows:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCunc-rbONmqWBDjFJ0tp7ig
The best of TopTune is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCunc-rbONmqWBDjFJ0tp7ig
Of course any contribution comes with comp tickets to the taping if you are in the LA area and the promise of access to the pilot online. And front row seats to the TV show.
For more information or questions about how a whole season of TopTune would run including prizes and voting by the TV audience, some of the celebrities with musical ability who we would invite to play the game, how we might partner with an ITunes or Spotify, how we would get the winning songs recorded by top music stars, please contact me.
TopTune, The Songwriters Game, was created and is produced by Jonathan Menchin and Tom Tully. ©2012 ©2013 ©2014 ©2015 ©2016 ©2017
"Magic from start to finish. It's a natural, a no brainer. "
"That was amazing! When's the next one?"
That's what we've been hearing from happy, excited, thoroughly engaged audiences at every single one of 68 live TopTune shows over the past 5 years.
I want to put a lot of talented people to work.
I'd like to ask you to help me raise $7,000 to shoot a TV pilot of TopTune, The Songwriters Game & Comedy Roundtable, in December 2017, the next step towards bringing it to television. By helping me make a lively, fast paced multi-camera pilot, you'll give me the tool I need to reach every TV producer, TV studio and Talent Agent in Los Angeles.
This modest budget is to pay for the video production -- the theater, sound and lights, the videographers and editor and a small honorarium for the performers.
TopTune goes like this.
I invite 6 of the best songwriters in the country to perform one of their own best songs so the audience gets to know what they're all about -- their songwriting, their voice and style and personality.
Then I pair them up into 3 songwriting teams. When the songwriters hear their names and their partner's name, they look at each other with curiosity and excitement. Because usually they've never met before. They've certainly never worked together before. Now the audience is intrigued.
Next I announce an inspiring title for a new song. That's when the songwriters' minds starts to focus and the adrenalin starts to flow. That's when the audience is hooked, trying to imagine what a song from these 2 musical artists might sound like.
Next I send the songwriters offstage to write that new song.
And I give them 17 minutes to do it.
And while they're offstage writing, members of our Celebrity Commentators Committee -- TV, Film Music Stars and Comedians -- perform a song!
After 17 minutes, the songwriting team returns to the TopTune stage to perform the new song for the thrilled audience and the Celebrity Commentators Committee who sit close by, wanting so much to fall in love with a new song.
What’s so wonderful and gratifying is that the songwriters at TopTune are writing great songs, licensable songs, publishable songs -- songs that need to be recorded by top recording artists and heard by millions.
So it's a Songwriting Game framed by a music loving panel of Celebrity Commentators, who talk about their love of music, give their opinions on the newly written songs and along with the audience, help to pick the winning song of the night. Every show is rich with big personalities, inspired by a love of music and driven by the drama and suspense of a ticking clock.
Audiences talk about the songs long after the lights go out and have strong identification with the songs and the songwriters. Some young kids came to one of our shows, loved it, went home and started playing their own home version. Everybody is along for the ride -- it’s contagious and it's for all ages.
On a personal note. TopTune embodies a lot of my life's work. It has given me the platform to do what I've prepared myself as a musician, performer, writer and producer to do my whole life and it is what I do best. Bring the best artists together, give them a framework, set a goal, ask them to find the magic that comes from collaboration and make sure that they have the resources and motivation to do their best work.
And wrap it all up in fun and lots of laughter.
I'd be so grateful for your participation in giving many up and coming deserving artists the largest possible exposure and sending lots of great new music out into the world.
Here is a compilation of short clips of some of our favorite songs written and performed at past shows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wxWyHuuP_Q
Here are some of the Celebrity Commentators with whom we've had the privilege of sharing the stage:
https://www.facebook.com/toptuneshow/photos/?tab=album&album_id=415031815300258
Here is a piece written by Xaque Gruber in Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xaque-gruber/toptune-is-las-most-fun-l_b_6456662.html
Here's our FB TopTune page with lots of great moments and personalities from past shows:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCunc-rbONmqWBDjFJ0tp7ig
The best of TopTune is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCunc-rbONmqWBDjFJ0tp7ig
Of course any contribution comes with comp tickets to the taping if you are in the LA area and the promise of access to the pilot online. And front row seats to the TV show.
For more information or questions about how a whole season of TopTune would run including prizes and voting by the TV audience, some of the celebrities with musical ability who we would invite to play the game, how we might partner with an ITunes or Spotify, how we would get the winning songs recorded by top music stars, please contact me.
TopTune, The Songwriters Game, was created and is produced by Jonathan Menchin and Tom Tully. ©2012 ©2013 ©2014 ©2015 ©2016 ©2017
Organizer
Jonathan Menchin
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
