Howard Paar

Howard Paar is a British Grammy Award nominee music supervisor who has worked on over sixty films and television series, most notably Monster, Dogtown and Z-Boys (documentary film), Bully, and The L Word (television).[1][2]

Life and career

Paar first worked in Los Angeles as a club creator/DJ/promoter[3] with such legendary artists as The Specials, The Clash, The English Beat, The Go-Go’s, The Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, The Bangles, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Lydia Lunch. Known for developing emergent new music scenes particularly ska and the Paisley Underground his club, The ON Klub,[4] in collaboration with Sugarhill Records, was also the first locale to play a rap show in Los Angeles. He subsequently became an independent publicist representing clients including MTV, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, N.W.A, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Michelle Shocked while also booking a TV show that featured Russell Simmons and Run-DMC.

He went on to become Vice President, Media & Artist Relations at Polygram Records[3] working with a diverse range of artists including INXS, Def Leppard, Chuck D, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Vanessa Williams, Joan Osborne, James, The Robert Cray Band featuring the Memphis Horns and X before transitioning to the role of Vice President, Soundtracks at the same company. In this role, Paar worked on many soundtracks including The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski and Gregg Araki’s Nowhere,[5] as well as placing numerous songs in films and creating opportunities for Polygram artists to write themes for TV shows including King of the Hill and Ellen.

Paar next joined Richard Branson’s V2 Records as Head of Film & TV[6] where he worked closely with artists such as Moby until 1999 when he became an independent music supervisor. He continued to work with Moby whose album Play, became the first in history to have media placement for all tracks. In 2001, Paar was nominated for a Grammy Award for the soundtrack for the documentary Dogtown & Z Boys.

Paar continues to music supervise a wide range of critically acclaimed independent films including Monster, Bully, and Mysterious Skin as well as TV shows such as The L Word.[7] His work with a diverse range of film makers including Larry Clark, Quentin Tarantino, and Mark Waters have helped to earn Paar a reputation for independent vision and authenticity to character, time, and place.

A member of the Board for The Guild Of Music Supervisors, Paar values opportunities to elevate music and visual media.[8]

Novelist

His first novel, "Once Upon A Time In LA", was a noir thriller about the music business, and was published in 2015.[9][10]

Filmography (as music supervisor unless otherwise noted)

Television series (as music supervisor)

References
  1. "Howard Paar". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  2. A. Wolfe (17 October 2012). "You Can't Ever Sing "Don't Stop Believing" at Karaoke Because of This Guy". Vice.com. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. "You Can't Ever Sing "Don't Stop Believing" at Karaoke Because of This Guy | VICE Canada". Vice.com. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  4. "Marco On The Bass: Kevin Long of The Untouchables Captures The Mod/Ska Scene of early 80's Los Angeles in his essay "Epicenter of a Scene"". Marcoonthebass.blogspot.com. 2009-02-14. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  5. "Howard Paar on Q Score - Video Dailymotion". Dailymotion.com. 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  6. "Emoto Launches in Santa Monica, Chicago". Hollywoodindustry.digitalmedianet.com. 2005-01-31. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  7. "Podcast: 'The L Word,' soul music and a super-cool job". Content.usatoday.com. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  8. "Howard Paar Speaks on Music Rights and New Media". Guild of Music Supervisors. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  9. Once Upon a Time in LA. Amazon.com, Inc. ISBN 978-0996423854.
  10. Paar, Howard (24 September 2015). Once Upon a Time in LA (Paperback) (1 ed.). Los Angeles, USA: Over the Edge Books. p. 300. ISBN 978-0996423854. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
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