CONFERENCE UPDATE: With our deepest condolences to him and his family, we regret to inform you that our April 24 featured speaker, "Treme" co-creator David Simon, lost his father Bernard Simon on Tuesday. We are honored to have the Sync Up keynote delivered by "Treme" co-creator Eric Overmyer (pictured). A part-time New Orleans resident since 1989, Eric is a principal creative force behind "Treme," HBO's new hit series about New Orleans musicians in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Eric's credits as a TV writer and producer include "St. Elsewhere," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Law & Order," "The Wire" and "New Amsterdam."

The Sync Up conference — one of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation's economic development programs for the Louisiana entertainment industry — brings together top leaders from the international music festival industry as well as key figures in the worlds of film, television, videogames, social networking and other new media.

As in past years, the conference will consist of networking sessions and panel discussions the mornings of the Friday and Saturday of both Jazz Fest weekends (April 23-24 and April 30-May 1).

NEW LOCATION: This year, the conference moves to a new location — the elegant New Orleans Museum of Art, which is walking distance to Jazz Fest.

Topics to be discussed include the international music festivals market, licensing music to film and television, songwriting and using the Internet to market and sell music.

Admission to the Sync Up conference is free, but seating is limited, so advance registration is required.

Highlights of the 2010 Sync Up conference include:

• A keynote address from David Simon, creator of NBC's "Homicide," HBO's "The Wire" and, most recently, the New Orleans-based HBO series "Tremé"
• A round-table on the international music festival market, with festival talent buyers from Australia, South Africa and Nepal, as well as major American festivals and booking agents
• A forum on licensing music to film and TV featuring the music supervisors for two HBO series with Louisiana connections, "Tremé" and "True Blood"
• A panel on the latest innovations in marketing music through social networking web sites and other new media, featuring senior execs from YouTube, Pearl Jam's interactive outlet and a developer of mobile device applications for major music events.

Additional conference events include:

• A listening party to celebrate the release of a new album by New Orleans avant-rock avatars Quintron and Miss Pussycat, created on site during a residency at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Wednesday, April 28, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
• A special screening of "Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense," a searing documentary that captures some of the freshest and most exciting sounds of the rapidly evolving global jazz scene. Includes a Q&A with the film's producers. Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

The Sync Up conference is proud to announce a partnership with the Guild of Music Supervisors, a Los Angeles-based trade group for the professionals who select the music for films, TV shows, videogames and other visual media. Sync Up and the GMS will co-host a "Music Supervisors Summit," an invitation-only briefing on how to save money on music recording and licensing through the State of Louisiana's various tax incentive programs. for more details.

Sync Up conference participants will have even more reason to enjoy Jazz Fest. Conference attendees will have exclusive access to a Sync Up Hospitality Area at the Fair Grounds, a cool oasis to refresh and continue conversations begun at the conference.

At the Sync Up conference we will also debut the newly revised Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange web site. This unique portal, located online at http://talent.jazzandheritage.org, is a searchable directory of Louisiana music that we built specially for the needs of live performance talent buyers and music supervisors for film, TV and videogame productions.

Sync Up is presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other revenues, for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural events.

The Sync Up conference is co-sponsored by Louisiana Economic Development, The Grammys®, the Guild of Music Supervisors, Creative Control Entertainment, OffBeat, AudioSocket and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Complete Schedule with Confirmed Panelists

NOTE: All Sync Up Conference events take place at the New Orleans Museum of Art (One Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park, New Orleans, LA 70124 — Map This Location)

Admission to the Sync Up conference is free, but seating is limited, so advance registration is required. Register online.

Friday, April 23

9 a.m. — Registration and Welcome
10 a.m.–11:30 a.m. — panel discussion
Penetrating the Festival Market
Talent buyers from major international music events, and top American booking agents, discuss the challenges of presenting emerging talent.
Peter Noble, Director, Byron Bay Blues Fest (Australia)
Navin Chettri, Artistic Director, Kathmandu Jazz Festival (Nepal)
Peter Tladi, Director, Joy of Jazz Festival (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Chris Porter, Artist Director, Bumbershoot Festival (Seattle, WA)
Joshua Knight, Booking Agent, Monterey International (Chicago, IL)
John Lochen, Booking Agent, The Rosebud Agency (San Francisco, CA)
Moderator: Brian Long, Yes Know Management (New York, NY)

Saturday, April 24

9 a.m. — Registration and Welcome
10 a.m.–10:30 a.m. — keynote address
David Simon, creator of the new HBO series "Tremé," as well as HBO's "The Wire" and NBC's "Homicide." "Tremé," which debuts in April, tells the complex story of a uniquely diverse set of New Orleans characters struggling to rebuild their lives in the months after Hurricane Katrina. With numerous musicians among its characters and cast, the show brings to mainstream television an extraordinary focus on the musical culture of New Orleans.

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. — panel discussion
Creating Music For Film and Television
Finding or making the right music for film and TV is an abstract art with real-world challenges — tight budgets, tighter deadlines and the daunting task of making images sing with emotion.
Gary Calamar, music supervisor HBO's "True Blood"
Blake Leyh, music supervisor HBO's "Tremé"
Kevin Griffin, singer/songwriter, Better Than Ezra
John W. Comerford, producer of the film "Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense"
Ashley Miller, moderator, VP Film & TV, SESAC

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Music Supervisors Summit The Guild of Music Supervisors presents an invitation-only gathering of key professionals for an insider's look at the Louisiana incentives for film, sound recording, digital media and live performance. for more details.

Wednesday, April 28

6 p.m.–8 p.m., open to the pubic
Listening party for "Parallel Universe: Quintron and Miss Pussycat Live at City Park," a new album created by the New Orleans avant-rock duo at the New Orleans Museum of Art during a months-long residency in the museum's galleries.

Thursday, April 29

7 p.m.–9 p.m., free and open to the public
Film Screening: "Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense"
Jazz is undergoing changes of monumental magnitude and importance. "Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense" is a documentary film that captures the metamorphosis of jazz by showcasing the words, music, and spirit of the artists who are paving the way for an unprecedented musical revolution. Through interviews and live performance footage — much of it filmed in New Orleans — the "Icons Among Us" explores the thoughts and lives of the musicians braving the front lines of today's new jazz. These brave artists are largely below the radar of mainstream media and popular culture. Yet they continue to record, perform and exist in a world that has been distracted from their brilliance.

Friday, April 30

9 a.m. — Registration and Welcome
10 a.m.–11:30 a.m. — panel discussion
From the Street To the Stars: How Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews built his career from the grass roots to a deal with Universal Music
Even in this age of Internet distribution, getting a major label record deal is the ultimate prize for many musicians. But it takes a rare combination of talent, drive, a great team and even luck. Here's an inside look at how the former brass band prodigy known as Trombone Shorty did it.
Troy Andrews, artist
Mike Kappus, the Rosebud Agency (co-manager and booking agent)
Dave Bartlett, 525 Worldwide Mgmt. (co-manager)
Matt Cornell, 525 Worldwide Mgmt. (co-manager)
Michael Reinert, Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs for the Universal Motown Records Group
Moderator: Scott Aiges

Saturday, May 1

9 a.m. — Registration and Welcome
10 a.m.–11:30 a.m. — panel discussion
Marketing and Selling Music Through Social Networking and Other 'New Media' Technologies
Advances in digital technologies have given artists never-before-imagined ways to reach the masses. But with so many people competing on so many platforms, what does it take to get ahead of the pack?
Tim Bierman, General Manager, Pearl Jam's Ten Club
Ali Sandler, Strategic Partner Manager, YouTube
Todd Rogers, CEO, Seedlabs
Moderator: Curt Feldman, veteran videogame journalist

Sync Up 411:

Admission: FREE, but seating is limited, so advance registration is required. Register online.

Conference location: The New Orleans Museum of Art (1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park, New Orleans, LA 70124 — Map This Location).

Parking: Free street parking is available in City Park. Additional parking is available at outside City Park on Marconi Drive; free with $14 round-trip Jazz Fest shuttle bus ticket.

Jazz Fest admission: Registration for Sync Up does not include admission to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell ("Jazz Fest")