Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company Inc., publishing administrator to numerous film companies such as The Weinstein Company, DreamWorks Animation SKG, DreamWorks Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment and Walden Media has signed Klaus Badelt to a worldwide, long-term administration agreement. The prestigious composer has written music for over 25 major Hollywood films, including the acclaimed score for 2003's top-grossing film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and independent films, such as the recent critically appraised "Rescue Dawn."
German born Badelt started his musical career in Europe composing for many successful films and commercials. Since moving to America in 1997, his extensive credits include collaborations with many of Hollywood's top composers. Titles include the Oscar-nominated score for "The Prince of Egypt," "Gladiator," "The Thin Red Line," "Mission: Impossible II," "Hannibal," "The Pledge" and "Pearl Harbor." Badelt received the Discovery of the Year Award at the World Soundtrack Awards 2003 for his score to "The Time Machine." Other film scores by Badelt include "Kingdom In Twilight," "The Promise," "16 Blocks," "The Wedding Party," "Poseidon," "Premonition" and "Rescue Dawn," among others. He recently finished the French animation film "Dragon Hunters" and is currently writing for several upcoming projects, including the closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics.
Peter Primont, CEO of Cherry Lane, commented: "Klaus' work in a long list of successful films has made him one of the most sought-after composers. We are thrilled to have him join us along with our other film composers including Quincy Jones, Hans Zimmer, Lee Holdridge and John Carpenter.
The parties were brought together by Cherry Lane joint venture partner Joel Sill. The veteran music publisher, record producer and music supervisor ("Easy Rider," "Forrest Gump," "Munich," "Bobby") notes: "I first worked with Klaus on "K-19 The Widow Maker." As performers we enlisted the Kirov Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Maestro Valery Gergiev. It was a very complicated situation that required compositions the Maestro, his premier Russian orchestra, and the director Kathryn Bigelow would accept as authentic. The finesse of Klaus dealing with a world revered conductor and orchestra, recording the score remotely in America and Russia and delivering a score of such quality was applauded by all. The compositions he wrote, the demeanor in which he handled himself and the way he managed his responsibilities made me a real believer. Subsequently I have had the good fortune to work with or recommend him for several films. I have been trying to collar him for some time with a publishing deal and am delighted we will continue to work together in both film and now publishing."
Badelt added: "I am very excited about the partnership with Cherry Lane. I have been looking to partner with a company to explore new ways to work with up-and-coming talent in my films and record producing endeavors for a long time. Cherry Lane has developed a unique artist-friendly approach to the music industry, signing with them means to me an endorsement from one of the most respected companies in the industry."
Photo from left to right: CL's Joei Alvarez, Joel Sill, Klaus Badelt, and CL's Mike Connelly.