Supreme Music Asks Stefan Schmidt: And What About Music?

“And What About Music?” is Supreme Music’s invitation to slow down and really listen. In each episode, Supreme Music sits with creatives and cultural voices to explore how music shapes their work, their thinking, and the stories they put into the world. Not as an add-on. As the emotional core of creation.

It is a conversation series about the soundtrack behind great ideas. Supreme Music meets the people who create culture to talk about how music moves them, guides their process, and gives their work its emotional weight. Because before anything is seen, it’s often felt.

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Q> Please tell us your name and what you do professionally.

Stefan> My name is Stefan Schmidt and I started off as a copywriter but for the last three decades I worked as a creative director/executive creative director/CCO. While still writing campaigns throughout!

Right now I am heading the creative department of Straight, Forward & Partners. An agency I co-founded 18 months ago.

Q> Is there a piece of music that changed the trajectory of your creative thinking? How did it reshape your approach to your work?

Stefan> From my childhood days I was interested in music, obviously. And the conceptual thinking of Peter Gabriel was what grabbed me the most. Always disrupting trends of his time made him a role model for me.

Q> Is there a song or piece of music you wish you had created or used in your work? What makes it special to you?

Stefan> Oh, that is hard, because: horses for courses. Every script screams for a different tune. But Steve Hackett’s classical guitar piece ‘Horizon’ from the 1972 Genesis album Foxtrott deserves to be in something.

Q> How has your relationship with music evolved throughout your career? Has your approach to selecting or incorporating music changed over time?

Stefan> What remained the same over the years is the first question to myself: which song would I put into the film when money wasn’t an issue. But today more often I think in moods – which kind of feeling should the music transport. HA! But then I end up naming a specific piece of music again.

Q> When you're stuck creatively, are there musical and/or listening practices which help you break through?

Stefan> Rarely. Mostly I start with an insight, verbally. Or with an image that early on sticks in my head. But sometimes, yes, there is a song first.

Q> Is there a musical approach or trend in advertising that you believe is overdone or misunderstood? What would you like to see more of instead?

Stefan> What kills our viewing and listening joys is the “content slop music” that gets put underneath every moving image. That is just a constant stream of mediocrity. Until my ears bleed.

Q> How do you navigate the balance between a client's musical preferences and what you believe will best serve the story?

Stefan> Talk. Listen to their reasoning. Discuss. Carefully. With empathy. Another person’s music could also always be relevant. Never dismiss it right away. That would be like trampling on my client’s soul.

Q> Is there a question about music and creativity you've always wanted to answer but have never been asked?

Stefan> Music is one endless big question. That’s what makes it so wonderful.

Q> What topics or movements in the world of music do you not like?

Stefan> Music is the most wonderful artform there is. I like every experiment. I might not listen to all of it, but I definitely appreciate all the styles, forms and genres.

Q> In what ways do you think AI is helping in your role and do you see any pitfalls?

Stefan> Not sure yet if AI will add something interesting to music or will just be a stale repetition of the known as we can hear on spotify today. The jury is still out there.