Esteemed Hollywood Composer Gregg Leonard is Working with Can-Do Musos on his Upcoming UREEQA-validated NFT Drop
Hollywood composer Gregg Leonard is working with UREEQA to protect, manage and monetize his NFTs based on the score he wrote, recorded and mixed for the inspirational theatrically released film “Triumph,” which stars RJ Mitte, Terrence Howard, Colton Haynes and Johnathon Schaech.
As part of that drop, Leonard is teaming up with Can-Do Musos to share the proceeds with a good cause.
Leonard’s NFTs were responsibly minted™ using UREEQA’s revolutionary platform and will drop later this month on the UREEQA Marketplace. The UREEQA platform has minted a unique collection of NFTs comprised of Leonard’s score in its entirety as well as the five individual component themes used throughout the score, all of which represent important IP utilized by the film.
Leonard’s NFTs are a world first of a theatrical feature film score as well as Hollywood’s first-ever validated NFTs.
“There’s a trailblazing aspect to this for sure,” Leonard said, noting that he’s excited to be the “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to having any aspect of a film score validated and minted in NFT form.
Can-Do Musos is not the first disability organization Leonard has worked with. He and his wife, Astrid Reed, also co-founded AVA Inclusivity, a company that creates digitally accessible, immersive virtual tours that are designed to help people with disabilities experience heritage architecture and cultural sites.
Fittingly, Can-Do Musos provides guidance and hope to musicians with challenges. They support over 350 musicians from 36 countries across the globe.
Now, the two parties are coming together.
“When the opportunity came for me to create this historic NFT of the ‘Triumph’ soundtrack, I reflected on the fact that one of the most exciting aspects of the evolution of NFTs is the benefit to, and protection of, independent creative artists,” Leonard said. “I thought it would be apt then that part of the proceeds from this historic first would go to an organization I have respect and affection for. It also seemed serendipitous that the music used in a film that is focused on inclusion would help bring some benefit to an organization that does such fine work to ensure that all musicians have an opportunity to be heard.”
According to Leonard, the plan was originally for Can-Do Musos to be part of the production process for the “Triumph” score, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to throw a wrench into that.
“I never gave up on the idea of working with the organization in some capacity,” Leonard added, “and after the film was done, I started exploring the concept of an innovative and unique soundtrack album which would combine music from the film and imaginative versions of classic songs from the 1980s — the period of the movie’s story. In addition to being a composer. I have a long history as a music producer and always enjoy working on tracks with talented artists, so I am hoping that this potential collaboration with Can-Do Musos will come to fruition.”
“Gregg Leonard is an inspirational artist and human being,” UREEQA co-founder Harsch Khandelwal said. “Our philosophy at UREEQA has a lot to do with reaching as many potential Creators as possible, regardless of geography, means, background and challenges like those Gregg and Can-Do Musos are addressing with their hard and respectable work. We’re happy to be a part of the process.”
Leonard finds himself in a special, somewhat serendipitous position. He’s coming off this major project that has already exceeded expectations by earning a theatrical release as an independent production, he’s maintained the rights to its score (a rarity in the industry) and he feels particularly spirited by it all because the film’s plot meshes extremely well with his recent focus. Now, with Can-Do Musos on board as well, it’s a perfect arrangement.
About Gregg Leonard
Gregg Leonard is a Los Angeles-based multi-genre composer and producer whose work has been featured in numerous films, television shows and games, including the recently released feature film Triumph of which he has made history by creating the world’s first NFT of a feature film score.
He also recently scored several spots for the Biden campaign’s climate change initiative, one of which was profiled in the New York Times as having the distinction of being the first national political ad featuring that issue.
Gregg has also worked in the realm of score and sound design in the emerging VR medium and has helped pioneer the use of cinematic score and sound design within a narrative driven virtual experience. A life-long musician and composer, he has long been focused on exploring avenues for artists and creatives to empower themselves and protect their rights
Gregg is also founding partner of AVA Inclusivity, Inc, an innovative Virtual Accessibility Experience platform that provides digital accessibility options so people with disabilities may utilize virtual tours.
About Can-Do Musos
Can-Do Musos is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is the global voice for disabled musicians all over the world. The aim is to promote and assist all musicians with any kind of disability by helping them bridge the gap between talent and limitations; while providing support and access to resources. The name comes from the idea that having a “Can-Do” attitude is the first step toward success. “Muso” is a term used in England and Australia to describe musicians with a passion and dedication to their music. The two words joined together form a unique name which defines both our vision and mission. Can-Do Musos was started by Drummers David Segal, Dom Famularo, Andrew Hewitt and Mike Mignogna in March 2013 at Dom’s WizDom Drumshed in Long Island, New York. Recently we added new Associate Board member drummer Joe Hardy from California and two years ago Danielle Geissler who’s the Marketing Director. David says, “We wanted to empower all musicians with challenges and help them achieve their dreams.” Over 350 members of the Can-Do Musos family from 36 countries currently use our free website fostering worldwide communication and opportunities among disabled musicians.
About UREEQA
The UREEQA platform strives to protect Creators’ work, their rights and their revenue by harnessing the power of blockchain technology.
Established in Canada in 2020, UREEQA will modernize the inefficient and bureaucratic systems currently in place for copyright, patent, industrial design and trademark protection. By building a robust and compelling Package of Proof for source creative work, UREEQA only mints Validated NFTs to represent creative rights. This helps keep buyers safe by giving them confidence that the work they are purchasing was minted by the smart contract approved by the Creator of the work and is therefore authentic.
UREEQA provides value and opportunities for its Creators, Validators and Tokenholders via URQA, the token at the heart of the UREEQA ecosystem.
For more information on UREEQA and upcoming announcements please visit our website UREEQA, join our Telegram channel here, and follow us on Twitter here.
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Statements in this article, including any statements relating to UREEQA’s future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in technology development and commercialization. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
