We wrote a few songs for Shape Island, the gorgeously offbeat stop motion series out now on AppleTV+. You can check out the first ditty in episode 4 “Triangle Day,” where triangle hosts a square… er, Triangle… dance and goes wild with power.
Writing shark puns for Baby Shark's Big Show
We are freelance songwriters on Baby Shark’s Big Show, the animated television series produced by Nickelodeon and Pinkfong that expands on the world of YouTube’s global #1 viral video.
There is one original song per episode and we’re stoked to be on the songwriting roster! Each episode kicks off with a brief where the team outlines the plot, characters, desired message, and a musical genre reference. Our job is to distill it all into an earwormy pop song and come up with as many clever fishy puns as possible.
How did we doo-doo-doo? Check out some of the songs that have been released below!
Dancing on Water
From Season 2, Episode 5 “Best in Flow”
Baby and Teensy have decided that they would rather have fun dancing like themselves than try to dance like everyfishy else… so they break out into an 80’s-style ballad so full of passion that you can’t help but gesture dramatically while you’re singing along to it.
“Dancing on Water” was written by Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Baby Shark (Kimiko Glenn), Ryan Lofty, and Baraka May.
Bounce Baby Bounce
From Season 2, Episode 1 “Baby Super Shark”
Vigo, the villainous vampire squid, has a new plan to take over Carnivore Cove by using his Baby-Ray to turn everyfishy into a powerless baby! However it backfires when the newly toddler-ified Baby Super Shark and Captain Kelp start literally bouncing off the walls.
“Bounce Baby Bounce” was written by Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Baby Shark (Kimiko Glenn), William (Luke Youngblood), Vigo (Andrew Morgado), Ryan Lofty, and Baraka May.
Welcome Home to Carnivore Cove
From Season 1, Episode 24 “Welcome Wagon”
When Wallace, a young dolphin, moves to the neighborhood, Baby and William roll out the welcome wagon... literally! They wheel their decorated Welcome Wagon to their new neighbors’ house and sing their official welcome song.
“Welcome Home to Carnivore Cove” was written by Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Baby Shark (Kimiko Glenn), William (Luke Youngblood), Ryan Lofty, and Baraka May.
My Best Friend Is You
From Season 1, Episode 17 “Best Fin-Ship Day”
It’s Baby Shark and William’s Best Fin-ship Day —a day where they celebrate their amazing friendship by doing all of their favorite activities. Baby wants the day to be perfect for his best bud, but nothing goes according to plan.
“My Best Friend Is You” was written by Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Baby Shark (Kimiko Glenn), and William (Luke Youngblood).
Perfect Present Giver
From Season 1, Episode 14 “The Present”
Baby Shark draws Mommy Shark’s name in the family’s annual Secret Santa Jaws and wants to find the perfect gift for her since she always gives the perfect gifts to others.
“Perfect Present Giver” was written by Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Baby Shark (Kimiko Glenn), William (Luke Youngblood), Daddy Shark (Eric Edelstein), Grandma Shark (Deborah Wilson), Grandpa Shark (Patrick Warbuton), Ryan Lofty, and Baraka May.
Some of the awesome creative executives we get to work with on Baby Shark’s Big Show include:
Tommy Sica - Executive Producer
Gary Doodles - Executive Producer
Whitney Ralls - Executive Producer
Ellie Vainshtok - Senior Director, Music
Matti Paulsen - Associate Producer
Zach Steinberg - Production Assistant
Jamie Goss - Line Producer
Noelle Fuoco - Post Supervisor
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Music marketing for Gabby's Dollhouse
Gabby’s Dollhouse is a mixed media series produced by DreamWorks Animation for Netflix, created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey of the smash hit Blues Clues. The series share similarities in blending live action, animation, and adorable household pets - with Gabby thoughtfully modernized for the current gen of kids growing up watching YouTube. Gabby talks direct to the audience much like a streaming personality. The camera is set at angles implying she’s filming herself on her phone. Many streaming culture icons make an appearance - unboxings, flat-lay crafts, and the internet’s favorite animal... cats!
The series frequently charts in the top 10 shows on Netflix worldwide and we were hired to produce music for franchise marketing!
For the launch of season two we produced three dance remixes for the official soundtrack featuring vocals by Ryan Lofty, Keeley Bumford, and the series cast. The songs were played live by DJ Catnip at live events, and one even received an epic choreographed music video:
We also contributed to the show’s DVD release, composing new music based on themes by series composer PT Walkley. The new tracks are part of a set of exercises that help kids practice mindfulness and meditation techniques, they were released on Spotify here:
Finally - we got to work on the toys! Which is a trip as we’ve seen them in stores around the world. In every episode, real life Gabby gives her cat ears 🎶️ a pinch on the left and pinch-pinch on the right 🎶️ to shrink down inside the dollhouse. Kids can follow along at home with their own pair of cat ears that play music from the series. We recorded and prepped the merch files and are working on more super cute toy projects on the way! ~meow~
Gabby’s Dollhouse marketing music is ideated and directed by the dream team at DreamWorks:
Alexandra Nickson - SVP, Head of TV Music
Viv de Aguiar Buff - Director of Music
Lauren Vogel - Manager, Music
Diana Lopez - Coordinator, TV Music
Scoring NASA's return to the moon
Ryan scored Forward to the Moon, a full dome planetarium film about NASA’s Artemis mission to land the first woman and person of color on the moon. Produced by TEND Studio and Fiske Planetarium, with funding from NASA and Lockheed Martin, the film is available to view in planetariums worldwide.
Visiting with the team at the University of Colorado: Planetarium Director John Keller, Video Producer Thor Metzinger, and Animation Producers Brian Bishop, Tom Ludlow & Lindsay Ludlow.
Exterior of the Fiske Planetarium on a crispy day.
Ticket to Forward to the Moon!
Ryan in the dome.
Writing comedy songs with comedian Becky Robinson
We co-wrote and produced songs for Becky Robinson’s Beck the Halls comedy special and Heavy Pour Tour! And Ryan got the chance to perform with Becky at the Troubadour during Netflix is Joke fest.
“Beck the Halls” was written by Becky Robinson, Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; orchestrated by David Butterfield; performed by Becky Robinson, Ryan Lofty and Maureen Davis.
“Mama Needs a Claw” was written by Becky Robinson, Ryan Lofty and Courtney Lofty; performed by Becky Robinson, Ryan Lofty and Keeley Bumford; featuring musicians Dan Hill (drums) and Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle); mixed by Ben Lindell.
All the feels for Nickelodeon's Big Heart World
In late 2020 we wrote a song for Big Heart World, a social emotional learning program developed to help preschoolers process the events that happened during the year. Our song was on the topic of sadness and included some practical steps to name the emotion and work through it.
Listen to the Big Heart Beats album on Spotify.
“The Sad Song”
Michael Levine, Noggin’s senior vice president of learning and impact, calls it the happiest sad song he’s ever heard. What’s up with the upbeat dance rhythms? Ryan & Courtney Lofty, the act responsible for “The Sad Song,” explain that it is less about experiencing sadness than understanding sadness. The discovery that you share this emotion with others can be cause for celebration…