ASCAP Action

Jonatha Brooke, ASCAP's Brendan Okrent, Bob Clearmountain and Judy Stakee

The Lester Sill Workshop "Class of 2006" pictured with special guest John Shanks (in baseball cap on couch), Stakee, Okrent and ASCAP's Keith Emrick.

West Coast Workshop

Writers wrap up 8-week songwriter workshop in Los Angeles

The 2006 ASCAP Foundation Lester Sill Workshop convened earlier this year in Los Angeles with an outstanding group of promising writers who experienced the eight-sessions led by ASCAP's Brendan Okrent and Warner/Chappell Music's Senior VP Judy Stakee. The workshop, named after ASCAP's late Board member and industry pioneer Lester Sill, focuses on the discovery, development and education of a select group of advanced songwriters and features prominent guest speakers. Participants this year were: Adrina Thrope, Andrew Bayers, Reeve Carney, Jonathan Caro, David Choi, Leland Grant, Laura Jansen, K'Yhel "K.L." King, Jordan Lawhead, Gabriel Mann, Jennifer Spears, Nina Storey, Sean Stewart, Beth Thornley, Cooper Thomson and Keith Varon. This year's guests included Grammy-winning producer and hit songwriter John Shanks, singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke, engineer- producer Bob Clearmountain, music supervisors Madonna Wade-Reed and Maureen Crowe, Warner Bros. Sr. VP Music Darren Higman and Dimensional Music's Sr. VP Linda Komorsky.