Winner of every major advertising music award, founder and president of one of New York's most successful music houses and composer of a decade long string of hit commercials, Kevin Joy is an extraordinary talent. Composer, lyricist, producer, recording artist and ad executive, he is widely regarded as a leader and innovator in the advertising music industry.
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Kevin’s uncanny ability to stay one step ahead of the trends has led to the recent creation of Joy Productions, a multimedia production company that is revolutionizing the way in which ad music is created, sold and distributed.
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“I recognize the need for a new, stripped down business/production model and an open-minded approach to alternative talent sources." Joy comments.
Through his association with the Manhattan Producers Alliance, a composer’s cooperative designed to take advantage of the convergence between music and broadband technologies, Kevin’s company draws on a unique network of resources: a DJ in Ohio, a PhD. from Columbia University, an orchestra in Bratislava or a sound designer in Hollywood each adding their talents to a production. Joy Productions was launched in 2003 with major projects for Sherwin-Williams, Ford and others.
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Born in upstate New York, Kevin left home at an early age to pursue a career as a musician. After some years touring and a stint at the Newhouse School of Broadcasting, he arrived in New York looking to break into the studio scene as a composer, performer and audio engineer. His first film scores, co-written in 1978, were the films “Deep Rub” and “ Inside Desiree Cousteau”. Following a one year gig in London, writing for Beatles publisher Dick James, Kevin was back in the studio and on the road, producing and playing bass for The Dick Clark Rock and Roll Road Tour with a roster that included Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
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In 1985, Kevin joined the music department of Saatchi and Saatchi Advertising and in five years as a producer there, produced campaigns for Nabisco, Burger King, Toyota, General Mills and Procter and Gamble. In 1988, he was called on to create a new sound for British Rail; an assignment which originally centered on re-recording Dean Martin’s “Relaxez-vous”. As the project evolved, Kevin and frequent collaborator, recording artist Leon Redbone realized they could create an original composition that would far surpass the expectations of both their client and the agency. The song was composed in a London hotel room, hours before filming was to begin at Shepperton Studios. The British Rail spots not only revitalized the brand but also won a number of industry awards. A full-length version of the tune appearing on a subsequent Redbone album and was performed in concert tours across the US and Europe. During his tenure at Saatchi, Kevin also ventured into TV Land, writing and producing songs for Jim Henson’s Muppets, Babies and Monsters.
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With his founding of Rocket Music in 1994, Kevin’s open-minded and spontaneous approach took a new turn. The ability to interpret clients’ desires and take them two steps further put him at the center of a fast growing creative machine. Comfortable with a wide range of styles, he soon built a reputation for his work with rock legends like Aretha Franklin and Ringo Starr (Pizza Hut), Foreigner’s Lou Gramm (Coke), Bo Diddley and Johnny Rotten (Mountain Dew), Isaac Hayes and John Lee Hooker (Pepsi).
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Under Kevin's leadership, Rocket Music grew to be a multi million-dollar enterprise with a stable of six composers and a support staff of ten. The shop created many of the most successful commercials of the decade including high profile spots for Budweiser, Visa, Folgers, Mercedes and Nike. Particularly influential in the industry were Rocket’s arrangement of the Queen hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Pepsi, and the FedEx’ Wizard of Oz inspired "Lollipop Guild" spots for Super Bowl 2000 and the Pepsi 2001 Super bowl commercials featuring Britney Spears.
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In addition to nurturing the growth of Joy Productions, Kevin continues to broaden his horizons and is currently pursuing band, songwriting and publishing projects. Some of his recent assignments include writing and producing songs for The Disney Channel’s “Jojo’s Circus” and Mattel’s “Pound Puppies”, as well as producing recording artists such as popular Blues Artist J.B. Kline. He is a founder and current board member of AMP- Association of Music Producers, an organization formed to address the concerns of the people who make music and those who use it. He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, ASCAP and the winner of the Gold Lion, Clio, Addy, International Film Festival, Mobius and Telly Awards.
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Kevin divides his time between Manhattan and his home on the Delaware River in bucolic Bucks County where he has restored the historic 1825 Samuel Cooper House and is an avid local history buff. He has degrees in Architectural History and Historic Preservation, though his greatest accomplishment is his daughter, Scarlett, who according Kevin, is smarter and much better looking than he.