Movie Magic with Ariel Levy & the Music of Simona Barbieri-McKenzie

It Matters Radio

Meet Simona Barbieri Mckenzie. This little Scottish-born songwriting top liner, art director and music therapist has been singing and arranging music since childhood. Although she also speaks English, Italian, Spanish, French and Norwegian her mother-tongue language is Music. Simona’s constant research for music development brought her to Oslo, where she attended university while working and composing new songs with local artists, inspired by the unique northern lights and stunning landscapes. Over the last few years, this multi-talented artist has been working with a variety of producers and recording studios, creating and performing TV and radio advertising jingles, movie soundtracks and pop/dance/trance/hip hop songs. She has recently appeared in the famous Italian Rapper Fabri Fibra’s album Controcultura, featuring the track “In alto”. Ariel Levy started in the film industry working as a 2nd Assistant Director on Charlie Chaplin’s COUNTESS FROM HONG. At 23, he became the youngest 1st Assistant Director in the history of the UK film industry. He became a production manager at BBC television then returned to feature films as line producer on Frank Schaffner’s SPHINX, Herbert Ross’s NIJINSKI, Wolfgang Peterson’s ENEMY MINE, and Home Box Office’s THE FAR PAVILIONS. In 1989 he became worldwide Head of Production for Hughes Entertainment, supervising the first HOME ALONE, and preparing the original BEETHOVEN movie. This was followed by MR. BASEBALL, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, SPY GAME and MILLION DOLLAR BABY. In 2002, Ariel was invited to teach at the Los Angeles Film School by the founding dean, and was subsequently asked to become head of production. In addition, Ariel continues to develop projects, both as feature films as well as serialized concepts geared towards television or the web.