Morris Plains singer-songwriter Bill Griese scores a TV commercial

We’ve been following Bill Griese’s career with great interest ever since June Van Thoen, music director at the Morristown United Methodist Church, tipped us off to a Morris Plains guy whose s-m-o-o-t-h vocals remind everyone of a beloved singer-songwriter with the initials J.T.

Bill impressed listeners at our Festival Earth in May and contributed a great song to our MG Film Festival in August.

And now he has arrived on the national stage: Fujifilm used his song Zoom in a TV campaign this month:

We asked Bill how he did it.

MorristownGreen: Hi Bill, congrats on your new national TV spot. Is this your first?

Bill Griese: Thank you so much. Yes, having a song featured in a national TV commercial is a first for me. Very exciting.

MG: How did it come about? Have you been pitching songs for commercials, or did Fujifilm find you?

Bill Griese: I actually pitched the song to Fujifilm, and thankfully for me they loved it. Independent singers, bands, and songs represent a great musical option for companies running commercials on TV.

This is the first one I presented to a company for use, so it’s not something I had ever done before. But it’s something I would try again.

MG: Is TV ad work more lucrative then selling CDs and performing?

Bill Griese: Well, I guess it would be for me at this point. Because I haven’t been the most prolific performer, and I didn’t really push the heck out of my first CD For This Day (available on iTunes… see, I’m pushing it now).

But I am about to release my second CD of original material, about which I am extremely excited, and I plan on promoting it better. I also have a song that is bopping around Nashville which I hope might get signed, as well as some other writing projects in the works. So we’ll see where it all leads. I just want to get my music out there.

MG: What was it like the first time you heard Zoom on TV?

Bill Griese: The very first time, I actually knew it was coming on because Fujifilm gave me a scheduling heads-up. So my wife and kids and I sat down in the family room at about that time and waited for it to air.

It seemed like a long wait, but it finally showed up. We were captivated for 30 seconds, and it was really cool. Looked great, sounded great. Then it was over and it was like, “Okay, what do you want to do now?” And off we went. Kind of surreal.

MG: Can you pitch ideas for ad jingles, or do the ideas come from the ad agencies?

Bill Griese: Well, it’s kind of new territory for me. From what I understand, the advertising jingle business is very complicated and competitive. There are agencies and people who specialize in writing jingles with ad slogans and so on.

But I think a lot of companies see the value in featuring a real song by a real artist (one their audience can go out and listen to or download on iTunes). My guess is the average person doesn’t want to hear too many commercial jingles that are purely promotional.

MG: What kind of response have you gotten to the ad?

Bill Griese: The response has been tremendous. Many people I know (and several I haven’t) have gotten in touch with me to let me know how much they like the song.

People seem to think it’s really catchy, upbeat and positive–for which I’m extremely thankful. I’ve had more than a few tell me it reminds them of Jack Johnson. I’ll take that!!

MG: Are you combing your catalog for other songs that might have ad possibilities?

Bill Griese: Funny you should say that. I have two other songs on my upcoming CD that I believe could work wonderfully for specific types of situations. Once the CD is done I may approach some people directly about those. Will it be another Zoom scenario? You never know until you try. I want to continue to look for opportunities to reach more people with my music. That’s what it’s all about for me.

MG: As an artist, would you turn down any advertisers or products that wanted to use your work? If so, which ones?

Bill Griese: Absolutely. I can’t come up with any specific examples right now. But any company or product with which I had a legitimate problem, ethically or otherwise.

MG: Likewise, any products you would love to write songs for?

Bill Griese: Cigarettes. (He laughs)

MG: Some popular singers–Barry Manilow comes to mind–got their start doing commercials. Do you see this as a springboard?

Bill Griese: I see any situation where I can expose people to my songs as a great opportunity. Springboard? Let’s hope so! I would have no problem with any conversation that compared me, my songs, or my music career to Barry Manilow.

MG: Thanks, Bill–continued success!

Bill Griese: Thank you. I really appreciate your interest and your time.