Dear Godmode: Jen Malone

On her way to the perfect song, the iconic music supervisor embraces HARD and BUSY.

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A few times a month, in Dear Godmode, we’ll ask a uniquely gifted person to examine their starting points, ways of spending time, and wishes for happiness. 

Today we salute Jen Malone, the yoga teacher turned CEO and three-time Emmy nominated music supervisor, whose unmatched range of credits include Euphoria, Wednesday, Atlanta, and Yellowjackets. During an eventful year for film and TV, she practices cello, prefers sativa, and resists obsessing.

godmode: What’s something you’ve tried but struggled to learn? 

JEN MALONE: After working on Wednesday for Netflix, I decided to take cello lessons. And it is HARD. I have a profound respect for people who play instruments. I don’t practice as often as I should, but I love my teacher. He is very patient with me and it’s just something for me to enjoy and have fun with — no deadlines or expectations. 

godmode: When you want to learn something new, how do you start out?

JEN MALONE: Research and read everything you can find on that subject. 

godmode: What’s the hardest part of your job?

JEN MALONE: TV production has insane timelines and schedules so sometimes we have to do the impossible in 24 hours. Music clearance is always very difficult, whether it is finding that writer that has 1% of a song or convincing someone to allow me to use their song or managing a budget, clearance is one of the most difficult parts of a music supervisor’s job that people don’t realize. You can have the most perfect song for a scene but if you can’t clear it and can’t afford it, you can’t use it. 

godmode: On a regular day, how do you spend your time? 

JEN MALONE: Normally, in the mornings I either workout with my trainer or go for a walk around the reservoir and then dig into work. Two days are never the same. Some days it is all admin: clearance, calls, meetings, etc. But then sometimes it is all creative: music searches and making playlists. Some days it is going to a set to oversee an on-camera performance. Everything depends on where we are at with production. 

godmode: Where do you spend the most of your time online? What do you do there? 

JEN MALONE: We keep a Google Doc to track all the music and clearance for each show, so I always have those up. ASCAP & BMI for song research, Deadline and Variety to keep up with what is happening with the industry. Spotify and Disco, which is our music database. 

godmode: What activity “wastes” most of your time? Why do you do it so often?

JEN MALONE: Meetings just to have meetings. They are annoying but part of the gig.

godmode: Can you remember a moment that set a period of success for you into motion?

JEN MALONE: Meeting Marvel music supervisor Dave Jordan and landing an internship with him at Format Entertainment.  

godmode: Do you prefer being busy or having lots of free time?

JEN MALONE: BUSY. If I am not busy, I spend time obsessing about unimportant or silly things. 

godmode: What do you do when you want to focus? 

JEN MALONE: Kiva Camino Pineapple Habanero gummies.

godmode: What do you do when you can’t fall asleep? 

JEN MALONE: Listen to a sleep story on the Calm app. Current rotation: History of the Toothbrush, History of the Semicolon and anything by Jerome Flynn.

godmode: Have you taken a trip that changed your life? What happened and what was transformative about it? 

JEN MALONE: In the early 2000s I started studying ashtanga yoga and eventually became a teacher. A friend and I decided to go to Mysore, India to study with Guruji Patthabi Jois and we stayed there for about 3 months. Ashtanga is the real deal and this wasn’t a fancy yoga retreat with organic meals or anything fancy or bougie like that. We stayed with a local family in our own apartment, had scooters to get around, made food, and really lived in Mysore. It was just an incredible, life-changing experience. 

godmode: What’s your point of view right now? Where are you, what’s it like there, and what can you see?

JEN MALONE: I am sitting in my home office in Silver Lake with a cloudy view of DTLA and my kitten Billy sleeping next to me.   

godmode: Where do you spend the most of your time in your neighborhood, outside of your home?

JEN MALONE: Walk through the neighborhood side streets or the reservoir and coffee at Lamil. 

godmode: Who do you consult when you’re making an important decision? 

JEN MALONE: My husband or my team at black & white music.

godmode: What do you like about your best friend? What makes your relationship with them feel good?

JEN MALONE: My two best friends are always there for me for anything. Whether it is big things like work/life advice, how to navigate difficult situations, or cooking or fashion questions, they are always there for me. They are supportive, encouraging, funny, and smart, and I always feel better after I talk to them.  

godmode: What’s the best way to treat yourself, for less than $20?

JEN MALONE: Cappuccino and a chocolate or almond croissant. 

godmode: What’s the best thing you ate recently? 

Jen Malone: My husband’s Swedish meatballs! 

godmode: What’s your favorite word or phrase right now?

JEN MALONE: Work smarter, not harder. 

godmode: What’s one thing you know for sure?

Jen Malone: Somehow, some way, it will all work out. 

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Thank you Jen!