Todd Hahn: Porn Music, Spielberg, and the Scores Behind Political Ads

Garret Brubaker sits down with composer Todd Hahn, the man behind the music of political ads on both sides of every presidential election since 1996. A self-described struggling artist who failed government in high school, Todd stumbled into campaign work through a Washington post-production facility, where a chance partnership with media consultant Mark Putnam convinced him that original scoring could do what needle-drop records never could: deliver the message, dig under the skin, and move a voter to act. He explains why his lack of political knowledge became a virtue, and why music's only real job is to attach itself to the story.The conversation runs from craft to history. Todd breaks down how he scores a 30-second spot, starting with rhythm on a fast negative ad, listening for the money line, and resisting the urge to clobber the viewer when less is more. He talks about the technology that built his niche, from external sampler racks to everything living "in the box," and how that same accessibility of streaming music eventually changed who picks the track. Along the way he reflects on the esprit de corps of the old edit-house era, when Republican and Democratic consultants shared a lunchroom and a friendly competition.Todd also shares the stories he is proudest of and the one he can't stop laughing about: the historic Obama half-hour buy that preempted the World Series, the night Steven Spielberg gave musical notes in the edit suite and Mark Putnam respectfully overruled him, and the time a porno-groove score for an opponent's hairstyling footage helped run a candidate out of the race the next day. His closing message to the next generation of political creatives is simple: keep the art in the craft, and never forget that music is an invisible player.Key Takeaways● Todd Hahn has scored ads for both sides of every presidential election since 1996, and credits his deliberate independence, personally and professionally, to a belief in the fairness at the heart of democracy.● His lack of political background was an asset, not a liability. With no agenda beyond doing good work, he could write music that simply served the message.● Music's only job is to attach itself to something and deliver the message. A dry spot stays informational until the score makes it explode emotionally.● His process often starts with rhythm, not melody, on fast or negative ads, then builds architecture around the dialogue's "money line" before adding texture, because less is usually more.● Affordable virtual instruments built his niche by letting him turn around a finished score in under an hour, but easy access to streaming music later shifted song selection back to editors who now cut to music.● The Obama half-hour ad was a career high-water mark, preempting the World Series across nearly every network, and featured Steven Spielberg offering notes that Mark Putnam politely declined.Timestamps00:00 The porn-music ad that ran a candidate out of the race02:55 A roundabout path from struggling composer to Washington, D.C.08:42 Meeting Mark Putnam and replacing needle-drop with original scores15:34 How political scoring has changed over four decades21:56 Staying independent and working both sides of the aisle28:50 The historic Obama buy and Spielberg's notes in the edit suite35:45 Inside the process: rhythm, the money line, and 18 ads a day46:55 Finding where music pokes through wall-to-wall narration52:02 Why original music still matters, and the invisible playersConnect● Todd Hahn: https://www.toddmhahn.com/home● Creative Caucus on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecreativecaucus● Studio Brubaker: https://www.studiobrubaker.comHashtags#CreativeCaucusPodcast #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalCreatives #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalMarketing #CreativeStrategy #PoliticalScoring #CampaignAds #MusicComposition #FilmScoring #PoliticalMedia #CampaignCreative #AdMusic #ProTools