Six years after it initially opened, music publisher ole’s L.A. office is on fire.
In the past year alone, the West Coast branch of the Toronto-based business – which describes itself as “the world’s fastest growing independent music publisher” – has rocketed from relative pop/urban modesty to establishing itself with a major chart presence, thanks to the game-changing signing of high-profile producer and songwriter Tim “Timbaland” Mosley.

Current and future chart action includes: all 10 songs – including the Top 10 hits “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors” – on the chart-topping, multi-million-selling Justin Timberlake album The 20/20 Experience, co-written and co-produced by Timbaland; Timberlake’s follow-up album, expected to be released later in 2013; seven songs on the upcoming Beyoncé album Mrs. Carter (again, courtesy of Timbaland); and recently, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler’s songwriting contributions to his band’s No. 1 album Music From Another Dimension, courtesy of an administration deal.

A couple of ole’s SOCAN member writers have also made an impact: Shiloh is a co-writer on Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Tonight I’m Getting Over You,” recently re-cut with the addition of rapper Nicki Minaj; while Tebey Ottoh co-produced and co-wrote “They Don’t Know About Us” on U.K. boy-band sensation One Direction’s top-selling Take Me Home. 

“Our Canadian writers are some of our most important writers.” – ole Creative Director Chad Richardson

Robert Ott, co-founding Chairman & CEO of the eight-year-old music publisher, says this is only the beginning. “We’ve been working to build our presence in pop for some time and were fortunate enough to do a deal with Timbaland,” he says. “Tim is the modern-era Quincy Jones. We’re very pleased and fortunate to be working with him.”

Ott says the Timbaland signing and ole L.A.’s subsequent success is part of an overall expansion plan that will see a dozen staffers occupy the office by the conclusion of 2013. “There’s a lot of growth in L.A. right now and it kind of follows the same patterns as we had in Nashville, where we began in a smaller way and then built up a great, creative roster of people on the staff side and great writers,” he explains.

“I feel like both of those offices have grown to the point that they have their own identity, they have their own regional mandate, and I’m going to be empowering both to proceed on a much more self-directed course from now on.”

ole Creative Director Chad Richardson says activities such as its annual October pop and urban song camp, and constant searches for film, TV and other placements via the Business Development and Synchronization and Licensing departments are a few ways in which the company is supporting the its Canadian roster, which includes Shiloh, Alan Frew, David Tyson, Jim Vallance, Mother Mother and Lindi Ortega (the latter two part of a co-venture with Last Gang Publishing Inc.), as well as composers Dan Friedman and Jack Lenz, among others.

“Being Canadian is a big part of our identity,” asserts Richardson, also a SOCAN writer. “I’m the only Canadian in the L.A. office, but it’s something I really push and stress. Our Canadian writers, in my mind, are some of our most important writers.”