The Film Goes Out.

The Frame

This is not a music video. It is not content. It is an art film — a visual companion to a sound transmission practice rooted in somatic healing, lunar ritual, and nervous system restoration.

The angle that gets press isn't *'artist releases video.'* It's *'interdisciplinary Black artist creates immersive film at the intersection of somatic medicine and experimental cinema.'*

Maya's biography is the pitch: ASCAP-published songwriter, interdisciplinary performer, somatic practitioner, educator. Multi-ethnic, LA-raised, working at a cultural crossroads. This is exactly who these publications want to cover — they just need to be invited in the right language.

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Where to Place It

**Nowness** — Their sweet spot: artists working at the edge of body, ritual, and image. Frame this as an art film in the lineage of Maya Deren — sensory, embodied, non-linear. Lead with the visual language, not the music. Pitch as 'Exclusive Premiere.' Contact: editor@nowness.com

**Pitchfork** — Angle: experimental sound artist with a practice, not just an album cycle. The lunar/somatic frame is the differentiator. Target their 'Artist Profile' or 'Video' section. Pitch to their features desk, not reviews. Tie to the sound healing cultural moment. Contact: features@pitchfork.com

**Paper Magazine** — Loves: LA creative scene, multi-hyphenate artists, Black women at the intersection of wellness + art + culture. This is a visual editorial feature — Maya photographed, film embedded. Frame around identity, belonging, and the body. Contact: editorial@papermag.com

**Highsnobiety** — Bridge between streetwear culture and fine art. Angle: the new luxury wellness that isn't a brand, it's a practice. Strong visual identity is essential here. Contact: culture@highsnobiety.com

**The FADER** — Pitch the sound transmission practice as a form, and the film as artifact. Strong for a longer Q&A where Maya speaks in her own voice about the nervous system, lunar practice, and belonging. Contact: editorial@thefader.com

**i-D Magazine** — Identity, culture, embodiment. Pitch a personal essay by Maya alongside the film — first-person, intimate, somatic language. Contact: editorial@i-d.co

**Bandcamp Daily** — Highly receptive to independent artists with an actual practice. Great for legitimacy-building before the bigger press. Contact: daily@bandcamp.com

**The Creative Independent** — Long-form interview about Maya's practice. Their pieces get passed around and establish Maya's conceptual voice on record. Contact: hello@thecreativeindependent.com

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The Pitch Template

**Subject: Exclusive Premiere — Mayanicol's New Art Film / Sound Transmission** > > Hi [Name], > > I'm reaching out on behalf of Maya Jordan — the LA-based interdisciplinary artist, somatic practitioner, and ASCAP-published composer known as Mayanicol — with an exclusive premiere opportunity for her new short film. > > The film accompanies her latest sound transmission from Lunar Sonic Sessions, a practice Maya developed at the intersection of nervous system science, ancestral memory, and lunar ritual. The work uses vocal resonance, tonal frequencies, and intentional vibrational patterns to interact directly with the autonomic nervous system — and the film translates that experience into a visual language rooted in body, breath, and belonging. > > Maya is a multi-ethnic Black woman born and raised in Los Angeles, working where Black experimental art, somatic medicine, and cinematic practice converge. Her work has been called 'sound ecology' — immersive auditory environments that honor the stories of both performers and viewers alike. > > We're offering a first-look exclusive to a single outlet before wider release. I'd love to share the film and press materials. Would you be open to a brief conversation this week? > > — [Your name], on behalf of Maya Jordan / Mayanicol

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Phased Rollout Timeline

**Phase 1 — Prepare & Protect (Weeks 1–2)**

Register the film with the U.S. Copyright Office before sending a single pitch email. File Form PA for the film as an audiovisual work, and Form SR for the sound recording. Add the composition to Maya's existing ASCAP catalog. Watermark or embed metadata in the film file. Build a press kit: bio, director's statement, stills, and a password-protected film link.

**Phase 2 — Exclusive Pitch Window (Weeks 3–4)**

Pitch Nowness and Pitchfork first — exclusive premiere offer, 7-day window to respond. Simultaneously pitch Paper Magazine for a profile (separate angle — visual editorial, not premiere). Target The Creative Independent for a long-form artist interview. Approach 2–3 tastemaker curators in sound healing and experimental film communities.

**Phase 3 — Wider Release (Weeks 5–6)**

Post the film publicly — ericjordan.design/maya/transmissions as the canonical home. Simultaneous release on Vimeo with an embedded licensing notice. Submit to short film festivals: Sundance Short Film Program, SXSW, BlackStar Film Festival, Tribeca. Pitch Highsnobiety, i-D, The FADER, and Bandcamp Daily. Activate Instagram and newsletter drop the same day.

**Phase 4 — Festival & Archive (Months 2–4)**

Submit to museum and gallery screening programs: MOCA, LACMA, ICA LA, The Broad. Approach art directors at Nike, Lululemon, and similar brands for licensing. Add the film to Maya's ASCAP/copyright catalog for sync licensing. Build a licensing inquiry form on the site.

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Copyright To-Do List

**File before you pitch.** Copyright registration becomes significantly more powerful — including eligibility for statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringement — when the work is registered before infringement occurs. File at copyright.gov before sending the first press email. Takes 15 minutes, costs $65–85.

**Immediate Registration** File Form PA at copyright.gov — covers the film as an audiovisual work (score + visuals together). File Form SR separately for the sound recording itself. Add the composition to her existing ASCAP catalog. Registration date is your legal protection date — file before public release.

**File & Distribution** Embed metadata in the film file: © 2026 Maya Jordan / Mayanicol. All rights reserved. Watermark stills with name and year. Use Vimeo's privacy settings — password-protect for press previews. Do not upload to YouTube pre-release (it strips metadata and reduces licensing value). Register with Vimeo On Demand.

**Site & Terms** Add a '© 2026 Mayanicol. All rights reserved.' footer notice. Create a /licensing page with terms for press, personal, and commercial use. Add Terms of Use covering the sound transmissions as copyrighted recordings. Specify that membership does not grant redistribution rights.

**Licensing Tiers** Editorial / Press: Free — with attribution credit. Sync (brand, film, TV): $500–$5,000 depending on usage. Live Screening / Event: $250–$1,000 flat fee. Commercial / Advertising: $2,500+ negotiate case by case. All inquiries via a contact form — not a public email.

**Music Specific** The score is protected separately as a musical work via ASCAP and Form SR. If any samples were used in the score — clear them now before press. Add a split sheet if any collaborators contributed. Sound Recordings are also separately copyrightable.

**Social Media Protection** Register the film's audio with YouTube Content ID via a distributor like DistroKid or TuneCore. Monitor for unauthorized use via Google Alerts on 'Mayanicol' and the film title. Watermark any clips shared as teasers. Never post the full film to social — only trailers. Keep a DMCA takedown template ready.

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Press Kit Checklist

Before the first pitch goes out, prepare: a short bio (100 words) and long bio (300 words) in third person, a Director's Statement in Maya's first-person voice (150–200 words), 5–10 high-res stills from the film at 300 DPI minimum, 2–3 high-res portraits of Maya, a password-protected Vimeo link at 1080p, a one-sheet PDF with everything above, a streaming link to ericjordan.design/maya/transmissions, and a dedicated press contact email (press@ is cleaner than a personal address).

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*Be whole. Be well. Belong. — Maya*