Mondo.NYC Speaker
Sam Hollander
Songwriter & Producer
As one of the most renowned, multi-platinum songwriters and producers in the game, Sam Hollander has written and produced for the likes of Panic! At The Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, Katy Perry, blink-182, Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Carole King, Billy Idol, Jewel, Train, Tom Morello and Gym Class Heroes amongst many others. To date, he’s achieved 22 US Top 40 Hits, as well as 10 Number ones, 10 top fives, and 87 Top 10 chart positions globally. His songs have been streamed over 7 billion times, and in 2019, he held the #1 position on the Billboard Rock Songwriters Chart for nine weeks, a year-end record. Sam has also been chosen to be on Variety's Hitmakers list as well as being named Rolling Stone's Hot List Producer of the Year.
Hollander's career has recently hit new heights from collaborations with Fitz and the Tantrums' multi-platinum, billion streamed worldwide hit "HandClap" and eight songs he co-penned on Panic! At The Disco's Billboard 200 No. 1 album Pray For The Wicked, including the billion streamed, record-breaking global smash "High Hopes” (5x platinum) and "Hey Look Ma, I Made It!” (2x platinum) which replaced "High Hopes" at No. 1 on the Hot Rock Songs chart. Other notable recent successes include writing Banners’ "Someone To You” (platinum), blink-182's Alternative Top 10 single "Blame It On My Youth," James TW’s "When You Love Someone" (platinum) and writing and producing two songs on the legendary Ringo Starr's recent release What's My Name. "Looking back on my career thus far, I think I'm most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to bridge so many generations as a collaborator," he says. “There's something really special about getting in a room with different types of creators and allowing them to inspire each other, and we can make something great out of it. I feel like the luckiest conduit in the world. I've written tunes with artists aged 13-90.”
Hollander's career began when he collaborated with Carole King on her critically-acclaimed Love Makes The World record. This led to co-writes with industry legends like Paul Williams, Nile Rodgers, Cyndi Lauper and Donna Summer. Within a few years, he achieved his first platinum successes with Gym Class Heroes ("Cupid's Chokehold") which went #1 at Top 40 radio, Metro Station ("Shake It"), Boys Like Girls ("The Great Escape" and "Love Drunk") and We the Kings ("Check Yes Juliet"), Daughtry ("Waiting For Superman") Train ("Save Me San Francisco" and "Marry Me") among others. These triumphs lead to producing 25 songs for the second season of NBC's Steven Spielberg-helmed series SMASH including the Emmy-nominated "Voice in a Dream." In 2019, Hollander sold his songwriting catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Fund. His current work is administered by Sony Music Publishing.
Beyond songwriting, Sam has served as a Governor of the New York Chapter of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The GRAMMYs). He currently sits on the Advisory Boards for Musicians On Call and SONA. As an essayist, he’s been published in The New York Times, Variety & Billboard among others. He recently contributed a chapter to The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Ought to Know (Hozac Books). His memoir, 21-Hit Wonder: Flopping My Way to the Top of the Charts, was released in 2022 via Matt Holt/BenBella Books.
Mondo 2024 Panels
Songwriter Spotlight: Sam Hollander in Conversation with amra CEO Tomas Ericsson
Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 4:00 PM
Multi-platinum songwriter and producer Sam Hollander has written and produced for dozens of chart-topping artists including Panic! At The Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, Katy Perry, blink-182, Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Carole King, Billy Idol, Jewel, Train, Tom Morello and Gym Class Heroes amongst many others. This one-on-one conversation with Hollander and amra CEO Tomas Ericsson will cover both the art and business of creating music in the age of AI.