SOUND AND VISION SONGWRITER PUTS HER PASSION TO WORK.

Byline: Don Jergler Staff Writer

PASADENA - Tena Clark's view of the music industry is a multidimensional one, and it goes far beyond notes and tunes.

To bring her unique vision to the masses, Clark - a producer/songwriter who has penned songs for artists including Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle - launched Disc Marketing, a firm that pairs music with advertising branding, with the aid of a sophisticated multimedia studio in a former firehouse in Old Pasadena.

Without a doubt, Clark's vision has worked well, so far.

After launching the multimedia marketing firm in 1997 with only two employees, the company has grown to employ 60, with offices in Pasadena, Chicago and New York.

Since Disc Marketing is privately held, it does not have to divulge its sales figures, but Clark said sales have reached ``several million'' per year.

Clark - who's also written music for film and television shows, including ``My Best Friend's Wedding,'' ``Twins'' and ``Entertainment Tonight,'' as well as commercial jingles, including the catchy tune ``Have you had your break today?'' for McDonald's - has long had an idea of the potential of music.

``I've been in the music business since I was 10 years old,'' Clark said. ``I've always lived, ate and breathed the power of music.''

And Clark has turned that power into efficient marketing machinery that's drawn in a slew of international clientele.

The company's client list has included the likes of Betty Crocker, Sears, Roebuck and Co., Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group, Target Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., United Airlines and Victoria's Secret.

Disc Marketing creates CDs and what the company calls ``Enhanced CDs,'' or ECDs, which combine music and new media to deliver a message to a target audience.

The firm recently completed a compilation for Toyota with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Earth Wind & Fire, the Go-Go's and Lyle Lovett. About 2.5 million of the ECDs were distributed via direct mail, events and certain locations, to help people associate Toyota's names with popular music.

``We're kind of like an ad agency in a way, but we're not,'' Clark said.

The firm works with its clients to come up with a target audience, music and a distribution channel.

The method works because ``music is a very emotional medium,'' Clark said.

The company also creates onboard programming for Air Force One and Air Force Two - the jets that ferry the president and vice president around the world - as well as for United Airlines.

Last year, Clark renovated a building adjacent to the building her company occupies to create the aptly named Firehouse Recording Studio.

``Everything we create here from concept to fulfillment is done under this roof. It is not sourced out,'' Clark said.

The company also has come out with a new label, DMI Records, a joint venture to produce music.

The first CD being produced, titled ``Church,'' is a compilation of recordings by famous black female artists who grew up singing in church, including LaBelle, Chaka Khan and Maya Angelou, who reads a poem she wrote for the album.

The CD is due in stores June 3 and was entirely recorded and produced at the studios in Pasadena.

``It's an amazing piece,'' Clark said.

The company has also launched 5 Alarm Music - a film and television music library that networks and cable stations can access.

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Photo:

(color) Tena Clark has much to smile about with the success of her company, Disc Marketing, located in a former firehouse in Old Pasadena. The company mixes music with new media to target specific audiences.

Bernardo Alps/Staff Photographer