Composer Talk: Recent Episodes
Matthew Wang
Composer Talk is a podcast hosted by Matthew Wang where you’ll get to know acclaimed composers who are making the soundtracks of our lives. We all watch films, TV and digital media and know the important role that scoring plays in storytelling. In this podcast we learn about the artists who are creating the music. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest was born and raised in London England, where he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was mentored by the iconic Rupert-Gregson Williams. In 2009 he moved to Los Angeles to join Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions, where he worked on the music departments of various major studio films, before transitioning to solo work.
Since then he has made a name for himself composing projects such as Amazon series Man In The High Castle, the Disney+ Monsters Inc. franchise series Monsters At Work, and Sony pictures films Peter Rabbit (2018), Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021), and Bullet Train (2022).
Most recently he completed the score Universal Pictures Film The Fall Guy starring Ryan Reynolds and Emily Blunt. I'm incredibly excited to chat with him on this episode!
And the composer is… Dominic Lewis
This episode was produced by Morgan Craig
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is the co-founder of NYC-Based Found Objects and the composer behind such films as I’m Thinking Of Ending Things and Swan Song.
He’s the composer of Apple TV’s Franklin starring Michael Douglas and I’m so excited to chat with him today.
And the composer is… Jay Wadley
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is one of the first composers I ever met when I first moved to LA. He is best known for his work scoring Sneaky Pete, Meet Cute, and recently Netflix Hit Homicide: New York. He’s also written music for video games including Far Cry 6 and Skull and Bones and I’m so excited to welcome him to the podcast.
And The Composer Is... Stephen Lukach
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is on the rise having written music for films premiering at Sundance, SXSW, and the Los Angeles Film Festival among many more. They scored A24's Problemista by Julio Torres, and the Gotham Award and Independent Spirit nominated film Bruiser on Hulu. Under their solo moniker OHYUNG, they produce genre-shifting music that moves between ambient, experimental pop, and distorted noise. I’m so excited to welcome them onto the podcast.
And the composer is… Robert Ouyang Rusli
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is behind the music of projects including Netflix’s Hillbilly Elegy, Blue Planet II, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, HBO’s The Last Of US, and Netflix’s Damsel.
He was mentored by legendary composer Mike Post and has frequently collaborated with composers Atli Örvarsson and Hans Zjmmer having contributed music for Dune, Top Gun: Maverick, and Dune 2 among many other films. I’m so excited to welcome him on the podcast.
And the composer is… Dave Fleming
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is one of the first people I met when I started my journey as a composer. She’s an amazing composer, and vocalist and earned her B.M. in music composition from Biola University’s Conservatory of Music, going on to work with notable composers James Horner, Thomas Newman, and Jacob Shea.
She is the composer of Dreamworks Animation’s The Croods: Family Tree, Harlan Coben's Shelter on Amazon Prime, and the documentary After Death.
And the composer is... Hannah Parrott
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an amazing composer, one of the most in-demand music editors working in Hollywood, and an author. He has earned 17 Golden Reel Award nominations and has scored films including Shawn Mendes: In Wonder, The Last of the Winthrops, and Camp Arrowhead among others. His work as a music editor can be heard on projects ranging from Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and The Kissing Booth, to The Flash and Avengers Age Of Ultron. I’m so excited to welcome him onto the podcast!
And the composer is… Shie Rozow
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest is one of the most lovely music creatives on this planet. He has worked as the SVP of Peer Music, Head of Music at Lionsgate and SVP of music at Warner Bros and has helped shape the musical landscape of films ranging from La La Land and the Hangover series, to Godzilla, Divergent, and Edge of Tomorrow. He also owns and runs Strong Music. The music creative is... Carter Armstrong--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guest has scored everything from comic book adaptations to award-winning documentaries. He is a Filipino-American composer who has scored some of the most exciting projects of the last few years. His dark synth and guitar-driven work was heard on the Russo Brothers' adaptation of the acclaimed comic 'Deadly Class'. And his emotional and poignant music was featured in the powerful Peabody Award-winning docu-series 'Surviving R. Kelly'. For the latter, he also took home an ASCAP 2020 Screen Award.
Born to Filipinx immigrants, his family taught him music at a young age. His curiosity would lead him to play in bands and to study film scoring at USC's prestigious Scoring For Motion Pictures and Television program. He would go on to be mentored by and collaborate with Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Goransson (Black Panther) and Theodore Shapiro (Bombshell). With the former, he co-composed the A24 film starring Chance The Rapper, 'SLICE'.
He recently scored the Adele Lim directed Joy Ride and I'm so excited to talk with him on the podcast.
And the composer is... Nathan Matthew David
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
I'm so incredibly excited to welcome back our episode 9 guest to the podcast. He is Steven Caple Jr's go-to composer and recently scored the latest Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts. Since we last spoke, he has also scored HULU's horror/thriller Jagged Mind and co-scored Netflix's Wedding Season and Disney's World's Best with Raashi Kulkarni. I am so excited to welcome him back on to Composer Talk!
And the composer is... Jongnic Bontemps
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/composertalk/support
Our next guests are 2 of my favorite composers in LA! They teamed up to craft a synth-infused score for the vampire horror-thriller Night Teeth for Netflix, the action-packed movie is the biggest project the co-composers have tackled yet, with wall-to-wall music and a gritty soundtrack that is essentially a roadmap of Los Angeles.
Directed by Adam Randall, the film stars Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as a working college student tasked with chauffeuring two mysterious young women (Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry) around Los Angeles for a night on the town. But all is not as it seems, and he’s soon dropped into a sprawling underground of vampiric tribes on the verge of a covert war. The film also stars Raúl Castillo, Alfie Allen, Alexander Ludwig, Sydney Sweeney, and Megan Fox.
The composers also have noted that the music is geographically influenced, with each city within Los Angeles having its own signature sound and introducing a new character. Locations featured in the film include Boyle Heights, Hollywood, Downtown LA, and Venice among several others.
The composer are... Drum & Lace and Ian Hultquist
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is best know for his work on Netflix’s Original Series, LOCKE & KEY. He also composed the score for Lionsgate and Hulu’s feature film, RUN — his third collaboration with director Aneesh Chaganty — starring Sarah Paulson. His previous work includes Michael Nader’s THE TOLL; Chaganty’s moving Mother’s Day spot for Google, SEEDS; and Chaganty’s SEARCHING, starring John Cho and Debra Messing, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Sony Pictures for worldwide distribution.
Studying film scoring at the University of Southern California, this incredible composer hails from Sacramento and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sarah, and their dog, Bodie.
The composer is... Torin Borrowdale
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a Korean-American film composer and multi-instrumentalist. The first American composer to have been selected as a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Breakthrough talent, his scores include critically acclaimed feature films COWBOYS (dir. Anna Kerrigan) and HOLLER (dir. Nicole Riegel). Also an artist-in-residence and National Advisory Council co-chair at the Ucross Foundation, his work spans across film music, theatre, XR, instrumental compositions, and songwriting.
As a classically trained violinist and self-taught guitarist, he was a former live member of the electronic/folk band, The Books, and toured internationally with bands such as Gotye and Explosions in the Sky. For over 15 years, he has recorded with artists ranging from indie songwriters to Talib Kweli, and has composed music for dozens of major global advertising campaigns for Mercedes Benz, Squarespace, Google, Netflix, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among others.
And the composer is... Gene Back
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I'm so excited to welcome this incredible composer duo from Bleeding Fingers who recently won an Emmy award for "Outstanding Music Composition" in this year's 42nd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards for their work on the BBC documentary series 'Primates'. We talk composing, work/life balance, and more in this episode, and hope you enjoy it!
And the composers are... Denise Santos + Adam Lukas
Special thanks to Judith Moy for editing this episode!
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Launched in Los Angeles, California in 2021, skybox Audio is an innovative sample library company that creates virtual instruments using cutting edge approaches in technology. They have recently released Hammers + Waves, a 10 instrument modern keyboard collection like no other. Captured with beyond-human precision by robotic automation, this collection blew me away and I'm so excited to talk with the composers and co-founders of the company!
And the Composers are... Azrul Saleh + Danny Dunlap
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an award-winning Venezuelan composer based in Los Angeles, CA who specializes in film, TV, Interactive, and New Media music.
His sensibility as a composer is evidenced in his lush orchestral scores, always infused with hints of his diverse upbringing and culture. His eclectic style is the consequence of his development as a musician, going from pop and rock bands, to a classical music education, to jazz and electronic influences from his studies in the US.
He recently scored the film “The Secret History of Venom” for Marvel Animation, and has written for many feature films including the Venezuelan box office hit “Papita Segunda Base” and the Daytime Emmy Award winning Documentary “Out of Iraq”. His music can be heard on the feature documentary “History of the Emirates”, and on hit TV shows like Netflix’s “Outer Banks” and “What/If”, AMC’s “Dietland”, Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide To Divorce”, Freeform’s “Good Trouble” and HBO’s “Adventure Time: Obsidian”. Other recent projects include the feature films “Christmas Comes Home”, “Farm to Fork to Love” and “Stranger In The Attic”, as well as the Venezuelan film “Plástico”.
The composer is... Sandro Morales-Santoro
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a media composer, pianist, music educator, and music theorist. Studying under composer Dr. Scott Meister and pianist Dr. Bair Shagdaron, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Theory/Composition from Appalachian State University in 2012. Immediately following, she enrolled at Columbia College Chicago’s Master of Fine Arts program “Scoring for the Screen”. She was a Follett Scholar (Columbia’s highest honor) and studied under composers Gary Chang, David McHugh, and Andrew Edwards. To conclude her time at Columbia, she recorded four works Capitol Records and earned her degree in May 2014.
Following her time at Columbia, she began an internship with film composer Mark Isham then interned at Kraft-Engel Management. She met composer Jake Monaco while there and assisted him for a number of years before "graduating" onto writing additional music for projects including Dumplin' and Human Discoveries. She has recently co-composed the score for A Cinderella Story: Starstruck with Jake and I'm so excited to talk with her about it!
The composer is... Brittany Dunton
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
An Argentinian-American composer, conductor, orchestrator and violinist, our next guest is a two-time Global Music Award-winning composer.
His latest project, the documentary The Sound of Identity features the first-ever transgender woman performing an opera lead in the U.S. with a professional company, in a standard work. The film is about a profile in identity sprinkled with Mozart, but Nicolas rejected the idea of imitating Mozart’s sound. Instead, he gravitated towards a neo-romantic feel and decided on a string orchestra, soloists within the string orchestra, and the addition of a few synths for movement and added interest.
Nicolas' music is a blend of Argentinian/Latin/world influences, classical training, electronics sensibility, and modern film and television soundtracks. He has scored numerous films and projects such as Phil Donlon’s drama The Reunion, James Kicklighter’s short Angel of Anywhere, and a Circle City Film Festival award-winning short Tijuana. He also has music placements on TLC, HBO, and in various advertising campaigns. In addition to Sound of Identity, James’ upcoming projects include the documentary The American Question, fantasy feature Empire Queen: The Golden Age of Magic; and indie horror feature, Spider.
The Composer is... Nicolas Repetto
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a composer born and raised in Los Angeles. His latest projects include Eytan Rockaway’s Lansky, starring Harvey Keitel, and Jonathan Hensleigh’s The Ice Road, starring Liam Neeson. He joined the Assassin’s Creed universe for Wrath of the Druids (2021). He co-produced Gryffin’s Deluxe orchestral album (2020) and composed additional music on Mission: Impossible - Fallout for Lorne Balfe, and on The Crown, for Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams. He also wrote additional music on HBO’s His Dark Materials.
The composer is... Max Aruj
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an Oscar-nominated composer and experimental musician known as Hauschka who is behind the score of Showtime’s acclaimed crime drama Your Honor (starring Bryan Cranston) and most recently, the Joe Penna directed sci-fi thriller Stowaway. The film follows a three-person crew on a mission to Mars that faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board. *Starring: Daniel Dae Kim, Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, and Shamier Anderson.
Stowaway differs from most sci-fi films, which are generally action-packed, high-energy, and loud. Stowaway takes place entirely on the spaceship, and the four crew members are the only people featured. The focus of the film is the crew’s communication with one another—detailing their raw and humanistic conversations, as they decipher their options for survival.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a Music supervisor who has lent her expertise to the creation of some of television and films’ most unique sounds. She is the music supervisor on FX's Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-winning series Fargo; Hulu’s Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale; FX’s Snowfall; Hulu's Shrill; HBO Max’s dramedy series Generation; and Amazon Prime's Bosch. Other credits include FX’s Legion; Hulu’s The Great and Normal People; Apple TV’s Ron Moore series For All Mankind; USA Network’s Mr. Robot; and many more.
Her upcoming projects include Patrick Brice's horror/thriller There's Something Inside Your House; Shawn Levy’s Netflix sci-fi film The Adam Project; Peacock's mini-series Angelyne; Sam Esmail’s ABC crime series Acts of Crime; and Apple TV+’s drama series The Shinning Girls and animated series Harriett The Spy.
The music supervisor is... Maggie Phillips
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
On this episode, we welcome back Amanda Jones to the podcast! Since we last spoke, she has written music for From Cradle to Stage, Good Trouble Season 3, and Adventure Time: Distant Lands among other projects! Welcome back to the show!
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a composer from the Netherlands who has worked internationally as one of Europe's youngest established professional composers on some of the most popular TV shows and biggest films in Europe. Now located in L.A., he is known for his score for Disney's Minnie's Bow-Toons show.
The composer is... Vidjay Beerepoot
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an Emmy-nominated score mixer and recording engineer/producer whose recent score mixing credits include Netflix & GDH’s Thai horror film Ghost Lab, directed by Paween Purijitpanya, which premiered on May 26th; Focus Features’ drama feature Blue Bayou, starring Justin Chon and Alicia Vikander, slated to premiere on June 25th; Netflix’s Cobra Kai, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka; and HBO Max’s documentary feature Tina, starring Tina Turner, Angela Bassett and Oprah Winfrey.
He has become a recognized face in the music scoring industry for specializing in recording and mixing music for films, television shows and video games. His work on Netflix’s Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated series Ozark, starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series in 2020.
Some of his past score mixing credits include Universal Pictures’ Oscar and Golden Globes-nominated revenge thriller Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan and Bo Burnham, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020; Voltage Pictures’ horror film The Seventh Day, starring Guy Pearce and Keith David; 30 West’s Wild Indian, starring Michael Greyeyes, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; Netflix’s The White Tiger, starring Adarsh Gourav and Priyanka Chopra; Showtime Networks’ Golden Globe-nominated series The Borgias, starring Jeremy Irons; History Channel’s Vikings, starring Katheryn Winnick and Gustaf Skarsgård; Treyarch/Activision’s video game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War; and many more.
The mixer is... Phil McGowan
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a Composer for film and television. He is known for his scores for Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, BH90210, and Hello My Name Is Doris. We recently chatted about his time working with Napoleon Dynamite and How I Met Your Mother Composer, John Swihart, as well as how he has gotten to where he's at in his career!
The composer is... Brian H. Kim
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a Grammy-nominated Composer/Arranger/Orchestrator who has worked in nearly every medium in Los Angeles for over 10 years. He was recently recognized by the Recording Academy with a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella for his track “Uranus: The Magician” off his album “The Planets: Reimagined,” a modern big band jazz reinterpretation of the famous classical suite by Gustav Holst. It was also included on the Chicago Tribune’s “Best Jazz Recordings of 2020.”
His most recent work as a composer can be found in Magic the Gathering: Throne of Eldraine, Star Wars: Battlefront I and II, and Star Wars: The Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire. As an orchestrator, he has added his musical touch to a variety of film, television, and video games scores including The Queen’s Gambit - Netflix’s biggest scripted limited series in history - Disney’s Frozen 2, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. As an arranger, he has written for the National Symphony Orchestra featuring Babyface and Common, The Metropole Orkest, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as Lindsey Stirling, Katharine McPhee, and Matthew Morrison.
The composer is... Jeremy Levy
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a two-time Emmy-nominated film and TV composer, singer/songwriter, and producer of the critically acclaimed band, Goldspot. He received Emmy nominations in 2020 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for his original song "Memorized" (shared with Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith) and in 2019 for Outstanding Music Composition For a Series for his work on NBC's Golden Globe and Emmy-winning drama series, This Is Us, now in its fifth season. He has the distinction of being the first South Asian person to be nominated in the Primetime Emmy score and song categories.
The Composer is... Siddhartha Khosla
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest scored Hulu’s documentary series Sasquatch, which premiered on April 20, 2021; and recently scored CBS All Access’ Coyote; and HBO’s documentary miniseries Tiger. From composing the brooding hybrid orchestral score to Zipper, to his original song "Jamie Smiles" written for the cult comedy classic Just Friends, his ability to create a meaningful impact for a wide spectrum is showcased through his work. Past credits include National Geographic’s documentary Sea of Shadows, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019; Apple TV’s The Banker; Hulu's Baghdad Central; FX’s The Most Dangerous Animal of All; ESPN 30 for 30’s two-part documentary series Lance; Showtime’s four-part documentary series The Trade; and more. He has also contributed towards an impressive variety of notable projects including George Nolfi’s Birth of the Dragon and Cinemax's action series Warrior, both of which he co-composed with Reza Safinia; as well as the Academy Award-nominated documentary film Cartel Land, which he co-composed with Jackson Greenberg. In 2002, he became the youngest Grand Prize recipient of the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition, and along with accolades such as the prestigious Cannes Lion, Clio, and BMI awards, his accomplishments have earned him esteem and recognition as a highly versatile yet specialized talent.
The composer is... H. Scott Salinas
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
A music composition alum of Loyola University in New Orleans and USC’s film scoring program, our next guest has been described as a musical chameleon by composer Ludwig Göransson who he’s assisted and most recently worked alongside co-scoring Bad Trip now available on Netflix. With Göransson, he has contributed additional music on Angie Tribeca, The Mandalorian, and he wrote and performed Rainbows, Unicorns, Everything Nice for Trolls World Tour! He’s also currently working away on Disney Plus’ The Mysterious Benedict Society scoring the show with Teddy Shapiro.
The composer is... Joseph Shirley
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Multi-award-winning composer KOVAS scores Netflix's hit original series On My Block, starring Sierra Capri and Jason Genao; and Tatiana Kelly’s up coming documentary The People vs. Vegas Dave. He received a Clio Award for writing, producing and co-starring in Dunkin’ Donuts campaign ad “Runnin’ on Cold Brew” featuring three-time NFL Pro-Bowler Odell Beckham Jr.. As a recording artist, KOVAS can be heard on several features, tv shows and top-selling video games including Netflix’s Golden Globe-nominated series Glee; Hulu’s Emmy-nominated series American Dad; Oscar-nominated thriller Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks; Columbia Pictures’ 22 Jump Street; EA Sports’ Madden NFL and Saintʼs Row IV. KOVAS has also produced and remixed for some of the biggest names in music including Justin Timberlake, Usher, De La Soul, M.I.A, Chris Brown, and more.
Music supervisor Joe O’Riordan, has lent his expertise to creating unique sounds on shows such as Adult Swim’s Loiter Squad; MTV Network’s Ridiculousness and Greatest Party Story Ever; Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules; Dakota Pictures’s Imagen Foundation Award-nominee for "Best Comedy Primetime Television Program" Lopez; Netflix’s hit original series The Comedy Line Up, starring Aisling Bea; Nickelodeon Network’s The Dude Perfect Show and Crashletes; Science Channel’s The Explosion Show; and many more.
I'm very excited to welcome them on the podcast!
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is best known for scoring the drama series The Fosters, as well as several films including The Art of Getting By, starring Freddie Highmore, and Higher Ground, directed by Vera Farmiga. A veteran of the indie film world, he composed the music for the comedy All Nighter starring Emile Hirsch and J.K. Simmons, and A Happening of Monumental Proportions, Judy Greer's directorial debut.
In 1996, he formed the rock band Deadsy with longtime friend Elijah Blue Allman and Renn Hawkey. After their first album was released, the band embarked upon several world tours, opening for bands such as Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots. During his time with Deadsy, he also began composing music for various films and television shows. Since 2007, his film work has been a regular fixture at some of the world's most integral film festivals, from SXSW to Cannes to the Tribeca Film Festival.
He also founded Gramoscope Music in 2006. Some projects they have created music for include the new theme for Real Time with Bill Maher, American Horror Story, So You Think You Can Dance, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Wicked Tuna, Glee, and Burn Notice.
The Composer is... Alec Puro
Thanks to Ian Carvalho Traphagen for editing this episode!
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a film music composer with more than 50 film productions. He studied in Boston at Berklee College of Music where he obtained Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Composition and Film Scoring.
His latest worldwide release on Netflix has been the film “BAJOCERO” by director Lluís Quílez and starring Javier Gutiérrez and Karra Elejalde, which has been the highest rated Spanish premiere in Netflix, being number one worldwide in its first week.
His multifaceted style has led him to compose soundtracks covering very different genres. As for animation, in 2004 he composed for the first short of TADEO JONES (Enrique Gato) and its sequel (both won the GOYA FOR BEST ANIMATION SHORT). In 2012 he was nominated for the Goya Awards for the soundtrack of “TAD THE LOST EXPLORER” and in 2017 he composed the sequel “TAD THE HEROE RETURNS” for which he received several international awards.
One of the genres he likes the most is drama / thriller. In 2014 he worked on his first American co-production, “AUTÓMATA”, a science fiction film produced and starred by Antonio Banderas and directed by Gabe Ibáñez that won several international awards. He also worked on the Franco-Spanish co-production, “EVOLUTION” by director Lucile Hadzihalilovic, which won the special prize of the Jury at the San Sebastián Festival 2015. In 2016 the psychological thriller “PET” was released, an American co-production directed by Carles Torrens and also the Argentine co-production “BLACK SNOW”, directed by Martin Hodara and starring Ricardo Darín and Leonardo Sbaraglia. In 2017 he composed for the American co-production “BENT” starring Sofía Vergara and Karl Urban and directed by Robert Moresco and in 2019 he did it for the American co-production “KILL TEAM” directed by Dan Krauss who has been nominated twice for his documentaries for The Oscar Awards.
The composer is... Zacarías M. de la Riva
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I'm so excited to welcome on this next composer whose work includes the HBO Max series Looney Tunes Cartoons; the DreamWorks series Dragons: Rescue Riders, and the viral animated hitSidewalk, directed by Celia Bullwinkel.
Born in Baton Rouge, LA and raised in the midwest, this composer credits the public school arts program in St. Charles, IL with helping him imagine a life making music. With an eye on joining the Chicago music community, he studied music at Northwestern University, also dabbling in literature, computer science and sound design. His time after school was spent performing in bands and collaborating with directors and improvising actors.
He further segued into scoring to picture as a fellow at the Sundance Institute Composers Lab at Skywalker Sound and the BMI Conducting Workshop. He has since operated studios from both coasts working on films, television and interactive projects.
His television work includes scoring the FX series Baskets, starring Zach Galifianakis; the Netflix series Special from Jim Parsons’ That’s Wonderful Productions; the Adult Swim series Three Busy Debras from Amy Poehler's Paper Kite Productions; Sky One’s Sick of Itfrom Richard Yee & Karl Pilkington; and the main title music for the IFC series Documentary Now! starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader.
On the feature film side, he has scored the Netflix film Happy Anniversary from writer/director Jared Stern, Good Enough from writer/director AnnaRose King, and Beneath Us from writer/director Max Pachman.
An early adopter of new technologies, he created the interactive ambisonic music and sound design for Google'sEarth VR, which won a Cannes Lion for innovation and was recognized by Ars Technica as "VR's killer app."
The Composer is... Joshua Moshier
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is renowned for his live shows, where large-scale audience participation and interaction is often a major element of the performance. Since 2003, he has released five solo albums, including 2015's Gliss Riffer, released by Domino Records. His work as a film composer includes the original soundtracks for 2011’s Twixt (with Osvaldo Golijov), 2017's Rat Film and 2018's Time Trial, both released by Domino Soundtracks. He recently scored All Light, Everywhere; Strawberry Mansion; and Philly D.A. — all of which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The composer is... Dan Deacon
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Named one of the Society of Composers and Publishers’ “Film Composers to Watch,” our next guest has won numerous awards, including the World Soundtrack Award for “Best Composition by a Young International Composer,” the ASCAP Jimmy Van Heusen Film Composer Award, the Alan Menken Composer Award, and the distinguished Elmer Bernstein Film Scoring Award.
Brivik recently scored Wild Indian, starring Michael Greyeyes, Jesse Eisenberg and Kate Bosworth, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30th as part of the U.S. Narrative Competition lineup. Other upcoming projects include Justin P. Lange’s horror film The Seventh Day, starring Guy Pierce and Keith David.
The composer is... Gavin Brivik
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I'm so excited to welcome this phenomenal game composer who has worked at Jackbox Games (nee Jellyvision) since it sprang from the mind-loins of Harry Gottlieb in 1995. Starting out as a writer, he meandered into editing, directing, sound effecting, and finally music composition. He's had a hand in every game Jackbox has created and is one of the most innovative and creative composers I've had the pleasure of chatting with! I'm excited for this new season of Composer Talk starting with this conversation!
The composer is... Andy Poland
Check out the music for Jackbox Party Pack 7 here: https://jackboxgames.bandcamp.com/album/the-jackbox-party-pack-7-soundtrack
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This RTS award-winning composer is also an Ivor Novello, BIFA, and Cinema Eye Honors nominee; a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, and the IFMCA Breakthrough Composer of 2020. Amongst various BAFTA, Oscar, Emmy acclaimed productions, her recent projects include critically acclaimed Oscar 2020 nominated film For Sama, Sundance 2020 winning feature The Reason I Jump, American Murder Netflix's most watched documentary feature to date, Annapurna Interactive Film-Game Telling Lies and BBC drama series Unprecedented. She’s one of my favorite composer/sound designer hybrids and I’m very excited to meet her today!
The composer is… Nainita Desai
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next composer is an American born composer (of Taiwanese, Chinese, and Japanese descent) and a nerd at heart. He is known for his work on 4 seasons of Escape the Night (YouTube Originals), 2 seasons of Wil Wheaton's TableTop (Geek & Sundry), co-writing a song with Marvel legend Stan Lee, and is the creator of Star Wars Musical, a spoof of Star Wars as a Disney Musical.
He was selected as one of eight composers to the inaugural class of the universal Film Composer Initiative, the first Hollywood studio program to nurture diverse voices in composing, and includes mentorship with Universal Film Music executives and DreamWorks Animation executives. He actively advocates for the need for diverse voices in composing through his work on the Composers Diversity Collective Executive Committee.
The composer is... George Shaw
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
A protege of Oscar-nominated composer John Powell, this next guest has become a sought after talent, contributing additional music to many of Hollywood’s major franchises including How to Train your Dragon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, Wreck-it Ralph, Rio, & Despicable Me among others.
As a lead composer, he scored the drama thriller Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan which premiered at Sundance 2020. His other credits include NBC/Universal’s How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming holiday special, and Sony Playstation’s action-platformer video game Knack II.
The composer is. Anthony Willis
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a German-born film composer based in Los Angeles. He’s best known for his work on the highly successful, romantic comedy trilogy, Netflix' The Kissing Booth. The sequel was released in summer 2020 and once again, achieved a record-shattering number of streams on the platform. The release of The Kissing Booth 3 will premiere in the spring of 2021.
In 2007, he became an integral part of Aaron Zigman’s team where he earned credits on top-grossing films such as The Proposal, The Ugly Truth, Sex and the City: The Movie, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, and The Shack. The composer’s other credits include Disney’s first nature documentary Earth, the eclectic and intimate score for the Mar Del Plata Film Festival Grand Prize Winner Las Malas Intenciones (The Bad Intentions), as well as his powerful lyrical score for Der Grosse Kater (The Big Cat). In 2017, he wrote the score for Seaworld’s new documentary-style show Orca Encounter. Most recently, he scored the Swedish survival drama Breaking Surface, the political documentary Welcome to Pine Lake (CBSN), the opioid crime drama Inherit the Viper (Lionsgate), and contributed to the score of the comedy The War with Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro.
As an integral part of the thriving media industry in Los Angeles, he continues to share classic composition techniques and new innovations through both his work as a respected composer and as a professor at the University of Southern California.
The composer is... Patrick Kirst
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
My next guest is the best sound designer I know! He’s contributed his unique sounds and synthetic textures to projects including Bloodshot, Dunkirk, Tag, and Marvel’s Iron Man VR game among others
The Sound Designer is... Drew Jordan
If you enjoyed this episode, I please ask that you might go to this link: https://gf.me/u/zanc94
Drew's brother was recently involved in a car accident and I ask that if you are able, that you donate to his Spinal Injury Recovery Fund at the link above.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is one of my favorite composers in the video game world. This ASCAP winning and MTV VMA nominated composer has received widespread industry acclaim for his world-class produced hybrid scores featured in film, television and video games such as Machine Games’ WOLFENSTEIN : Youngblood & Cyberpilot, Microsoft’s iconic HALO series (G.A.N.G. Best Original Soundtrack Award), Ubisoft’s PRINCE OF PERSIA: The Forgotten Sands and RED STEEL (IGN Award for Best Original Score), Tom Clancy’s GHOST RECON and H.A.W.X series, as well as the epic theme music for the record-breaking online multiplayer game PLAYERUNKNOWN’s BATTLEGROUNDS, which has sold in excess of 50 million units with over 400 million players. His long-time collaborations with 343 Industries and Microsoft Studios include the re-imagined soundtracks to HALO: Combat Evolved Anniversary and HALO 2: Anniversary, as well as composing the original scores for HALO: Spartan Assault and HALO: Spartan Strike (the first HALO video game to be released on Apple devices). Additionally, he returned to the beloved sci-fi franchise to score the animated series, HALO: The Fall of Reach, adapted from the best-selling novel and produced by the award-winning animation studio Sequence. His third solo outing in the iconic HALO universe, he also composed, arranged and produced the first original pop song in the franchise’s history, “Take This Life”, featured exclusively on HALO: The Fall of Reach soundtrack.
Prior to his composing career, this composer toured with and worked on releases by a diverse array of popular recording artists. After several years of touring, he became increasingly immersed in studio work, producing, remixing and songwriting. Recording under the artist name “Atlas Plug,” he released the critically acclaimed electronic / orchestral music album “2 Days or Die” which quickly caught the attention of leading music supervisors. His album introduced a new hybrid sound to the visual entertainment industry at large, garnering high-profile placements on numerous television shows, international commercials and movie trailers, simultaneously launching his music career in video games, which he continues to embrace as a cutting-edge and powerful musical voice in modern scoring. He also has a new masterclass available on his website teaching you the fundamentals of videogame scoring!
The composer is... Tom Salta
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a multi-platinum selling record producer, composer, musician, and DJ who challenges categorization; equipped with an instinctual ear for creating music and an insatiable drive to explore the aural spectrum.
He’s composed music for video games including Dota 2 and Counter-Strike GO and has sound design credits on films ranging from Captain Marvel, Deadpool 2, and Blade Runner 2049 to Incredibles 2 and Motherless Brooklyn. He’s also the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Tap Tempo. Fun fact, we also were the two Matt's tasked by Unfiltered Audio to do the artist presets for the free Pendulate Synth Plug-in!
The composer is... Matt Lange
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest recently scored Netflix’s Princess Switch: Switched Again, starring Vanessa Hudgens and directed by Mike Rohl; Netflix’s Holiday in the Wild, starring Kristin Davis and Rob Lowe, directed by Ernie Barbarash; and the prestigious BBC program Natural World, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
He has scored more than 50 films and TV shows including Netflix’s The Most Hated Woman In America, starring Academy Award winner Melissa Leo and directed by Tommy O’Haver; Billy Raftery’s documentary Angels In Exile, narrated by Charlize Theron; HBO’s Golden-Globe winning and Emmy Award-winning series Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon; Golden Globe nominee An American Crime, starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener; 15 seasons of the Real Housewives franchise; National Geographic’s “Best Nature Programming” Emmy-nominated wildlife documentary Swamp of the Baboons, and many more.
The composer is... Alan Lazar
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest has emerged as a fresh voice in the world of scoring music to picture as evidenced by her score to the upcoming Lionsgate comedy Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar starring Kristen Wiig and Jamie Dornan, co-composed with Christopher Lennertz. Her credits include the Netflix docuseries Trial By Media, the independent film Turner Risk, and the Karen Allen-starred film Colewell, for which she won a 2019 Hollywood Music in Media award. Up next for her is the FX series Pride and the action crime drama Echo Boomers starring Michael Shannon.
As a score producer and composer of additional music for Chris Lennertz, she has contributed to major motion picture films including Bad Moms, A Bad Mom’s Christmas, the action-comedy sequel Shaft, Amazon's highly acclaimed television series The Boys, Netflix’s sci-fi series Lost in Space, Smurfs: The Lost Village, Baywatch, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, Pitch Perfect 3, Tyler Perry’s Acrimony, The Happytime Murders, Uglydolls, and A Madea Family Funeral, as well as the long-running CW show Supernatural. In 2015, she was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award for her score on the short film Undetectable, and in 2016, she was asked to take part in Women in Film’s Women Composers in Media concert. In 2018, she was chosen as a fellow for the Sundance Institute Composers Lab and the following year she was chosen as one the BMI Conducting for Composers Fellows.
The composer is... Dara Taylor
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
A protégé of Randy Newman, our next guest earned a DMA in Composition at USC’s Thornton School, where he studied with Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke. As a guitarist, he has performed onstage as opening act for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl; recorded studio sessions for Island/Def Jam, and Universal Records; and had songs featured on NETFLIX’ FIREFLY LANE, ABC’s SCRUBS, MTV, and VH-1.
He is an EMMY Award-winning composer whose work for Film and TV includes scores for Netflix' Godless, directed by Scott Frank and produced by Steven Soderbergh, starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery, as well as Universal Pictures' A Walk Among the Tombstones, starring Liam Neeson. His most recent collaboration with Scott Frank is Netflix #1 show The Queen's Gambit and I'm so excited to welcome him on the show!
The composer is... Carlos Rafael Rivera
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
As Senior Vice President of Film Music, our next guest serves as a music creative executive for Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Animation and it's other affiliate production companies, having supervised all aspects of music on a variety of successful film titles, soundtracks and marketing campaigns including Trolls World Tour, the Pitch Perfect franchise, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Straight Outta Compton, Jordan Peele's Us, Girls Trip, Danny Boyle's Yesterday, as well as supporting the theme parks, consumer products and live entertainment divisions with their music needs. Her current projects include Boss Baby 2, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Spirit Untamed, and Talent Show starring Cynthia Erivo/written by Lena Waithe. Prior to Universal, Angela served in music executive positions at a variety of companies including trailer house/vendor Ignition Creative, NBC, and The Weinstein Company / Dimension Films. A classically-trained pianist, violist and violinist, and native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Angela is a member of both the Recording Academy and APA (Asian Pacific Americans) @ NBC Universal and is an active alumnus of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. The exec is... Angela Leus
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
ur next guest has had an amazing career in music working for companies including The Orchard, EMI Music, Shrine America, and Fremantle Media among others. He is now the VP of music strategies and licensing for Crown Media Family Networks including Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries and Hallmark Drama. He’s in charge of overseeing music supervision and composition/score for more than 100 films per year. I’m incredibly excited to welcome him on to the show.
The exec is... Daryl Berg
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guests both got their start working in the dojo of renowned film composer Christophe Beck. Assisting him writing additional music on such projects including Ant-Man, Edge of Tomorrow, and Frozen among others, they have since gone the independent route and have racked up an amazing number of projects on their own!
Together they score megahit show Cobra Kai, and Quibi show Die Hart starring Kevin Hart.
The composers are... Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an amazing composer and a really lovely guy. Hailing from Aguadilla Puerto Rico, he had a chance encounter with legendary film and TV composer Blake Neely that led to a 3 year assistantship in LA. He is the composer on over 60 independent projects including R#J and The Time Capsule. He also has a new EP coming called If We Seek With Intent.
The composer is... Rene G Boscio
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I’m very excited to welcome this Emmy award-winning composer who has a unique trap noire sound. His production chops got him signed to a publishing deal at a young age and since then, he's been a big name in the media composer space in Atlanta. He’s created Grammy-nominated, as well as Emmy, NAACP Image, and Peabody award-winning soundtracks. His work has appeared on OWN’s Greenleaf, BET’s Boomerang, STARZ’ Show P Valley, and Step-Up High Water.
The composer is... Matthew Head
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is from Vancouver and studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music there. She later attended the Berklee College of Music. Recently, she wrote the music for an episode of Netflix’s Moving Art entitled Hokkaido, National Film Board of Canada documentary Now Is The Time which premiered at Sundance, and she composed the music for Sony film The Broken Heart Gallery produced by Selena Gomez. On top of all that. she is one half of the electronic-pop duo darkDARK, signed to Nettwerk records and who’s debut EP "Heathered" has been featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, Noisey, and Consequence of Sound, among other notable outlets. The composer is… Genevieve Vincent.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a music executive with a passion for both creative and administrative endeavors. As a Creative Director for Film, TV & Visual Media at BMI, she has forged and nurtured relationships with emerging composers, songwriters, artists, film/TV execs and more!
The exec is... Reema Iqbal
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest got her start in the industry assisting film composer superstar Harry Gregson-Williams. With Harry, she contributed music to projects ranging from The Meg and The Equalizer 2 to Disney Nature’s Penguins and Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning film The Martian.
On her own, she is the composer for Lionsgate’s Step Up High Water, the upcoming Disney doc episode of Marvel 616 directed by Gillian Jacobs, and she’s also writing for the second season of Spectrum/Lionsgate show Manhunt: Lone Wolf. I'm very excited to welcome this amazingly talented composer, violinist, vocalist to the show!
The composer is... Stephanie Economou
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I met our next guest at an ASCAP event the year I moved to LA right after she did the music for Epic Games' Fortnite. Since then she has become the musical voice of superhero projects ranging from summer blockbuster Captain Marvel to shows including DC’s Stargirl and Superman prequel Krypton. She’s also been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a documentary for her score to HBO’s McMillions.
The composer is... Pinar Toprak
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
EVP/Head of Television Music for Lionsgate, our next guest is the man behind the music for some legendary TV shows like Mad Men, Nashville, Blue Mountain State, Orange Is The New Black, and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist! He is a self-proclaimed resident of planet music and a bass player extraordinaire turned music executive and I'm very excited to welcome him to the show!
Please welcome... Russell Ziecker
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next Emmy-nominated composer got his start through a chance meeting with composer extraordinaire Harry Gregson-Williams. Going from writing advertisement music to film and TV, he is known for his music on the Netflix original series 'Bloodline', Disney's 'Elena Of Avalor' for which he received multiple Daytime EMMY nominations and an Annie Award nomination, and the hit CBS show 'Scorpion' co-composed with the amazing Brian Tyler. The composer is... Tony Morales
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
“The ronroco is the sound of the mountains - it has this freedom, this wide-open-chest feeling of just being who you are,” says Aukai of his beloved instrument – so adored that friends and family jokingly call it his baby. Also known as the charango, this small guitar is popular within the Andean communities of South America and Aukai is right in saying that the looping, fast plucking of its strings instantly remits the mind to a far, far place; one of folklore, discovery and freedom. Far from the Andes in a recording studio in the valleys of Colorado, the ronroco is also the main element of Aukai’s newest release, Game Trails, an album which at its very core embodies the spirit of wandering.
The composer is... Aukai
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a multi-instrumentalist who studied classical piano before playing drums and guitar in numerous bands, including a brief stint with the rock band Alien Crime Syndicate. He is best known for his scores for CSI Miami and HBO's Silicon Valley and has written the scores for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Young Sheldon, The Kominsky Method, A.P. Bio, and The League among others. He has a new solo EP out now called Nuovo Futuro and I'm very excited to welcome him on the podcast!
The composer is... Jeff Cardoni
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next composer is one of my favorites. His scores for Nickelodeon's Avatar The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are some of the most iconic animation scores for an animated series. After graduating from California Institute of Arts where he studied modern composition with a focus on computer music and sonic art, he started The Track Team with co-founder Benjamin Wynn (aka Deru). The music and sound design duo won two Emmy Awards and five nominations and worked on Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. Since then, this composer has also scored the Netflix Original Film, Horse Girl.
The composer is... Jeremy Zuckerman
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a Bulgarian-American composer, orchestrator and soundtrack producer who has contributed her musical voice to videogames including League of Legends, The Mummy, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Her music has received national press as "fantastic, luminous and breath-taking" (Billboard, NPR and Forbes). As one of the industry's most accomplished women composers, in 2019 she was invited by showrunner Mark A. Altman and composer Joe Kraemer to co-compose the CW primetime TV show, Pandora. In 2020, Penka scored the Super Bowl TV ad campaign for Olay, #MakeSpaceForWomen.
The composer is... Penka Kouneva
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I’ve had the pleasure of working with this next composer and was blown away by his work ethic and attention to detail. After graduating from USC’s renowned film-scoring program he started working for composer extraordinaire Christophe Beck with whom he helped out on the music for Frozen, The Muppets, Waiting For Superman, and the Hangover trilogy among other notable titles.
This incredible composer has scored Forky Asks a Question for Disney +, Facebook Show Human Discoveries, Warner Animation show Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost, Pixar Sparkshort Out, Dreamworks animated show Dinotrux, and films including Netflix’s, Dumplin’, and Think Like A Dog.
The composer is... Jake Monaco
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I’m so excited to welcome this guitarist and composer extraordinaire. She is the composer behind Cherish The Day, Twenties on BET, and A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO. She has also worked on projects including How to Train Your Dragon 2, Dear White People , Kingsman: The Secret Service and Oprah’s scripted drama Greenleaf. She is also hugely responsible for the creation of the Composers Diversity Collective and we are very excited to welcome her on to the show.
The composer is... Amanda Jones
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I’ve been a fan of this composer ever since I first saw Horrible Bosses and Sausage Party. He’s composed the music for huge films such as Bad Moms, Ride Along, Baywatch, Pitch Perfect 3, and Shaft. He’s also composed video game music for multiple iterations of Medal of Honor and Mass Effect, Scalebound, The Simpsons Game, and Madden NFL 25. His scores for shows including Agent Carter, Netflix’s Lost in Space, and Prime Video’s The Boys have garnered a lot of attention over the past couple of years and I’m very excited to welcome him on to the show. The composer is... Chris Lennertz.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is the composer behind the riveting and unsettling Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated dramatic series, The Sinner. She is also the sonic architect behind the new Facebook Watch Limetown based on the hit podcast.
The composer is... Ronit Kirchman
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is an award-winning composer, producer, songwriter and touring artist. His credits include the phenomenally moody and atmospheric music behind the hit Fox series Gotham and its acclaimed, highly-stylized spinoff, Pennyworth. Most recently, his music can be heard in epic father-son drama Windows on The World, starring Edward James Olmos, directed by Michael D Olmos. He has contributed to over 150 films, TV shows, documentaries, and commercials, for directors such as Robert Rodriguez, Adam McKay, Danny Cannon, David Gordon-Green, Michael Mann and Barry Levinson. He has also worked in the studio or toured with some of music’s biggest artists, including Rage Against the Machine, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Sheryl Crowe, 50-Cent, Paul Weller, Crowded House, Bone, Thugs and Harmony, Dave Navarro, and super-producer Rick Rubin.
The composer is... David Russo
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I'm very excited to announce the final guest for this first season of Composer Talk!
This English composer is best known for his scores for animated films, including Antz, Chicken Run, Shrek (all three co-composed with Harry Gregson-Williams), Robots, Happy Feet, Happy Feet Two, three Ice Age sequels, Bolt, Rio, Rio 2, and the How to Train Your Dragon film series . His live action film scores for the Bourne films, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, United 93, Jumper, Green Zone and Solo: A Star Wars Story are widely studied by many composers around the world. His work on Happy Feet, Ferdinand and Solo: A Star Wars Story has earned him 3 Grammy nominations and he was also nominated for an Academy Award for How to Train Your Dragon. Formerly a member of Hans Zimmer's music studio, Remote Control Productions, he has collaborated frequently with other composers from the studio, including Harry Gregson-Williams and Zimmer himself.
The composer is... John Powell
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is a uniquely modern film composer, harmonizing a classical education with his rich tech background as a maestro of Silicon Valley to write everything from the hip-hop infused score for the Tribeca-favorite documentary United Skates, to rousing additional music for Creed II. He’s been the go-to composer for the latter film’s director, Steven Caple Jr., including the score for the coming-of-age drama, The Land, where he also produced the song “This Bitter Land” for Nas and Erykah Badu. His music can be heard on dozens of features, documentaries, shorts, and videogames in all genres including the Toni Braxton-starring drama, Faith Under Fire, and the Sundance selection Leimert Park, produced by Charles King (Mudbound). He grew up in Brooklyn, learning the piano and soaked up his gospel and jazz surroundings. He studied music at Yale, then found himself at the heart of the tech industry as a software developer and entrepreneur. He has since decided to pursue his deeper passion and jumped head-first into the film scoring program at USC and the Sundance Film Music Lab. He apprenticed as a programmer for numerous A-list Hollywood composers, before breaking out as a singular solo composer.
The composer is... Jongnic “JB” Bontemps
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Born in Costa Rica into a musical family, our next composer studied Jazz Arranging & Composition at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. After graduating in 2010, he moved full-time into session player work, primarily as a guitarist. His film and television work has included working as an assistant composer, arranger, and music team member for Klaus Badelt and Remote Control Productions (the studio owned by prolific composer, Hans Zimmer). His film projects have included songwriting for Money Monster, directed by Jodie Foster and starring Foster and George Clooney and Downsizing, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matt Damon. Television composition work has included scores for The Demon Files featuring Sean Astin, Destination America, and True Nightmares featuring Tim Robbins. Currently, he is the series composer for Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, a DreamWorks Animation television series, on which he composes both score music and songs.
The composer is... Daniel Rojas
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next composer has scored legendary films like The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me, Blades of Glory, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, and Spy. In the animation world, he has made himself known as the composer of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Spies In Disguise, and most recently Trolls World Tour. He is a frequent collaborator of Ben Stiller and has scored The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Tropic Thunder, and Zoolander 2. Born in Washington, D.C. he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Brown University in 1993, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in music composition from the Juilliard School in 1995.
The composer is... Theodore Shapiro
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next composer scored some of my favorite shows including Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals. He is a frequent collaborator with Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green and has created the scores for the HBO series Vice Principals and Eastbound and Down, the TBS series The Last O.G. starring Tracy Morgan, as well as features, Under The Eiffel Tower from The Orchard, Observe and Report, Flower, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, and Arizona among others. He’s also written songs for films All The Real Girls, Undertow, and Halloween.
His most recent work includes the HBO comedy series The Righteous Gemstones starring Danny McBride and John Goodmanand Greg Daniel’s Amazon Studios sci-fi series Upload and Mindy Kaling’s Netflix comedy series Never Have I Ever.
The composer is... Joseph Stephens
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next composer is my favorite orchestral composer. Currently based in NYC, she's the composer behind the music of A24's The Lovers which ended up on Film Music Magazine's Top Ten Best Scores of 2017. She received high honors for indie favorites including Terri and Momma’s Man. She also composed the score for Amazon Studios series titled I Love Dick, and her music can be found on a myriad of television shows including Inside Amy Schumer, American Pickers, and The Voice to name a few. Recently she worked with director Minhal Baig and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's Overbrook Entertainmenton the poetic feature HALA, which premiered at Sundance 2019 and can now be found on Apple TV! You can also hear her music in the new Anna Kendrick Quibi show, Dummy.
The composer is... Mandy Hoffman
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
This next guest is not only a film and TV composer, but he has also had some of his theater work performed in venues in New York City and Los Angeles. He was the Music Director for live performances of the music of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. For the show, he has written music and lyrics for Nightman Cometh, Franks Little Beauties and Dee Reynolds, Shaping America's Youth, Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy to name a few. This composer also has a love for musical theater and his works in the field have been performed in NY and LA at venues including 55 Bar and Upright Citizens Brigade. He has also contributed music to FBE’s incredibly viral videos for Teens React, YouTubers React, Elders react, and more.
The composer is... Cormac Bluestone
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
I'm very fortunate to welcome this Emmy Award-winning composer, pianist, animation enthusiast, and friend.
Born in 1989 in Los Angeles, this composer defies genre while paying homage to his jazz roots and introducing alternative and R&B influences. He scored documentaries like Kobe Bryant’s Muse and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, as well as scripted series including Shonda Rhimes and Paul William Davies’ For The People, Netflix’s Dear White People, and SHOWTIME’S Black Monday. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and went on to perform with and for artists including Marcus Miller, Jay-Z, and Q-Tip.
In 2018, this unstoppable composer played double duty scoring and also playing Mahershala Ali's on-screen hand double in Academy Award-winning film, Green Book. In 2019, he scored Ava Duvernay's Netflix miniseries, When They See Us, about the Central Park Five. This year, in 2020, he scored HULU show Mrs. America, has music in the forthcoming Madden 2020 video game, and he is working on the score for the upcoming Malcolm D. Lee film Space Jam 2!
The composer is... Kris Bowers
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our next guest is well known as the composer of Disney's "Gravity Falls" and Dreamworks/Netflix show “Voltron”.
Originally from Illinois, this composer earned his MFA in Composition from The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) before joining the critically acclaimed band, The Mae Shi. He has also written music for several Disney animated shows, including “Star vs. The Forces of Evil”, “Pickle and Peanut” and “Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja”. He was the composer for MTV’s “Awkward” and is currently scoring and writing the songs for Cartoon Network’s hit show “We Bare Bears”. For Nickelodeon he scored the series “Fanboy and Chumchum” and penned the theme for “Robot and Monster”.
The composer is... Brad Breeck
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support
Our inaugural guest is well known as the composer and songwriter of Rick and Morty. He also co-composes the music for Harmonquest and the Dreamworks animated series Boss Baby: Back in Business. He has contributed music to FOX's The Simpsons and wrote the theme song for Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place. This composer got his start writing music for advertisements at a company called Emoto and landed placements with advertising clients like Nike, Toyota, and US Bank. In 2010 he won a London International Award for his work on the New Balance campaign "Feet on Head."
He has been writing music for LA’s monthly Channel 101 screenings since 2006 where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. It was through the Channel 101 community that he met Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland (the co-creators of Rick and Morty) and the rest is history.
The composer is... Ryan Elder
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/composertalk/support