Film/Game Composer & Mastering

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Composing and arranging an original piece performed by The Louisiana Scoring Studio

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: Original music for your story, delivered polished and on time, with clear communication from the first conversation to the final master.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: "How many revisions do I get?" We agree on that before we start, and I share sketches early so we're on the same page before the big work begins. "Can you match my temp track?" I can capture the feel and vibe of your references while writing something completely original for your project. "Do you deliver stems?" Yes, in the formats your editor, mixer or team needs.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That the score is just background. Good film and game music is part of the storytelling - it shapes the story, tells the audience how to feel about a character, scene or situation, and can make an edit work that didn't before.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the story about, and what should the audience feel? Do you have temp music or references you love (or don't)? How much music is needed, and what's the deadline? What deliverables do you need (mix, master, stems, loops)? What are the budget and licensing needs?

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started piano at seven and became a multi-instrumentalist across many genres. I attended college for music production and audio engineering, founded and managed my own recording studio, and moved into composing for film, games and media full-time. I've been producing music for over 20 years. Today I'm the lead composer and mastering engineer at Stellar Sound.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I typically combine orchestral scores and acoustic instrumentation with electronic elements like synths and processed sounds. I try to find a unique sound or approach for each project, and then build on that.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The use of silence in a score is just as important as the music, and learning how to use it and when to use it properly can make or break a scene. Sometimes less is more.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Mostly cinematic and soundtrack work - orchestral and hybrid scores for film, documentary and games, often blending classical instrumentation with synths and sound design. Projects range from documentaries and narrative shorts to trailers, commercials and video games.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Writing music that serves the story, and elevating the emotions of a scene with sound.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is built for hybrid scoring and mastering. I have a wide range of acoustic instruments, a collection of analog and vintage synthesizers (including some passed down by artists like Tycho, Kimbra and Jim James of My Morning Jacket), and a full analog mastering chain with gear from Bettermaker, WesAudio, SPL, Cranborne Audio, Universal Audio and more.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I am mostly inspired by composers and artists who blend multiple genres and styles, or blend orchestral scores with electronic elements. Ludwig Göransson, Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury, The Newton Brothers and Ramin Djawadi to name a few.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Most of my work is original scoring for short films, documentaries, trailers and games. Clients usually come to me for the complete package: composing, production, sound design, and mixing and mastering, so the music arrives polished and ready to drop into the edit or game.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog synths provide character that's hard to fake, even with the best VSTs and plugins - and many of mine are vintage instruments with real history, some heard on popular albums. Digital allows precision and flexibility that film and game scoring often demands. Depending on the project, I start with one or the other but usually end up using both in the final mix.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: 1. Discovery: I watch the picture or play the build, and we talk through story, characters, references, timeline and deliverables. 2. Themes and sketches: I write the main ideas first and share them early, so we agree on direction before the detailed work begins. 3. Scoring and production: I write to picture, orchestrate, and build the sound with orchestral, electronic and sound design elements. 4. Revisions: we refine together based on your notes. 5. Mix, master and deliver in the formats you need.