Composer Richard Marvin joins the show to discuss his illustrious career working on such gems as U-571, Six Feet Under, and of course, 3 Ninjas (1&2). Sit back and have a listen as Richard and Jake chop it up!
GIANCARLO VULCANO
Composer Giancarlo Vulcano joins the Pod to talk about his work on the upcoming USA series, “Briarpatch,” starring Rosario Dawson. Vulcano is incredibly proud of his work on this show, as he should be. The score is not your run-of-the-mill sort of thing, bold choices were made, and the work speaks for itself. So sit back and have a listen and go checkout Briarpatch on USA, premiering February 6th.
BRANDON CAMPBELL
On our first show of 2020, Jake sits down with Composer Brandon Campbell. They discuss coming up under the wing of Ramin Djawadi, and growing his solo career. Brandon has vast experience working with some of the most talented people in this industry and was kind enough to share some of the insight he has picked up along the way. Sit back and have a listen as Jake and Brandon discuss the wonderful business of Film/TV Composing.
NATHANIEL BLUME
Composer Nathaniel Blume joins the show to discuss his work on Fox’s Prodigal Son, working with Blake Neely on The Flash, and much more. have a listen and Happy New Year!
JAKE MONACO
Composer Jake Monaco joins the show to discuss his work on the Disney+ “Forky” shorts, Netflix’s “Dumplin'” and a whole lot more! Sit back and have a listen!
RAMIN KOUSHA
Jake sits down with accomplished Composer Ramin Kousha to discuss his work on the new apocalyptic thriller, “RadioFlash,” his work on “Sharknado,” and much more. Sit back and have a listen! See below for Ramin’s Bio:
Ramin Kousha is a classically-trained film, TV and video game composer based in Los Angeles. Having developed a trademark style of composing that combines electronic and orchestral music, Ramin has scored nearly 50 projects in less than 10 years. He most recently scored IFC Midnight’s thriller drama Radioflash, starring Dominic Monaghan; as well as the comedy 1st Born, starring Val Kilmer and Denise Richards; and the sci-fi thriller 5th Passenger, starring Doug Jones and Tim Russ.
Ramin also scored the critically-acclaimed Iranian film The Warden which screened at the Cannes International Film Market, BFI London Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival winning numerous awards.
In addition to composing for film, Ramin scored the PlayStation video game Detroit: Become Human and has worked on commercials and trailers for Mazda, G-Tech, and Shelter Insurance. He’s also contributed music to numerous TV series including E!’s Keeping up with the Kardashians and I Am Cait, the History Channel’s Great Wild North, Discovery Channel’s mega-popular Shark Week talk show Shark After Dark, Discovery’s true crime series Killing Fields, and the UFC channel.
Born and raised in Iran, Ramin was classically trained in music from the age of six. After realizing his passion for composing, he studied and worked with well-known Iranian classical composer Ahmad Pejman, and then moved to the US at the age of 18. Ramin earned his degree in music composition from California State University, Northridge and is especially skilled at piano, synthesizers and Persian/Iranian instruments such as the santur, tar and ney.
TODD DROOTIN
LP Guru Todd Drootin calls in to discuss the biz, his favorite albums, and the state of the market. he has a wealth of knowledge and is incredibly interesting. Sit back and have a listen!
GEORGE SHAW
Composer George Shaw joins the Pod to discuss his work on Youtube’s Escape The Night, how he became such a short-form master, and much more. Sit back and enjoy! (See his bio below).
Multi-talented composer George Shaw made his mark on the music world collaborating with many of YouTube’s top personalities and creating music for diverse projects including film, TV, video games, trailers and online content. As a result, George’s music can be heard in YouTube videos collectively amassing over 300 million views.
George currently scores YouTube Premium’s longest running web series ESCAPE THE NIGHT, and previously composed for the Geek & Sundry channel including Wil Wheaton’s YouTube series TABLETOP. George is best known for creating the viral YouTube hits STAR WARS MUSICAL and NETFLIX MUSICAL starring Glee’s Harry Shum Jr.; and also worked with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, to pen the song “Ode to Geeks,” celebrating Lee’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Geek Awards, which George music directed from 2013-2015.
Furthermore, George has collaborated with top YouTube personalities: NigaHiga, Kevjumba, Wong Fu Productions, Michelle Phan, Jeremy Lin, and the Fung Brothers; as well as popular musical artists: David Choi, Clara C, Jason Chen, Abraham Lim, Paul Dateh and Dawen.
In addition to a variety of YouTube projects, George has created music for more than 17 feature films and 60 short films, including Oscar-nominated producer Li-Kong Hsu’s BABY STEPS; HANG LOOSE, starring Kevin “Kevjumba” Wu and Dante Basco; and UPLOADED: THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT, a documentary about a generation of Asian American artists finding a voice through new media. George’s TV work includes producing tracks for performances on AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, and licensing music to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and MILLIONAIRE MATCHMAKER.
In addition to composing, George has orchestrated noteworthy films including GHOST RIDER, THE DARWIN AWARDS, KISS, KISS, BANG, BANG and ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES.
George studied composition and film scoring at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, taking part in its world-class Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program, where he studied under Christopher Young, Frank Ticheli, Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke. He previously was selected to participate in the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop and the BMI Conducting Workshop. In 2007, he was a Film Independent Project: Involve fellow, a filmmaker mentorship program that paired him with Emmy- nominated composer Christopher Lennertz. Currently, George is one of eight composers selected to the Universal Film Composer Initiative, the first Hollywood studio program to nurture diverse voices in composing, and includes mentorships with executives from Universal Film Music and DreamWorks Animation.
Based in Los Angeles, George plays clarinet, piano, guitar and a variety of exotic woodwind instruments from around the world. His plans for world domination include earning an EGOT, becoming more famous than Irish-playwright George Bernard Shaw, and perfecting time travel.
SHIE ROZOW
Jake sits down with Composer and Music Editor, Shie Rozow to discuss his work on “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” and much more. Sit back and have a listen!
Throughout the past 20 years, composer and music editor Shie Rozow has worked on major international blockbusters including AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, OZ: THE GREAT & POWERFUL and HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY. As a music editor, Shie has earned 16 Golden Reel Award nominations, including two wins for CHICAGO and IMAX: DEEP SEA. He is currently the music editor of Hulu’s WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA and DC’s upcoming live-action series STARGIRL. As a composer, he previously scored the award-winning indie features JASMINE and CAPTAIN HAGEN’S BED & BREAKFAST, as well as John Singleton’s BET show REBEL.
Shie studied at Berklee College of Music where he completed the four-year composer program in just five semesters (“being broke is a great incentive,” he explained). After graduating, Shie moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a composer, music supervisor, and music editor at Alan Ett Music Group (now Spirit Music Collective), overseeing more than 650 hours of music for series including INTIMATE PORTRAIT, BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY’S MYSTERIES, and MODERN MARVELS.
Later Shie became music editor Richard Ford’s assistant, helping on films such as TRAINING DAY and ABOUT SCHMIDT. Shie quickly went on to become an in-demand music editor himself on films including CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CORPSE BRIDE, THE KINGDOM, and the Oscar-winning drama HUSTLE & FLOW. A fan of superheroes and comics, Shie was also the music editor on SYFY’s KRYPTON, CW’s ARROW and SPIDER-MAN 2 & 3.
In addition to composing and music editing for film and TV, Shie also writes concert music and released his first concert album MUSICAL FANTASY in 2016.
CHAD CANNON
Jake sits down with Composer Chad Cannon to discuss his work on Barack Obama’s first documentary for Netflix, “American Factory.” See below for a more extensive Bio!
Composer Chad Cannon has traveled the world drawing inspiration from cultures, history, and human stories to create moving scores for documentaries, animation and live performances. His debut soundtrack for the documentary Paper Lanterns received an IFMCA (International Film Music Critics Awards) nomination for Best Original Score for a Documentary, and was lauded as “haunting, mystical” by The Japan Times; while his soundtrack for Cairo Declaration, co- composed with Xiaogang Ye, received China’s highest film prize, the Golden Rooster Award for Best Music. Chad most recently scored Netflix’s documentary, American Factory, which won the Best Director Award for a Documentary at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is the first film released by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. His other recent works include a symphonic Americana score for PBS’ documentary CyberWork and the American Dream, as well as scoring Chris Meledandri and Illumination Studios’ animated short, The Dog Days of Winter.
Beyond composing, Chad has arranged and orchestrated for several of the world’s most beloved film composers. As chief arranger for Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, Chad has created large symphonic suites for Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away, that have been performed throughout Japan and East Asia. He also created the arrangements for the Joe Hisaishi Symphonic Concert: Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, which has been performed on four continents to continually sold-out audiences, including Carnegie Hall. Chad’s arrangements also comprise more than half the score to Hisaishi’s August 2019 animation release, Ni no Kuni (Warner Bros. Japan). In Hollywood, Chad has worked under Conrad Pope on scores by Oscar-winning composers Alexandre Desplat (Secret Life of Pets 1 & 2, Godzilla) and Howard Shore (The Hobbit trilogy). He also worked under Tim Williams and Tyler Bates on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the upcoming summer blockbuster, The Fast & The Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Furthermore, Chad is recognized world-wide for his concert works that frequently explore human emotion through the lens of cultural history, and often include visual or literary elements. His commissions and collaborations include: Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, The Barlow Endowment for Composition, Hub New Music, Julia Bullock & Davóne Tines, Farallon Quintet, The Bridge Piano Quartet, Kyoshin-An Arts, Nuo Spiritual Dance & Art Foundation, Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Thailand International Composition Festival, and Chamber Music Connects the World (Kronberg Academy).
Later this year, conductor Kahchun Wong and the Nuremberg Symphony will premiere Chad’s newest concert work, Himmelserscheinungen (Sky Visions), inspired by photographs of Antarctica by Christopher Michel. In 2018, Chad’s composition for Julia Bullock’s performance of “A Dream Deferred: Langston Hughes In Song” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was praised by The New York Times as “subtle, agile,” and with “vividness of emotion.”
Fluent in Japanese, Chad is the founder of the Asia/America New Music Institute (AANMI), which promotes cultural diplomacy through contemporary concert music. With AANMI, Chad has produced chamber music concerts throughout Japan (including Okinawa), Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the United States, featuring some of the world’s most impressive young classical talent.
Chad is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where he studied music and Japanese, and alumnus of Juilliard, where he studied composition. He is also an alumnus of the Sundance Composer Labs – Documentary (2016). He currently lives in Los Angeles.