From that moment, I knew I had to make music.
Fast forward to the present, and I am a freelance composer and music producer writing for trailers, TV ads, film and TV.
I’ve been commissioned to write music for Film 4, BBC, Channel 4, Sky1 and have been a musical director at the National Theatre and in London’s West End whilst working with Oscar winning composer Stephen Warbeck.
I’ve written music for companies including Universal, EMI, WestOne, NinjaTune & ASX and have enjoyed placements with Apple, BOSCH and NBC Sports
I also run a writers circle of orchestral producers known as the Red Collective for Audiosocket | ASX. Together we produce high end music for theatrical promotion and advertising.
If you need music for a creative project feel free to get in touch for a chat
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How I got started
I started playing the clarinet so that I too could play the Wombles of Wimbledon. I hit fourteen and clarinet was no longer “cool”, so encouraged by friends and family, I switched to sax with the promise that “the sax player gets all the girls” (not true).
I was also enamoured with Guns & Roses and in a bid to be able to play Paradise City, purchased an electric guitar. Over the years I taught myself acoustic and electric guitar which became my principal compositional tools. I’d always had a strong sense of rhythm and, much to the dismay of my housemates at uni, I bought a drum kit and taught myself drums too.
Whilst music was ever present in my life, it was a long time before I understood that it could be a profession as well as a passion.
I tried having a ‘proper job’ and worked in an investment bank. After a few years I transitioned to marketing and helped get the Crazy Frog to number 1 in the UK charts in 2005. I often joke that I’m now making reparations for crimes against music. Although we did prevent Coldplay getting to number one so many would consider us heroes.
Eventually I took a leap of faith and quit everything to make music full time.
My Life as a Performer
My musical journey started as the artist (formerly known as) Acoustic Jim who in 2011, off the back of two EPs and an album, won the People’s Music Award for ‘Best Male Solo Artist.’
Following busking on the South Bank I was invited to play at the National Theatre as part of their pre show entertainment. That was the catalyst for a series of meetings which led to me becoming musical director of the play This House and working alongside Stephen Warbeck.
Years of live performance with my band and vocal training stood me in good stead as my band and I were an integral part of the show performing live on stage each night. This was my first introduction to working with a company of actors on solo and ensemble musical numbers. The role of musical director is to oversee rehearsals and direct musical cues in each evening’s live shows.
But for me music was always about the creative process rather than the spotlight. So after two sell-out runs at the National Theatre, I decided to hang up my performing boots in favour of working in the studio.
Why I love the studio – and what I make there
Being in the engine room, composing and producing, is my happy place. It’s where I find my flow.
I love crafting a piece of music, building it, fine tuning it and moulding it into something that connects with people.
My musical taste has always been eclectic. From Rage Against the Machine to Jamiroquai, 70’s Blaxploitation Funk to film score, I try to draw on all of these influences whenever I make a piece of music. Hoping to create something a little bit unique and always infusing it with a piece of my soul. Music is a way for me to explore the far reaches of my imagination.
My eclectic tastes are reflected in the range of musical styles I have mastered, and the different fields I work in:
Music for Television
My first TV commission was Strictly Baby Disco for Channel 4. A story of mothers living vicariously through their daughters’ dancing ability. The music had a sinister Tim Burton feel to it and the project was a steep learning curve in writing quickly both to spec and to picture
My first major production music project came through Filmic Folk for Universal Music. Whilst looking through Universal’s Music catalogue I found a gap. I set out to create an album of music to fill that gap by combining traditional folk instrumentation with emotive and panoramic strings. I also made sure that it was created using entirely real instruments.
I pitched the album to Universal and they published it and have subsequently commissioned Filmic Folk 2 & 3.
It affirmed that creating music simply for the love of it is an important notion that we composers shouldn’t lose sight of.
Music for Film
My love affair with film music started as an eight year old boy. I had a VHS cassette of Star Wars which I would ask to watch on a daily basis. The Star Wars film score to this day has a profound effect on me and John Williams is responsible for my fascination with music and the moving image.
I’ve scored several films, most notably the silent comedy Lucky Chicken directed by Gulliver Moore. When working with silent film, music becomes ever more critical in terms of providing character and creating a compelling emotional journey.
More recently I’ve scored Don’t Forget (2022) for the incredibly talented writer-director Mika Watkins. The film is a horror piece but also a touching examination of the mother/daughter relationship. This score required a much more deft and nuanced approach. At times I’m trying to unsettle the audience but at others trying to subtly underscore an emotional narrative.
Need Some Bespoke Music?
From self-taught musician to teacher of musicians
Other than achieving Grade 8 on Saxophone and receiving an A* for GCSE music, I am entirely self-taught. I have no formal compositional training.
I taught myself piano, which is a key compositional tool in the development of my orchestral writing.
Everything I have learned is through hard work and dedication; tirelessly listening to music and critically evaluating what I’m hearing. By breaking a piece down into its component parts, I can then reassemble or indeed build my own version.
It’s this analytical approach that led to me running a How To Write Music for Sync Course for Audiosocket at the beginning of 2020.
I worked with ASX, the exclusive arm of Audiosocket, as their lead orchestral music producer. My roll was executive producing albums of music for ASX’s movie trailer / theatrical promotion catalogue. At the core of this is a collaborative writing circle called The Red Collective.