Meet Giacomo Lamparelli | Composer and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Giacomo Lamparelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Giacomo, why did you pursue a creative career?
The short answer is: that’s what I always have been doing all my life. I have been in music since I can remember, from when I was 6 learning to play piano all the way through my studies in Conservatory and following in Berklee. I started doing small gigs even while studying, from teaching to music copying, to production, to playing. After my studies I moved onto freelance composition and production – which has been my main focus ever since, despite taking some temporary side gigs as assistant/orchestrator/teacher along the way. All the income I ever generated has always been related to music somehow, so I never had any reason to look for other career paths.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Being my main focus composing music for multimedia, what makes me the most excited is when, after several meetings with the producer/director/creative team, we finally manage to find a distinct musical signature that enhance the story we are all trying to tell. It kind of bring the whole puzzle together, and it’s one of the highest rewards my job has to offer. Weather I’m working on a custom project or production music for sync, I always strive to make the best out of what I am composing, and seeing the sheer amount of placements I’m getting in hundreds of TV shows I never even heard of, in a way tells that producers and editors are finding my music useful to enhance and push their content forward, which is at the end of the day what my job is all about.

The path to where I am now hasn’t been a smooth ride. It’s a highly competitive and saturated market, where your “success” is dictated by a delicate balance between exceptional skills, good connections and timing. I do believe that if someone is really great in what he/she does, and doesn’t live under a rock, sooner or later is gonna make it – but definitely networking and people skills are essential and critical assets in today’s freelance landscape.

The main lesson I learnt along the way is to not take anything for granted. As a freelancer, the whole ecosystem client-opportunity-gig is something that not necessarily will present itself again in the future. You might win a pitch for a project, you might do a great job for your client, everybody is happy “and looking forward working with you again”. Which is true, but until that actually happens you cannot count on it, regardless on what people promises you. One of the mistakes I did starting out was to assume that every new big gig was going to raise the bar to a new standard level, and building the wrong expectations around it. Whereas the reality is that you might do one big job followed by three small ones, then another two big and another one small, etc.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I would definitely show them to the main touristy areas (Venice, Santa Monica, Chinese Theater, Griffith Observatory, etc). I have a couple of small gems that I’d like to take them to, such Hinano Cafe in Venice – a little dive bar full-on surfer vibe where you can eat some of the best burger in town in a really easy going environment, or Cabo Cantina right across the street, for some fun times drinking margaritas and enjoying some great Mexican food. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, a bunch of businesses I really liked had to close down for good, such as Bibo Ergo Sum in WeHo (they used to have amazing cocktails) so I guess I’ll have to wait for new ones to open to find worthy replacements for these gems.

A sure stop would be at my friends at Pasta Sisters in Culver City – they make some really legit fresh home-made pasta that makes me feel right at home.
For friends more into some cultural stuff, The Getty and The Getty Villa are always great spots. As well as LACMA or the Wende Museum with parts the of Berlin’s Wall. A little pearl is the Stahl House, an iconic, glass-welled modernist house that if visited right before sunset, will show you L.A. slowly starting to light up at night as the sun goes down – magical!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout definitely to my parents! I know it sounds cliché, but they have been there every step of the way more than anybody else. From my dad’s first piano lessons, and my mom’s guitar lessons, to supporting me during the harsh years in Conservatory, all the way through my studies in the US. Especially being them coming from just a “normal”, non-artistic professional background (still passionate with music, but nothing more than a hobby), their open-mindedness and trust that one of their sons could pursue a life in the arts, making a living off of music – especially considering how hard is to do that in Italy – still amazes me to this day and keeps making me realize how lucky I am to have such a family. Second shoutout to my Berklee professors Dr. Andrea Pejrolo, Joe Carrier and Sheldon Mirowitz – they showed me a clear path on how to transform my music skills into a full-time carrier in a competitive industry, giving me a motivation and focus that has paved my professional life to this day.

Website: www.giacomlamparelli.net

Instagram: jacklampa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giacomolamparelli/