Meet Joshua Meehan | Songwriter & Media Composer

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

Hi Joshua, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think that the most important thing for any creative’s success nowadays is to remain authentic and to stay consistently producing. There are three main factors working against creatives in my experience so far; decreasing budgets, a saturation of the workforce (job scarcity), and the advent of artificial intelligence. It is very hard for media composers to find consistent work early in their careers because of this. There’s more prospective film composers than ever, even when you land a gig the budgets are tight to turn profits and low budget productions may be more tempted than ever to turn to library music or even new advancements in AI music solutions. The answer to this, and what I strive for is to be as authentic as possible. Ever project that I am hired for I critically think about how can I best service the story, and also what unique elements can I bring to this that other composers haven’t thought of. I’m not saying I am reinventing music, however there are ways to fully make a film score your own. For example I was scoring a film about a deaf student who was encouraged by his mother to open up to her through his love of legos. I incorporated sounds of legos into the score and came up with musical ways to evoke the challenges of living with a cochlear implant. Sure, this film could have been made with stock “emotional film music” but you would lose out on the bespoke, tailored approach that was so personal to this film and the director. I think in the end these challenges serve like a whetstone to sharpen our skills and filter out those not willing to hone their craft.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Wether I am scoring film, tv or games, I think what sets me apart from most of my peers is that I have always been the type to know what it is that I am good at. In the scoring industry, it can be hard to find work or even just talk about yourself to directors and other creatives if you do not understand what your sound is. I am very confident in that I know my sound to be warm, sincere and raw. I am drawn to smaller scale, intimate stories, that may seem small in physical scope, yet hold big nuanced messages. I am very interested in scoring not the obvious, but the subtext and the subliminal meanings. It is very challenging to understand your sound because we want to do it all and say yes to every project – and you can absolutely do that – but I find it easier to be a specialist in a certain vibe. I also think that in the way I understand my sound, there is room for interpretation and growth. Whereas a composer might say ‘I write for action’ or ‘I write for comedy’, the way I described my sound doesn’t limit myself to a genre a film, but rather a perspective or mood that a director is going for. I am thankful for the Columbia College Chicago Music for the Screen Program for giving me the time and space to discover this. It was here that I learned there are so many approaches to scoring the same film, and that is how I figured out that it is possible to maintain your unique sound, while scoring any genre of project.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a very lowkey person. I prefer good company with good views or a chill vibes over the excitement that some find in a packed club. If a friend were visiting me we are most definitely hitting either or both of my favorite towns, El Segundo and Culver City. El Segundo reminds me of back home on Long Island. There are tons of bars and restaurants and it is so close to the beach, which I prefer down in that area over the tourist trap of Venice Beach. If you want a little bit more of an Instagram aesthetic we would go to Culver City. The lights at night on the street and hanging out by the steps, it is a great time because you get really pristine vibes without a huge crowd. The citizens public market there was the first place I tried sushi and my mouth still waters when I think about it. I also found my love for the outdoors after moving here and my go to spot that is less than an hours drive from me is to hike to Eagle Rock out in Topanga. I have taken 4 groups of friends now with a fifth lined up for May.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been incredibly lucky to have had impactful mentorship throughout every stage in my life. Looking back, I would like to take a moment to highlight my early music teaching during high school. I was afforded every musical opportunity at Half Hollow Hills High School East on Long Island, NY. I am forever indebted to my wind ensemble/jazz band teacher Robert Belanich, band teacher Monica Benstock, symphony orchestra teacher Leanne Strom, and choral director Danielle “Doc” McRoy. I would also like to shoutout Bill Finnerty who I got to briefly take AP music theory with and test out the (then) newly recording studio. I got to record an original song in the studio and while it’s rough for me to listen to early work from myself, I am grateful he encouraged me to do it and take that first step.

In terms of honing my musicianship and performing abilities there was an extensive selection of different ensembles to join, and I was lucky to participate in all of them. My teachers at times having to figure out which ensemble I was to perform with when schedule conflicts arose. It is through them that I was able to participate in award winning ensembles, and travel to perform in venues like Disney World, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. They exposed me to such diverse music that continues to inspire me and my work daily.

Each of them not only encouraged my career aspirations of composing music, but also awarded me time with their ensembles to have my work read/workshopped/performed and even recorded. Any composer will tell you that their lives ultimately change for the better when the have the first experience of hearing their work performed live for the first time. I would use these recordings to gain acceptance into the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

Website: https://www.joshuameehancomposer.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuataylormeehan/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNPpJrfFmWW3aOexqyrav5g

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rHbMcGjhgWKcxpK7cCrew?si=AWseAFDgQSGHVnHq0IkXFg

Image Credits
Winnie Liu