Meet Andrea Bellucci | Music Composer for Films and Video Games

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

Hi Andrea, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As a music composer, risk taking is a big aspect of the job. You have to create and grow your position in a not-so-big market, and it’s basically based on the impression that you and your music have on people who get in touch with you and listen to your work.

There’s no such thing as relying on a sort of “product description” you could provide, I mean you can’t say “this is why my product (that is “my music”) is better than others'”: you just have to put your best talent and inspiration into your music, hoping that you’re good enough to make people understand and appreciate it. That’s the first and biggest risk.

In order to achieve that, you work long hours, nights, weekends, until you reach a certain level of self-awareness that brings you to a more peaceful state of mind, for yourself and people around you. But that’s not guaranteed, so here’s another risk, that’s basically you being trapped in your own passion and work.

In my specific case, I don’t come from a family of musicians, nor I attended any college course in the US. Plus, I’m from another country, too, so you take a huge risk not just because you come from abroad, but also because you have to build your own network really from scratch, gaining trust step by step.

And this is just my case, I’m sure lots of other composers have their own story with their risks, taken throughout their entire career. I think that the key is just accepting that you chose a “high risk” job (just in terms of succeeding at your job, of course), and basically enjoy the ride, if you can.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
If we consider the typical path of a student, who eventually will become a professional music composer, I didn’t have a standard path in my career, as I wasn’t enrolled in any major university in the US. And considering the huge benefit that a composer could get by attending an American college, and in Los Angeles, I feel grateful and proud of what I have been able to achieve so far, as I basically did it “all by myself”. I used quotes because it’s never really like that, as you always relate with people that will trust and help you, of course, but I mean that I did it without the support of an academic structure and network.

It’s hard to get to work with top-notch companies in movie and video game industries, especially when you’re trying to do it just by approaching people from abroad or via emails anyway, withouth attending festivals or conferences (I do that, but it’s a small percentage of my activity), so one of the things that I’m really proud of is that my music is my first helper, and a fair amount of people have been telling me now that my work just speaks for itself, which I think it’s not only one of the best compliment you may get, but it gives you a lot of good vibes and energy in order to face the challenges of a growing career.

Also, with all the struggle that comes with being involved in major productions, I learned that a positive state of mind is actually key to success, not only for yourself but also for how other people see you. This is visible through the first message you shoot, your first hand shake with a person, or your first demo for a new project and the way you communicate when you’re working with a team.

I learned that if you keep a positive, hopeful, and happy attitude, everything tastes different, and you look different as well, and usually people prefer to deal with positive individuals, so this is good not only from a personal, psychological point of view, but also from a professional perspective, and I’m just grateful I was able to understand that time ago.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First time I got to LA I stayed in a hotel on the Hollywood Boulevard (very close to the Kodak Theater, like I could get there with 2 minute walk). I know what they say about Hollywood, and I don’t know why but I totally loved the shock I had, and still do! It felt like I understood why people want to get here, and anytime I see the Hollywood sign from one of those streets, it’s kind of a reminder.

So whenever a friend comes to visit me, I alwasy want to bring them to the Hollywood Boulevard like first thing, but starting from the ocean, as I live close to it, passing through Downtown and then getting to Burbank. If you do this by car, not using the highway though, it gives you the best taste of LA in my opinion, because you see the ocean, the palms, the hills, the Hollywood sign, the lights, the Studios, and the sunset.

I think one of my top places is the Griffith Observatory, like me and my partner love to go there at the sunset, grabbing something to eat first (usually tacos), and just having dinner while the sun goes down: it’s magical.

And I’m Italian so I love my food, but I also love others’ as well, and LA is a paradise in this regard: for example, places like the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA have a lot to offer, but also restaurants in Venice or Santa Monica, of course.

I’d say that one week wouldn’t be that enough!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate the Shoutout to my partner in life, Marika, who has always been on my side, supporting me during hard times, laughing together in the good times.

Website: http://www.andreabellucci.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrea.bellucci.composer/

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