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

Hi Jared, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
You know that feeling when you are itching to do something? When you are really craving a certain kind of food, or say you are at work, sitting at your desk, but all you can think about is getting home to watch the show you are binging, or play that game you started last night? That is how creating music is for me when I’m doing something else. There is no off switch for it either!
There is always some sort of melody or musical idea running through my head. I’m constantly tapping on things or trying to turn household objects into unconventional instruments to create unique sounds from.
I chose to pursue a creative career because I love storytelling, I love inspiring people, and I can’t live without music.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am very fortunate to be able to write music for a living. Scoring to picture is definitely a unique skillset and art form that is crafted over time and experience. I’ve had some amazing opportunities to write music and work on incredible projects such as, Making a Murderer, Jane the Virgin, Star Wars Rebels, Hell on Wheels, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Badland, and more. Getting where I am today was definitely not easy and I am always working to improve and grow as an artist. There are definitely sacrifices involved when growing your profession as an artist. For me it was years of 60-70 hour work weeks, doing nothing except living and breathing TV/Film Music while working on 6 simultaneous primetime shows at one point. Then working on a number of independent films and projects that gained traction and led to more projects to collaborate on.

I believe the biggest challenge in my profession is translation with other filmmakers. Everybody interprets music slightly differently. A piece of music can evoke 5 completely different emotions from 5 different people. Through the years, I have gotten very good at understanding and interpreting a producer/director’s vision in order to enhance the project with music. Getting it right quickly is a very very important skillset when it comes to scoring television.
I am a multi-instrumentalist that loves blending organic and synthesized sounds to create unique textures. I often utilizing this with my traditional music training and modern composition techniques, to help give my music a new yet familiar sound.

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.
Well firstly, I love food and finding great local spots. You have to get authentic Mexican food while in Southern California. There is actually a Don Cuco restaurant right by my house in Simi Valley that is amazing! The same owners as the Burbank location that was featured in an episode of Rick & Morty. I love going to Korean BBQ places with friends, always a good time. I think Jasmine Thai Cuisine in Porter Ranch has the best Thai food in the valley (they have a couple other locations too). I love the beach and taking my corgi to the beach!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people responsible for helping make me who I am. Starting with my parents and my wife for their support and encouragement in my career! My private instructors Cindy Bradley and Geoff Nudell, for their teachings from the very beginning through the end of college. As you could imagine, being able to play and perform an instrument is a vital part of knowing how to write for musicians! The biggest mentors in my composing career are Marc Mann (Danny Elfman, ELO, George Harrison), Kevin Kiner (Star Wars Clone Wars, CSI: Miami, Making a Murderer), Brian Friedman (Ike & Tina Turner,Michael Bloomfield), and Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us, Brokeback Mountain, Babel). Their career’s each respectively speak for themselves, but I owe them all great gratitude for their guidance, teachings, feedback, work opportunities, tips, tricks, and support!
I’d also love to give a shoutout to some amazing people that have given me invaluable advice throughout the years and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them: Mason Gordon, Alicen Schneider, Heidi O’Dell, Charlie Haggard, Larry O. Williams, Steve Bauman, John Tempereau, and Benjamin Charney.

Website: JaredFormanMusic.com

Instagram: instagram.com/jaredf920

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-forman-3bb34120

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUB2yqPRU49WHyg_MI353sQ

Other: imdb.me/jaredforman

Image Credits
Photos taken by Mark Maryanovich or other

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