Meet Mandy Hoffman | Composer

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

Hi Mandy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I always knew I would have to have an off-beat job that would bring me fulfillment. Both of my parents really hated their jobs and I saw the toll it took on them. I vowed not to settle for a job just to pay the bills, to keep searching until I found something I could be excited about.

Music had always been a part of my life, but I hadn’t considered a career in it until I was living in LA and met some film composers. Suddenly everything clicked and I thought I this was something I could happily do for a very long time. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, and marrying music to picture was magic! I love every aspect of the job of being a film composer.

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.
I compose music, most for film and TV, and occasionally for the concert stage. I absolutely love my job. Every project offers different challenges, but it always comes down to storytelling, which is just pure magic.

I was a singer/songwriter who fell into composing for film after so many people told me my music had cinematic qualities. Living in LA put me at the heart and center of that industry – I was surrounded by so many wonderful talents, and I was able to build a career organically. Many other composers start out apprenticing under other composers or performing one of the many other essential jobs that support music in film (i.e. music editors, orchestrators, etc), but I decided to stay the slow path of just letting my career build bit by bit. For awhile I had to support myself with other jobs outside of film music with work in restaurants and bars, and oddly that was where I got some of my jobs too; LA is an industry town with chances to connect with people anywhere. Eventually there was enough momentum for composing to be my main source of income.

I approach each project almost the way an actor does, through research and “getting into character”. As a filmmaker, you must serve the story first, and I always try to find the right musical palette to fit that particular story. Sometimes that means using completely new instruments or working with music that is outside of your comfort zone, which can be very exciting. But my first love is the orchestra, and feel most excited when I get to write for so many live players in such an expressive palette as an orchestra.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is really to just be myself and live my best life. Working in a such a competitive field can be frustrating and intimidating, but we can only be ourselves. Everyone else is taken! When we offer ourselves truly as we are, then we are bound to make some difference in the world.

I have also learned to love my community of fellow composers, and I have been very active in our industry. I am a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures, The Society of Composers and Lyricists, and I am currently a board member for The Alliance for Women Film Composers.

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 always love taking visitors to the Griffith Park Observatory and letting them take in the vastness of Los Angeles from the beauty of the mountaintop. Hiking to the top is the way to go!

I would also try and take them to The Hollywood Bowl for a picnic and concert under the stars – the best thing to do in LA! Hopefully we can get an invite to the Magic Castle and have a wild night there too!

I love downtown. Sushi in Little Tokyo, a visit to MOCA and some other galleries, and hopefully a trip to Walt Disney Hall to see a performance. Street tacos along the way, and some BBQ in K Town – or maybe find the Kogi truck and blend the both. And we need to go to a Dodger game.

We need to go to the beach, and Malibu is my fave place to go. I love the twisty terrain and not so crowed beaches, and then not too much further to Neptune’s Net at the county line. We can watch the surfers after we eat some seafood. Then maybe head down to Santa Monica and Venice and ride bikes on the beach and people watch.

We should see a movie too. I am still heartbroken that the ArcLight in Hollywood closed. The Egyptian Theater is wonderful – we’ll go there.

While the whole city is great, I’ve always been and East-Sider and love the down to earth qualities that part of town has to offer with galleries, small shops, and yummy restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Los Angeles was a magical place to be in the early 2000s. It was still affordable and so many wonderful artists, musicians and filmmakers were living in my neighborhood of Echo Park. It wasn’t overcrowded yet and we all just mingled together, supporting each other’s crafts. I became interested in scoring films after meeting film composers and filmmakers, and I started a long journey of studying composition and film music.

My director friend of mine, Azazel Jacobs, heard about my journey took a chance on me, hiring me to score one of his first features called The GoodTimesKid. I was in love! His film was so beautiful and reminded me of the intimate French films my father used to watch. Working in film was like working in a magical storyland. It was a bit of a trial-by-fire kind of situation, but it felt so natural at the same time and it turned out great. Luckily my first experience was with such a gifted filmmaker, and I often reference his school of thought when it comes to other work I’ve done.

That film led to others, which led to others, and eventually I had a career. I have luckily worked with Azazel many times again since that first time, which is always a pleasure. He gives so much trust and creative room to his collaborators. I would love to give a Shoutout to him!

Website: mandyhoffman.com

Instagram: mandyhoffmanmusic

Image Credits
Headshot by John Fell