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

Hi Monika, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to pursue a career in composition because of an innate need to interpret the world around me through art. I am obviously passionate about music… but a lot of my hobbies outside composition are also related to creativity – I love reading, visiting art galleries, theatre, and more recently, videogames. Composition for media fascinates me as a unique path where you can combine musicality and dramatic storytelling.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I fell into film scoring sort of by accident – I scored a short film by Evgeniya Kazankina, who was a friend of a friend. Funnily enough, even though that particular scoring process included complete rewrites and organisational issues, I still loved the sense of purpose that it gave me and the opportunity to tell a story with my music. I tried to learn more about writing for media and got sucked in, I guess! That first collaboration grew into a continued partnership, during which I scored her consequent short films – including RIO, that won at a bunch of international festivals, including ZINEBI Class A Festival. We also worked on advertising specials for companies such as Gucci, Tiffany&Co, Puma, Yandex.Go, Unifarious and so on. My biggest advertising gig up to date was writing a jazz noir jingle for a property company commercial, that was used on TV, Radio and Youtube in Russia.

This first collaboration led on to more work both in independent film and advertising. I was lucky to collaborate with directors from different countries on short films that secured more festival screenings/wins: Newborn by Oli Greck (UK), Bath by Roma Glova (Russia), TwoBears by Anthony Florez (US). Of course, after moving to Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to meet more exceptional filmmakers.

The lesson that anyone that moves to another country learns is that in humility, I think. In many ways, you start over. I had the benefit of having lived in an UK so my language skills were up to snuff when I came to LA, but the culture shock was still pretty significant… On top of that, coming to a place that has so many people that are truly exceptional in what they do – you eventually learn to trust your path, and not compare your successes to others’ achievements.

As a composer, I am happiest when I can combine my background in orchestral/instrumental composition with my love for sound design and electronics. I have been lucky to have a training that helped me to become a well-rounded composer, but I would say my strengths lie in the fields of the fantastical, the dark and the dramatic: LOVE sci-fi, fantasy, psychological horror… Coincidentally that’s also mostly the genre of films that I have had the pleasure to work on so far.  However, I am also particular to historical epics and dramas!

Right now I am working on a few independent film/game projects that I am truly excited about! There is a mobile game that I can’t say too much about at the moment – except that it’s going to be a lot of fun and an hommage to classic 2000s games, blending drum and bass and string writing. I am also finishing music for a short film “Aya With Him”, where I had the chance to explore combining contemporary drama writing with Arabic motifs and Arabic instruments (the main characters come from an Islamic background).

Finally, I am contributing custom sound design and additional music to a feature film in development, collaborating with composer Patrick Kirst.

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.
The thing I learnt about Los Angeles is that there are SO many great spots to eat at!!! So an ideal week would certainly have a day where we stop for a Boba from Taiwan Fruit Tea (perhaps after a day spent on the beach in Santa Monica); and on another day we’d have hot pot in one of Chinese restaurants in Pasadena, followed by a leisurely stroll (definitely taking the time to see the Pasadena City Hall). Then there is Downtown LA with endless bars and bakeries, and a fun night out in Arts District; Glendale with Armenian and Georgian restaurants, and the Americana at Brand; Koreatown, Thaitown, Little Bangladesh….
And obviously all things Hollywood and industry related: Universal Studios, the Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, GRAMMY museum… Got to do all the touristy stuff too!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I have had the privilege of being mentored/taught/advised by many people of exceptional talent and kindness at different stages of my music career, but I would like to dedicate this shoutout in particular to my teachers. Two people encouraged me to make a move to Los Angeles: Andy Hill, who mentored me for around a year; and the late John Ashton Thomas, who I studied with in my last year of undergraduate studies; and my private instructors during my time at USC – Peter Golub and Patrick Kirst, both exceptional composers and educators that helped me to start navigating composing career in Los Angeles.

And – my family, always, in the “this-goes-without-saying” category!

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonikaMiaComposer

Youtube: youtube.com/@monikamia4857

Image Credits
Christian Amonson

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