Meet Stuart Michael Thomas | Composer for Film and Television

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stuart Michael Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stuart Michael, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Showing up. By far that’s the most important. I’ve seen gifted musicians and composers have an opportunity in front of them and squander it through inaction or laziness or just not being able to deal with the demands of the industry. Any time I didn’t put in my all, as you’d expect, it affected my career negatively. You have to be 100% there to succeed at any level. A friend of mine told me long ago that Hollywood is a war of attrition and I’ve carried that idea with me since that day. You have to hang on and keep showing up.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been a musician pretty much my entire life and for the last 20 years I’ve been working as a composer for film and television. I started out trying to be a rock star and played in several bands in my teens and 20s but I was always drawn to film and television as well so going into this part of the industry almost seems inevitable in hindsight.

Not long after I moved to LA I got recommended for a gig to work as an assistant to Jim Dooley. At the time, I was working in a commercial post house recording and mixing VOs so I had Pro Tools experience which really was more important than any musical talent I had at the time. From that point on all my gigs have come through recommendations.. Jim was working out of Hans Zimmer’s studios and through Jim I met and went to work for Blake Neely. Blake and Hans recommended me to James Newton Howard. I met Lorne Balfe while we were working on the Dark Knight way back when. So the word of mouth thing has always been a boost for me. This goes back to the idea of giving it your all when you have the opportunity. I try and throw everything I have into my work.

The hardest part of all of it has been staying out of my own way. The challenge is always to remain focused on the goal but of course you don’t have a chance of reaching that goal without balance. Career, Relationships, Health. There have been times I faltered because I let those those fall out of balance.

But going back to why I do this, there’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when the right music is played against the right visuals. I love being a part of that. Hearing an orchestra perform your work. Collaborating with people that are all so immensely talented you can’t help but push yourself to be better. Seeing how your work helps move people emotionally. It’s beyond rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s a tough one since I am the indoorsiest of indoor people, especially since Covid. But I love being in my studio whether it’s writing, just noodling on guitar, or reading. For a great locals hang I would take them to The Tavern in El Segundo. Coolest little place and it’s where I met my wife…

Beyond that, some time at the beach, a trip to the Getty and the LACMA, The Comedy Store, and probably too much time at music stores.

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?
Well for one, Musicares! The film industry and the music industry alike are notoriously difficult to navigate abe stay healthy as it were. Musicares provides such an amazing safety net for those in the business.
Everybody I’ve worked for and with have helped me one way of another and I could go on for hours about how much I feel appreciate and admire them but in particular I’m extremely thankful to James Newton Howard for helping to get my career started when I “went solo” and to Lorne Balfe for being tremendously generous with his friendship and mentorship in recent years.

Website: https://www.stuartmthomas.com

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stuthomasmusic

Image Credits
Mandalyn Forbes, Chris Loupos