Meet Theodore Ramirez: Film Composer

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

Hi Theodore, how do you think about risk?
I believe we encounter risk as a constant part of living. We decide what risks are worth taking and what risks we should stand reserved for. Taking risks is what gets us out of out comfort zones and that’s where we grow. And sometimes, not taking a risk is a risk in itself because we end up looking back on those moments, wishing the outcome was different. I can attest most of my success to risk-taking that resulted in many short term failures. It highlighted what I was really passionate about and led me to pursue those things with more focus and determination. That’s a part of how my thought process works with risk taking.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m fortunate to have a career in Film Composing, which has been a huge passion of mine for a while! I’ve been involved in some for of music since middle school and somewhere around the age of 19, I decided I wanted to pursue music as a career. Drums are my first love and it took me to many places in my career. Pursuing film scoring has to be the most interesting career choice because I approached it with a purely passion-based headspace. I just loved writing music and connecting with the film. I was making money elsewhere so that hadn’t been much of a concern for a while. It was never easy though. Although todays technology has aided many people in modern composing and production, it’s still quite an incredible thing to compose music these days, especially to film. The biggest lessons I’ve learned have to do with how I value myself and my work. While I may value a composition of mine, it does not mean it holds the same value to someone else. And while I’ve monetarily undervalued myself and my work in order to get me onto teams I wanted to work with, I’ve always tried to produce a highly valued product which, in turn opened up other doors and opportunities. I’m still early in my career and feeling very blessed.

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.
For Food: Folks in OC, Apollonias Pizza in Hollywood, Pho 2000 in Silverlake/Echo Park area, and Mamas Brick Oven in South Pasadena. Hitting a few hiking trails would be another fun thing to do in town. If live music was back up, checking out some clubs would be a must!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Father, who has been the biggest supporter and encourager of what I do.

Website: www.theodoreramirez.com

Instagram: iamteddyramirez

Other: Pizzagram: @burymeinpizza

Image Credits
Mason Mitchell, Thomas Whitaker, Liz Brown