Meet Timothy Shortell | Music Composer

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

Hi Timothy, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
In addition to composing film scores, a lot of the work I do involves writing and remixing music for movie trailers. Most people aren’t aware that trailers and marketing for films are usually handled separately from the film itself, and this also applies to the music side of things. Specialized companies called trailer houses are commissioned to edit trailers which then go through a rigorous approval process by the studio and filmmakers. Trailer houses work with trailer music publishers who each have a team of composers writing catalog and/or custom music. In many cases, trailer houses request custom remixes of songs or original music for specific trailers, which usually require a tight 1-3 day turnaround. It’s an extremely competitive industry– multiple trailer houses, publishers, and composers compete for a single trailer or TV spot, cycling through several different music options and extensive rounds of revisions. Landing custom music in a trailer is a rare accomplishment made all the more rewarding by the difficult process. Ever since I landed my first custom trailer music placement at the age of 19 and had the incredible experience of hearing my music played in movie theaters, I’ve devoted a lot of time to composing and remixing music for trailers. It’s a unique type of media music that has helped expand my musical vocabulary to a wide range of styles and genres.

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 began playing the piano at the age of 6, began composing/producing music in a digital audio workstation at the age of 16, and became the youngest composer to ever land custom music in a major theatrical film trailer at the age of 19. Since then, I’ve been working as a composer full-time while also pursuing a degree in music composition at Occidental College (studying with Adam Schoenberg and Jongnic Bontemps). I’ve contributed music to trailers, TV spots, and advertisements for Sony Pictures, Universal, Prime Video, NBC, Paramount+, Riot Games and many other companies. In addition to writing music for trailers, I compose music for films, TV, video games, and other media. I also write concert music and have had works performed by professional orchestras and chamber ensembles. It certainly hasn’t been easy getting to where I’m at today, and it continues to be a challenging road involving countless hours of work and stressful deadlines. But it has also been extremely rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s so much to do in LA, it’s hard to narrow it down to just a week’s itinerary! I’m still pretty new to the city so still have a lot left to discover myself. But based on what I’ve done so far here, some essential places I’d be sure to take my best friend would be Griffith Observatory, Zuma beach in Malibu, a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, the Getty, and one of the many great hikes in Altadena. Spitz in Eagle Rock has great food and Perch in downtown is perfect for drinks and a rooftop view. I love how much there is to explore here!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thomas Bergersen, the co-founder and composer for the group Two Steps From Hell, played a huge role in getting my career off the ground. In 2020, he organized a grant to award one young musician $3000. I was selected as the winner of the grant, and that allowed me to begin the transition to working on music full time. It was also a particularly meaningful accomplishment for me since Bergersen’s music is what inspired me to begin writing my own music when I first discovered his work several years ago, and he has remained my greatest source of inspiration ever since.

Website: https://www.timothyshortell.com

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/timothyshortellmusic