Danilo Stankovic is a composer based in Vienna, Austria. He draws his passion and drive from his curiosity and love for music in all its eclectic forms. His early interest in music grew as he formally started studying classical piano and music theory at age six and envisaged becoming a concert pianist. Danilo then studied music composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts and at the Music Conservatory in Vienna. He is formally trained as a classical pianist and composer. Additionally, Danilo attended various film scoring masterclasses with Hollywood composers Alexandre Desplat, James Newton Howard, Richard Bellis, and Bruce Broughton. This inspired his decision to pursue a film-scoring career.

His music can be heard in short films, radio and television advertisements for major brands, movie trailers, TV shows, internet campaigns, and arrangements for vocal artists. His credits include music for major brands such as Mastercard, Nintendo, LinkedIn, Toyota, Microsoft, Netflix and many more.

When did the journey start for you?

My family introduced me to classical music at a very young age. We used to listen a lot to classical music on the radio and cassette player. When I was five years old, I was listening to my older brother practicing piano. I would then play his exercises and music from the radio by ear on the piano. Since then I started attending music school playing classical piano and learning music theory at the age of six.

Who are some composers/artists you pull inspiration from?

To name a few: Alexandre Desplat, John Williams, Thomas Newman, Bernard Herrmann, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Stravinsky, Chopin, Ravel, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Keith Jarrett.

What do you do to decompress after a long day in front of the monitors?

I like to take long walks in the city and spend time in nature.

Other than your studio, where does inspiration most often strike? (Or rather “Where is the second place you come up with ideas?”

Definitely when I am in nature. I find a lot of inspiration in the mountains.

Which instrument(s) do you have the most fun playing?

I used to play the trumpet but nowadays I like to play Kalimba for fun.

What was your latest gear purchase?

Expressive E – Touché.

Is there a piece of music you’re most proud of?

“Pieces” for Solo Piano. I feel grateful that this track reached over one billion streams on TikTok.

What are two things you’re most proud of? One musical/professional, one personal. No humility allowed.

Doing what I love and dreamed of since my childhood. I am proud that through music I am able to reach and inspire many people around the world. A personal achievement that I am proud of is when my wife and I hiked and camped for 14 days during the Tour du Mont Blanc, crossing France, Italy, and Switzerland by foot for 200 km (124 miles).

What’s your favorite score of the year?

1917.

What’s your favorite score of all time?

Other than Star Wars, The Ghost Writer.

Evan Wilson was fortunate to cross paths with Jordan Passman at an ASCAP composer workshop back in 2009, right before the genesis of Score a Score. After a lunch at a New York City Whole Foods and delicious pastrami at Canter’s in LA, a steady collaboration began, leading to artistically rewarding projects such as the Netflix docuseries, Fearless, Chef’s Table, a prominent trailer for Fox Searchlight’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and numerous commercial placements. Evan works across disciplines, producing music for film, television, dance, theater, podcasts, and more. His score to the movie La Soga (2009 Toronto International Film Festival), won an award for best music in a feature film at the 2010 Oaxaca International Film Festival. Other highlights include: Forged (2010 NYILFF and 2010 LALIFF), A Kiss of Chaos, a Latino thriller (2009 American Black Film Festival and 2009 NYILFF); Salvage, (2006 Sundance Film Festival); Tryst, released by Maverick Entertainment; and Rise of the Dead, released by Lionsgate.

When did the journey start for you?

Music has always been around as my grandfather was a choral conductor and music educator. I still play and record his beautiful 1930s Steinway baby grand! After six years of dutiful piano lessons, I discovered guitar and Hendrix. In a way, Hendrix was the gateway drug to being a serious musician. What an artist! That led to Oberlin Conservatory and many years of technical training across genres.

How do you decompress after a long day in front of the monitors?

I love to cook, and the kitchen is often my happy place. I also practice and teach tai chi, which definitely helps calm the nervous system.

Which instrument(s) do you have the most fun playing?

The guitar has always been my real love, even though my chops are unfortunately a bit rusty these days. I picked up a Cordoba mini guitar during quarantine, which is really fun to play. It plays like a guitar but has a uke sound.

Is there a piece of music you’re most proud of?

The score I wrote for La Soga is one of my favorites because it was written early on when I was less focused on what film music “should” sound like. The film itself has a very poetic visual style and married well to my music.

Other than your studio, where does inspiration most often strike? (or rather, “Where is the second most common place you come up with ideas?”)

Usually looking out the window into the open sky, or when taking a walk.

What are two things you’re most proud of? One musical/professional, one personal. No humility allowed.

I love that I’ve carved out a nontraditional career that’s become fruitful. I’m proud that I stuck to this unconventional path despite lots of difficult and trying times in which I questioned my life choices. The freedom to pursue work I love is a priceless reward, and I bow humbly in thanks to the universe often. In this, the professional is the personal, and vice versa!

Who is your favorite composer, and why?

One composer is too tough, but I relisten to Arcangelo Corelli’s “Violin Sonatas” more than anything else I think (specifically Andrew Manze’s interpretation). They have a beautiful balance between Italian melodic grace and sophisticated harmonies.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

“Believe in yourself” – my dad

GHOSTLAND is the brainchild of Nicolle Chirino and Aaron Fishbein offering a never-ending well of music and creativity for the world of entertainment and advertising. Placements include Google, Trolli, JanSport, Crest, Western Union, Audible, Verizon, Eliquis, TikTok, Salesforce, Cisco, Wawanesa Insurance, Zillow, Direct TV, Reverie, TrailheaDX, Bydureon, Bauer Healthcare, MasterCard, Sprint, Theme for The George Lopez Show, and more.

Nicolle is a Miami-based singer-songwriter/producer, daughter to renowned Latin musicians, Willy Chirino and Lissette Alvarez, and granddaughter of Cuban music & TV stars, Olga y Tony. At a young age, she started playing the Miami music scene as a guitarist, singer, backup singer, bassist, and even a drummer with local and global acts. She attended the New World School of The Arts for musical theater in high school and studied music production at SAE Institute. When she was a teenager, she and her four sisters formed a band, The Chirino Sisters, who were signed to Sony and won the global song and music competition, the OTI, for the US; the second time ever in its long history.

She also won the very first Florida Grammy Showcase as a new artist and then signed with Universal Music Publishing as a songwriter for 15 years. She has written songs for acts from the U.S., Sweden, Europe, and Latin America and composes music for film, TV, and ad campaigns. Nicolle’s solo music merges several genres blending her sultry voice and acoustic guitar with pop music, indie rock, bossa, jazz, and classic rock & soul. She also has recorded, toured, and performed with several groups, both as the artist and as a backing musician with well-known artists.

Aaron grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio studying classical music and graduated from the Creative and Performing Arts High School, then attended Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music studying music composition. He ultimately moved to Miami and got into the recording studio at Miami-Dade College, which opened many new doors. As a recording musician and writer, Aaron has worked with famed producers Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, Big Bert, and Kara Dioguardi, and has learned along the way working with leading recording engineers Jimmy Douglas, Dave Pensado, Bob Rosa, Dave Way, Tom Lord-Alge, Dave Ivory, and Gary Noble.

Aaron is well known for his work as a musician and writer on platinum pop albums. His talent can be heard on recordings with megastars such as Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Enrique Iglesias, The Notorious BIG, and Quincy Jones. He has also written and produced ad music for many major international brands. Before he entered the production world, Aaron had a strong stint in the reggae music scene as a guitarist. He recorded and performed with various Marley family members, performed at Sunsplash Jamaica, toured with Austin, Texas band The Killer Bees, and recorded with legends Sly and Robbie in Kingston, Jamaica.

When did the journey start for you?

Nicolle: Growing up with parents, grandparents, and sisters who were/are musicians, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t sing and write songs. The memory I do recall was finding out that everyone didn’t sing or play instruments and thinking that was so weird and kind of feeling sorry for them.

There was a time though when my father sat me down when I was 15 and warned me that the life of a musician isn’t always easy and has many ups and downs and that if that was the path I chose, to do it only because of the love for the craft and not for fame as that can come and go. Here I am many years later. Although it hasn’t always been easy, I’m still feeling the love.

Aaron: My mom has told this story so many times that I think it’s true. When I was a toddler I wandered off in a department store, and when they found me I said I was trying to find where the music was coming from. Piano lessons came soon after, then guitar and French horn. I’m fairly certain I’m the only person who’s played Mozart’s horn quartets and recorded guitar with Michael Jackson LOL.

What’s the strangest method you’ve used to get the perfect sound?

Nicolle: I don’t know about it being the strangest method, but the strangest thing I’ve ever recorded for a song required several mics, a bucket of water, and different household items being dunked inside to produce a water dunking splashing sound. There was also lap-slapping percussion. There was definitely some compression required.

Aaron: Back in the olden days, I made a break for a song by setting a cassette Walkman across the room, putting it on record, and playing a fill on a snare drum. I then sampled that into an Emax II sampler, played it in reverse, then forward. It sounded perfect on the track. Not sure if that’s strange, but damn we used to go to all kinds of lengths to get sounds.

What was your latest gear purchase?

Nicolle: Weirdly enough my last purchase for the studio was an Amazon toy instrument binge where I bought a Kazoo metal trumpet, a slide whistle, a classical toy piano, a harmonica, and a xylophone. I also bought an Artiphon Orba, which is a handheld synth, looper plus controller to add to my rig for live shows.

Aaron: Retro Instruments OP-6 mic preamp – this thing sounds amazing on anything with any mic. 

Is there a piece of music you’re most proud of?

Nicolle: That’s a hard one. I’m usually most proud of the last thing I write or produce, no matter how silly. That moment is fleeting though, which is what keeps me wanting to make more.

Aaron: I’ve played guitar and bass on singles for Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, but I was more proud to play on a Trick Daddy song with Ronald Isley – everything came full circle and I was following in Jimi Hendrix’s footsteps!

What’s your favorite score of the year?

Nicolle: The one that comes to mind is by a friend, Carlos Rafael Riviera, for The Queens Gambit. Great show and the music is compelling and beautiful.

Aaron: DEVS – Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow and The Insects

If you were stranded on a desert island with one album on your walkman that somehow never ran out of power, what would it be?

Nicolle: This is impossible, but I just went on a road trip and listened to Songs In The Key of Life by Stevie Wonder from beginning to end and it made me laugh and cry and sing and reminisce. I remember being almost sad when we got there and feeling like I could listen to it all over again on the way back. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac anytime, anywhere!

Aaron: Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould, always puts me in the best frame of mind.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Nicolle: The best advice I think in life and in music is to listen. As Miles Davis or Debussy or whoever said… “Music is the space in between the notes.” That has always rang true to me and I think about that every time I’m producing, composing, and even playing solo or in a band. Often less is more and gives space for what needs to be heard and come through.

Aaron: When I was 20 years old, I was touring with reggae bands, and I wound up spending a lot of time with Bob Marley’s lead guitar player Al Anderson. I said something to him about how cool it must be to get all the adulation when he’s on the road, and he said, “Man, it’s not about all that. It’s about that moment when you’re on stage and your guitar and your amp are singing, and the mix between your monitor and what you’re hearing coming back from the front of the house is perfect. That feeling is what it’s all about.” It took me another year or two to get it, but those transcendent musical moments ARE the reward.

Max Farrar is an LA native who grew up surrounded by music. His father John is a successful songwriter/producer (“You’re the One That I Want” and “Physical”), and his mother Pat is a talented singer and pianist who toured the world in her twenties as a solo act and as a duo with Olivia Newton-John. His brother Sam is also a talented songwriter/producer and is part of the music group, Maroon 5.

After spending his early twenties in a band, Max eventually tried his hand at remixing. This led to producing and writing songs both for artists and commercials. He is a platinum-selling songwriter/producer with two Latin Grammy nominations, most recently writing and producing songs for Lewis Capaldi, The Script, and Au/Ra. His songs have been featured in major video games such as Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Death Stranding. His commercial compositions have been licensed by clients such as Lockheed Martin, Verizon, and Activision.

When did the journey start for you?

I started playing piano when I was very young, so that was the true beginning. But when I was probably nine or ten years old, my dad let me borrow his Roland synth, which was the first time I used anything with a sequencer on it. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was the first time I could record and layer tracks, which really blew my mind. That was when I went from wanting to learn more piano to wanting to be a producer/composer.

What’s the strangest method you’ve used to get the perfect sound?

There was one time I couldn’t figure out what to use as the main looping instrumental bit under a pop/rap-type track, and was getting extremely frustrated. In an attempt to step away from ‘work’, I was showing my wife a new plugin I was trying called Zynaptiq Pitchmap, which would let you shift an entire piece of audio in real time to fit a scale. I told my wife to sing something, but she isn’t a singer and just made some gibberish sounds that were completely atonal. But I threw them into Pitchmap with the song’s chords, and magically it became this really interesting flute-like melody. So, massive accident, but it worked!

What do you do to decompress after a long day in front of the monitors?

Video games and binging TV shows!

What was your latest gear purchase?

Avatone Mixcubes, although I’ve been building a new home studio, so I haven’t actually used them.

What’s your favorite piece of gear in your studio?

I got a Prophet Rev2 a few years back and while I don’t use it all the time, I always turn it on if I’m looking for inspiration. Fantastic sounds and the oscillator slop knob is so cool.

What’s your favorite score of the year?

The last two years I guess, but I think the music on Killing Eve is phenomenal. So unique!

What’s your favorite score of all time?

Oh wow! I’ll say a few… John William’s theme to the movie Sabrina always blew my mind. Random, I know. I’ll always love Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” and “Reverie.” Lastly, the music of the first fifteen minutes or so of Up… I cry every time, without fail.

Who is your favorite composer and why?

It’s hard to nail down a favorite composer but I do think Hans Zimmer was probably the most impactful for me, especially with the Inception soundtrack. It really sparked a renewed interest in composition for me and drove me to learn a lot more synthesis.

Jonathan Paulsen grew up in a musical family and started writing music in early high school. He created and arranged pieces for his marching band-mates, where he played the tenor trombone – and he also began learning the nuances of digital audio creation. This turned into somewhat of an obsession, and going on to attend the University of Oklahoma on the National Merit Scholarship, he received a degree in Music Composition under the instruction of Dr. Marvin Lamb, graduating with distinction in 2012. During those years he wrote both for the OKC student film circuit as well as his electronic side project, PrototypeRaptor. This project has taken him around the country performing shows and has generated over 3.5 million streams to date, eight albums, and numerous remixes and singles. After graduation, he focused on his production and composition endeavors while living in Dallas, Texas. Working closely with Score a Score on custom music and library tracks has led to placements in major campaigns for Android/iOS and Windows, as well as uses in Shameless on HBO and Shadowhunters on Freeform.

When did the journey start for you?

I started with piano lessons in elementary school, but I didn’t get into writing music until I was 12. I ended up dropping piano to play trombone in middle school band class and wanted to do brass arrangements for my friends to play. This led to the discovery of DAWs and then lots of (terrible) early-2000s-inspired electronic music.

What’s the strangest method you’ve used to get the perfect sound?

I have a didgeridoo I use more often than I should to get samples for experimental basses. It works surprisingly well.

Other than your studio, where does inspiration most often strike?

Almost without fail, as soon as I get up and start a chore, or have somewhere to be and can’t write, I’ll get some kind of idea. It’s always a matter of remembering it until I get back! I use a voice memo/journal on my phone to try and keep some record of things. Also, during showers. Zoning out is paradoxically the best thing for productivity I’ve ever done.

Who are some composers/artists you pull inspiration from?

I listen to a lot of different music. I try to absorb whatever I can to be ready for anything and to pull ideas from radically different genres for tracks.

I usually have radios going on Spotify to try to find new music to check out. They made it so much easier than crate digging. Straight from my recently played list:

Debussy, Stravinsky, Trent Reznor, Rachmaninoff, Aphex Twin, John Murphy, Holst, Martin O’Donnell, Pendulum, Nobuo Uematsu, Ghost in the Shell, deadmau5, Porter Robinson, Two Steps From Hell, Zapp & Roger, Muse, Justice, Chic, Bruckner, and Feed Me. This is already too long I’m sure so I’ll stop there.

What’s your favorite piece of gear in your studio?

My secret weapon is the Silver Bullet by LouderThanLiftoff. It’s the closest thing I know to a ‘betterizer’ that keeps me from spending a whole day tweaking a snare drum or trying to get a vocal to sit right.

Who is your “guilty pleasure” artist?

More of a genre, the 2000s europop I grew up with. Cascada, Eiffel 65, Scooter, Basshunter, Caramell. So sugary and sweet, it hurts so good. Also, Smash Mouth. Fush Yu Mang is legendary don’t @ me!