This time, we speak to Sam Thompson – an Emmy-nominated film composer from Preston, Lancashire specialising in vocal composition, contemporary orchestral and electronic scores. He is best known for his scores for the BAFTA-winning comedy drama Juice, Emmy-nominated JFK: One Day in America, and his collaborative scores with Amelia Warner including the feature dramas Mr Malcolm’s List and Young Woman And The Sea.
What would you say to someone considering joining The Ivors Academy?
I would say that it’s vitally important to join. The Ivors is as close as we have to a union and its strength grows bigger with its membership. The benefits such as networking events, contract templates and business advice are great.
How did you land your first big opportunity in the music industry?
I was immensely lucky to start work for Ben Foster as his assistant almost straight out of music college. He very generously gave me that opportunity when I had few skills but a very willing attitude. That has directly led to a lot of my work like with other composers such as Nick Foster and Oli Julian but also more indirectly gave me a lot of the skills and experience I needed to learn like orchestration, running a spotting session, juggling jobs and managing clients.
What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
I remember really early on that Jake Jackson at AIR said to me ‘work hard and don’t be a dick’ and that has really stuck with me. I’m always conscious of the fact that it’s so important that the people you work with enjoy working with you. I think you can be hugely talented but if you’re awful to work with then no one’s going to ask you back.
What’s a recent project you’re particularly proud of?
I finished my first solo album earlier this year and that has been a real labour of love for me. I’m really proud of it from a musical perspective but also an emotional one as it feels like I’ve developed more of the technical skills I need to be able to express myself more fully.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I’d love for ghostwriting as an exploitative practice to be completely gone from the industry. We’ve been working on a code of practice within the Media Council, which is coming soon, and I would love for the industry to use that as a benchmark for how to work with people, especially younger emerging composers.
