Meet Juan Carlos Enriquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Carlos Enriquez.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a film, TV and video game composer, arranger and synth programmer originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. My journey so far has led me to fantastic opportunities that I could have never dreamed of, such as contributing to movies and TV shows like Narcos (Netflix), Furious 7 (Universal), Fate of the Furious (Universal), The Girl In The Spider’s Web (Sony), The Commuter (Lionsgate), xXx: Return of Xander Cage (Paramount), and the recent TV show reboot of Lethal Weapon (Fox), to name a few.

I studied Film Scoring in Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and moved straight to LA two weeks after graduation in 2013 without a job and just hoping for the best. I was lucky enough to land a composer’s assistant gig a couple of months after moving. I worked for that composer for about nine months learning everything I could about the technical aspects that entail writing and producing music at a high level and on a deadline, as well as navigating the challenges that every composer must face while working on a project, and how to best overcome them.

Shortly after, I actually started to branch out as a freelance composer, arranger, and electronic/synth programmer for other composers in town. Modern production schedules in film, TV and video games nowadays are generally so tight composers need a support team which can include assistants, music editors, orchestrators, and engineers, but very frequently also include other composers that work under his or her direction that help them in different roles throughout a project. They contribute by either adapting existing musical ideas to scenes (arranging), enhancing pieces of music with additional production (programming) or writing new material or themes all together that can go hand in hand with the music the composer is also composing (additional music).

My first real credit on a film was on the remake of Robocop where I supported in a technical engineering capacity composer Pedro Bromfman (Narcos), with whom I have continued to work and collaborate with since. Pedro has been a great mentor and supporter of my career. People don’t get to where they are without the support of others in the industry that believe in them. I have been very fortunate to have been supported along the way by multiple people, including other composers, music editors, orchestrators, and engineers.

After that, one recommendation led to another and before I knew it I found myself living my dream of working in Hollywood projects on the writing, arranging or production teams of top composers such as Brian Tyler (Crazy Rich Asians), Roque Baños (In The Heart of the Sea), Robert Lydecker (Iron Fist, Designated Survivor), Pedro Bromfman (Narcos), H. Scott Salinas (A Private War), and Christian Wibe (What Happened To Monday), to name some.

Since 2013, I have worked on around 70 projects (according to my IMDB), from big ones, like Furious 7, to medium ones, like the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game, which was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and small ones, like indie feature and short films by AFI and New York Film Academy students. That number averages out to about a project a month, every month since 2013, so it’s been a busy and wild ride so far! Time does fly when you are having fun (and are sleep deprived).

Most recently, I wrote the music for the Mexican feature film Ni Tú Ni Yo (EPOCA, Corazón Films), a Mexican comedy with a lovely emotional story about a father and daughter. It was a very international project with the music being written in LA, the solo musician recordings happening in Mexico and Canada, and the orchestra being recorded in Bratislava, Slovakia. The soundtrack album is available now on all platforms, including iTunes and Spotify.

Right now, I am contributing to a few other fun upcoming projects, but can’t talk about them just yet!

Has it been a smooth road?
There has been a lot of struggles, absolutely! The freelance life can bring some financial challenges and instability, so it is essential to be organized with your finances and diversify your income streams as much as possible.

Some projects take a long time to pay you, or the fees are spread out across months once a particular project milestone has been achieved, so you have to factor that in some way when making any sort of financial decisions or investments. Besides that, the main struggle is dealing with the frequent short deadlines and fast timelines that these kinds of projects have and how to balance that with your own personal life and health.

I am still in the process of figuring how to navigate that particular work/life balance challenge best. Sometimes it feels like there is no balance but rather a way of life. It varies from person to person and also evolves depending at what stage in their lives and careers they currently are at. Younger people can afford to invest more time, energy, and risks into their careers without as many sacrifices than older people with families. It is a never-ending challenge for everyone.

Because of this, I am also always trying to improve my skills and knowledge to be faster, more efficient, and better at what I do. There is a saying I heard somewhere that highlights this importance, and it says: “When the time to perform under stress comes, you don’t “step up to the challenge” – you actually “fall” to your max level of skill.”

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have had the honor and pleasure of working on many projects varying in style and scope, so an important aspect of the music services I offer is that I am always flexible and musically versatile. That is a part of this type of job that I love – I am not tied to a particular style, I can re-invent myself in every new project. One day I may be working on an action film with heavy synth work and big orchestral sounds and the next on an indie movie with surf rock guitars and banjos. But even though the styles change, I think it is crucial for your own voice to break through. That is what ultimately can set someone apart, and it is something I am always aiming to achieve in my work. I am currently focusing on expanding the type of projects and type of musical styles that I have done in the past. I am aiming to explore uncomfortable places, musically speaking, so I can grow as a composer and collaborator.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like about our city is that it is such a fantastic hub for creatives that come from all around the world. The level of talent you can find in every discipline is unreal, from musicians to chefs, to actors, and athletes. The best of the world come to LA to start or continue growing their careers, so it is a very inspiring city to be a part of.

The thing I like the least about LA is that, because it is such a big film industry hub, it can be easy to suddenly find yourself in a high-stress bubble and forget that there is more to life than just working in the industry and everything that comes with it.

Every time I return to visit family, in Mexico or in other parts of the US, I am always amused that everything and everyone seems so slow paced and relaxed in comparison. Related to this, I also find it a bit funny that just like you one day start not noticing the palm trees like when you first moved, you also start not noticing that most billboards in town are about upcoming TV shows, movies, or FYC posters and how that is not normal for the rest of the world. In Guadalajara, Mexico you would be lucky if you spot only a few movie billboards in a week of driving around town.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.juancarlosenriquez.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/el_juan_carlos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuanCarlosEnriquezMusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcenriquez
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/9XTqadoPjFc

Image Credit:
Carlos Montaño

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