Alec Puro of Studio City on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Alec Puro and have shared our conversation below.

Alec, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
My first 90 minutes set the tone for everything that follows. I start by waking up and moving my body with some exercise, then hit the cold plunge to clear my head. Once the kids are out the door to school, I head straight to the studio. Once I’m settled, I do a quick 20 minute meditation to set my intentions for the day and then I clear out my emails and handle the administrative side of things. Once all that is completed I get to do what I actually love: composing music for film and television.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Alec Puro, an award-winning film and television composer. Over the past two decades, I’ve had the incredible fortune of creating music for over fifty films and thousands of hours of television programming—from Netflix’s Black Summer and Freeform’s The Fosters to animated series like DreamWorks’ The Mighty Ones. I also had the unique privilege of collaborating with Linkin Park on the film MALL.

In 2013, I founded Gramoscope Music, a full-service music production company that’s powered the sound for major productions like The Real Housewives franchise, Wicked Tuna, and the NBA 2K video game series to name a few. But I kept hearing the same request from content creators everywhere—YouTubers, TikTokers, indie filmmakers, podcasters—asking how they could access the same quality music we were creating for Hollywood.

That’s why I launched Viralnoise in 2025. It’s a royalty-free music subscription service that gives all creators access to 40,000+ professional music tracks and 30,000+ sound effects—the same Hollywood-grade audio previously reserved for major studios and networks. My goal is simple: make exceptional audio accessible to creators at every level, starting at just $8.99 a month.

What makes this special is that it’s not generic stock music. These are the actual tracks that have been battle-tested in blockbuster films, hit TV shows, and premium productions. For the first time, digital creators can compete on the same sonic playing field as big-budget productions.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
That’s a great question because mentorship has been everything to me. Early on, I was fortunate enough to work with some incredible artists, Jackson Browne, Robby Krieger from The Doors, and others who took time to engage with a younger musician figuring out his path. That taught me the real value of community in music.

Jackson Browne especially stands out. I’d written some songs and shared them with him for feedback, and he didn’t just critique the work, he saw how committed I was to the process and gave me a brand-new Fender Telecaster on the spot. That kind of generosity and belief in someone is something I’ve never forgotten.

Beyond those early relationships, I’ve learned a lot from directors I’ve collaborated with over the years—people like Jake Paltrow on The Good Night and John Hyams on Black Summer. Working closely with visionary filmmakers teaches you how to serve the story, how to listen, and how to translate someone else’s creative vision into music.

But honestly, the biggest lesson work has taught me is the importance of showing up consistently and being willing to learn from everyone around you. Whether it’s a sound designer, a director, or a fellow composer, there’s always something to absorb. That’s why I’m passionate about mentoring younger composers now. I want to pass along that same generosity that was shown to me. Some of my most important career moments came from people willing to share their knowledge and experience, and I believe in continuing that tradition.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I can’t say that I’ve ever given up on something. Work begets work and sometimes things have to get a lot harder before you can get to the other side. One challenge early on in my career was when there were stretches of significant downtime between scoring a film or scripted show. I never knew how long that downtime would last and, in some cases, it lasted long enough that I couldn’t pay my rent. That kind of financial uncertainty could definitely make someone question their path and potentially give up on their dream.

But in my case, this struggle actually became the catalyst for creating Gramoscope Music in 2013 – not just as a creative venture, but as a necessity to survive the gaps between scoring gigs.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Viralnoise. Without a doubt.

I spent two plus years building the Viralnoise platform from the ground up. And before that, I’d spent over a decade building the Gramoscope Music catalog—working on projects like The Real Housewives franchise, Wicked Tuna, The First 48 and the NBA 2K series to name a few.

The challenge was: how do we democratize access to this incredible library we’d built without compromising quality? That took time. Real time. Testing, refining, building out features like AI-powered similar search, track stems, licensing that actually works across all platforms. Two plus years of commitment because I knew it had to be done right.

To me, this project is longterm and something I will stick with no matter how long it takes because I believe in it fundamentally. It’s not just about business. It’s about progressing and changing things moving forward.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
Probably at the piano or playing the drums. Piano is where it all starts for me, no matter what I’m working on. When I’m sitting there with a blank slate, working through themes and ideas for a new project, that’s when everything else falls away. The emails, the business side, the logistics—none of that matters.

But if I’m being completely real, I think my absolute most peaceful moments are when I’m not thinking about anything work related and I’m away from the studio spending time with my family and just living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.viralnoise.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viralnoisemusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viralnoise/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viralnoiseofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@viralnoisemusic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@viralnoise

  https://open.spotify.com/user/31issxrqdlb5gfnvdtpjq7ycssjy?si=8ec1714e19f3443e