Check Out Hillel Teplitzki’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillel Teplitzki

Hi Hillel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like many of us in the world of music for media, my journey began as a nerdy kid obsessed with music, video games, TV shows, and movies. I’d replay game levels or rewatch scenes just to soak in the music.

Growing up in an artsy family, we had a piano at home, and after hearing my neighbor play Rachmaninoff’s ‘Prelude in C-sharp minor,’ I figured, ‘Why not give it a shot?’ Naturally, I skipped right to the most dramatic pieces, totally ignoring the fact that I was just a beginner.

Eventually, I got serious about piano and studied it full-time with several teachers. I’d often get scolded for improvising on pieces, but instead of sticking to the script, I doubled down on improvisation. That love for creating music led me to Berklee College of Music, where I completed my master’s degree in composition for Film, TV, and Video Games.

By the end of my studies, I was lucky enough to snag a second scholarship from Berklee that helped me move to L.A. and kickstart my career. Honestly, my life would be totally different if that hadn’t happened!

Now, Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities. I love the quietness here compared to the chaos of our industry. I’m happily living in Studio City with my fiancée and our two adorable kittens.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is one that most artists know all too well—financial struggles. Back home, even though I was already working in music, the money wasn’t exactly flowing in. So when I finally got accepted to Berklee College of Music, it was a bit crushing to find out it was without a scholarship. There was just no way I could afford the full fee.

But instead of letting go of my dream school, I decided to revamp my entire portfolio and reapply the next year to really show my dedication. Thankfully, it worked out, and I scored my first scholarship, which made my whole musical journey possible.

But if I thought that was nerve-wracking, it didn’t compare to the anxiety of moving to Los Angeles without knowing a single person, just hoping I could ‘make it’ in a city with a pretty intimidating reputation. The first few months were tough, but I soon realized that L.A., like any city, is what you make of it. The people I met here turned out to be some of the kindest ever—and now, they’re the same folks I get to collaborate with every day!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work covers a wide range of mediums and genres, but the common thread is that I get to make music for fun, nerdy projects.

While I love freelancing, I was fortunate enough to experience life as an in-house composer too, thanks to my time at Blizzard Entertainment’s music department. That was a dream come true since Blizzard created some of my all-time favorite games!

Though I enjoyed my time there, I missed collaborating with my friends. So, after a while, I decided to leave the comfort of in-house work and dive back into freelancing.

That decision opened the door to so many exciting collaborations, probably most notably with the amazing composer and dear friend, Inon Zur—the genius behind the music for the Fallout game series, which recently had a successful TV adaptation.

From there, the opportunities kept rolling in. I worked with Inon on Starfield, which is now getting a collaboration concert with the legendary Imagine Dragons, and I even landed my first gig as a lead composer on a AAA game

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hillelteplitzki.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillelteplitzki/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hillel.teplitzki
• Twitter: https://x.com/HillelTeplitzki

Image Credits
Nina Teplitzki, Shalev Alon, Nir Shor