Check Out Michael Sutherland’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Sutherland.

Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
So, my path to where I am today, writing music for media, was a bit unusual. My father was a university researcher, doctor, music lover, and hobbyist guitarist. I feel like my dad was such a passionate listener, and he would write these songs (entirely by ear) that could bring you to tears. Even though he was self-taught, I feel like the passion was really there for him, and that rubbed off on me.

Eventually, I ended up asking to take piano lessons, and my parents obliged. I had pretty bad ADHD and it was a struggle for me to pay attention during the lessons, even though it was my idea. I recall one day, the instructor told my parents that I was unteachable and she would no longer give me lessons. It’s a real hit to a seven years old kid to hear that. I gave up on piano lessons, and I started getting engrossed in the worlds of science and literature.

In middle school, I had a teacher who heard my singing voice and thought I had a knack for it, so she asked me to join the choir. That boosted my confidence a little bit, and I started writing a lot of songs – like two or three songs every day.

This continued until I was about 15 years old, and I started making instrumental tracks in Logic Pro X. I recall that a lot of friends and family would always describe how they felt about my tracks by illustrating whatever scene it brought to their mind. That definitely stuck with me – I think that’s when I started to feel like, “Hey, maybe music for media is something I can do?”.

At the time, I was still totally convinced I was going to be a doctor. I applied to college to study at a new pre-med sort of program that was just starting up at Florida State University. The course load was pretty intense, and after a year or so, I was feeling like I didn’t get any joy out of studying medical science anymore. There was a period of like a week where I spent all of my time just asking myself what I want to do with my life. Eventually, I realized that the only thing in my life that made me truly happy was writing music. I tried to transfer to the music department, but they basically dismissed me when they found out I have essentially zero training and wouldn’t be able to pass the auditions, even on my primary instrument (piano).

But I really believed in myself, and I believed that if I make a great plan, study hard, and invest in myself, then I still had a chance to get into the music for media business. My sophomore year of college, I switched majors to Psychology in order to make more free time for music. Whenever I wasn’t studying or in class, I was making music, reading textbooks on theory, orchestration, working on my mockup skills, and getting very deeply involved in music technology. Before I knew it, I was speaking the language, replacing electronic components in my own rack units and romplers, fabricating all of my own cables, engineering all of my own sessions, and going out of my way to nose myself into having my piece performed at the music college (as a non-major).

Eventually, I applied to grad school for film music. I worked like crazy to write the best music I could, and I learned a lot in the process. Eventually, I was accepted to the Master’s programs at USC Thornton, NYU Steinhardt, and Berklee College of Music.

USC had been my goal for years, so I decided to go there. I moved all the way across the country, away from everyone I knew – it was a total switch-up for me! Los Angeles is a whole different ballgame. I met a lot of amazing people, including the love of my life, while I was there. After graduating, I felt like a whole different person. A lot of the lessons took a while to sink in – I feel like I have sudden realizations to this day!

Since graduating, I’ve worked for Henry Jackman (X-Men: First Class), Christopher Young (Spider-Man 3), amongst others. What I’ve learned is that the most important thing in this industry is having a can-do attitude, being punctual, and providing value to everyone around you. It’s an interesting business in that your friends are your employers. And that brings me to now!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In my junior year, my mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer. It completely destroyed me. My greatest rock and supporter was gone from my life. We’d seen it coming for a while, so she and I had a lot of deep conversations about what she and I wanted for my life, what my dreams were, et cetera. She was a deeply accomplished and thoughtful person, and I always trusted her advice implicitly. She told me that she really believes in me and my music and told me I should chase my dream. So, I applied to grad school for film music.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So, as a visual media composer, I work writing music on all sorts of projects. Games, animation, film – you name it! At the end of the day, my goal is always to write music that stays true to myself and to the soul of the project. My specialty is combining great classic orchestration with legit production to create a sound that’s the best of both worlds. Plenty of composers are either completely orchestral and don’t understand electronics or completely focused on the “digital orchestra” hybrid sound (which oftentimes isn’t realistically orchestrated). I spent a lot of time honing a sound as a person who can really make everything coalesce. I’m most proud of my work transitioning boundaries between cultures, production methods, and writing styles.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Definitely, all of the time that I spent listening to my dad play guitar. It’s a shame that he doesn’t record those songs for the world to hear – I think it’s really amazing stuff. Maybe I’ll have to berate him into it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaelpatricksutherland.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_sutherland_/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sutherland-03895b106/

Image Credits
Michael Sutherland