Conversations with Andres Gutierrez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andres Gutierrez

Hi Andres, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a composer from Guadalajara, México. I specialize in writing music for media (film/tv/video games). The dream that propelled me into the journey which brought me to LA started about two decades ago, when I first fell in love with making music.

My father had a small electronic keyboard when I was a kid, which he would play every now and then. One day, he found among his a dusty old box full of sheet music from his youth, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, all classical stuff. I had never really paid special attention to his playing until he started going through those pieces, and I was instantly gripped. Something deep within me responded very strongly to that music. It was strangely visceral — that music had a timeless depth to it that called me towards it. I then asked my father to teach me the basics of music reading so I could play through those books, and once I got the hang of it, I started devouring any sheet music I could get my hands on. It didn’t take long before I started attempting to write my own music, which awakened in me whole new appetite for learning music theory and composition.

I was about twelve years old when I decided I would become a composer. I was experimenting with notes and chords every single day after school and reading everything I could on the subject. It was around this time that the next signpost in my path appeared: film music. Movies like The Lord of The Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Village had recently come out, and the soundtracks were absolutely fantastic. Classical music was the pinnacle of artistry as far as I was concerned, but the music that film composers were writing had a whole new dimension of innovation within orchestral music. Not only was the music an essential part of the story, but the musical language was so interesting to me that I started gravitating towards that career path.

It was through reading about my musical heroes that I found out about Berklee College of Music in Boston. This was the only music college in the world with a specialized degree in film scoring. The likes of Howard Shore (composer for Lord of The Rings) and Alan Silvestri (Back To The Future, Forrest Gump) had graduated from it! It became my goal to attend Berklee, which, for a kid in Guadalajara, Mexico in my socioeconomic position was pretty much impossible.

Up until high-school my musical education had been pretty scattered. I had taken a few lessons here and there, but up to this point had been mostly self-taught. I knew that the only way into Berklee was through a scholarship, and I knew I had to step up my musical knowledge before attempting to obtain one, so I enrolled into a three year program at the University of Guadalajara Music Department, where I formalized my studies in harmony, solfege, and other essential skills. Once I completed that program, I auditioned for Berklee and was able to secure a scholarship that allowed me to attend.

My time at Berklee was insanely formative. I was surrounded with extremely talented people who shared the same dream as me. I was taught and mentored by professors that have shaped my perspective in a deep and lifelong way, and most importantly, I met the people that have now become my closest collaborators.

It’s been six years since taking a leap of faith from Boston to Los Angeles, and I have been tremendously blessed to be surrounded by a group of friends and colleagues that have aided me in my growth as I navigate my way through this wild career. I now work with a team of people that I met back at Berklee, and have had the chance to write music for some fantastic projects such as Call of Duty: Mobile, and a ton of music for international trailer campaigns for numerous films.

Every day is supercharged with learning and discovery, and every new project I tackle comes with a golden lesson that expands the creative possibilities of my music, and for this I am tremendously grateful.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Every step of the journey comes with what seem to be unsurmountable obstacles on every front — practical, financial, emotional. For the first part of the journey, money was certainly a problem. Yes, tuition for Berklee was covered, but I still had to deal with living expenses, which was an impossible ordeal for my family back home. Thankfully, every obstacle I’ve encounter seems to come in tandem with a corresponding army of angels. There has always been someone opening doors for me when I least expect it, and so I was able to survive and graduate with the help of countless friends and selfless people I met along the way.

The second big obstacle was moving to Los Angeles after graduation. I had no job prospects, no money, and was on the last legs of a student visa. The uncertainty was so unbearable that it made me reconsider my dreams, but just as before, this crisis came with a miracle, and I was able to stabilize and find a job writing music with the help of a wonderful friend and fellow composer.

Additionally, every day comes with its share of struggles. As an artist, you are always exceedingly aware of your own limitations, and there seems to be an ever-present unbridgeable gap between your vision and your skills. Every project has stretched me to beyond my limits and it has forced me to expand my abilities. However, every obstacle has a blessing in disguise, as it activates untapped potential and has the energy to propel you forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I write music for media, and I especially love writing for full symphonic orchestra.

If you ever watch trailers for new shows on Netflix, Hulu or Apple TV, chances are you’ve listened to my work. I was fortunate enough to arrange the music for the international advertising campaign of the Academy Award winning and Golden Globe nominated film “The Color Purple” and my music can be heard in television spots for “Dune: Part Two”, “Alien: Romulus”, and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, among many others.

I have also written original themes for several seasons of Tencent’s “Call Of Duty Mobile”, (Radical Raid, Siren Song, Digital Dawn, Veiled Uprising) as well as in-game music for the NetEase Games’ “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” and “Onmyoji”

I am currently working on my first solo album, which will feature choral music with live orchestra.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The pandemic certainly taught me to adapt and develop creative resilience. It takes a lot of gumption to keep honing your craft when the world suddenly enters a state of deep uncertainty. The film industry was severely affected by this period, and me and my colleagues had to find new avenues to remain creatively active. Thankfully, we were able to work writing music for video games, which kept us afloat. I learned to find the silver lining in truly uncomfortable circumstances and to tap into that extra reserve of tenacity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andresgutierrezmusic.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/remilegend