Daily Inspiration: Meet Dylan Love

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Love.

Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was young, I always knew I wanted to be creating music in some way. I used to record little bits of music on my parents sony cassette recorder and then layer them while playing along on the piano. I knew then that I loved to write music and that the music for the movies I loved were my biggest inspiration. I was born in New York, raised in Texas, have lived in Chicago and now live in Los Angeles. The journey here has been a long one! After completing my undergrad (which took much longer than was needed as I kept adding majors, bouncing from wanting to also study physics to endeavoring to learn German), I was in a bit of a tough financial spot and didn’t really know the way forward. I was teaching piano, drum, and guitar lessons at a small music shop in Texas while also teaching beginning German to 8th graders in Dallas. I loved working with these awesome kids but knew that I was letting my dream of being a film score composer escape me. I decided to drop the steady income and full send into the world of film music. I applied to various Master’s Film Scoring programs and I ended up choosing Columbia College Chicago. The hands-on experience I got there was amazing and it completely changed my life. Since finishing the program, I’ve interned with Bear McCreary (Sparks & Shadows) and am now working full time with the composer Tom Howe.

With Tom, I’ve been blessed to work on projects bigger and more prestigious than I could have ever imagined when I was just an 8th-grade German teacher! I wish I could say what projects we are currently working on (NDA, sorry!) but we have some incredibly exciting projects in the works! Not only did my MFA experience at Columbia land me my first LA job, it also introduced me to several friends and collaborators that are very dear to me. Two peers of mine and I started a sample library company called Green Light District, and building up a catalog of unique sound libraries that people are actually wanting (and buying!) has been a dream come true. In addition, I have collaborated several times with another composer from our program on several independent projects and through my work with Tom Howe. Her and I just finished scoring the short film of a Columbia directing professor and are awaiting its festival run! Now that we are all working here in LA, there is a whole family of extremely talented composers who can rely on each other and who genuinely want to help each other out. I’m super grateful for this and it makes being a film score composer such a rewarding experience.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Certainly not, haha! I really did struggle at the end of my first college experience. I was attending a school in Texas called TCU and I was there on a full music composition scholarship (which was great because my parents could have never afforded it at the time). During this time, I was also playing many live shows with my band and we were beginning to really gain some traction in the local “pop/punk” scene, playing big shows like Warped Tour, etc. I began to make, shall we say, questionable lifestyle decisions, living fast and hard without much regard for the consequences that were sure to come. Needless to say, the consequences did come and I was struggling to maintain this full scholarship that had been awarded to me. I ended up leaving that school, finishing my degree at another university and adding a major in German. I knew I still wanted to write music but had no idea what I was doing.

After living for a time in Berlin for study abroad, I became more focused and began to forgive myself for messing up the opportunities I worked so hard to achieve. While I still didn’t know how I was going to become a film score composer, I continued to do the best next thing while always keeping it in mind. I taught music lessons, taught German, went to Japan, got engaged and then got un-engaged. No matter what the obstacle I had this career planted firmly in my mind and never gave up on it. I’m here now, doing what I thought was almost impossible three years ago, working out of a studio that would’ve been beyond my wildest dreams. For that, I am so grateful and this is only the beginning!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a composer with an emphasis on blending traditional orchestral sounds with a modern hybrid approach. I’m also a co-founder of a sample library development company called Green Light District. Because of this, creating bespoke sounds is always at the forefront of my mind. When starting a new project, I will always create a custom set of signature sounds that can act as a “calling card” for the various themes, characters, moods, etc. of the film. I am also very keen on crafting the production of my music. I have a (somewhat obsessive) tendency to make each track I compose sound as well-polished and sonically pleasing as possible. Some of my proudest “film music” moments were: – When our Green Light District library was used by the composers of the new Halo Infinite video game – When I finished 30 cues in 4 days for an Irish crime documentary – Landing a full-time assistant job with a composer who I respect and admire

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Wow, didn’t expect this one! I’d have to say that favorite childhood memory would be living together with my sister and brother in the New York house in Long Island. We weren’t always able to live under the same roof growing up so, although I was very young, I always remember those times as the happy days.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: dylanlovecomposer.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dylanlovecomposer/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnaw_5vK33VwdKyCU6hHKpA
• Other: www.greenlightdistrictstudios.com