Meet Evan Goldman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Goldman.

Hi Evan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I fell in love with music after hearing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for the first time as a little kid at the Disney World Illuminations fireworks show. It’s one of my earliest memories. Something about the jazzy and beautiful themes synchronized with the lights truly captivated me. I’m extremely fortunate my parents recognized this and always encouraged that passion. They have a piano in their living room and I was always playing whatever music came into my head. We’d watch movies then I’d run to the piano and try to work out all the themes by ear: everything from Star Wars to Back to the Future to the original Blue Brothers to Bill Murray’s solos at the end of Groundhog Day.

In 2004, when I was sixteen, a close family friend in Santa Barbara introduced me to Emmy-winning film composer Richard Bellis who offered to take me on as a summer student. Ironically, I wasn’t that dedicated to music yet. I saw it as a way to get out of Washington DC and explore Southern California for the summer. I was also a giant fan of The OC and couldn’t wait to drive down the 101-blasting Phantom Planet (because that’s what all the cool California kids did in 2004 right?) I had no idea it would turn into a life-changing experience.

Richard introduced me to film scoring and invited me to watch my first scoring session, the 2004 ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, at the Newman Scoring Stage on the 20th Century Fox Lot. I was hooked forever. I vividly remember setting foot on the historic stage, hearing the LA musicians play (sight-read!) the difficult and brilliant cues and I knew without a doubt this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

In between finishing high school and getting my degree in composition at University of Miami Frost School of Music, I came back to California every summer. I studied more with Richard, then Bruce Broughton, completed an internship at Remote Control Productions and then finally settled in LA permanently in 2010. For the first few years, I tried to meet as many people in the industry as I could. I participated in the 2011 ASCAP Film Scoring workshop, scored my first indie features, wrote additional music on a few smaller projects and then in 2018 was introduced to Henry Jackman.

I had always been a fan of his music so when he gave me a shot writing additional music on 2018’s The Predator, I couldn’t have been more excited. Very quickly it was clear both Henry and the people he surrounds himself with are the best mentors and collaborators a young composer could ask for. I’ve been involved with his team and projects ever since. I moved my studio into Remote Control Productions in 2020 and continue to work on both my own scores and his.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There’s definitely been a few bumps along the way, but overall I’d consider myself incredibly lucky. When I first moved to LA after college, I struggled with figuring out where best to start. Film scoring is a very tough business to find your footing. Like every part of the industry, you really need to start at the bottom, meet as many people and learn as many skills as possible and tirelessly work your way up. Ideally, you meet amazing people who treat you fairly, teach you valuable skills and lessons and help you on your journey. However, there’s definitely people out there who will treat you disrespectfully or take advantage of your youth and inexperience.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to learn from and work for some of the most brilliant (and kind) producers, directors, and fellow composers out there but have also had some bad experiences. Still, it was the negative experiences where I really learned how to navigate this industry at its most stressful, how I wanted to treat others, and most importantly, what kinds of people and projects I wanted to dedicate myself to. Ultimately, all the bumps led to where I am now. Between some of my own scores and ongoing projects with Henry, I’ve never been more excited or felt more lucky.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a film composer with a passion and strength for writing powerful orchestral and electronic scores. I have a more traditional jazz and classical symphonic background, studying piano and saxophone as a kid, playing in jazz bands in high school, and learning all I could about theory, counterpoint, orchestration and classical music history as a composition major at Miami. Since moving to LA however, my passion for electronic and electro-acoustic music has grown exponentially. We’re in an exciting time where the creative approaches to film have become so eclectic, you’ll be moved to tears one minute by a score with only synths and then sitting on the edge of your seat, enthralled with a symphonic score the next.

That’s one of the things I most love and respect about Henry Jackman’s work. One month we’ll write complex production-heavy music for The Gray Man, then the next we’ll write sweeping symphonic music for Disney’s Strange World. The fact that he executes both with such mastery definitely sets him apart and is something I aspire to as well. I am always pushing myself stylistically and developing new skills to achieve that same versatility. Getting to write music for both The Gray Man and Strange World this past year was definitely a major highlight and something I’m incredibly proud of.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Before I wanted to be a composer I was sure I would grow up to be an automotive designer. I had a whole portfolio of car designs and even imagined starting my own car company. I think a big part of my passion for movies and music actually grew out of my passion for cars and design. My dad has an original 81’ Delorean in his garage which for a little kid with an overactive imagination during playtime was like adding fuel to the fire. I couldn’t wait to get home from school, watch Back to the Future, run to the piano, try and play Alan Silvestri’s incredible themes, then run out to the garage and pretend I was Doc Brown flying around.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.evangoldmanmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evan_goldman_music/?hl=en

Image Credits
Photo 03 (or second photo of the “additional photos”) is by ©2022 Daniel Pinder (this is the B&W photo of me with my head down reading the score) ALL OTHER photos – ©2022 Matt Justmann