Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Sanford.
Jonathan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m an east coast transplant, born in Baltimore, Maryland. Went to school in Chicago, stayed there for a few more years then landed in LA, where I have lived for 18 years. Los Angeles is home.
I am not a person that can say music was a passion of mine from early childhood or that I always wanted to be a film and television composer. That’s just not how it happened. I did start this musical journey as a kid, at about six years old, but it was an extra-curricular activity. I played piano first, then violin, and when we could start playing band instruments, I picked up saxophone at nine years old. I made the switch to saxophone because my friends were going to play in band. The funny thing is, I was the only one of us still playing by the time we hit high school. Music seemed to come naturally to me so I kept feeding it. I was also an athlete and there was always a conflict.
I ended up at Northwestern University as a music major, studying saxophone. I was also a member of one of our Big10 Championship football teams. Due to the continued conflicts between music and football, I made the choice to focus on music my sophomore year, leaving football for good.
After college, the adventure began. I started off as an Assistant Director of Admission at Northwestern. During that time, I played in a few Chicago mainstay funk acts. I was also flying out to Los Angeles here and there to play with my friend’s band. She was a star on a soap opera and I played on an episode. She convinced me to move to L.A., so I convinced my best friend to move, too, packed a trailer and headed west.
I played in jobbing bands, playing weddings, parties, awards, and similar gigs. At that moment, I really missed playing in bands where we played our own original material, cut records, and ran around putting up flyers to come see our club shows. I missed writing and performing my own music. I realized I did not like playing other people’s music. The was no difference between being a hired saxophonist and being a cashier at JCrew. So, I worked at JCrew… and a nightclub, and sold jewelry to stores for a designer. I even worked downtown for a clothing designer running samples and fabric between different locations downtown. I could tell an entire story of what goes on in so many of those buildings downtown.
During this time, I started a side hustle of writing my own music, producing a few demos for singer-songwriters, and writing scores for a friend that was directing commercials in Ireland. She told me that if I want to write music for commercials, I should get in with a music house. She connected me with a great music house and I started as an intern there. After a few months, I was a producer, and I resigned as executive producer almost three years ago. As an executive producer, I was getting further away from making my own music once again. I left and started over.
In the middle of all this, I got married and had two kids. But, with my wife’s encouragement, I was back at the beginning of things. I was married with two kids, bought a motorcycle and quit a well-paying; it made perfect sense at the time though. The idea of being an artist or playing in band no longer interested me, but I knew I was only going to be happy writing my own music. I was starting a new career as a film and television composer.
It was almost as simple as shouting it out into the universe that I was open for business and the phone started ringing. There was a lot of serendipity, but one thing led to another and I was writing music for a YouTube Premium show, then scoring two interactive series for EKO, then scoring Dare Me for USA Network, Teenage Bounty Hunters (Netflix), Social Distance (Netflix), and a feature film starring Iliza Shlesinger (coming soon). Then I received an email from an agency that wanted to rep me. They represent me now.
I’m currently in the middle of writing music for a live immersive experience, Rio Reveals, which is based around the LA River… and yes, it is Covid-safe. While TV and film production stalled with Covid, I never imagined a live experience would be the thing to keep the music flowing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I step back and look at it all, it feels smooth. But when I start recalling moments, like pawning my saxophone once or twice, I wonder what was happening at the time. Money was a struggle along the way, but I think a lot of us have that problem. I don’t think I was financially stable until I got married. The inherent struggle when pursuing most creative arts is following your dreams versus following a paycheck. For me, it was always easier to make money doing non-music-related jobs or jobs that were really close to being a composer, but those job titles were not Composer. I never thought my talent couldn’t yield financial success, but the hustle required was harder and more challenging and called on a set of skills that put me out of my comfort zone. I had to endure discomfort and find comfort in that.
Being out on your own is tough. I’m on a very small island by myself. I’ve been hired and fired along the way. There is nothing guaranteed and there are no soft landings. As a composer, I’m freelance. You eat what you kill. You are always looking for the next gig. Finding work is never-ending. Music is tough because it is so competitive and there are people waiting to take your gig. If your client doesn’t like the music you write, they call someone else that day. Things can end at a moment’s notice. The more weathered I become, the smoother it all feels.
Now, add a side of pandemic and kids learning from home…
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a composer for film and television (including Teenage Bounty Hunters (Netflix), Social Distance (Netflix), and Dare ME (USA)). I also write music for theatre, live events, and commercials. I produce an up and coming pop artist, Royalbaby. I love to collaborate with directors, writers, and other artists.
I work with a number of electronic instruments, vocals, saxophones, and cello. I try to come up with unexpected combinations of instruments for scores but have them feel perfectly at home and organic to the story being told. I love writing music after reading a script before I see anything. Just reading conjures up so many sounds for me. A number of my projects start with someone saying, “we want something different for this, so we’re calling you.” I truly love what I do.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I couldn’t do anything without my wife, Beth Morgan (Emmy-nominated costume designer). She is my manager and agent all rolled into one. She is a brilliant talent and even more amazing mother. My wife opened a number of doors for me and there isn’t a door she won’t kick down to this day. I also have my dear friend, Steph Green (Oscar and Emmy-nominated director). She and I have known each other most of our lives at this point and she is a great advocate of mine and a wonderful collaborator. Steph always challenges me and keeps me sharp. I also have a small circle of friends, through my wife, that really champion me at any level. I’m surrounded by so much wonderful talent and they are all inspiring. I am now represented by Dan North (Kraft-Engel Management) and he brings so much energy, drive, and hustle. I can’t for what’s next.
Contact Info:
- Website: sanfordmusic.com
- Instagram: @sanfordmusicdotcom
- Facebook: facebook.com/sanfordmusicdotcom
- Other: http://kraft-engel.com/clients/jonathan-sanford/
Image Credit:
Todd Westphal, Robin Pearlstein
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
