Rising Stars: Meet Antonio David Paton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio David Paton.

Hi Antonio, 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?
I was born in Bogotá, Colombia in October of 2000 to the most loving family someone could dream of. My earliest recollection of having a WOW feeling with music was when my grandmother would play in her iPod (the old squared kind) Strangers in the Night by Sinatra and Only You by Elvis. I was absolutely mesmerized by the sheer emotion and purity of these songs, and even more so when she told me she has been listening to them since the 60s. They were her favorites and had been since she was 16. The fact that music could have that kind of effect on someone has never been able to leave my mind, and I’m sure it never will. This feeling later stemmed and grew from my mum’s VHS movies that she kept in our house’s library. I always joke saying I was equally raised by my family and by the movies I watched. It was always as important to me to go play with my friends as it was to sit for hours immersing myself in the pictures coming from the TV, and it was a quick realization for me that these movies wouldn’t have half the impact they do if it weren’t for the music. There are no dinosaurs or lightsabers without the orchestra, Nemo’s egg is just an orange sphere without the embrace of Thomas Newman and bicycles don’t fly without John Williams. That’s all my life has always been, music and movies, and the chase of this feeling the marriage of the two never fails to give me.

The pursuit of this feeling has taken me from taking piano lessons when I was ten to studying harmony and ear training at 14 and to taking one of the biggest risks I’ve taken in my life which was moving to Boston at 18 to study music at Berklee College of Music. Everything I am today is thanks to the immense help and support from my family, friends, and the kindest souls in the world to trust me enough to write my music for their projects (you know who you are, and I love you). It is because of them I can say – although sometimes not believe – that I live in the city of Los Angeles, doing what I love with the people I admire the most in life. From doing short films during the pandemic to writing for feature films and professional video games, It’s been the ride and privilege of my life to be on this journey and I know the best is yet to come.

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?
Oh my god, not at all, but nothing really worth pursuing is easy in my opinion. I have been lucky enough to always have the support of the people and the communities I love the most, and it has been because of them that this crazy dream has been able to be kept alive. I think besides the clear obstacles in the way – like this tiny little event called the pandemic – the biggest enemy we artists can find is ourselves and our own self-criticism. It’s very easy to get discouraged or to compare yourself to people that you look up to, and ask yourself why you aren’t anywhere close to their level yet. It’s always a losing battle and no matter what you do or how productive you felt during the day, that little voice in your head will always come back and say you could’ve done more. It’s very easy to get lost in the murkiness of that feeling and to even consider leading an easier life, with a clearer career path. We all need that reminder sometimes that feeling like this is not a side effect of following our passion, it’s the price of entry. The best things in life come when you jump that barrier of fear and decide to jump once again into the void. If I had given up when things got uncertain I would’ve missed the happiest moments of my life and meeting the most amazing people that remind me every day why we do what we do. It all comes back to the pursuit of that feeling, and the reminder that after those days filled with existential dread a thousand better days will follow.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My main field of work is writing and producing music for films, video games and commercials, and within the scope of the video game field, I do audio implementation and programming as well, but at heart, I’m just a storyteller (although a bit unorthodox). There’s just something about being a part of the behind-the-scenes of a big project that makes me so so happy. The art of translating ideas and feelings from creatives like directors and developers and turning them into tangible pieces of music is the biggest honor and greatest joy of my life. I’m really proud and thankful to be a part of such incredible and talented teams across the world, and I’m thrilled to be part of even more. I think what sets me apart from others is this deep connection to the projects and the media I work with. Whenever a director apologizes for not knowing a certain musical term I always tell them that it’s my job to find that middle ground between the screen and the music, not theirs. I love connecting to such a level with them to the point where no words need to be said; where we’re just watching the rough cut of a movie and we give each other that look of THERE! There’s the romance, there’s the drama. That’s where the magic happens to me.

How do you think about happiness?
Besides movies and music, my friends are the main source of happiness in my life. When you make the jump of living thousands of miles from everything you ever knew, in a city as hectic and as busy as LA or Boston, your friends really do become your family. As I said, it’s very easy to despair and feel down, and the only thing that can help me during those days are my friends. I’m so happy to be surrounded by so many creatives, the family I chose here in LA is made out of the most talented and hard-working people I’ve ever met, and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s impossible for me to have art be my life and not have anyone to share it with, and the cool thing about living in a city like this is that everyone is sharing their art at every moment! It’s everywhere. Whether it’s an album release, a movie screening or a brunch in the valley, you’ll find it everywhere. Besides that I’d say reading, tacos and exploring new places make me quite happy too. Oh, and pugs. LOVE them.

Contact Info:

• Website: antonio-david.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paton.wav/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-david-paton/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNx0cLxoBZicFzpk1q0ocyg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/antonio-david-541027812/popular-tracks