Rising Stars: Meet Daniel Teodoro of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Teodoro.

Hi Daniel, 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 was raised between Los Angeles and Peru, where his love for music began through immersion in traditional Peruvian and Andean folk music. That early connection sparked a lifelong passion for collecting instruments and studying musical traditions from around the world — influences that continue to shape his voice as a composer today.

Unlike many composers who started music at a very young age, I grew up focused mostly on sports, as his family did not have the financial means for formal music lessons early on. He came into music later than most, teaching himself and pursuing it through determination and curiosity.

I studied classical guitar and orchestration at California State University, Northridge, where he was awarded the World Music Award for incorporating the indigenous Quechua language into western classical forms.

After graduating in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted many of the internships and opportunities he had been building toward. Instead of stepping away from music, I used that period to rebuild creatively by forming a composer collective called Atemporal Productions. Through the collective, he helped produce and record music with a full 80-piece orchestra alongside the Budapest Scoring Orchestra for a large-scale sci-fi NFT project during the height of the NFT boom.

Since then, Daniel has continued scoring independent films, games, and multimedia projects while collaborating with creatives across Los Angeles, Europe, and South America. In 2025, he was selected to participate in the Joy Music House Workshop, where his music was recorded at the legendary EastWest Studios.

Today, I am is currently scoring multiple independent films and two upcoming sci-fi video games. One of them, Luminus, follows a healer navigating a collapsing world where a mutating virus and rogue AI-controlled machines threaten humanity’s survival. The other, Miramar, is a hard sci-fi adventure centered on Tac Marines investigating a lost colony deep in space.

My music blends orchestral, hybrid, and world influences to create emotionally driven cinematic experiences rooted in culture, storytelling, and atmosphere.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. My family immigrated from Peru, and financially things were always difficult growing up. A big part of my journey has been learning how to balance survival with pursuing a creative career.

One of the biggest struggles has been time management — balancing work, paying bills, helping take care of my parents as they’ve gotten older, while still trying to make time for music, networking, and personal growth. There were periods where I had to split my energy between multiple jobs and composing late into the night just to keep moving forward.

After graduating from California State University, Northridge in 2019, the pandemic also hit at the worst possible time and many of the internships and opportunities I had lined up disappeared almost overnight. That was a huge setback mentally and professionally. But instead of giving up, I tried to adapt, rebuild connections, and continue creating.

I think those struggles shaped me as both a person and an artist. They taught me discipline, resilience, and how to keep pushing forward even when things feel uncertain.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in orchestral, hybrid, and world music for film, games, and multimedia projects. A huge part of my identity as a composer comes from my connection to Peruvian and Andean music, especially the traditions tied to Quechua culture and Música Andina. Growing up between Los Angeles and Peru exposed me to a wide range of sounds early on, and that inspired me to study musical traditions from around the world and incorporate those textures and instruments into cinematic storytelling.

I love blending large orchestral and modern hybrid elements with indigenous instruments, folk textures, and world music influences to create scores that feel emotional, immersive, and culturally grounded. That passion for cultural fusion was recognized while I was studying at California State University, Northridge, where I received the World Music Award for incorporating the indigenous Quechua language into western classical forms.

What I’m most proud of is how quickly I was able to grow into this industry despite starting later than many composers. I didn’t grow up with access to expensive lessons or a traditional musical upbringing, so a lot of my journey came from self-discipline, studying constantly, and learning through experience. To go from that background to recording with orchestras, working on games and films, and collaborating with creatives internationally is something I’m very proud of.

What sets me apart most, though, is my ability to connect with people. Technical skill is important, but film, television, and game development are collaborative art forms. The people I work with are creatives, and I genuinely enjoy building real relationships with them — whether we’re talking about music, films, games, sports, anime, or just life in general. I think that human connection helps create better collaboration and ultimately better art.

I try to bring both professionalism and personality into every project: someone who can deliver emotionally driven music while also being approachable, communicative, and easy to create with.

What makes you happy?
I’m honestly a simple man. Sports, video games, gym, and Warhammer make me happy because they keep me inspired, competitive, creative, and balanced outside of music. A lot of my love for storytelling and cinematic music honestly comes from those worlds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.danielteodoro.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandiel__