My big break came when I joined Hans Zimmer’s team at Media Ventures. I worked for Hans for 3 ½ years doing everything from orchestration to even answering the phone if you called after 11:00 at night (we were vampires).

The highlight of that experience was getting to sit right next to Hans and watch him write his scores. He encouraged me to do this, and I took full advantage. I watched him as he crafted the “Burning Bush” scene in Prince of Egypt or working out the themes for Gladiator. It was an education you can’t get anywhere else.