We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alan Catz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Leaving my home country, Argentina, to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston was the biggest risk I’ve taken. I left my friends, family, and cultural traditions for a place where everything worked differently. I arrived alone, had to navigate life in my second language, and quickly learn new systems: visa rules, banking and credit, healthcare, leases, taxes, public transit, and a completely different academic and studio workflow.

It was overwhelming at times, with no safety net, no built-in network, and classrooms full of incredible talent from around the world. But that’s what made me grow. I built a community from zero, found mentors who supported me, and proved I could deliver music and products at a professional level, earning the 2024 BMI Award from Berklee’s Screen Scoring Department, given annually to a student with exceptional potential in film and game scoring.

Now, as I finish at Berklee and prepare to work in Los Angeles, I can see how transformative this adventure has been, the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a music composer for Film and Games, born and raised in Argentina. I love dogs and anime!

I got into the industry after completing my classical piano studies at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory in Buenos Aires. I started by making music for small indie games, and everything scaled up significantly when I had the opportunity to assist my friend and fellow composer Ignacio Ramírez on one of Riot Games’ trailers, League of Legends: Wild Rift – Crystal Rose.

I work alongside my twin brother, Uriel, who complements me in every possible way. Together, we have worked on several games and short films. Our sound is influenced by a diverse range of musical cultures and styles, including film composers such as Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, John Powell, and Japanese anime composers like Joe Hisaishi and Shiro Sagisu. We consistently aim to create music that is both emotional and melodic.

One of my proudest achievements was receiving the BMI Award at Berklee College of Music, where I’m completing a dual major in Film Scoring and Game & Interactive Media Scoring. This prestigious award is given to only one student each year, recognizing the top composer across the Screen Scoring Department, and it fills me with immense pride. Through this recognition, I had the honor of meeting Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna, as well as Tracy McKnight, Vice President of Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Their support has opened countless doors for me to pursue opportunities in Los Angeles. Thanks to them, I was invited to attend the BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards, the most important event of the year for film and TV composers, where I was introduced to many incredible professionals.

I study and work day and night, including weekends, to one day stand among the masters of this craft. I want to leave a mark, to help others, and to be a proud representative of my home country, Argentina, to show that with determination, discipline, and a strong plan, anything is possible.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I landed one of my favorite gigs in the most unexpected way. For some years I’d followed a two-person YouTube channel devoted to Digimon’s franchise, and their humor, deep-dive lore, and approach to the IP made me a fan. One day they announced they’d built a small studio and were developing their first game, Digital Monster: Net Driver. Many months later they mentioned in a video that they had to fire their composer due to internal problems. I knew I had to take the chance. Within 24 hours I built a package with custom tracks tailored to specific moments of the game: battle, menu, training, lobby. No one asked me to do it, and there was no guarantee they would reply, but I believed speed and high-quality delivery could outweigh the odds.

They wrote back shocked at how fast and targeted the music was. Being a longtime suscriber meant I could nail the tone immediately, and being prepared meant they could hear their game “working” right away. That turned a cold outreach into a warm hire: my brother and I became the new composers, and the game has released with great success.

Takeaway: when the opportunity appears, be prepared and take the shot. Be friendly, move fast, deliver high quality products. Be the person who brings solutions.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I love catching up with clients. I don’t do it to get re-hired, I think that’s the trick. I genuinely enjoy talking with people, hearing what they’re up to, and offering help or an opinion if they ask.

To build brand loyalty, we focus on speed and high quality. We also provide multiple demos instead of just one. I can’t stress this enough: the “rejected” demos often end up fitting perfectly elsewhere in the game or film. So be friendly. Be genuinely curious about others. Work hard together. That’s life!

Contact Info:

• Website: alancatz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catzalan/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-catz/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alancatz

Image Credits
@shootoexplore (Ken Yin), @kdstudio (Kelly Davidson)