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

Alright, Chris thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to be a musician from an early age. I was singing in the children’s choir at my church and started taking piano lessons when I was seven years old. I actively decided to pursue it professionally when I decided to start my degree in Music Technology at Northeastern University in Boston. I studied music composition and technology there and then returned to my hometown of Pittsburgh to complete a Master’s degree in Music from Duquesne University. After I completed the graduate degree. I had been exposed to composing for media (scoring for film/advertising) during my graduate studies and knew at that time I wanted to write music professionally.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I first started working in the industry after I finished graduate school and was looking for different opportunities to write music. I was approached by an independent filmmaker to score a feature-length film and it was my first opportunity to do this. I had always been a film fan and a fan of film music, so this was really an exciting chance for me to give it a try. After finishing this film, I found an internship at a film music production studio in Los Angeles and moved there to work. I was hired as a full-time assistant shortly after and had the opportunity to work on some major Hollywood films, helping the composer with production, orchestration and other aspects of the music work.

After working there for some time, I returned to Pittsburgh and began working with filmmaker Darin DiNapoli on short films as well as music for advertising. For my advertising clients, I work to create original music that is customized to my clients product or service. A piece of music that is completely original for them. When I work with filmmakers on creative projects, I spend time getting to know their work and developing a relationship with them. I try to compliment their visual work through my music and really highlight the essence of a scene in the film.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is being able to contribute art to the world and to collaborate with other artists in other mediums. I enjoy collaborating with filmmakers and visual artists because I am able to learn something about how they work and it goes to inspire my own art and creativity. I love composing for other instrumentalists because they are able to interpret my work and add their own personal inflection and style to it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to continue honing my craft and forming my expressive voice. Each day I try to be creative in some way, whether it’s composing music or just playing the piano, every day I’m learning something new. My goal is to just keep going!

Contact Info:

• Website: chriscatone.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cat_one
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badcurve
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophercatone/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chriscatonemusic