Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kensington Watts. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kensington, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I grew up playing classical piano. My senior year of High School my teacher was discussing future career paths in music. He asked if I ever have music playing in my head and if I’ve considered composition. That’s when I realized the possibility of being a composer. I just needed to learn how to get the music in my head onto sheet music. I committed to the idea and decided to pursue it in college. Surprisingly I was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston where I really learned how to write, orchestra, and record the music in my head. Berklee gave me so many opportunities to experiment, learn and develop my own musical voice. This process isn’t quite something you can speed through. Finding your voice takes time and a lot of mistakes. For a while I tried different methods of writing music. Many people write their music directly into their Digital Audio workstation, or DAW. Which was quick and efficient, but for me I realized my music was unorganized and sloppy this way. So I tried writing my music onto sheet music first, which resulted in more structured and powerful music. Later I started applying my musical knowledge to video games and fell in love with the interactivity of it. And similar to music I began learning how to translate my ideas into programmed systems that could be programmed into the game’s engine. Which brings me to the present.

Kensington, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As an Audio Designer I program systems that control how different audio elements are played during gameplay. This includes dialogue, sound effects and music. The main goal is to make these elements seamlessly fit into the world of the video game in a realistic or creative way, further enhancing the video games narrative or goals.

As a Composer for games and films I always seek to elevate the movie or game by intertwining the music with the narrative. I love drawing parallels between how a character develops to how a melody develops. Subconsciously, the audience will hear and see the weight of those moments more if they are working together to tell a story.

I pride myself not in my skill or experience, but my personality and thoughtfulness in the workspace. I know how important teamwork, communication and leadership can be when working on a movie or game. And will often determine the success or failure of a project over skill and experience.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate goal in my music journey is to create media that can connect stranger, change people’s worldview, evoke deep emotions, and reach people around the world. There are so many movies and games that have have deeply changed me or someone I know. I want to do that for others. Music just happens to be the best way I can contribute to that goal.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I moved to LA I was focused on writing music for films. As I met professionals and heard from friends at entry level positions, I learned that the freelance life was not for me. The music side of almost all films include a lot of solo freelance work with the occasional recording session for larger projects.

On the other hand, the insight I heard from musicians in the game community were more team based and involving. Which was so much more appealing to me for a life time work style. I love music and various forms of media, but I love working with others more. So I began looking for jobs at video game studios, orchestration houses, recording studios, etc. where I can be a part of a team with a culture of inspiring/mentoring my peers while we work on projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: kensingtonwatts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_kensingtonwatts/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kensington-watts-69029b188/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KensingtonWatts
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdGKw-oao2CqfiElbACBdLg?app=desktop

Image Credits
Adriana Dirany https://www.instagram.com/shutt3r_snap/ Owen Nathanael