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

Alright, Luke thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me about my journey. I genuinely hope this helps anyone who takes the time to read it!  

Looking back at what I have learned to compose music for film, tv, and media has made me realize it’s an accumulation of many skills learned over time. Also, some significant obstacles stood in the way! Could I have learned what I know faster? What skills are essential? I’ll cover all these questions because I believe these are some great questions that anyone who wants to have a successful career as a composer should consider. Does this mean you have to wait to start your music career? NO WAY! Get started today!  

To illustrate “How I learned to do what I do,” we must go back in time to the beginning of my musical journey in a galaxy far away. Wait, not that far away, just back to middle and high school. I was all about music in middle and high school. I practiced piano 8+ hours per day, entered competitions for solo performances, attended Brevard Music School in the summer, Jacksonville University summer program, and played in the Jazz Band and Orchestra and duets. Also, I began composing music for piano at the age of 14. I wrote about ten pieces before graduating high school. After finishing high school, I began to study music in college while working part-time. I even played in an alt-rock band for a short time. 

Unfortunately, on October 1st, 1997, my music career was halted by a head-on collision that resulted in me getting pretty banged up. The good news was the other driver was charged for reckless driving, and my injuries were not only temporary, although it didn’t feel that way at the time. Well, temporary, if you consider four years temporary, which I do. I’m very grateful that it wasn’t worse. After lots of physical therapy and time, I was able to work again; I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go with my career because it was so painful to sit at a piano and play. So, practicing for 8+ hours was not going to happen, and I knew I would have to do something else until I could get back to music.

I met my wife during this challenging time, and her brother lived with us for a while. She frequently stated that her brother kept “breaking” the computer. I was very intrigued and thought, how could someone break the computer when there are no signs of physical damage? LOL. I decided to begin studying computers and purchased a CompTIA A+ certification book. I discovered a new talent, and technology just made sense to me. I achieved that certification and eventually was hired to work at a Gateway Country Store selling computers, training, TVs, and ultimately business services. I would also hang out with the technicians on the repair side of the store. I quickly learned this is what I was most interested in doing. I didn’t know how valuable this training would be when I found my way back to music years later. 

Fast forward a few years, I began working for a company called Technisource on the help desk. I really had a great time and learned even more. Keep in mind that I was studying anything and everything about computers, networking, servers, switches, firewalls, etc., on my breaks and in the evenings. Taking my studies even further, I earned more certifications, Network +, Security +, CASP and MCSE. After some time, I was asked to join the onsite team. This is where I learned about day-to-day maintenance, server maintenance, patch management, break-fix for hardware, building and running CAT 5 cable, and more. Eventually, Technisource was sold to another company, and I found myself looking for a new position with a local MSP. A local MSP called Lansystem hired me as a system administrator in 2008. After about ten years, this company was purchased by Headwaters Group and then Eclipse Networks. At this point in my career, I worked as an IT security and cyber security consultant. Looking back, I value my time with each company because I learned so much in each stage of my career. How does this all tie into music? Keep reading! 

While working in the IT field, I felt I needed to get back into music. In 2012, I bought a powerful enough computer, at the time, to run Pro Tools and some virtual instruments. I practiced and learned something every day for a couple of years. I started scoring student films in 2014, and in 2017 I had the privilege of scoring my first feature film, Chi-Nu Legacy. In 2018, I scored my second feature film, Swipe Club, released to Amazon Prime in 2020 after touring the film festival circuit. In 2018, I made it official and was ready for a change and decided to pursue my original dream of having a career in music. This was when I realized how valuable and essential my computer and technology knowledge would be as I entered a career as a composer.  

After lots of research on how to gain more training and experience as a composer, I decided to enroll in Music for the Media with ThinkSpace Education, which is based in the UK and offers online study at your own pace courses. In addition to the wealth of information in the course, you also have project assignments based on real-world projects. Once you finish your project and send it in, a professional working composer reviews your work and gives you feedback. The training I received with ThinkSpace prepared me for real-world projects. Of course, I had to put in the hours, do the work, and apply the constructive feedback I received. I spent lots of time re-working my assignments. When I applied the suggestions to my project, was when the constructive feedback made sense. Looking back on this course, it was here when all my prior music training plus the foundation that the course provided my composition skills began to grow. 

In February of 2020, I reached out to a production music library and asked if they were looking for an additional composer for their writing team, and to my surprise, I was accepted. They asked me to work on two different EP albums – a total of 10 tracks! My first thought was, “what have I done?” How am I going to write ten tracks in a two-month period? This was faster than I had ever written this many tracks! I put myself on a writing schedule and worked quickly on one track at a time. This was my next big growth moment, and it was fun. I pushed myself, wrote and produced the two albums, and turned them in ahead of schedule! 

At this point, I was hooked on the sync license business. I dove headfirst and kept writing music to prepare for the next sync library opportunity. I found Michael Elsner’s Master Music Licensing: The 4 Step Plan to Licensing Success eBook. This was amazing! He gives this eBook away for free! This helped me understand more about the sync business and what libraries and music supervisors look for in music. The information was very helpful, and I enrolled in his song placement workshop to learn more about how to pitch to music supervisors and exclusive music production companies. 

Then in December of 2020, I was signed by Fliktrax music library to write and produce music as a member of their custom writing team. This is where I realized how essential my education at ThinkSpace and film scoring was. As a member of the Fliktrax custom writing team, I was now receiving music briefs just like I practiced at ThinkSpace Education! Except now, I’m writing for TV shows – sports themes, crime show themes, drama, action, and more! It’s been a couple of years now, and my music has been placed in over 40 times on TV shows like Shark Week, TLC’s Return to Amish, Animal Planet’s Mysterious Creatures, Bondi Rescue, Sydney Harbour Force, Strong Female Lead (docuseries), Discovery ID, TV shows in Australia, UK, US, and other areas worldwide! I can say that after I started working with Fliktrax, my workflow, writing, and production speeds increased dramatically!

4 Essential Steps for Success as a Composer

1. 1. Associations, Drive, Action, Passion, Time, and Faith Equal Success 
      1. Your ability to A.D.A.P.T and Faith = Your Success
      2. The music business is challenging. Motivation alone is not enough. You must be driven and passionate enough to get out there and learn as much as you can. Then act on that knowledge. That action will lead to meeting new people in the music business who may offer guidance, be a collaborator, and even a new friend. When meeting new people, offer to assist with their projects; it’s not always about you and what you want. When the time is right, speak up and talk about your music. Have faith when things are not going your way, and you don’t think you are moving forward. As long as you put in the work, you are laying the groundwork for an amazing career as a composer. 

• Focus

1. 1. 1. Choose one area of music you want to compose for and learn it inside and out before moving on to another section. If you want to be a game composer, learn everything about being a game composer before moving on to film. These are different paths to a career as a composer. If you want to do it all, you can just not simultaneously. 

• Continue to Learn

1. 1. 1. Be curious about everything! Learn as much as possible about how a computer works, how midi works, how the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) works, virtual instruments, hard drives, the music business, sync license business, contracts, networking, marketing, and more! 
      2. Unlock your learning potential with a book I’m enjoying – Jim Kwik’s book Limitless. It is designed for you to “Learn How to Learn” better and faster.

• Mindset 

1. 1. Never give up! As you read in my story, life has thrown me some curve balls, and my path to a music career was not a straight path. However, the skills I learned along the way are essential to a successful transition and career. 
   2. Having the proper mindset and expectations is essential to success in any career. As a composer, you are an entrepreneur, and the 80/20 rule is true. The rule goes like this “20% of your clients are responsible for 80% of your business.” The same goes for your work habits and your ability to maintain focus. Be mindful of where you put your time and energy. 
   3. Start your day with a mindset of being Excellent to Others. Treat others as you would like to be treated! It goes a long way. 

I have accomplished a lot and know I still have much to learn and a long way to go in my career! Never stop learning! Keep pushing yourself, and don’t be afraid to fail. Even though failure stinks and doesn’t feel good, you can either remain defeated or turn it into a learning experience! I prefer to turn it into a learning experience, write a new piece immediately, and incorporate what I just learned.

Luke, 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?

For those who are not familiar with who I am, my name is Luke Truan. I’m a film, TV, and media composer, orchestrator, and producer. I’ve scored over 12 movies, and in the last couple of years, my music has been placed over 50 times on TV shows like Shark Week, TLC’s Return to Amish, Animal Planet’s Mysterious Creatures, Pig Royalty, Bondi Rescue, Sydney Harbour Force, Strong Female Lead (docuseries), Discovery ID, TV shows in Australia, UK, US, and other areas worldwide!

As a composer, it’s my job to support the visual story. So, I’m also a storyteller. A composer learns how to support the visual story by identifying the emotional beats, timing, and pacing. Additionally, music should also support and enhance the unspoken story. Unspoken content can include the way light shines into a room, the way water is moving, the wind as it moves through a scene, the feeling of the scene in general, and much more. 

I got my start as a film composer scoring student films in 2014, and in 2017 I had the privilege of scoring my first feature film, Chi-Nu Legacy. In 2018, I scored my second feature film, Swipe Club, released to Amazon Prime in 2020 after touring the film festival circuit. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the most amazingly talented directors, screenwriters, actors, crew, and producers in Atlanta. I’m immensely grateful to the people who believe in me enough to hire me to collaborate with them on their film, TV, and media project! 

What sets me apart from other composers is my persistence and determination to create the most realistic-sounding orchestra, my ability to listen to the director’s vision and reflect that vision in the score, creating an original sound for each project yet, maintaining my signature sound, and my commitment to scoring and music production excellence. Anyone can figure out how to record or program strings into a DAW, but how realistic can you make the orchestra sound? This is a skill that takes practice, just like you would practice any instrument. 

Have you wondered how you can write music professionally for projects, have your music heard by millions, and bring people joy? The path is different for everyone. I have met many composers and watched videos of composers’ stories; everyone has a different path. Are they some similarities? Yes, there are. One of the common traits between all successful composers and an essential skill in any career is Focus – a commitment to your chosen path. In other words, the way to succeed with something is to start and don’t stop or change directions. Will some challenges try to deter your goals and throw you off course? Yes, of course. Find a music mentor who can guide you as you begin and throughout your composer career! Even though a mentor is an investment, it can save you time and money in the long run, give you accountability, and helps you stay focused on your goals. 

Additionally, it is essential to build in time for other things in life outside of your career path. In addition to working to achieve your dreams and goals as a music composer and producer, it is essential to add fitness, or just time away from the studio, into your daily routine. As a composer, I sit at the computer on and off all day – sometimes for 10 to 12 hours. In addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you need to take breaks. Stand up and go outside, ride a bike, run, jog, etc. These are a couple of things that can help with your mind and body balance. 

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As a composer, or creative, it is essential to have a social media presence; this is how you will tell the world that you exist, share your music, art, and creativity with the world, and build friendships and a fan base.

I’ve learned a lot about social media, and there is still more to learn. Currently, I’m focused on creating content for my YouTube channel, Luke Truan Music. I have found that when creating content for any social media platform, it’s essential to have a goal for your content. Can you have multiple times of content? Yes, of course. However, your channel will work best with an overall topic or framework. Also, I have learned that creating YouTube content takes more time than I initially thought each video would take to script, record, and edit.

My channel focuses on sharing my work from projects, behind the scenes for my work, workflow tips for composers, how to write music for sync licensing, and more! The overall theme is how to work in the music business as a composer.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are several great resources I like to share with others who want to be professional composers. Here is the list below.

1. Facebook Group – Perspective: A FORUM FOR FILM, TV, AND MEDIA COMPOSERS
2. The Book “So you want to be a composer”
3. The Book: All You Need to Know About The Music Business (Donald Passman)
4. The Book: The Plain & Simple Guide to Music Publishing (Randall Wixen)
5. The Cue Tube – a global community of more than 7k composers. The Cue Tube provides free resources for composers to practice scoring. Which helps create a portfolio if you don’t have one. Also, they host scoring competitions with huge prizes and host fundraisers for worthy causes.
6. Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://luketruanmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LukeTruanMusic/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LukeTruanMusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luketruan/
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LukeTruanMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/LukeTruanMusic
• Other:
  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0sqXEUZbG1jdl2ha3y2B09
  Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/LukeTruanMusic
  Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luketruan