Hey, I'm MJ! I'm a musician, composer, sound designer, and digital media artist based in Florida, USA. Thank you for checking out my work! I'm mainly a composer, but offer a variety of audio services for your next production including sound design, foley, and ADR mixing.
Growing up, I would always play music with my friends, performing with a handful of local bands in South Florida's cover music scene. It wasn't until my long time friend and animator Ari Johnson first reached out to me for original film music that I started taking to composition as a musical passion. I immersed myself in Aivi & Surasshu's and Will Wiesenfeld's work in animation and learned that composing for animation can be a playground for musical palettes and varying styles. They, along with the deep sonic worlds of folk artist Ichiko Aoba and the youthful energy of Shibuya-kei bands Plus-Tech Squeeze Box and Serani Poji, make up the biggest hallmarks of my compositional inspirations.
The prolific work of these inspirations greatly influenced my compositional style. I will often combine the sonically acoustic with the synthetic, and can work exclusively in both. I'm versatile and have created compositions for films ranging in style from garage rock, orchestral, jazz pop, and ambient. One of my biggest strengths as a composer is that I'm always learning about music in a holistic way. I crate-dig and search for new music to listen to and enjoy researching cultural context behind the music I love. I can really hone in on the minute details of the unique characteristics of a certain genre or style and can put it in practice when composing, making me a flexible composer.
My work has been featured in games and multiple short films, primarily in animation. I've worked with student filmmakers in the School of Visual Arts, Florida Atlantic University, and University of Central Florida, among other institutions. I have plenty of experience with working with directors to fulfill their creative visions through music. I am very hands-on, and will consult often with directors to ensure that the music I make is the best it can possibly be in the context of the work. I enjoy being personable and collaborative, and believe that innovation does not come from a singular person, but from a combination of skills, roles, and perspectives and should be treated as such. I hope I can work with you soon!
If you're interested in learning more about me, check out Consonance, a short documentary that serves a profile for me and my creative process!
