Three-time Emmy-wining composer Jeff Beal has been named keynote speaker for the Production Music Association’s 1st annual Production Music Conference on Sept. 12 in Culver City, Calif. The new day-long event will bring together composers, music libraries, technology providers and music users in order to gain insights into how to work smarter, better and to license music more prudently.
Last year Beal earned two Emmy nominations–in the Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) and Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music categories–for his work on House Of Cards, the breakthrough Netflix series. Beal’s Original Dramatic Score nomination was for the first episode of House Of Cards.
Beal is no stranger to the Emmy nominees’ and winners’ circles. 2013 marked the third year in which he has earned more than one Emmy nomination. Over his career he has thus far received a dozen nominations, winning three Emmy Awards–in 2003 for his main title theme music for Monk (USA Network), in ‘07 for Original Dramatic Score on the strength of the “Battleground” episode of HBO’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King; and in ‘08 for TNT’s The Company for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special.
The other two years in which Beal copped two or more Emmy nominations were: 2006 for Original Dramatic Score and Original Main Title Theme Music for HBO’s Rome, and Original Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for CBS’ The Water Is Wide; and 2007 for Original Dramatic Score on the basis of Rome, and the aforementioned Emmy-winning effort for Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.
David Fincher, an executive producer on House Of Cards and director of its first two episodes, brought Beal onto the series. The two had only worked once before, on a Motorola phone commercial some time ago. Beal also worked with one of Fincher’s editors, Angus Wall on Rome (Wall earned an Emmy nom for his Main Title Design on Rome). The connection with Wall and the work on Rome may have also helped, said Beal, put him on Fincher’s radar.
Among Beal’s other notable recent projects is Blackfish, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s controversial documentary on the plight of whales in captivity while performing at marine amusement parks. Blackfish explores what may have caused Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca, to kill three people, including veteran SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
