Composer Mario Grigorov has joined Crushing Music, New York. Until late February Grigorov was at the New York office of Amber Music, which also has a shop in London. He had been there for the past two years, where his composing credits included professional services firm Ernst & Young’s "Hummingbird," "Canary," "Lone Ranger" and "Mouse," via D’Arcy, New York, and insurance company Liberty Mutual’s "Ergonomics" and "Surgeon," via Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, also New York.
Grigorov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, the son of two professional classical musicians. He studied music throughout his childhood and eventually moved to Sydney with his family in 1980, where he attended the State Conservatorium of New South Wales as a piano student. Although Grigorov was training for a career in classical music, he developed an interest in jazz and soon decided to pursue that professionally. In ’84 he wrote a McDonald’s jingle for DDB Needham (now DDB Sydney), and, he laughingly recalled, "got paid so much money that I just went on a month-long holiday. When I came back I realized, ‘Hey, maybe there are more jingles’ [to compose]." Later that year he and composer David Wilson opened music house Big Byte Productions, which the two ran for the next four years.
Grigorov and Wilson closed the shop in ’88, and Grigorov spent the next several years composing music primarily for long-format productions, like the Australian movies Glass (’89) and This Won’t Hurt a Bit (’93), both directed by Chris Kennedy. Grigorov also composed the scores for a number of BBC and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) programs.
Grigorov moved to America in ’92 to pursue a career as a solo jazz pianist, and within days of his stateside arrival he had a record deal. Grigorov was overheard by Warner Brothers jazz keyboardist Bob James, playing keyboards at a music store in Los Angeles. James was impressed, and within days Grigorov had inked a recording and performing deal with the label.
Grigorov released the albums Rhymes with Orange (Reprise Records, a division of Warner Brothers) in ’95, and Aria (on the Astor Place label, which is part of Profile Records)) in ’97. The latter reached number four in Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart (3/21/98).
LONG ROAD
The road back to advertising was roundabout. While in London recording Aria four years ago, Grigorov met Amber Music executive producer/partner Michelle Curran. Curran, who divides her time between Amber’s London and New York offices, introduced Grigorov to spot and feature director Leonardo Ricagni back in New York. At the time, Ricagni was with Mojo Films of Montevideo, Uruguay. Since relocating to New York, Ricagni has helmed spots through Villains, bicoastal and Chicago; bicoastal Basecamp Entertainment Group; and, as of March 1, his own New York-based production company Babilonya.
Grigorov recalled that when he met Ricagni, the director proposed, "Why don’t you do this film for me?" Grigorov decided he "had had enough of the road," got himself a studio, and wrote the music for Ricagni’s feature El Chevrole/The Lifejacket Is Under Your Seat. The film premiered in the United States in ’98 at the Hamptons International Film Festival, East Hampton, New York, where Grigorov won the fest’s award for best original score. While working with Ricagni, Grigorov again became interested in composing for commercials. Soon after that, Curran, who had stayed in touch with Grigorov, asked him to join Amber. He moved there towards the end of ’98.
In February, Carl Forsberg of New York repping firm The 1st Division contacted Grigorov to ask if he’d be interested in joining Crushing Music. At Crushing, composers/partners Joey Levine and Mary Wood were considering hiring Forsberg to rep the company. Levine and Wood had told Forsberg they wanted to expand Crushing’s capabilities in underscoring by adding another composer, and, as Levine recalled, "Carl said, ‘You know, there’s this guy at Amber—I think he’s just what you’re looking for."
Levine and Wood offered Grigorov a place at Crushing, and the composer accepted. "I’m looking forward to finding a place at Crushing as an underscorer/composer who specializes in unique and quirky music that incorporates classical, jazz and pop," he offered.
Crushing’s composing staff consists of Wood and Levine, as well as Robin Batteau, Alfred Hochstrasser, Jim Kremens, Clifford Lane, Taylor McLam, Gary Schreiner, Don Sebesky, Jeff Southworth and Kenny White.
Crushing is repped nationally by Forsberg.
