Josh Kirsch has ended his eight-year tenure as a composer at JSM, New York, to head his own shop, Kirsch Electric, also in New York. As a composer/sound designer, Kirsch will primarily handle commercials, but plans to expand into multimedia, films and longform programming as well.
Kirsch entered the music industry in ’89 as a studio assistant at the New York office of bicoastal Elias Associates, where he remained for two years before joining JSM.
Kirsch decided to go solo, he said, in order to broaden his dealings with clients. At JSM, which had its own staff of producers, Kirsch said his interaction with clients was limited to the creative aspects of a job. "There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that you don’t see as a composer," Kirsch said. After working in the music industry for 10 years, Kirsch said he felt he’d gained enough experience to start his own company.
Out of his new one-man shop, Kirsch has most recently scored and sound designed "Spring 2000," a national spot campaign for Estee Lauder via Bates USA, New York. Since the shop’s launch two weeks ago, Kirsch also completed several Moonlighting promos, including "Roach Coach" and "Hidden Treasures," for the Bravo network.
Kirsch enjoys eliminating the boundaries between sound design and original music, and treats the two as a single entity. As an example of his best work, Kirsch cites "Join the Festival," a :60 for the Atlanta Film Festival via Austin Kelley Advertising, Atlanta. The spot, which won a ’98 Bronze Clio in the Original Music category, featured live carnival sounds that Kirsch recorded and then integrated into an eerie musical score.
Kirsch’s talents were also put to use in Volvo’s "Rounded Corners" via Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, New York, which he scored at JSM. Because the spot only panned around the exterior of a luxury car, Kirsch enlivened the spot with a slow-paced, jazzy score.
Kirsch is presently seeking representation for his shop.
