Open call: Film Music Career Mentoring for European Film Composers

Open call: Film Music Career Mentoring for European Film Composers

This summer, ECSA is partnering up with OTICONS Film Composers Agency for the online Film Music Career Mentoring for European Film Composers. During the online sessions in September, our two expert mentors will give two film composers the chance to gain invaluable insights about how to boost their career, how to communicate with filmmakers, as well as customized creative advice, artistic insights and processes, and real-life industry dos and don'ts. 

Submit your application before August 7th and get a chance to be selected as one of the two mentees!

Overview of the two courses
How to carve a realistic, efficient and successful career path as a film composer? How to be as prepared as possible for this ever-challenging and ever-changing film industry, before you even start communicating with filmmakers? And, with that said, how truly can a film composer efficiently communicate with directors and establish oneself as a great collaborator in the filmmaking process? Acclaimed film composers agent George Christopoulos, and world-renowned documentary composer Miriam Cutler, will provide to two chosen candidates tailored guidance through both the creative and business aspects and dimensions of the film composer’s profession and aim to help you enhance your chances in having a successful career as a film composer! 

In separate sessions, George will focus on providing "Film Music Career Business Mentoring", by sharing crucial tools and tips to navigate yourself through the industry from a business perspective. George will shift your mindset from thinking as a composer, to thinking as a filmmaker and a business owner, by helping you to improve your networking, pitching and negotiating skills in ways that will boost your career, specifically in the region you live and work in! On the other hand, Miriam will focus on the creative and practical aspects of manifesting a satisfying film composing career by successfully "Communicating and Collaborating with Filmmakers". She will share her insights gained over more than 35 years as an independent composer on topics like music story arc, musical narrative tools, bringing the score to life with live musicians, maximizing the music budget, and most importantly, how to have inspiring and productive conversations with filmmakers - to get the information you need to write an amazing score.

About the mentors
The course will be given by experienced mentors George Christopoulos and Miriam Cutler.

George Christopoulos (GR) is the founder, CEO and film composers agent of Oticons Talent Agency. Oticons Talent Agency operates globally by representing nearly 30 composers from all over the world and specialises in facilitating international co-productions. As an agent he represents internationally more than 30 film composers from more than 20 different nationalities, while at the same time he has worked as a consultant for international co-productions on several feature films.

Miriam Cutler (US) is a three time Emmy-nominated, who is passionate about documentaries. Her work includes HBO, CNN, PBS, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin FF, Tribeca, Emmy, and Oscar nominated films: RBG, Love Gilda, Shari and Lambchop, Gabby Giffords - Won't Back Down, Beyond the Gaze, Til Kingdom Come, Flannery, Dark Money, The Hunting Ground, Ethel, Lost in La Mancha, Thin, Poster Girl, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, A Plastic Ocean, Licensed To Kill, and many more. She has been a longtime Advisor at the Sundance Documentary Composers Lab, juror for Sundance FF, Spirit Awards, and the AFI and more. Miriam is regularly hosting workshops for filmmakers and film composers in festivals, like her currently ongoing collaborations with Krakow Film Music Festival and the Vancouver IFF, while she has lectured in universities such as the USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount and many more. Miriam won various high-profile awards for her works, including the 2024 Camille Award for Outstanding Contribution for the film music industry.

Submission details
The two mentors will select two talented film composers for the mentoring sessions. If you are a film composer who seeks knowledge on how things work in the film industry (from international co-productions, to pitching to filmmakers and music rights), as well as discovering those key ingredients that result to building successful collaborations and relationships with filmmakers, that will help you sustain a long career, sign up for the open call by filling in the form below!

You are required to provide us with your CV (in PDF format), some links to your website(s) and socials, and an online private playlist (preferably on SoundCloud, Disco, Dropbox or ReelCrafter) of max. four of your film music compositions that you consider your best. Approach it as a demo playlist that you would send to a filmmaker to present yourself and your music.

The call will run until the 7th of August, 2025. After this date, ECSA will inform the two winners by email and announce the news on its social media pages. The mentoring courses will take place online in September.

“I learned to understand more precisely the production chain of a film, but also the approach to have with a director or a production company, how to present myself better and how to score points during a professional meeting, how to protect yourself well with a solid contract. All of this will serve me in a very concrete way in my career.”
- Célyne Baudino, George’s mentee in 2024

“I learned a lot, especially about our website and online presentation, about contracts and negotiations, about who to get to know, and most importantly, to create a career plan for us.”
- Thibault Torzuoli, George's mentee in 2024

“It was an honor meeting Miriam and I am so incredibly grateful to have been chosen by her to come to Vancouver and present my music. I am ready to step my career up and I wish to learn more from Miriam as much as I can. She inspired me!”
- Theodore, Miriam’s mentee in 2024

This open call is reserved to all European composers.

List of countries included:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

This programme is co-funded by Creative Europe.