Winners announced for the “Film Music Career Mentoring for European Film Composers” 2025

In June, ECSA and Oticons opened a call for the “Film Music Career Mentoring for European Film Composers”; an intense online mentoring course performed by acclaimed film composers agent George Christopoulos (Oticons Talent Agency), and world-renowned documentary composer Miriam Cutler.  Today, we are happy to announce the two winning candidates.

After a careful selection process, George Christopoulos and Miriam Cutler decided to select Nikolaï Clavier (The Netherlands/Norway) and Darcy Cole (United Kingdom).

About the selection of the winners, George Christopoulos stated:
"In an industry often challenged to develop and promote original IPs, it was truly encouraging to see such strong participation in this year’s open call and to discover so many genuine, authentic voices. What stood out was not only the number of talented composers who applied but also the depth of their artistic expression. The defining quality in the music of both our selected mentees, Darcy Cole and Nikolai Clavier, was their ability to tell a story through their compositions, while also creating pieces that stand powerfully on their own. It has always been my belief that the most impactful film music is that which continues to evoke the emotion and strength of a scene, even when the visuals are absent. And that is what I felt while listening to Darcy's and Nikolai's submitted works. I am thrilled that we will have the opportunity to mentor two composers whose music embodies this rare and valuable quality."

During the sessions, which are set to take place in September, George and Miriam will help the two towards a successful career path by offering career advice and industry insights. Congratulations to both composers!

About the project
After various successful previous editions with George Christopoulos, ECSA now partners up again with Oticons Talent Agency, and for the first time also with world-renowned documentary composer Miriam Cutler. During mentoring sessions spread over several days in September, George and Miriam will provide the two chosen candidates tailored guidance through both the creative and business aspects and dimensions of the film composer’s profession and aim to help them enhance their chances in having a successful career as a film composer.

Miriam Cutler about providing mentoring and guidance to composers:
"I find mentoring  up and coming film and media composers very inspiring.  They are so talented and some have the drive to make it in this challenging line of work.  Applying for this type of program shows that they are willing to put themselves out there and ambitiously pursue opportunities for growth.

We all need encouragement and support.  While I had little to no guidance when starting out, I have discovered over many years of mentoring, that being honest and open about my own challenges and victories resonates with other creatives.  I have learned so much over my 30 year career and have a great overview of the lifetime arc of an independent film composer and the choices we face.  Why not share all this so others can apply what they find relevant and doesn’t take them as many years to learn. I believe that the future needs strong creative community, and we all need each other to thrive. I want to support others to discover  focused and intentional ways to achieve their goals.  I want to share  what I’ve learned about scoring, collaborating with filmmakers and musicians, building a career, and keeping my creative spirit strong.  But I also want to share my mistakes, questionable attitudes, and lack of self care.  All of this to save them time on their learning curve.  

There were so many fine applicants for this program, and I hope all of them will continue to pursue opportunities to grow their talents and careers.  Working as a film composer promises a lifetime of growth and inspiration, but it’s not easy.  Yes, we work alone a lot, but we cannot do this alone.  It’s all about collaborating with other creatives."

This project is organised with the support of Creative Europe.