Tell us a bit about yourself and your career path! What sparked your interest in composing?

From the moment I could climb onto a piano bench and touch a key, I was hooked. My biological mother was a classical pianist, and my paternal grandfather—a conductor, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. My father, a visual artist and photographer, gifted me with a way of seeing—and hearing—the world.

Later I learned I have audio-visual synesthesia—what I see, I hear, and what I hear, I see. It influences how I express emotion through music, especially when scoring a visual scene.

I still blame John Williams for sparking my interest as a film composer, ever since my Dad took me to see Star Wars. I remember sitting in a giant movie chair as a toddler—soaking in the sound. Even then, I knew: this is for me.

Composing was never a decision for me—it’s simply how I experience the world. I skipped a lot of school to find a piano or a music library to spend hours in. I was mentored by incredible vocal coaches and producers in my hometown of Vancouver, and I credit them for keeping me grounded in the craft of composition and production during my earlier songwriting and vocalist years. My formative years were that of a stage performer in theatre, dance, then worked on a dozen studio albums to date and released a few of my own, and continue to release new tracks. So, music and stage has been my home forever. 

By 2004, I began assembling a small studio thanks to the generosity of a few talented musicians and producers. In 2009, my LMG Co-founder Gerry Plant and I built our first official studio in New Brunswick. That eventually expanded into two studio suites.

In 2015, I made the decision to publicly embrace my identity as a composer and launched Leonty. I had already contributed to many musical projects by then, but that year marked a personal turning point: I committed fully to scoring for screen—and told my film community. They responded with immediate support, introducing me to directors and collaborators who believed in what I could offer and gave me a shot at screen work.

The rest, as they say, is history. I am enjoying being a bonafide studio hermit. 

Congratulations for your Leo-nomination on Alien: ORE! You had such a beautiful use of textures in this score. What was your process for working on a film like this when we’re all familiar with the franchise? How did it feel? Was it intimidating? Exciting?

All of the above. Scoring Alien: Ore was both thrilling and humbling.

I started by bringing together the right musical team. I invited my longtime collaborator and LMG co-founder, Gerry Plant, to co-compose, as we both bring unique compositional voices and strengths. Having worked together for over 20 years, we share a creative language that helps us move intuitively and efficiently, especially under tight timelines. With two studio suites, we could divide scenes and move quickly.

We began by listening—to the Spear Sisters (our visionary directors), 20th Century Fox, and the post-production teams. We made space to understand everyone’s perspectives, expectations, emotional tone, and any reference material. Spotting sessions helped guide that process, and we then auditioned our sonic palette—much like casting.

The film’s environment inspired our sonic species. The dark, muted cavern became one of our tone species —blending bold organic elements with tensioned synthetic textures. Gerry recorded raw sounds for our library (like dragging a metal wok lid across a cement floor), while I designed analog synthetic layers. These became part of a custom library we both drew from to layer throughout organic textures such as orchestral instruments.

We treated scenes like shared canvases. We’d choose lead composer per scene/moment, defined emotional and sound space, and left room for each other’s textures. Notes and sessions moved between our studios in an iterative flow—always guided by one question: What do the storytellers want the audience to feel in each moment?

Because Alien: Ore sits within a beloved franchise, we also wanted to honor Jerry Goldsmith’s groundbreaking original score—avant-garde and deeply immersive for its time. I studied his motifs, let them settle in, and then stepped away from imitation. The temptation to match legacy sounds is strong, but I kept asking: Am I staying true to the story the Spear Sisters are telling? That helped me stay grounded and emotionally honest.

In the end, our goal was to pay tribute to Goldsmith’s voice, reflect the directors’ vision, and follow the emotional cues of the environment—to create something textured, visceral, and uniquely ours. And yes, franchise work keeps you humble. So even scoring a Star Wars spinoff  (personal dream) would make me return to this: bring the franchise history with me, and then set intention to authentically serve the visual and emotional story.

Speaking of sci-fi, in the short film CC, you scored another sci-fi world—this one about AI and humanity. How did you handle that musically?

Sci-fi is such a rich genre—it allows us to explore human transformation. The Spear Sisters once again grounded the story in emotional truth. The nanny-bot presented an interesting challenge: is she feeling, or just programmed? It mirrors human questions too—are we shaped by experience, or preset codes?  As a composer, I tuned out the larger debates around AI and focused on what the directors wanted the audience to feel. That’s always my north star.

My studio gear was more limited for that project, which forced me towards simplicity. The knife-throwing scene was the toughest—as I lacked the deep hits and sound libraries I have now—but I finally made it work enough to move it forward. That’s a challenge – sometimes there isn’t a perfect fit, but we have to work to time, so that can force us to approach the scene differently.  

A favorite moment: the bot’s shutdown scene. I used quiet space and a single glassy pitch drop to echo her tear. That sample became part of a new virtual instrument—’pitched-bot-tears’— given AI stories, I’m ready for bot-tears now.

You also worked on The Mary Alice Brandon File, a Twilight spin-off. Super cool use of vocals and textures! Is that your voice on the score?

Thank you! And yes, that’s my voice – and I see my voice simply as another instrument I can lend to story. For this score, my voice was used as a symmetry to the main character’s internal experiences.  

I think my favorite part about writing for this project, was being able to work with an incredibly talented team, from directors to musicians and post. As a composer, being able to draft an idea (let’s say a piano section), and then bring it to far more talented musicians than me, and have them send me back tracks for me to work with that were performed impeccably, was a gift. 

For this compositional team, I led the scoring and invited Bill Perison to lend his incredible talent in both piano and composition to help meet the unique challenges that this era posed. I had to work with a vintage environment, and wanted authenticity in the era especially for the wedding scene. So we composed and produced an historically accurate song, “Pearls on a String”, and after we produced it, we even took it to a musical historian. Best note we got back was that the historian thought it was an undiscovered piece he hadn’t heard of yet! So, employing an amazing group of musicians to help with the depth of organics I kept hearing on this one, was such a gift. 

The credit song is also a highlight for me –co-written by Sierra Lauren and myself, “We Have it All” was produced in less than 3 days, and was happy to be asked to produce and perform with her on that song. 

Recently, you spoke at the Making Waves Conference. For those who missed it, what wisdom did you share?

It was such a meaningful event—bringing composers and directors together to talk about creative process. We covered everything from temp tracks to how early composers should be brought on. And definition of the word “Locked” – lol – is there such a thing?? 

The big takeaway? Build a shared language, as a team, early on. Directors don’t need to know musical terms. We all speak emotion. And film music tells the emotional story—often the part not found in the script. A strong score can elevate even the simplest of projects to a high-value experience for each audience member. 

Too often, music is an afterthought. But when integrated early, it creates immersion and trust with the audience. That’s why I love advocating for sound as storytelling, and for including composers earlier in the production process so we can help craft the emotional story. 

My favorite feedback is when someone doesn’t even realize there was a score—they were just completely inside the story. That’s when I know I’ve done my job well.

You also do a lot of work outside of film—marketing music, sound logos, educational content. Tell us about LMG Creative and your favorite part of working in these spaces.

Creativity is life. Whether I’m crafting a 5-second stinger, an audiobook, or a learning experience, my goal is the same: to create something meaningful.

LMG Creative is an audio group that produces everything from sonic branding and trailers to immersive voiceovers and learning assets. We treat all of it with care—it’s all storytelling.

My background spans technology, performance, and professional development. I’ve led digital transformation projects and taught thousands. I see technology as a tool for supporting our ‘humanology’—how we grow and connect.  So even when I’m scoring for a product launch or a workshop asset, I’m still asking: What’s the human moment here? What emotion are we evoking?

One of my favorite parts of working across these creative domains is the opportunity to help people experience life in a more meaningful way—whether that’s awe, confidence, calm, or inspiration. 

It’s been said that we can convince our minds of almost anything—but not our hearts. That’s why I’ve always trusted my creative compass. And why I believe the most powerful tool we have—across any medium—is the power of story.

So, let’s #staycreative.

Interview by Kati Falk-Flores

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