Meet Thomas Peters

We were lucky to catch up with Thomas Peters recently and have shared our conversation below.

Thomas, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
In creating music, I’ve always believed what my father told me growing up where he said “focus on the effort, not the outcome”. I think it’s so important to put that at the forefront mindset of any artist or entrepreneur, where it’s just the period of time of really falling in love with your craft and dedicating yourself to it fully. Music has that power over me where once I start making music, I become endlessly curious with where it leads me and before I know it, the composition writes itself. Of course, decades & years of musical training and knowledge were a part of it, but I wouldn’t have found myself in the journey of this career path had I not had that initial desire. Any pursuit requires deep work ethic that’s derived from an insatiable passion & desire for the medium, where that sense of discovery drives oneself to see how much more we have to learn, and where we see the craft & ourselves within it. Often, a big proponent of work ethic “can be” derived from Imposter Syndrome, where ultimately we still don’t feel we’re ready for what’s in front of us, and that’s an almost never-ending feeling for me but presented in a positive light; in that we stand on the shoulders of giants as music composers in our current generation and aspire to find ourselves even a fraction of what stood before us.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m Thomas J. Peters and I am a music composer for Film, Television & Video Games as well as the concert hall & a professional musician. I found music when I was 10 years old (or rather it found me) when I discovered a passion for music & cinema specifically with the 1977 sci-fi epic Star Wars.

Seeing that film inspired me to pick up the trumpet, which became my main instrument for the next 2 1/2 decades of my life. I then also discovered jazz music and dove into that genre deeply, discovering the music of Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Chris Botti, Freddie Hubbard and numerous others who shaped my sound as a young musician.

From there, in pursuing music professionally as a touring trumpeter, I discovered that in all of my in-between moments from practicing / rehearsing with a band or playing shows, I found that my true love of the craft came from writing music while playing the piano, and hearing that music in my head to then realize it on a piece of paper or on my computer. While doing that, also watching a whole lot of films in between and falling in love with the craft of cinema.

I realized then and there, that one could combine these trades and become a film music composer to do that as a living and that’s when it all clicked and I realized I found my calling in life. Funnily enough, years later, I’d still record my trumpet playing on numerous scores I’ve composed and it has become a staple of my musical style as a Film/TV composer.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The 3 best pieces of advice I’d give to anyone – regardless even if you are in the Film / TV business is the following:

– Focus on one craft, trade or something you’re giving back to the world that you are absolutely passionate about and find ways to show everyone that’s what you love & live life for. If you haven’t found that yet, keep looking because whether they know it or not, everyone has something they’re deeply in love with or passionate about.

– Surround yourself with people who love and support you & you with them. Humans are communal creatures and we depend on each other and thrive in communities that positively reinforce one another. Negative reinforcement, apathy, mediocrity, or abusive / manipulative vile behavior also gravitates towards each other, so it’s super important to guard yourself and make a point to find mentors & others who lift you up rather than tear you down. That and of course, not trying to do everything on your own! It’s ok to admit that you need help and guidance in life, and I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for key people who encouraged me never to give up.

– It starts with you. You get what you put into life, so it takes incredible self discipline & a centered mind to put yourself in a positive mindset – at times, this can even be a delusional positivity! But as long as you have a firm vision on your goals and what you’re looking to achieve, you can get there if you will yourself to, and continually strive to expand your skills & experiences (even life experiences, etc).

I’m going to add a 4th one and say “Be a good human being”. Care and love for others over yourself. Ultimately, anything we pursue or live for in this life is service of others, not ourselves.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
In Film & Television / the arts, of course we’re always looking for more people to collaborate with, but I think ultimately rather than quantity, I would prefer to work with people who have a genuine love & passion for cinema and music like myself.

People who literally can’t see themselves doing anything but this and would be willing to pursue the craft even if it didn’t yield or guarantee massive financial success are the ideal human beings I would love to be around. Hollywood is a business where there are so many people who are disingenuous and people can see right through that.

Your attitude is everything in this industry, and you need to be a fun hang as well. Someone that your clients know they can depend on since music for a movie is often in the 11th hour, where a lot is riding on whether you will deliver.

Then additionally, it’s also quite difficult to find work of course, especially with the current downturn in the business but ultimately, it’s about surrounding yourself with the people who would live & die for making art and telling stories, and that’s what I want to be a part of, no matter how much investment of my time or money it takes to make it viable, and we hope for success but it isn’t a guarantee. Also, neither is being alive a guarantee so I’d rather spend all of my days doing something I love.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
@johnnycallme – Johnny Call (Filmquest Green Room Photos)

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