We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alex Kovacs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alex below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Alex with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
For as long as I can recall, I always enjoyed having tasks. Whether that was homework, studying, or basic “to-do” lists, I found I liked purpose and success. Even now, all these years later, whether I’m writing a five minute cue for a film or simply cleaning our kitchen, there is always a feeling of achievement when complete. Through my experience (including when I was a child), I’ve learned not to differentiate by the “status” of the task. In other words, I try to put the same amount of focus and energy into everything–no matter what it is I’m doing. This is different than categorizing whether something is “important” or not or “can it wait until later” or not. That’s another skill I’ve learned through past employers and past projects which has greatly improved my work ethic. In all, the mantra that drives my work ethic: the way I do anything is the way I try to do everything.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I began playing piano when I was five years old and saxophone a short time after. I was extremely lucky in that my parents fostered my love of music. They would take me to concerts, my mother would drive me to my various ensemble practices and lessons all over town, they would provide me with the instruments or equipment I was interested in learning, and were very supportive of my desire to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston where I majored in Film Scoring. That privilege is not lost on me and I’m very grateful for the support they gave me and for the opportunities I had and continue to have. My wife (also in the music industry) and I moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating and we’ve been working in the business since then–again, something we are both grateful for. I’ve had a unique education in that I have assisted/worked for composers in virtually every field: Television, Film, Record, Amusement Parks, Live Shows, etc. That was a great way to continue my education after leaving college (or as one of my mentors use to say, “Earn while you learn!”).
Writing music for TV & Film, despite the normal stresses of deadlines and budgets, is a very rewarding, artistic experience. Music can truly “make-or-break” a scene. Its themes can be eternal and permeate every day life (can you hum John Williams’ theme to “Jurassic Park” or “Star Wars?” Or how many of you carefully curate your Instagram stories to find the “right” music to underscore it?). It’s a form of magic honestly–to create something emotionally impactful from virtual nothingness and then have it appear as little notes on music paper.
I have had the opportunities to write scores under my own name, to co-score with others, and to also writer under A-list composers such as: William Ross, Henry Jackman, Christophe Beck, and John Debney (to name a few). In that regard, I think this job has become even more of a collaborative experience than it was years ago. It’s definitively a partnership with the film-making team: directors, producers, editors. However, because of the evolving demands of the industry, music teams have grown to accommodate them. Sometimes I might be hired by a composer to help write a score, working along side two or three peers. Continuity and cohesiveness is key in these situations, but it can be a particularly fun way to share ideas, sounds, themes, etc. Things I very well might not have thought of if I were working in solitude.
I’m excited to say there are a variety of things coming out this year that I’ve had the good fortune of either solely composing or contributing to: “The Hail Mary,” “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story” (Christophe Beck), “Red One” (Henry Jackman) and “The Jet” (Pinar Toprak).
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?
My mantra: “The way you do ‘anything’ should be the way you do ‘everything’ ” has been a driving force for me. Even as an assistant, whether I was running a meeting with David Foster or hosting a student film maker’s no-budget project, everyone got treated the same–red carpet and all. Every project is important to the people hiring you so the same respect and focus needs to be reciprocated. Entitlement is an area that tends to bite people new to the industry (and an area I too sometimes battle). Bob Iger wrote of it in “The Ride of a Lifetime.” One can not allow ambition to get ahead of opportunity. Just because I’ve toiled over night to make a deadline, or worked as an assistant for a long period of time and done countless hours of grunt work, or co-scored one of the most anticipated TV shows of the decade…just because I’ve done those things does not entitle me to be the next composer of a Spielberg film. I’ve talked with plenty of young composers who equate “experience” with “fairness”—but those are not mutually exclusive terms. Relationships and luck make up a good portion of how one furthers their career. Entitlement is the sure way to suppress it.
The third biggest skill that I think has served me well is listening more and talking less. My good friend Bill Ross would tell me two things: never act like the smartest person in the room and if you are going to speak, make it count. I try my best to implement that during meetings (my wife and kids would argue I should do that more at home too!).
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Every project I’ve worked on, I try to store some skill or experience that can help me on the road to success. That being said, four individuals stand out in my life that have helped me get to where I am now.
Neil Wetzel and David Saturen, my childhood saxophone and piano teachers respectively, were the first to help me develop my skills. It may seem trite to go that far back, but having invested, passionate, and supportive teachers made an incredible difference. I very easily could have felt discouraged or overwhelmed. I could have been made to feel that music wasn’t a wise or reliable career path, or could have felt stunted because of my age versus desire to learn, but Dr. Wetzel and Dr. Saturen encouraged me. I was pushed, as only good teachers can do, to do well and learn more. For their many years of mentorship I am indebted.
My first two assistant jobs in Los Angeles have left an indelible mark on me as well. I assisted John Keane for a number of years (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”). Even though I had left college with a film scoring degree, there was an incredible amount of technology knowledge I had yet to hone. John’s “earn while you learn” mentality was very generous and encouraging. I learned an unbelievable amount regarding digital and analog recording. Television deadlines are also notoriously tight (sometimes having less than five days to deliver one episode with the season running for weeks at a time, episode upon episode). John taught me to work fast without sacrificing the quality or integrity of the music–to be confident in your decisions.
I’ve mentioned this last person already, but William (Bill) Ross is another mentor that has helped me develop my skills as a composer. Bill has a phenomenal command of the orchestra (just look at his credits!). In addition to the advice he’s imparted, he has also shared his knowledge of composition, orchestration, arranging, and recording with me. I was just at a party this past weekend with Bill and he unknowingly highlighted another piece of advice he often would give: “Be light.” It’s much easier for others to lift you up and help you achieve the next big thing if you are light. People are not motivated by pessimism nor are they able to help you up the mountain if you are carrying baggage in some form or another. If you are light, others will want to help lift you onto the next rung of the ladder.
The skills and knowledge required to have this career (not even a successful one) is dizzying. I count myself very lucky to have had the mentors and encouragement that I have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexkovacsmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexskovacs/
Image Credits
Kevin Leighton, Larry Mah, Matthew Justmann
