We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sebastian Splinter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sebastian below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Sebastian 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?
My parents who are Latino immigrants gave up a lot of their comfort and livelihoods to give me and my brother a better chance at life. My work ethic comes from seeing them strive and build a future for themselves, despite all the challenges that come from immigrating countries.
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?
My name is Sebastian Splinter. Born in Montreal Canada, son of Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants. My career in music was mostly fostered by my parents at a very young age. My father being a cinematographer in his home country, and my mother facilitating and encouraging me every step of the way. Living in Montreal, I learned to speak English and French simultaneously, while speaking Spanish at home with my parents and older brother.
After having earned my Undergraduate degree, I worked for a year and a half in La Hacienda Creative, a music composition studio for films and video-games. Though my work there was very tangential to music composition, I nonetheless learned to love the craft by observing it in my colleagues, and eventually decided to apply to Columbia College Chicago at the request of a dear friend.
The program was very intense, and the costs of living in America were very steep, but with the sacrifices of my mother, and a hefty loan from the government of Quebec, I was able to just barely afford the costs of tuition and maintain my livelihood. Putting myself through as much work as I legally could under my visa restrictions, I cultivated several contacts during the program that have blossomed into working relationships as soon as my work permit allowed in the summer of 2024.
Since then, I’ve been working as a freelance composer, doing odd jobs for several folk in my network to stay afloat in Los Angeles. Though my career is small, I am nonetheless very happy with the progress I have made, and with the generous help of my friends, I am ultimately optimistic for my future.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Best thing to cultivate is work ethic. Many times I’ve found that hard work surpasses even natural talent. Especially in an artform as collaborative as Music creation for media, your collaborators will want a person that shows genuine enthusiasm in the work they do. Before my career in music, I had a admittedly lax work ethic, which was sharpened in my studies, and honed in my work in the Columbia College program. I think partially, the skill is developed out of necessity, but the program, and it’s beloved director Kubilay Uner, do an excellent job at training people not only to be composers, but to be hard and passionate workers.
Secondly, the ability to go often out of my comfort zone has awarded me with a lot of work, and I believe it to be essential for freelance workers. It’s unfortunate to say, but cultivating social skills is very important in an industry where being liked can get you work. That being said, I know some of my shyer colleagues do still find work, so don’t be disheartened if you suffer from social anxiety.
Lastly, I think the willingness and ability to learn is extremely important. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I currently am without the help of my fantastic friends, and a couple of truly amazing roommates. I have come into the industry humbled and ready to learn, and you will find often, that those you make friends with will be more than happy to help you through your journey. So keeping an open mind is often a great characteristic to have.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I put a tremendous amount of importance in the friends you make in your journey. Because ultimately, you will find you will be working more with your contemporary colleagues than the already established artists of our industry. I am constantly looking for friends to collaborate with or learn from.
The only word of caution I would impart on others is in the necessity to remember your professional and personal relationships, and treat them differently. Once money is involved, one must be very diligent and careful not to overstep one’s boundaries, much more so than with a close personal friend. That being said, collaborating is a true joy, and I only wish to work with folks who are as passionate about their projects as I am.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
The Witcher Nightmare of the Wolf – Recording Engineer
Voir La Musique Autrement – Music Composer
My Friend the Terrorist: a tale of love and revolution – Music Composer
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
