Story & Lesson Highlights with Deeba Montazeri of Manhattan

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Deeba Montazeri. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Deeba, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Thank you for having me! One thing I have been loving doing, is going to see a morning screening at the movie theater, usually around 10:30am and then going for a long walk afterwards. Working from home and working freelance, it’s really easy to spend my time during a project being completely locked in and negligent of all other things. But I do need sometimes to feel grounded again and remind myself why I love doing what I do. So when I am feeling out of sync, or unmotivated, or even if I just happen to have the time, I will walk over to my closest movie theatre and allow myself to be drawn into a film and then give myself the time to go for a walk, usually to Central Park, afterwards.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Deeba Montazeri, I am a Persian film composer based in New York. Having a passion for film and classical music, I came to New York from Toronto to complete my film studies and with a background in music, I ended up in the realm of film and theatre scoring. I have worked on a number of projects that vary from film, theatre, dance performances, museum exhibitions and writing string arrangements for singer/songwriters.
I feel very fortunate that I have now explored so many genres that every new project feels like diving into a new world that I get to fully immerse myself into.
I think one thing that has really helped me is that there was a period of time where I was pursuing acting as a career. Because of that, I do think that the way directors and I now communicate when discussing the score, is definitely affected by my acting training. The score and what the director needs from the actors, are often very similar, in terms of themes, tones, story etc.

I’m currently on a roll out of releasing some soundtrack albums of films I have completed in the last couple years, while also working on a documentary!

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The relationship I have with my mom is one that I am so fortunate for because she truly saw me and believed in me whole heartedly before I did. When I was 18, I was exploring my post secondary options in Canada and I just wasn’t feeling connected or satisfied with what I was seeing. She was the one who suggested to me that I should explore New York. I thought she was crazy at first, but she was so adamant that eventually New York became the only place I could really see myself in. I do think that her support and her belief in me, was what allowed me to take a big leap of faith. A few years later I told her I wanted to get into film scoring and once again she said it’s definitely something I should dive into, and give it my all. I feel very grateful to have had that because as a single mother, she took a risk to send me on this wild adventure. But to her, it all made sense. I sometimes feel like she can see into the future and she just hasn’t confessed it to me yet.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Oof, it’s so cliche to say but you really change the most from your struggles. Whether it was being challenged with a professional dynamic or hitting a wall with the software I am using, I always came out of it with more clarity. In the moment it always felt paralyzing but you find a strength from it. I had a major tech issue on a score I did in 2024 that led to me unknowingly writing to a slightly slower version of the film. So my sync points weren’t the same as the directors. It took weeks to fix and lots of occasional screams alone in my apartment but we got there in the end, and this score turned into one I am very proud of. But my god, in the moment I thought “wow time to say goodbye to my career!” As you can tell, I never overreact.
The experience made me sharper and gave me insight into things I didn’t realize I needed insight into. If you can just trust that the suffering will come to an end and that there will be clarity on the other side of it, it makes riding the waves a little easier

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I think the public version of me is a part of me, but not all of me. Funny enough, people who don’t know me very well but meet in public settings, assume I am incredibly extroverted. But the people who really know me, would beg to differ. I think I have always been really good, probably because of my childhood, at putting on the mask. I don’t necessarily dislike wearing the extroverted mask, it serves a very useful purpose and is one of the main reasons I am able to find work as a freelancer, build networks and have a sustained community.
I think a lot of people feel this way and I do think it’s needed in order to keep us part of a functioning society. If I was indulged in my introverted desires, I would probably become a little too isolated from the world. It’s all about finding that balance and trying to show the real you in ways that feel honest and true to yourself

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I would hope that my sense of humor would remain along with my ability to create a safe haven for my friends and family. I feel very loyal to the people I love and they always know that they can stay with me, talk to me and confide in me. If I lost my career and any kind of status I may have, I would hope I could still be a beacon of comfort and rest for the people I love. Even though I feel very career oriented, I have always dreamed of having a home that was spacious enough to welcome my community. I want my friends to bring their kids to my home and know they are in a safe, loving place. Also trauma makes people even funnier so if I went through the experience of losing everything, everyone important to me better discuss how much funnier I have become.

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Image Credits
European Recording Orchestra, and Tiffany Smith

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