I Won An Emmy!

I won an Emmy on Sunday night, for my “Da Vinci’s Demons” Main Title Theme.

I’m still so overwhelmed by this that I can barely process it. If I didn’t have this winged golden lady sitting on my table right now, I’d hardly believe that it happened at all. At Sunday’s award ceremony, I almost felt like I was watching my speech from an out-of-body experience. The ceremony is airing this Saturday night on FXX, so I’ll tune in then and remember exactly what I said! Since then, I’ve been inundated with a flurry of congratulations, smiles, cards, flowers, champagne and enthusiastic words from friends, family and fans alike. I will likely never have the chance to respond to each one personally, so let me now just thank you all for the chorus of kindness.

From what I can recall, I thanked a few people in my brief speech last Sunday, but 34 seconds is not enough time to thank everyone who contributed to this recognition. Here on my blog, however, there’s no timer counting down, so I can say everything I would have on Sunday if I’d had the whole three-hour ceremony to speak!

First of all, I really must share this honor with series creator David S. Goyer. Working with him has been one of the most exciting collaborations of my career.  He challenged me to make the score unique and never gave me a note that didn’t result in a better piece of music. As for the Main Title Theme, he had a tremendous impact without which I would not have been nominated. When I first played him my mock-up of the Main Title he gave me the greatest feedback a producer can bestow upon a composer:

“That’s it? It’s too short.  It stops right when it gets good!”

“David… the Main Title is only 30 seconds long.  That’s all I can fit in there.”

“We’ll have to make the Main Title longer then!”

And that’s exactly what he did. He re-cut the pilot episode to extend the Main Title Theme long enough for me to make a satisfying, musical statement. And on Sunday night, I won the Emmy for the theme and the design team won for their visuals. (David, I think its safe to say you made the right call!)

Now, the long list of thanks begins. An extra special round of applause, glass of champagne, back rub and a high five are due to…

… my publicist Beth Krakower, for sticking by me since my first “Battlestar Galactica” album.

… my agents at First Artist Management, Rich Jacobellis, Vasi Vangelos, Rob Messinger and Randy Gerston, for helping to navigate the choppy waters of the scoring business.

… my manager Joe Augustine, for making our record label Sparks & Shadows possible, which got the “Da Vinci’s Demons” Main Title single and soundtrack album out in the world.

… my tireless and brilliant production team at Sparks And Shadows, including Steve Kaplan, Jonathan Ortega, Michael Beach, Edward Trybek, Henri Wilkinson, Jessica Rae Huber, David Matics, Andy Harris, Laurence Schwarz, Michael Baber, Justin Hopfer, Kevin Porter, CJ Woodring, Ryan Sanchez, Melissa Axel, Gavin Keese and Dana Kyle. You are the unsung heroes that make every note possible, the ones staying up all night to get the details perfect, the ones dealing with the shit so I can deal with the art.  Without you, my music would remain helplessly locked in my imagination.

… all the brilliant musicians and singers who breathed life into my melody, especially Malachai Bandy, The Calder Quartet and contractors Peter Rotter and Bobbi Page.

… historical consultant Adam Knight Gilbert, for illuminating the fascinating world of Renaissance music for me.

… Carmi Zlotnik, Chris Albrecht, Janine Scalise, Theano Apostolou, Shannon Buck and everyone at STARZ for making their shows a haven where creative individuals are free to express themselves.  Thanks, also, to Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Courtney Conte and everyone at BBC / Adjacent Productions and Chrystal Siersma and Andie Green at Fox International Channels.

… my fellow nominees Sean Callery, Jeff Beal, Nathan Barr and Brian Keene. All your themes are worthy of winning. Being in your company is the honor.

… The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and The Society of Composers and Lyricists for their continued efforts to recognize the contributions of composers and musicians in television, especially with regard to Main Title Themes.  The art form is alive and well, thanks to your passion.

… my incredibly patient friends, for putting up with my insanity and for remembering that I still love you all, even if you don’t hear from me for long stretches of time.

… my supportive family, for believing in me from day one.

… and my remarkable wife Raya, for making each day special.

The first thing I did after the ceremony was run to the lobby and order a pizza. I hadn’t eaten all day and was dizzy with excitement. That completed what was pretty much the perfect evening. The next morning, I got up and went right back to work writing more music. I’m still floating this week, drifting slowly down from cloud nine, parachuting gradually back to the craziness that is normal life.

Writing the theme for “Da Vinci’s Demons” was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I look forward to expanding on this theme once again when I get to return to Renaissance Florence for Season 2. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this incredible honor, and to my loyal blog-readers and fans!

-Bear