Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Arnold
Hi Tommy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music has been the heartbeat of my life for the past 25 years. It all started in Memphis, where I formed bands with my friends from Cordova High School. After graduating, I pursued jazz performance at the University of Memphis, but my passion extended beyond the classroom. I was gigging with a local metal band, Throne, while working full-time at Guitar Center. Eventually, the demands of school, music, and work became overwhelming, and after two years, I made the tough choice to leave college and focus entirely on my band. Our dream was to land a record deal and make music our full-time career.
During this time, I dove deep into recording and production, setting up my first home studio. I invited local artists to collaborate, and that’s when I truly fell in love with music production. I was fortunate to learn from an incredible local engineer, Justin Short, who mentored me and helped shape my skills as a producer. Those years were filled with live performances, late-night studio sessions, and the relentless pursuit of creating something meaningful through music.
But then life shifted. I got married and started a family, and balancing music with real-life responsibilities became increasingly difficult. The passion never left, but I had to make some hard choices. For a while, music took a backseat as I focused on providing for my family. It was a tough transition—I missed performing, producing, and being fully immersed in the creative world.
Through it all, my wife was incredibly supportive, and with her encouragement, I decided to chase a long-held dream: writing music for film. In 2019, I took a leap of faith and enrolled in Berklee College of Music’s online program, focusing on composition for film, television, and games. Juggling school, work, and family wasn’t easy, but I pushed through, determined to make it work. In 2024, I proudly graduated from Berklee with honors.
During my time at Berklee, I looked for opportunities to collaborate with filmmakers. That led me back to the University of Memphis, where I connected with Marty Lang, the Director of the Film Department. I worked closely with his students, and several of the films I scored were later featured at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. That experience opened doors and allowed me to build relationships with filmmakers across the country, many of whom I still collaborate with today.
Now, I’m balancing a full-time job with my passion for composing music for TV shows, documentaries, and films. I have also been working with production libraries that produce music for television, further expanding my reach in the industry. While I didn’t enjoy social media in the past, I’ve recently committed to it fully as a way to promote my music and my business, which has significantly increased my visibility and opportunities. I also launched a YouTube channel to share my journey, insights, and expertise. In addition to building my production business, I hope to one day create a program to help up-and-coming film and game composers learn how to find work after school. While formal education teaches the craft, the business side of landing projects is something many graduates still struggle with. It’s a slow climb, but my biggest asset is that I don’t give up on the things I truly want.
Some of the film music I love to write the most is horror, sci-fi, thriller, and suspense. Even though I enjoy composing for all genres and mediums, there’s something about those darker, more atmospheric styles that truly inspires me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest part has absolutely juggling working full time with a family. You really have to make time. Sometimes it’s waking up early or editing a video or social media projects during your lunch break at your day job. There is really no more time in the day you just have to make it happen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in music for film, tv and games. While I can write for any genre or style needed for the project I would say that the style I love writing in the most would be horror. Musically it’s the genre that really has no rules. You can be as creative and expressive as you want to be. What it really comes down to is serving the story of the film. I love taking a directors cut and writing music to it that pushes the narrative forward in a way that makes it even better than they imagined. I think what sets me apart is that I really strive to not think like a musician when working on a film. I want to watch the film or scene and really reflect on what emotion the audience should feel and drive that home. Film is a blank canvas and I get to paint the emotion with audio.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Start as early as possible and take every project you can. If you are in school then DONT WAIT to start finding student film makers to collaborate with. Not only will this give you experience working to a brief with a director, but it will also help you grow your own show reel and portfolio.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tommyarnoldmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommyarnoldmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommyarnoldmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tommy_arnold
