TODD HOLDEN CAPPS
COMPOSER
I was floundering around as a frustrated singer/songwriter when I
landed my first composing gig quite unexpectedly. My sister-in-law was acting in a television show that had yet to air and they needed a theme song and someone to score the first few episodes. February 2001, and 65 episodes later, when production ended and re-runs went into international syndication, I suddenly realized two things: I was officially a professional composer and I was officially unemployed.
Armed with Hollywood Reporter listings and Yahoo maps of production offices I set out on the first of many day-long assaults on the L.A. film and television industry. My 13th "cold call" that first day found me at Rhino Films in Santa Monica right around 5 PM and in the midst of an unusual heat wave. Expecting the newly familiar response, I started writing a note to a Mr. Stephen Nemeth, producer, at his assistant's desk when the man himself appeared with a warm hand-shake and a cold can of Coke. He actually invited me into his office and we started chatting. Two things struck me: this is way too easy and is his cell phone actually programmed to receive a call every 3 minutes. Preparing the Hollywood memoirs of a veteran and cherished film composer in my head while he rambled on the phone, the words "we already have a composer for that project" fell on my ears like a guillotine. It was to be one of the mantras I would befriend for the next year, along with "sorry, we don't accept unsolicited material" and "who let you in here?" But Steve was very encouraging and told me to keep in touch, which I did for a few weeks until the cryptic phone tag got the best of me and I eventually resigned my Rhino Films sheet into the cool-colored file.
Forward 15 months to April of this year and well over 100 production offices visited between Manhattan and Hollywood with comparatively little to show for it. I get a random voice mail from some Dutch guy who was looking for a composer for a feature he had just finished and got my demo from someone at Rhino Films named Steve. He said he liked what he heard and that Steve told him I was a good guy. The next day, I met with Helmut in Moorpark to screen the film. One thing struck me: clearly something is wrong because this film doesn't suck at all.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I love it!"
"Do you want to do it?"
"I'd love to."
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