Craig Dodge is an award-winning classically trained musician who works as a film, television and video game composer and audio designer. He founded Taris Studios Inc. in 2010.
His music has been featured in 120 films and television shows, and more than 35 video games, also acting as lead audio designer for the projects. He regularly works for CTV, NBC, FOX, BBC, CNN, A&E Television, History Channel, and many more networks worldwide.
His first project was writing music for a local video game developer. After a trip to the game developers’ conference in San Francisco, he saw the potential for marketing his music.
He already had a music degree, and took a special certification program offered by Berklee College of Music, and then sent hundreds of emails to television producers and music publishers, asking if they were looking for music.
“Several replied, and my name became known,” says Craig. “Eighty percent of film, television, and game music is written by freelancers, so there are many opportunities to compose music. However, competition is fiercer than ever. Affordable technology has helped launch the careers of tens of thousands of film, television, and game composers and sound designers.”
Craig has also taught music at UPEI, and is a core music instructor for the Music Performance program, part of the Holland College School of Performing Arts. He teaches students how to earn a living from music, and how to develop a business in the entertainment industry.
“There are a lot of different ways to make money through music beyond playing gigs and producing CDs. Local musicians don’t have to compete only in the local marketplace. They should think globally.”
Craig has worked with several local musicians to show them how to connect with the film, television, and video games industry, and how to find markets for their products.
“Every time your music is played on a television show, you get paid. If my music is on a television show nine months or nine years from now, I still get paid. Once you start treating your music career as a business, you can earn money from it.”
“I am very active on social media to create my brand. As well, I am writing a book to show musicians how to earn money. Through Skype, I also teach people all over the world how to earn money with their music. It’s fun to be able to make a living from music.”
For more information about Taris Studios Inc., contact Craig Dodge at [email protected]. Visit www.taris-studios.com.
May 2018 Issue
Page 8
by Stella Shepard