It’s a bold decision to choose a career in art, but for most artists, it’s less of a decision and more of an inevitable call. Recent USC Thornton School of Music MFA graduate and film composer, Andrew Asemokai, engaged in a private interview with the L.A. Sentinel and mused about this type of moment in his own life.
“I just couldn’t help it. I’d even talk about film scores with my organic chemistry teacher [at Texas State University]. I knew I wanted to do it…so I called my family and told them I was going to be a musician,” he recalled.
Despite his artistic childhood growing up in Dallas, TX, his family was surprised by his choice. His mother urged him to finish his B.S. degree at TXST, and he obliged by studying biology during the day and music at night. Andrew’s uncle taught him about the 10,000 hours theory, which suggests the key to mastery is by practicing for at least 10,000 hours. With this, he began his sleepless pursuit of an unpredictable career, putting the theory to the test.
During the rest of his time at TXST, Andrew was accepted into composer and conductor Christophe Beck’s (“Bring It On,” “Big Fat Liar,” “The Hangover,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Frozen,” and “WandaVision”) mentorship program to hone his skills. While there, Andrew met Michael Paraskevas, a composer who has collaborated on “Frozen II,” “WandaVision,” “Ant Man,” and “Hawkeye.”
Related Stories
California Hospital Medical Center Receives ‘LGBTQ+ Equality Leader’ Recognition
John Clarence Stewart is ‘Jelly’ in ‘Jelly’s Last Jam’ at the Pasadena Playhouse
Andrew was deepening his skillset and broadening his film circle but learned that he had to train himself in the fundamentals of music. Post-graduation, he enrolled in Dallas Community College to get the basics of music theory and ear training. As he networked in Dallas, Andrew began to feel the importance of moving to L.A. to pursue his dream properly.
“I would want to go for coffee, then the person would ask me if I was in L.A., and we wouldn’t be able to meet. L.A. was the place to be.”
After three applications, Andrew was admitted to USC’s Thornton School of Music as an MFA candidate.
“[USC] helped with imposter syndrome,” Andrew observed. “It gave me more belief in myself, and it was the first time I was surrounded by musicians. They gave me the encouragement and validation that I needed.”
Faculty Lolita Ritmanis, Lawrence Shragge, and Pete Anthony bestowed the kindness and patience necessary to help a budding artist grow.
Upon graduation, former friend and mentor Paraskevas took Andrew to lunch and asked him to be his assistant.
Both Beck and Paraskevas introduced and catapulted Andrew into a rarely successful career at such a young age, with Andrew’s most recent assisting credit being a Marvel Studios spinoff “Agatha.” He has also won an Award of Merit for Original Score on ‘Ms. Anita’ and composed the score for Tribeca Film Festival short film, “Smile, God Loves You.”
Looking back on that bold decision Andrew made at Texas State University, Andrew feels a deep sense of peace.
“I put in 10,000 hours only to find I need to put in 10,000 more. My career has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I can’t do anything but thank God, my mentors, Corbin Quisenberry, Jay Mitch, Adrianna Ruffin, and my wonderful, beautiful mother.”
Stay aligned with Andrew and his work on Instagram: @andrewasemokai.
