Submissions for the Universal Composers Initiative are now being accepted through the Studio’s application portal. Now in its eighth year, the Universal Composers Initiative seeks to find artists from both traditional and non-conventional professional backgrounds whose creative viewpoints translate into distinctive musical expressions. By embracing both formally trained musicians and those who have gained skills and experience through alternative paths, we can foster a more innovative and dynamic composing community.
Launched in 2018 in partnership with Universal Film Music and the participation of DreamWorks Animation and Universal Studio Group Music, the Universal Composers Initiative is a two-year program for composers to gain hands-on experience in the industry through executive mentorship, industry exposure and the chance to submit for scoring opportunities.
The Initiative focuses on increasing awareness of this new talent, not only among NBCUniversal’s vast network of executives, producers and directors, but also across Universal Destinations & Experiences Parks and NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast.
“This is a real-world practical program through which we can provide a heightened level of exposure to our studio, filmmakers and executives, networking, mentorship advice and the opportunity to submit to score real projects. It’s the real deal. The Initiative affords us the mutual beneficial experience of getting to know a group of composers and helping them hone their skills in a way we wouldn’t be able to through the course of regular routine business.”
– Mike Knobloch, PRESIDENT, NBCUNIVERSAL MUSIC AND PUBLISHING, UNIVERSAL FILM
To hear more about the Universal Composers Initiative from Mike Knobloch, check out his episode of the Seen on the Screen podcast hosted by Jacqueline Coley.
Previous alumni and participants of the program have gone on to score the soundtracks for feature films such as Universal Pictures PLEASE DON’T DESTROY, STRAYS; Peacock Original PRAISE THIS; DreamWorks Animation GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE; SPIRIT UNTAMED; RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN; and Focus Features’ BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 and THE HIGH NOTE.
The hires do not stop with feature films – these composers have created music across the NBCUniversal portfolio, including touching on parent company Comcast NBCUniversal’s 10th anniversary anthem for their ‘Voices of the Civil Rights Movement’ series on Xfinity and the Studio’s short film JURASSIC WORLD: BATTLE AT BIG ROCK.
“At NBCUniversal, we are deeply committed to discovering and empowering new talent. The Universal Composers Initiative reflects that commitment by providing emerging, high-achieving composers with meaningful, real-world opportunities to grow their careers within our studio ecosystem. Through initiatives like this, we’re not only investing in exceptional talent but also strengthening the creative pipeline that drives the future of our industry.”
– Brandon Williams, SVP, UNIVERSAL TALENT DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT
To apply, you’ll need to be at least 21, legally able to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship, submit your own original work in English, and not have scored two or more theatrically released U.S. feature films in the past five years.
Applications for the Universal Composers Initiative Cohort 4 are now open. To learn more about what Universal are looking for, follow us on our socials.
Meet the Current Universal Composers Initiative Participants Who Are Changing the Sound of Entertainment
Cameron Moody Cameron Moody is an American composer, conductor, and trumpeter based in Los Angeles, CA. His distinctive utilization of the symphony orchestra has given way to a varied resume, with project genres in film and television ranging from action and documentaries to romance and comedies.
Cameron is the composer of the upcoming Hulu original limited series Washington Black, created by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and starring Sterling K. Brown, which premieres on Hulu on July 23rd. At 22 years old, he has made history as the youngest person to ever score a 20th Century Television series.
He wrote the score to the eight-part documentary series Kennedy, which chronicles the life and legacy of the 35th President John F. Kennedy. In the summer of 2024, he completed Patrick Green’s documentary feature film Sincerely, Los Angeles, a love letter to the late Oscar-winning basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
Cameron was also a frequent collaborator of Emmy-nominated and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Abels, composing additional music on scores such as Disney’s Star Wars: The Acolyte—for which he also served as a conductor—Kobi Libii’s The American Society of Magical Negroes, David Yarovesky’s Nightbooks, the Emmy-nominated documentary series Allen v. Farrow, and Jordan Peele’s Nope.
In 2021, at age 18, he made history by becoming the youngest winner of ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Music Fellowship Award. In 2024, he also became the youngest composer (21) to ever be selected as a fellow in the highly coveted NBC/Universal Composers Initiative.
Learn More About Cameron Moody
Eunike Tanzil Indonesian composer Eunike Tanzil is known for her cinematic storytelling and emotionally evocative sound. Blending orchestral tradition with modern textures, she creates music that connects deeply with listeners both on screen and in the concert hall.
In 2024, Tanzil collaborated with Laufey on Only Mine as part of Turn the Dial, a global campaign by Bose and Porsche, which has since garnered over 2.8 million views on YouTube. In 2025, she releases her debut album The First of Everything with Deutsche Grammophon, recorded live with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and premieres her orchestral work Ode to the City of Dreams with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.
Her music has been performed by leading ensembles including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.
Tanzil has also contributed to film and television projects with studios such as DreamWorks Animation and Netflix. Her work can be heard in Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, The Addams Family 2, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Abominable and the Invisible City, and Chicago Party Aunt. Her recent American film projects include Asian Persuasion, which premiered at the SOHO International Film Festival, and Christmas in Chicago. In addition to her work in the American film industry, she is also active globally. International films she has written music for include the Chinese comedy-mystery feature Be Somebody and the upcoming Indonesian sci-fi blockbuster Pelangi Di Mars.
Learn More About Eunike Tanzil
Joy Ngiaw Joy Ngiaw is a Malaysian film and TV composer known for her emotionally rich and inventive scores. She first gained recognition for Blush (Apple TV+), Skydance Animation’s debut short, which earned her the Best Music Award from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and an Annie nomination.
She later received a second Annie nomination for the sci-fi adventure trilogy WondLa (Apple TV+), collaborating with industry icon John Lasseter (Toy Story). She also made history as the youngest composer to score a major studio logo for Skydance Animation.
A 2024 BAFTA Breakthrough USA honoree, Joy was also featured in Apple Southeast Asia’s Here’s to the Dreamers 2025 campaign spotlighting creative talents across the region. As a pianist and vocalist, she brings a distinctive touch to her work, experimenting with tones, textures, and vocal techniques such as breaths, mouth percussion and hums.
Upcoming projects include Solo Mio, an Angel Studios feature starring Kevin James set for wide theatrical release in February 2026, and the Monkeypaw Productions short The Pigs Underneath, premiering at TIFF. Her other credits include Mattel/Netflix’s Barbie Mysteries, CBS’s Glamorous, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Short Circuit, and Netflix’s Rescued by Ruby.
Murat Selçuk Murat Selçuk is a film and TV composer and classically trained clarinetist, who blends orchestral traditions with experimental electronics to craft unique scores. He’s known for his collaborative nature, adaptability, and versatile voice, rooted in both classical and contemporary music.
Murat’s most recent project is the Netflix series Dead Boy Detectives. He has also written additional music for TV series such as Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, All American and All American Homecoming.
Growing up in Istanbul, Murat developed a very eclectic taste and sensibility towards music and film. Influenced by the electronic music scene of the 80’s and 90’s, he started producing music on his first synthesizer as a teenager. During the same time, his love for classical music led him to study classical clarinet at Istanbul University State Conservatory. As a clarinetist, he has performed with Istanbul’s leading orchestras both nationally and internationally.
In 2011, he moved to France to study composition at Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régionale d’Annecy, where he collaborated with directors from Cinédoc Paris Films, and wrote music for animation projects from ArtFx Studios, École Pivaut and Gobelins. In addition to composing music, he also worked on numerous projects as a synthesizer programmer and sound designer.
Nicoletta Nomicou Nicoletta Nomicou is a composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Athens, Greece, based in Los Angeles. With a versatile portfolio of over fifty projects spanning films, episodic TV, and video games, she is known for her lush, emotionally resonant, and innovative musical voice.
Nicoletta is currently working on Mark O’Brien’s horror-comedy feature Nice People, co-starring Sosie Bacon (Smile), Chloe Bennet (Dave), Keean Johnson (Euphoria), Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect), and others. She is also completing a project with Riot Games and the 2025 Russo Brothers & AGBO Grant Winner and Fellowship film by Katerina Munis, starring Oscar-nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis.
Nicoletta’s latest scoring credits include award-winning films Stitched (2025) and Daedalus, which screened with the American Pavillion in Cannes (2024) and earned her an award for Best Original Score at the Bucharest Film Awards. She was mentored by Emmy-winning composer Blake Neely and has written additional music for popular shows such as You (Netflix), All American (CW, Netflix), The Flash (Netflix), Riverdale (CW, Netflix), as well as the Charlize Theron Netflix documentary Into The Fire: The Lost Daughter. Nicoletta orchestrated Steven Spielberg’s and Tom Hanks’ Apple TV+ documentary The Bloody Hundredth and the HBO Max series The Girls On The Bus. She is a winner of Krakow’s Film Music Festival (FMF) Young Talent Award and is an Academy Gold alumna, a highly selective program by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Nicoletta holds a dual Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music, where she was awarded the Georges Delerue Memorial Scholarship, and a Master’s degree from USC, where she was recognized as the recipient of the John Harnell Award. She is represented by Evolution Music Partners.
Learn More About Nicoletta Nomicou
Sara Barone Sara Barone is an Emmy nominated composer for film, television, and video games. She works collaboratively with filmmakers and musicians to create unique sound worlds across a variety of genres. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to being creatively fearless enhances the narrative of each project she works on.
Sara is known for scoring BBC’s landmark series Planet Earth III, narrated by David Attenborough, alongside Jacob Shea, which earned them a Primetime Emmy nomination and a win for Best Original Score for a Documentary Series at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2024. Other recent credits include the virtual reality game Alien: Rogue Incursion developed by Survios, Netflix’s action-thriller Exterritorial (which smashed records and made it to Netflix’s all-time top 10), Amazon’s Silver and the Book of Dreams, Peacock’s documentary feature 2020 Chaos and Hope, directed by Oscar winning filmmaker June Beallor, and Hulu’s Grimcutty.
Sara has also written additional music for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Sonic the Hedgehog, Scoob!, Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones, Terminator: Dark Fate, the Netflix series, Hit & Run, Love Death & Robots Season 2 (The Drowned Giant), SHE-RA, among others.
Sara grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and received an undergraduate degree in music at Columbia University and a masters in Screen Scoring at USC.
Shirley Song Shirley Song is an Australian born Chinese composer who resides in the sunny city of Los Angeles.
She is known for her work as a composer in film and television, including the new Apple TV+ film, Lulu is a Rhinoceros, the Apple TV+/Dreamworks show, Be@rBricks, where legendary producer Timbaland serves as music executive producer, as well as Netflix’s Exploding Kittens, the Amazon Prime film, Five Blind Dates, the TV show spin off of “To All The Boys” film series, XO, Kitty (2023), the Netflix Romantic comedy, A Tourist’s Guide to Love (2023) as well as the 2021 Christmas Netflix film Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star, featuring Vanessa Hudgens.
Shirley’s latest film Slanted, won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury award at the 2025 SXSW festival.
A graduate of the University of Sydney/Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Composition)(Hons.) degree and Berklee College of Music’s Film Scoring diploma, Shirley has also contributed to numerous TV shows and films, including the 2020 Pixar film, Onward, the 2019 The Addams Family animation, the HBO Max TV show, Julia (based on the life of renowned chef Julia Child), Disney’s Mira, Royal Detective, the second season of the CBS series, Strange Angel, Netflix’s Alias Grace, the Oscar nominated film The Breadwinner, and the Dreamworks/Netflix animations, Tales Of Arcadia: 3Below, Wizards and Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans created by Guillermo Del Toro.
When Shirley isn’t composing or playing music, she can be found spoiling and pampering her furry friends, attempting to pat every dog she encounters, and training kickboxing and Muay Thai at her fight gym.
Stefan L. Smith Stefan L. Smith is a Los Angeles based film composer and violist whose music has graced screens, concert halls, and global stages.
A full-scholarship recipient at both DePaul University School of Music and USC Thornton, he’s performed and recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and The Academy’s Oscars Orchestra and appeared on screen at the Grammys, Emmys, Oscars, Modern Family, and more. His recent recording credits include Sinners, Avatar, Indiana Jones, League of Legends, Moana 2, Creed III, The Lion King, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts among many others.
His scoring work spans film, TV, games, R&B, pop, EDM, and the concert stage, earning honors like the 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Award for She Dreams at Sunrise and the 2021 ASCAP David Rose Award. Smith’s commissions include symphonic and chamber works for The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Colburn School of Music, Chicago Sinfonietta, the Savannah Music Festival and the National Orchestra Institute.
Whether in the studio or on stage, Stefan’s work blends technical mastery with emotional resonance, creating music that stays with audiences long after the final frame.
Learn More About Stefan L. Smith
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