shieroz

Thoughts on Gratitude & the 4th of July

Today we celebrate independence day here in the United States. To all who celebrate America’s birthday, happy Independence Day! For me the day is filled with gratitude, hope and boundless possibilities.

I was born and raised in Israel. I spent most of my formative years there. Upon graduating from elementary school, my parents transferred me to the American International School, where I was surrounded by students from all over the world. It was an real eye-opener being exposed to kids who grew up in different countries, different cultures, different values.

When I was 16 I was offered the opportunity to move to the US and finish my high-school education at a boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida. Trepidation and hesitation were overwhelmed by opportunity and excitement (and probably some teenage-angst wanting to get away from one’s parents), and off I went to Bolles High School.

Spending two years living in a dorm, half way around the world from home, without family, and initially without any friends was daunting, difficult, exciting, scary, interesting, uncomfortable, fascinating, but most of all illuminating. My parents gave me the precious gift of experiencing life from a different perspective. I didn’t just get a taste of other cultures through international students, I became an international student at Bolles. I got to live and experience life in another country, with a different culture than I was used to.

Following my graduation I moved back to Israel to serve in the military, as is expected of all healthy young Israelis. It was only near the end of my tour of duty that I decided to commit myself to becoming a professional musician. Upon my discharge I enrolled at Rimon School of Jazz & Contemporary Music in Israel, and two years later I was back in the US, this time in Boston attending Berklee College of Music with the help of a partial scholarship.

Once again, I was surrounded by students from all over the world, sharing their culture, heritage, values, and music. I remember witnessing history in Yugoslavia through the eyes of a fellow student who’s family was back home during this very tumultuous time over there. I remember being beguiled by the music of the Andes, something I was unfamiliar with before, and through the music learning about the culture and history of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru & Venezuela, as well as the ancient Aztec & Incan civilizations.

At Berklee I got my first in-depth glimpse at the world of film-music. I had never even heard of music editing until taking the requisite Music Editing 101 class. After just a couple of classes I was hooked. And when elected to take the Advanced Music Editing class, I was lucky enough to be in the last class that still taught us how to cut mag, as well as ProTools (version 3.2 back then). The ability to do both lead to some of my earliest gigs, helping established music editors transition from mag to ProTools.

Following my graduation with a degree in film-scoring, I moved to Los Angeles, where I have enjoyed a career in the film & TV industries over the past 18 years. My career as provided so many incredible opportunities and experiences. I get to work with the most amazing players in the world here in Los Angeles, on some of the best scoring stages in the world – The Eastwood Scoring Stage at WB, The Newman Scoring Stage at FOX & The Barbara Streisand Scoring Stage at Sony. Thanks to my work I have gone to London to record at what is arguably the most famous studio in the world – Abby Road Studios, I’ve also worked in Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Dallas, Toronto, Italy & China. Thanks to the magic of technology, I’ve worked with musicians in Berlin, Macedonia, Prague, Bratislava, and Georgia.

Thanks to my job I’ve worked with some incredible composers including Danny Elfman, John Ottman, Heitor Pereira, Marc Mancina, Ed Shearmur, Teddy Shapiro, & John Swihart, to name a few. I’ve worked with Linkin Park, Marcus Miller, Adrian Lee (of Mike & the Mechanics), The Lyris Quartet and Tracie Ullman. I’ve worked for directors including Errol Morris, Guillermo Del Toro, Tim Burton, Joe Johnston, Davis Guggenheim, and Sam Raimi. I’ve met legendary Beatles producer George Martin. I’ve met Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, Isaac Hayes, John Williams, Thomas Newman, Randy Newman and countless other musicians, composers, recording & mixing engineers, music editors and artists I’ve long admired.

I’ve worked on nearly 100 films in every genre and countless TV shows. I could never have had these opportunities had I not had the advantages and experiences I was afforded growing up. I could never have had this career anywhere else in the world or in any other industry. I get to be part of the magic of Hollywood, which still excites me! Whenever I drive around Hollywood and see the iconic sign, I still can’t take my eyes off it, and have to pinch myself to make sure this isn’t a dream.

Somehow I also managed to meet the woman of my dreams, who shares my life and puts up with the crazy demands of my profession. We have to amazing children who teach me what love really means every single day. And I couldn’t have done any of this without the unwavering support of my family – my parents and siblings.

Nearly 3 years ago, I became an American citizen. And that is why on July 4th, I think about all that I have, and all the amazing opportunities and experiences I’ve had as well as the unlimited possibilities ahead of me. Because I am so very thankful to my adopted country for making it possible for my dreams to come true. Happy birthday America, and thank you!