Rob Duncan

"ASCAP became very dear to me after the workshop in 2001. At that time I had just made the leap of faith to move to Los Angeles to pursue my goal of becoming a film composer, and the workshop was a dream crashcourse in understanding how the business operates. Stepping off the plane I felt at odds because I didn't have a specialized degree in film scoring and I had no Hollywood mentor to get advice from. The workshop brought me face to face with the real people that operate at a very high level here and gave me the opportunity to get answers to all my questions. Because of ASCAP's massive and strong professional network, it is uniquely able to pull something wonderful like this off.

When the workshop was complete my mission was still the same, but now I had been briefed. I walked away with a killer cue for my demo and my new knowledge, but ASCAP's contribution to my career did not stop there. They introduced me to a composer who did become a friend and mentor for a while before I transitioned into scoring a big series fully on my own, the final season of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Long story short, I have been scoring a show for 20th Century Fox every year since. Last winter, over one hundred hours of television later, I was reminded of the amazing workshop night at the Fox Newman stage when I stepped in front of another big orchestra, this time at Abbey Road and Air Studios to record my score to the movie, Shattered.

I will always look back on the workshop as a very formative and exciting time in my life and my introduction to the ASCAP family. They say there are no free lunches in life, but the workshop is as close as it gets. They served a great ham on rye too."