With summertime in full swing, we sit down with one of the people who brings music to life at Comma, Pete Schmidt. Pete is our Senior Composer & Creative Director and has been a part of the Comma family since its doors opened. His work has been featured on spots ranging from Adidas and Crown Royal to Verizon and Dodge, and many others in between. Find out more about Pete’s journey below.
Which project that you have worked on stands out to you the most?
I wrote the music for the Pokémon “Train On” Super Bowl spot. It was a great project and the whole team at Omelet was really fun to work with. Honestly though, it stands out to me the most because my son was a huge Pokémon fan and he wanted all his friends to see the commercial. He bragged to them that I wrote the music. It was really sweet.
If you could use any one instrument in every song you compose what would it be and why?
I pretty much use maracas in every upbeat track I write. Honestly, I do! Sometimes they’re loud and upfront, other times they’re subtly tucked in with the drums, but I like the forward momentum and energy that they add without the high end sizzle of something like a tambourine.
What is the biggest obstacle you have faced in your composer career?
Well, having had no real musical training has been an obstacle, but I’ve figured it out.
If you didn’t work in the music industry which industry would you work in?
I’d probably be a therapist, or a dog walker, or a gambler, or an astronaut, or a cowboy, or a mystic, or a magician, or a crime fighter, or a water skier, or a pole vaulter, or a florist or a professional wrestler or something like that. Yes. I’d surely be one of those.
Do you get writer’s block? Where do you go for inspiration when you do?
No. Honestly, I don’t have time to get writer’s block. Not everything that I write is good, but I don’t get writer’s block.