Benjamin Wynn

Last updated
Benjamin Wynn
Benjamin Wynn by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Wynn at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011.
Born1979 (age 44–45)
Chicago, Illinois, US
Other namesDeru
Education California Institute of the Arts
Occupations
Years active2004–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels
  • Friends of Friends
  • Mush
  • Merck
  • Neo Ouija
Website deru.la

Benjamin Wynn, (Benjamin Matfield Wynn, born 1979) known also as Deru, is an American composer, sound designer and music producer mostly known for creating the sound design for the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender . [1] He has collaborated with composers such as Joby Talbot, Jeremy Zuckerman and The Echo Society. He also produces electronic music under the name "Deru". He is the grandson of neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff. [2]

Contents

Background

Wynn studied electronic music at the California Institute of the Arts, where he focused on synthesis, signal processing, acoustics, music theory and composition, and earned a bachelor's degree in music technology. [3]

Collaboration

In 2007, Wynn (as Deru) collaborated with British composer Joby Talbot on the score to Wayne McGregor's ballet, "Genus", based on Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species , commissioned by the Paris Opera Ballet. [4] The ballet premiered at the Palais Garnier in October 2007 and was commissioned for a second round of performances in November 2009. [5] The eight-part score combines electronics with a 10-part choir and string instruments. [4] The score is available on Ant-Zen and Dear Oh Dear Records and was featured in the 2009 documentary, "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet". [6] Genus had its North American premiere by the National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre in March 2017 in Toronto, Canada. [7]

The Track Team

Wynn is co-owner of a music and sound design company in Los Angeles called The Track Team. [8] He was the force behind the sound design for all three seasons of Nickelodeon's hit television show, Avatar: The Last Airbender , which won a Peabody Award in 2008. [9] Wynn was nominated for a Motion Picture Sound Editor's Golden Reel award in 2009 for his sound design work on Avatar: The Last Airbender .

He started The Track Team with co-founder Jeremy Zuckerman in 2004. [10] Together they have created music for the Nickelodeon TV series, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness , the score for the feature films Just Peck and A Leading Man [11] and music and sound design for DC Comics shorts. [12] Wynn also worked on the sound design for the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender , The Legend of Korra . [12] Ben and Jeremy won a 2012 Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness . [13] In 2013, they were nominated for another Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness . [14] They received their third Emmy Award nomination in 2014; [15] and in 2015, they won their second Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness . [16] In 2017, Wynn and Zuckerman were nominated for their fifth Emmy Award nomination, for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness . [17]

In 2017, it was announced on The Track Team's Facebook page that Wynn and Zuckerman had decided to dissolve their company to pursue their own creative endeavors. [18]

The Echo Society

Wynn is a founding member and Creative Director of The Echo Society, a Los Angeles-based composer collective and non-profit organization that premieres new orchestral works in singular, one-night only events throughout Los Angeles. [19] The Echo Society's shows bring orchestral and electronic music to new audiences through uniquely immersive experiences. The collective consists of composers Joseph Trapanese, Rob Simonsen, Jeremy Zuckerman, Nathan Johnson (musician), Eskmo, and Judson Crane, as well as sound engineer Satoshi Noguchi and visual artist Effixx. [20]

In 2023, The Echo Society scored Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth for the Sphere in Las Vegas. [21] Wynn was a composer and score producer for the film. [22] The score was orchestrated by Robert Ames and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra, an 85-piece orchestra and 40-piece choir. [23] It was recorded by Francesco Donadello at Studio 1 at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios. [24] The movie premiered at the Sphere in Las Vegas on October 6, 2023. [25]

Deru

Wynn is also an electronic music producer under the name "Deru". He is signed to the label Friends of Friends and has released three albums on Mush Records, Merck Records, and Neo Ouija and many remixes and tracks for compilations for labels like Hometapes, Ghostly International, Hymen Records, 1320 Records, Unseen, and Mille Plateaux. [26] His album, 1979, was released on June 17, 2014, [27] as a limited-edition sculptural object, featuring nine tracks by Wynn and accompanied by nine short films by video artist Anthony Ciannamea, that are housed in a custom handheld video projector. [26] He released another album, Torn In Two, on October 19, 2018. [28]

In 2010, Deru and fellow electronic music producer Free the Robots joined the electronic music group The Glitch Mob on their nationwide "Drink the Sea" tour. [29]

Deru scored the music and curated the soundtrack for the feature-length film, Outliers, Vol. I: Iceland. The score is based on his field recordings from a trip to Iceland in October 2011. [30] The film premiered in Chicago in July 2012. [30]

He also composed the music for a digital arts installation by Julie Weitz that was entitled Touch Museum and inspired by the phenomenon known as Autonomous sensory meridian response. [31]

In 2018, Deru scored the music for the American science fiction web television show, Impulse (TV series). [32] The series is executive produced by Lauren LeFranc, Doug Liman, David Bartis, and Gene Klein. [32]

In 2019, Deru won a Webby award for his score for the Marvel podcast, “Wolverine: The Long Night”. [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Aronofsky</span> American filmmaker

Darren Aronofsky is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, melodramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological fiction.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> American animated television series

Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Zuckerman</span> American composer (born 1975)

Jeremy Zuckerman is an American composer of concert music, film and television music, music for modern dance, and experimental music. He is best known as the composer for the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 1 Animated television series episode list

Book One: Water is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The first season aired on Nickelodeon from February 21 to December 2, 2005, and consisted of 20 episodes. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu and Jason Isaacs as the main character voices.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 2 Second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender animation series

Book Two: Earth is the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu, and Grey DeLisle as the main character voices.

<i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> season 3 Third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender episode list

Book Three: Fire is the third and final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Michaela Jill Murphy, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Greg Baldwin, Grey DeLisle, and Mark Hamill as the main character voices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sozin's Comet</span> Series finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Sozin's Comet" is the four-part series finale of the American animated fantasy action Nickelodeon television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It was written by the creators alongside Aaron Ehasz, and directed by Ethan Spaulding, Giancarlo Volpe, and Joaquim Dos Santos. Although the finale is split into four episodes, it aired as a two-hour four-part film on July 19, 2008. The Saturday airing of "Sozin's Comet" acted as a climax to a week of ten new episodes that concluded Avatar's third season. Before the week of July 14–19, no episodes had been shown in the US since November 30, 2007, though some episodes had been released on DVD prior to their airdate. This is also considered a 92-minute television movie.

The 36th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2008, were held on January 30, 2009, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Below is a list of announced nominees. Kung Fu Panda received the most awards with 10, winning nearly all of its nominations, albeit amid controversy.

<i>Kung Fu Panda 2</i> 2011 DreamWorks Animation film

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, the film is the sequel to Kung Fu Panda (2008), and the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong and Jackie Chan reprising their roles from the first film, with Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber voicing new characters. In the film, Po and his Furious Five allies travel to Gongmen City to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from conquering China, while also rediscovering Po's forgotten past.

<i>Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness</i> American animated television series

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an American animated comedy spin-off television series co-produced by DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio based on DreamWorks's Kung Fu Panda films. First released in 2011, the show serves as a bridge between the first and second films, showing Po's training to becoming a successful Dragon Warrior, whereas the second film is, according to the series' developer Peter Hastings, "not unlike a very long, super-deluxe 3-D version of one of our episodes."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicktoons (Dutch TV channel)</span> Television channel

Nicktoons is a Dutch pay television channel broadcasting in the Netherlands and Belgium. It launched together with Nick Hits on 2 August 2007. It mostly airs animated programs dubbed in the Dutch language. Currently you can use the Global Feed since 2017

<i>The Legend of Korra</i> American animated television series

The Legend of Korra, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Korra, or more rarely simply as Korra, is an American adult animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. As a stand-alone sequel to their previous series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which ran for three seasons from February 21, 2005, to July 19, 2008, Legend of Korra ran for 52 episodes ("chapters"), separated into four seasons ("books"), from April 14, 2012, to December 19, 2014. It has been continued as a comic book series.

Kung Fu Panda is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated film of the same name produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping, a giant panda who is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master of kung fu, the franchise is set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals. Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny.

James Sie is an American actor and author. He is best known as a voice double for Jackie Chan, having voiced an animated Chan and several other characters in Jackie Chan Adventures. He is also known for his recurring role as the Cabbage Merchant in Avatar: the Last Airbender, as well as Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and Eddy Raja in the Uncharted series. His debut novel, Still Life Las Vegas, was published in August 2015.

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice for Favorite Cartoon is an award category given at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. This list also includes other information and other winners and nominees for the specific cartoon or relations to it. SpongeBob SquarePants, has the most awards by a winning streak with 16 wins. No other show has beaten it, however Avatar: The Last Airbender ended the streak in 2008, but it was regained in 2009 and afterward.

<i>The Legend of Korra</i> season 1 First season of the American animated television series The Legend of Korra

Book One: Air is the first season of the American animated television series The Legend of Korra created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Consisting of twelve episodes, it was initially intended to be a stand-alone epilogue miniseries sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender before the series was expanded to an order of four seasons ("books") of fifty-two episodes ("chapters") in total. Book One: Air aired from April 14 to June 23, 2012, on the Nickelodeon channel in the U.S., and is broadcast in other countries beginning in June 2012.

Brendan Angelides, better known by his previous stage names Eskmo and Welder, is an American electronic music producer and composer. He has released music on the record labels Interscope, Ninja Tune, Planet Mu, and Warp Records. For his 2015 Tiny Desk Performance, NPR Host Bob Boilen described Angelides as a "man who's part musician, part magician.".

Andrew Huebner is an American television producer with Nickelodeon Animation Studios. In that capacity, he has received one Primetime Emmy Award and three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Andrew Prahlow is an American video game, film, and television composer based in Los Angeles, California. He is a BAFTA-nominated composer. Prahlow is best known for his work on the action-adventure game Outer Wilds and its expansion, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye. His music has been featured in many trailers, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Martian. He also co-wrote music featured at Disney's Epcot and in Westworld. He began his career as a composer's assistant for Legend of Korra and Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

References

  1. ↑ Brennan, Mike. "Interview With The Track Team". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  2. ↑ Saxon, Wolfgang (12 February 2001). "Joseph Ransohoff". The New York Times . Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ↑ "Benjamin Wynn Biography". Thetrackteam.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  4. 1 2 "Talbot & Deru: Genus". Ant-zen.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  5. ↑ "Genus – Paris Ballet Score". Thetrackteam.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  6. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (2009-11-22). "Au Revoir to the Old, Bonjour to the New". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  7. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (2017-03-29). "Genus". National.ballet.ca.
  8. ↑ "IZotope, Inc - Audio Processing Technology and Plug-Ins for Pro Tools, VST, MAS, Audio Unit, and DirectX". Archived from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  9. ↑ "Avatar Wins a Prestigious Peabody Award". Avatarspirit.net. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Music Interview With The Track Team". AvatarSpirit.net. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  11. ↑ "A Leading Man (2013)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  12. 1 2 Lee, Marissa. "Interview With The Track Team: The Musicians Behind The Legend of Korra". Racebending.com. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  13. ↑ "Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards - 38th Annual Cfreative Arts Winners Announced". Archived from the original on 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  14. ↑ "Daytime Emmy Nominations 2013: Ellen DeGeneres, The View & More". Hollywoodlife.com. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES The 41st ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS" (PDF). Cdn.emmyonline.org. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR THE 42nd ANNUAL DAYTIME CREATIVE ARTS : EMMY AWARDS" (PDF). Emmyonline.org. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  17. ↑ "Benjamin Wynn Awards". imdb.com. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  18. ↑ "The Track Team Facebook Post". Facebook.com. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Echo Society Mission". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  20. ↑ "The Echo Society Bios". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  21. ↑ "SPHERE x Darren ARONOFSKY x THE ECHO SOCIETY - 'POSTCARD FROM EARTH'". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  22. ↑ "SPHERE x Darren ARONOFSKY x THE ECHO SOCIETY - 'POSTCARD FROM EARTH'". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  23. ↑ "SPHERE x Darren ARONOFSKY x THE ECHO SOCIETY - 'POSTCARD FROM EARTH'". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  24. ↑ "SPHERE x Darren ARONOFSKY x THE ECHO SOCIETY - 'POSTCARD FROM EARTH'". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  25. ↑ "SPHERE x Darren ARONOFSKY x THE ECHO SOCIETY - 'POSTCARD FROM EARTH'". Theechosociety.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  26. 1 2 "Deru". Fofmusic.net. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  27. ↑ "Deru". 1979.la. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Torn In Two". 1979.la. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  29. ↑ "Drink the Sea Tour". Theglitchmob.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  30. 1 2 "Outliers, Vol. I: Iceland — Soundtrack". 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  31. ↑ "LACANVAS: LA's Cultural Authority: Cutting the Web: An Art Show for the Digital Age". Lacanvas.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  32. 1 2 Impulse (TV series)
  33. ↑ "Wolverine: The Long Night". Webbyawards.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.