From Storyline Online to Breaking Olympia: The Musical Influence of Amelia Allen
From pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering to applying for the coveted USC Screen Scoring Master’s program, composer Amelia Allen decided to risk a secured career to follow her passion. Now as a recognized musician in the industry, she feels that was the best decision of her life. Meet Amelia Allen, the music composer behind some of the popular tracks on films, television, and video games.
Her journey into music started at 8-years-old when she wrote her first song on the piano. Born and raised in Canada in a family where music was a major part of daily life, Amelia was naturally inclined to experiment with making music. Growing up, she thought music would only ever be hobby so instead pursued a university degree in mechanical engineering. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she pivoted back into music by doing a masters in film scoring, thereby launching her into the world of film music.
The USC Screen Scoring Program is a prestigious masters degree that only a few among many hopeful applicants qualify to enroll in. With no formal training in music, Amelia was selected for the program and has since been unstoppable in her career. While attending USC, she had the privilege of learning under esteemed composer Laura Karpman (Disney’s The Marvels, What If…?, Ms. Marvel and HBO’s Lovecraft Country). who quickly became a mentor and a close friend. Amelia worked in Laura’s studio for the first year after graduating from USC and it was there that she found her footing to launch her career as a composer. Since then, the two collaborated on the 2022 HBO Documentary A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shootings, and Amelia has gone on to score multiple episodes of the online SAG-AFTRA series Storyline Online, along with the soon-to-be-released documentary produced by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story. Amelia has received 4 nominations for the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) awards for her music in Breaking Olympia and Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo along with two commercial projects that she scored.
Amelia believes that music is somewhat related to engineering, which helped her find success in this unconventional path. Despite having no family background related to the industry, she managed to claim her place with hard work and persistence.
Contemporary music is not only limited to musical instruments and microphones, it involves a lot of technology. This is where Amelia developed an edge over others. She says, “I pursued my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, which is unusual for people in this industry, but I think it has given me a unique edge in understanding music production.”
No wonder her music is unique as she stands out for interweaving notes with rhythms to create melodies that leave a mark in the listener’s mind. Besides composing music, she is also honing her songwriting skills for her upcoming projects. Amelia aspires to collaborate with more talented directors in the industry to bring their projects to life through music.
