Robert Etoll

When it comes to scoring for film and television, not to mention songwriting and producing, the name Robert Etoll has become synonymous with compelling, cutting-edge music and dynamic sound design. For the past 20 years, Etoll's original scores and Q-Factory music library have set the standard for musical integrity, superb production values and an uncanny ability to provide exactly what clients are looking for. Robert started his musical journey when growing up in upstate New York, making a name for himself as a take-no-prisoners rock guitarist. Subsequent studies at Boston's famed Berklee College of Music provided a solid underpinning in composing and arranging and further honed Robert's guitar and keyboard skills. After relocating to Los Angeles, Etoll's guitar prowess quickly got him work as a session player and drew the attention of the world-famous jazz-rock drummer Alphonse Mouzon, who hired him for multiple European tours. At a gig in Oslo, Norway, Etoll had the fortunate opportunity to meet and jam with the legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, one of his childhood idols. Robert still calls this "the highlight of my performing career." All along, Robert had been developing his songwriting craft, so it was no surprise when the international music publishing company Warner/Chappell signed him as a staff writer/producer. Before long Etoll's songs were being covered by such artists as Reba McEntire and the Pointer Sisters. In addition, Robert wrote and produced records for many other pop performers — among them, major-label recording artist Nikka Costa and television star Jennifer Love Hewitt. Success as a performer and songwriter eventually led Robert to discover his true passion: writing original music for film and television. He began to score feature films ("Danger Zone," Paramount's "Running Cool"); television documentaries for the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and ESPN; TV theme songs such as "Lingo" (Game Show Network); "Sitdown Comedy" (TV Land) and "The A List" (Comedy Central); animated series such as "Zoids" (Cartoon Network) and countless others. Etoll has also been Cessna Aircraft's longtime first-call composer for all their marketing needs. When Robert was hired by Paramount Pictures to work on the campaign for Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part 3, the composer was launched into the world of theatrical trailers in a big way. Word spread, and soon Etoll was "special composing" trailers for nearly every studio and trailer house in town. The list of motion picture marketing campaigns Robert has been involved in now numbers well into the hundreds. Etoll was one of the first to respond to the growing desire of trailer producers and editors to have high-quality, easily licensable original music cues and aggressive, impactful sound design at their fingertips. The result was Q-Factory, which in no time became the preeminent boutique music library in the theatrical trailer and television promo industry, with thousands of placements all over the world. Robert, who resides with his family in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, has also taught Music Composition for Film and Television in UCLA's Extension program. Despite a matchless commitment to his craft, Robert somehow still finds time to compete at a national level in tennis, a longtime passion. His latest pursuit (and nemesis) is golf.