Check Out Tommee Profitt’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommee Profitt.

Hi Tommee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was seven years old, my parents bought me a tiny keyboard… and from the moment I opened it, I was hooked! I immediately started playing by ear and trying to learn songs that I heard on TV. We bought bigger and bigger keyboards, and I started recording my own music when I was about 12. I would literally sit in the basement with my headphones on all day and write/record music! I was super heavily influenced by movie scores and movie trailer music, and that was always infused into my sound. Strings and orchestra became my favorite sounds, along with the piano.

I basically spent the next 15 years recording my own music, touring with a band, playing and performing anywhere we possibly could. I was also juggling multiple jobs on the side just to make ends meet… but I couldn’t give up on this dream. I was too driven; too much passion. ‘Not doing music’ was not an option. Then somewhere along the way, it dawned on me… “what if I recorded OTHER people’s music too – not just my own”?

This led to me building a studio, recording every person I knew that did music and ended upturning into a full-time job within weeks. One of those friends was Nate Feuerstein (now known as NF). We were recording for fun one night when we were hanging out, and that led to him getting a massive record deal, and I ended up getting signed along with him as a writer and producer.

That was almost ten years ago now. Since then, I’ve continued to work with my buddy NF, as well as other artists in the industry… but my FAVORITE door that has opened through all of this is the opportunity to write for tv shows and movies trailers. Making big, cinematic, epic music is my first love, and I’ve been able to be a part of over 200 tv/film placements over the past few years. Literally my dream come true.

I’m super thankful that I stuck with my dream and didn’t give up when there were plenty of times where it would have been much easier to. But even more than that, I’m thankful for the MANY people that surrounded me along the journey that poured into me, mentored me, encouraged me, taught me, and showed me things that led to this point.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Touring is tough. We spent about 13 years on the road, driving through the night, sleeping in vans, eating a diet of Little Ceasar’s $5 Hot-N-Ready pizzas, setting up and tearing down sound systems, etc. That can get wearisome.

On top of all that, finances were a struggle! Since music hadn’t completely taken off, all the money we made needed to be poured back into the music. Which meant I had to juggle several jobs just to make ends meet. And our budget was down to the penny! We lived in a really sketchy apartment, and my wife did our laundry in the bathtub to save quarters at the laundrymat. She would even sew the holes in my socks!

Looking back, I can’t imagine what she was thinking during all this! lol

But we made it and have now been married for 13 years with three kids!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Through the years, I’m definitely most known for my “cinematic” sound. I love strings; I put that in most of my work… but not all. I just love making this BIG and sound huge and epic. Whether it’s pop, hiphop, country, rock, or anything else!

The artist I’m most known for is NF. He and I have made most of his music since the beginning of his career and were able to create a unique sound, blending the cinematic style with hiphop beats. But on top of that, my other most notable work would be promos/trailers. I’ve had the honor of working on several UFC commercials, as well as shows for NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, All sports, several video games, and more! It’s super fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

My favorite placement I ever got was the “Concussion” trailer with Will Smith. Not only was that one of my FIRST trailer placements ever, I’m also a huge Will Smith fan, so it made it double cool. I remember watching the first movie trailer with my music in the background, and I got chills. That feeling hooked me, and I’ve poured more into this avenue ever since.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The thing I love about cinematic music is that it’s not really going anywhere. Movie scores (with strings and orchestra) have been around for over 50 years. Piano and strings won’t ever become a dated instruments. There may be trends here and there for certain types of commercials… but I truly believe there will always be room for a good cinematic piece to go along with visuals… whether it’s a tv show, movie, or video game.

I think my ultimate goal would be to end up scoring movies when I’m older. I’m happy in the place I’m in now, working mostly on the “trailer” side… but after a while, maybe 20-30 years down the road, I think I’d like to dip my hat in scoring for Hollywood. I’m in no rush to get there, but that feels like the natural evolution of my career. I don’t see myself ever retiring and not making any music.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tommeeprofitt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/tommeeprofitt
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tommeeprofitt
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/tommeeprofitt
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/tommeeprofitt
• Other: www.tiktok.com/tommeeprofitt