Austin Cook — composer and music director

Bespoke Music for Modern Times.

Original scores, songs & compositions for advertising, film, TV & brand campaigns.

01

Bespoke
Craftsmanship

Every cue, song, and spot is built from scratch for your project. No templates, no stock repurposed as custom. The music starts with your story and ends nowhere else.

02

Quality with
Modern Speed

Google, Fortune 100 brand work, and a decade in the most demanding rooms in music — the rigor is real. AI-assisted workflows mean you get that level of craft without the wait — or the invoice.

03

Delivered
Edit-Ready

Stems, alt mixes, cutdowns, button endings — organized, clearly labeled, and built to work the way editors and producers actually use music. No back-and-forth to get what you need.

Past Clients

My Services

01

Ads & Branded Content

Custom 15/30/60-second cues and original songs for campaigns, launch videos, and brand films — with cutdowns, alt mixes, and stems included.

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02

Trailers, Promos & Sizzles

Hooks, builds, tension arcs, and hit points engineered to make the cut feel inevitable. Music that works with editorial, not around it.

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03

Film, TV & Web Series

Main-title worlds, thematic scoring, emotional beat mapping, and songs — in full creative collaboration with the director from the beginning.

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04

Original Songs & Artist Work

Topline, lyric, arrangement, and full production for artists, branded storytelling, and projects where a song is at the center.

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Recent Work

Qatar Airways × Genre.ai

Original music for branded international campaign.

Brand

The Curse

Original composition and production — cinematic storytelling.

Original Song
On AI in my workflow
The melody, harmony, structure, and lyrics are entirely human — mine. AI accelerates the demo execution phase only, so you hear polished, edit-ready work faster. The artistry isn't automated. The speed is.
Austin Cook

The music should serve the story — not just fill the silence.

I'm a Jeff Award-winning composer, writer, and producer — a jazz and classically trained pianist who has built my career in popular music. I bring a serious musician's rigor to ad campaigns, trailers, and screen work, and use modern AI-assisted workflows to move faster without cutting corners on craft.

Get in Touch

Have a project in mind?

Whether it's a 30-second spot, a feature score, or a song for a campaign — reach out with the details and I'll respond within one business day.

Services

Custom Music for Advertising, Film & TV

From 30-second spots to feature scores — original, emotionally specific, and delivered edit-ready for agencies, studios, and directors.

01

Ads &
Branded Content

For agencies & studios

Creative directors, ad agencies, branded-content studios, and in-house teams who need original music rather than overused stock.

Original songs, custom instrumental cues, and sonic concepts for TV spots, digital campaigns, brand films, launch videos, and ongoing content. Every project is delivered with whatever editorial flexibility the team needs — cutdowns, alt mixes, stems, button endings, and format variations included.

Google Qatar Airways Pocket Trader Genre.ai

What you get

  • Custom 15/30/60-second cues and original songs
  • Stems and alt mixes for editorial flexibility
  • Cutdowns and format variants (social, :06, :15, :30, :60)
  • Sonic concepting at the brief stage if needed
  • One composer managing concept through delivery — no handoffs
02

Trailers, Promos & Sizzles

For editors & post houses

Editors, producers, and post houses cutting trailers, promos, network sizzles, and award reels that need original music with real editorial architecture.

Music engineered for the cut — hooks that establish tone in the first four seconds, builds that create momentum, tension arcs, hit points, and act-out moments that make the last frame land. Not just background music; structural music that makes editorial decisions easier.

What you get

  • Custom trailer and promo cues built with editorial hit points
  • Multiple versions and act variations
  • Button endings and stingers
  • Quick-turn turnaround on revisions
  • Alt versions at different intensities or emotional registers
03

Film, TV & Web Series

For directors & producers

Directors and producers on indie films, short films, features, episodic TV, and web series who want a composer involved early — not just handed a locked picture.

Main-title worlds, thematic scoring, emotional beat mapping, original songs, and full creative collaboration from the early stages. I work best when brought in as a creative partner rather than a vendor — which means the music develops alongside the story, not after the fact.

What you get

  • Thematic score development tied to character and story arc
  • Main title composition and end-title songs where relevant
  • Cues organized and delivered to picture
  • Full stems for mix and reuse
  • Creative collaboration from early cut through final mix
Nagomi Is Beautiful
04

Original Songs & Artist Work

For artists & supervisors

Artists, music supervisors, creative directors needing song-led work, and branded projects where a song — not just a cue — is at the center.

Topline, lyric, arrangement, and full production. Strong in cinematic pop, storytelling formats, and emotionally specific songwriting that can anchor a campaign, a film moment, or an artist project. The songs have a point of view — not just a vibe.

What you get

  • Topline and lyric development
  • Full arrangement and production
  • Mix-ready masters, or stems and multitracks for further production
  • Sync-ready deliverables where applicable
Process

How a project typically works

01

The Brief

You share the details — format, deadline, reference, emotional target, and any existing visual or editorial materials.

02

The Concept

Depending on the project, I'll develop an initial direction — a demo, rough cue, or sonic concept — so we can align before going deep.

03

The Build

Once direction is confirmed, I build out the full piece with agreed revision rounds. Feedback is handled directly and efficiently.

04

The Delivery

Final files delivered organized, clearly labeled, in whatever formats the project requires — stems, mix, master, cutdowns, session files.

Pricing

Request Pricing

Every project is custom-quoted based on scope, timeline, and usage rights. Reach out with your project details for a prompt response.

About

Austin Cook

Jeff Award-winning composer, writer, and producer for advertising, film, TV, and stage.

Austin Cook — NYC composer and music director for film, advertising, and stage
Location
New York City
Recognition
Multiple Jeff Award winner
Broadway
Hamilton · Some Like It Hot · Dear Evan Hansen · Wanted
Commercial
Google · Qatar Airways · Pocket Trader · Genre.ai
Available
Globally

About My Work

I write music for stories — commercials, films, trailers, web series, and the occasional stage project that earns it. Based in New York City, I bring a level of musical rigor to screen and commercial work that most composers in this space simply don't have the background for.

I'm a jazz and classically trained pianist who has built my career in popular music genres. That foundation matters. It's the difference between someone who understands music from the inside out and someone who assembles it by pressing buttons. I toured Europe as a classical performer. I've studied the harmony, the counterpoint, the form. And I've spent years making that training disappear into songs and scores that feel modern, accessible, and emotionally specific.

On the commercial side, I've composed for brands including Google, Qatar Airways, and Genre.ai, and scored projects ranging from animated films — including the full original soundtrack for Nagomi Is Beautiful — to short-film slates and trailers. I work with agencies, creative directors, and independent filmmakers who want a real musical mind on their project, not a music vendor.

On the stage side, I've music directed, conducted, and played keys in the pit at the highest level of the industry. I served as Music Associate on Hamilton and played Keyboard 1 on the original Broadway production of Some Like It Hot — one of the most demanding piano books in the history of Broadway, requiring rigorous stride piano technique at a standard very few musicians can meet. I've also conducted and music directed the Dear Evan Hansen national tour, and received multiple Jeff Awards for music direction, composition, and performance — including recognition for my work as an actor and performer onstage. That kind of breadth isn't common. Most composers work in one lane. I don't.

I am a multiple Jeff Award-winning artist — one of a small number of composers who can credibly claim both significant artistic recognition and high-level commercial execution.

How I Work

A note on AI in my process

I create the melody, the harmony, the structure, and the lyrics. Every creative decision — what emotion a cue earns, what chord progression fits the story, what rhythm makes the cut land — is made by me. That's the work, and it's entirely human.

Where AI enters is narrow and specific: I use it to accelerate the execution phase during demo delivery. It speeds up certain elements of the recording and production process so clients hear a polished, edit-ready demo faster — without waiting on full live session bookings. The ideas, the taste, and the musical judgment are mine at every step.

In short: I hired AI to be faster. Not to be the artist.

In practice, this means you get the exploration range of a larger team and the speed of a modern workflow — with the originality, specificity, and genuine musical intelligence that make a cue memorable rather than merely functional.

I work best as a creative partner — brought in early, trusted with the emotional brief, and given room to solve the right problem. I'm direct about what a project needs, clear about revisions, and organized in delivery.

Selected Credentials

  • Multiple Jeff Award wins — music direction, composition, performance, and acting
  • Broadway: Hamilton (Music Associate), Some Like It Hot (Keyboard 1 — one of the most demanding stride piano books in Broadway history), Wanted/Gun & Powder (Music Direction / Arrangements)
  • National Tour: Dear Evan Hansen (Music Director / Conductor / Keyboard)
  • Jazz and classically trained pianist; toured Europe as a classical performer
  • Commercial: Google, Qatar Airways, Pocket Trader, Genre.ai
  • Screen: Nagomi Is Beautiful (full original soundtrack), 9-title short-film slate (2021)
  • Original releases including The Wish You Wish, Starlight at Midnight, Amigos (2025)
  • Member, Actors' Equity Association and American Federation of Musicians
Portfolio

Original Scores & Compositions

A cross-section of ad campaigns, brand films, screen scoring, and original projects — organized by format and buyer type.

Original Songs

Whatever It Takes
Written and produced by Austin Cook — cinematic-pop.
Original Song
The Curse
Original composition and production by Austin Cook.
Original Song

The Wish You Wish

2025 original composition and lyric — emotional, cinematic storytelling.

0:00
Original Song

Starlight at Midnight

2025 original composition and lyric — visual world-building, emotional mythology.

0:00
Original Song

Run The Vote

Written and produced to encourage youth civic engagement — original schoolhouse-pop anthem by Austin Cook.

0:00
Original Song

Ads & Branded Content

Qatar Airways × Genre.ai
Original music for branded international campaign.
Brand
Brand · Google
Pocket Broker — "It's a Big Deal"
Original music composed for this Google-collaborated Pocket Broker ad campaign.
0:00
Google / Pocket Broker
Brand

Film, TV & Web Series

Blue Collar Gods

Web series — original score. Full original soundtrack composed, produced, and delivered for this dramatic series.

0:00
Web Series

Nagomi Is Beautiful

Animated film — composer, orchestrator, writer, and producer. Full original soundtrack, 11 tracks.

Nagomi's Window
The Thought of Leaving
Last Day Home
Goodbye
Alone
Scarlet Horizon
Girl Ablaze in a Foreign Land
The Fogginess of a Sleeping Mind
Ballet at Dusk
The Journey Home
Nagomi Is Beautiful
Animation

2021 Short-Film Slate

Nine original scores across nine short films — range, workflow discipline, and tonal versatility across genres.

The Chameleon
Her Journey
The Red Planet
Whispers
Ophidian
Flight
Rye Justice
Polar Harvest

Relaxing Piano Music

Original piano compositions — recorded and released as a series. Solo instrumental storytelling.

Volume II
Volume III
Volume IV
Volume V

Stage & Theater

Austin Cook — Hamilton

Hamilton

Music Associate · Broadway

IBDB-credited Music Associate on one of the most significant productions in Broadway history.

Broadway
Wanted — Broadway

Wanted

Music Co-Arranger · Broadway · Opening Fall 2026

Upcoming Broadway production — serving as Music Co-Arranger on a new American musical opening on Broadway in Fall 2026.

Broadway
Some Like It Hot — Broadway

Some Like It Hot

Keyboard 1 · Original Broadway Cast · Grammy Award Winner

Played Keyboard 1 on the original Broadway cast — one of the most technically demanding piano books in Broadway history, requiring mastery of 1920s jazz, stride piano, and classical technique at the highest level. The Original Broadway Cast Recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Broadway
Dear Evan Hansen — "Only Us"
Music Director / Conductor / Keyboard · National Tour
National Tour
Sondheim on Sondheim — Entr'acte
Piano · Chicago Premiere Production
Live Performance

Hear something that fits?

Reach out with what you're making and let's talk about how to make it sound right.

Get in Touch

Start a Project

Whether you have a locked brief or a loose idea — share the details below and I'll get back to you within one business day.

Tell me the format, the timeline, and what you want the audience to feel. That's enough to start.

Responds within 1 business day

Got it — thank you.

I'll review the details and follow up within one business day. If you have a hard deadline, feel free to note it in the project description — I'll flag any timeline concerns upfront.

Response Time

Typically within 1 business day

What to Include

The more specific you can be about format, timeline, and emotional target, the faster we can align on scope. Reference tracks are always welcome — they're not a constraint, just a useful starting point.

Private materials — for invited guests only.

The Dreamer

A New Musical

Written & Composed by Austin Cook

Scroll

A man wrongfully imprisoned for twenty years comes home with nothing—and discovers, at the center of one desperate night, the daughter he never knew he had.

The Vision
Why
Why
This
Show.

I wrote The Dreamer because musical theater still doesn't spend enough time with the people I see as the heartbeat of our cities—people living paycheck to paycheck, fighting for daily bread, a place to sleep, and something steady to hold onto.

We rarely center immigrant communities with honesty and dignity, especially as ICE raids and policies shaped by power and politics tear through real neighborhoods. These lives aren't "issues." They're the majority of the world. Their stories deserve to be told with the same scale, craft, and celebration we give to safer subjects.

The Dreamer is a story for our times: action and suspense, romance and sacrifice, and a community fighting to stay human in a system that treats them like numbers. Built to move the way today's culture moves—through pop, R&B, hip-hop, and gospel-driven music that audiences already live inside.

My hope is this: that audiences leave not only thrilled and moved, but seeing the people in their own towns differently—because our art didn't just entertain them, it changed something in them.

Synopsis
The Story
Act I

Fresh out after a wrongful 20-year prison sentence, Teddy is desperate to stay clean, find honest work, and become the kind of man who matters. But he has nowhere to sleep, nowhere to work, and nobody waiting for him. After getting turned down again and again, Teddy goes back to what he knows and agrees to one last drug-money run for his old partner—now a notorious kingpin. One drop. Then he's done for good.

Act II

Before Teddy can make the handoff, the bag is stolen. Now the kingpin thinks Teddy set him up, and Teddy has to find that money fast if he wants to stay alive. He ends up at an immigrant shelter run by Maria—his ex, the person he never thought he'd see again. ICE raids the shelter, a fire breaks out, chaos erupts—and Teddy ends up saving the very girl he's been hunting. Because now it's not just about the money. It's about getting those people out.

Act III

They pull off the rescue. And in the quiet after, Maria finally tells him the truth: the girl is her daughter—she's twenty years old, and Teddy is the father. When the kingpin finds out she's the thief and takes her hostage, Teddy faces one final choice: save himself or save his daughter. It's only in that sacrifice that Teddy understands what being somebody that matters really is: a life built on love and sacrifice for others.

The People
Characters
Teddy
Teddy
Fresh out after a wrongful 20-year sentence. Fighting to stay clean and prove he can be somebody that matters.
Maria
Maria
Tough shelter director and Teddy's ex. Wants to keep her daughter safe and Teddy's world out of her community.
Sara
Sara
Fearless 20-year-old drug runner who grew up on the legend of her father—and wants to surpass it.
Salim
Salim
Smooth, opportunistic hustler. Wants to get rich off whatever's moving, no matter who gets burned.
Miguel
Miguel
Steady, respected shelter leader. Wants security and dignity for his people, and won't stop until they're safe.
Rico
Rico
Teddy's old partner turned kingpin. Wants total control, respect, and his money back—no excuses.
Ensemble
The Ensemble
Elite modern and hip-hop dancers—the show's living engine. Shapeshifting into shelter residents, immigrant families, ICE officers, cartel runners, street hustlers, and the city itself. Movement drives every transition.
The Score
Music
& Sound

Hip-hop, R&B, gospel, and soul—the musical languages audiences already live inside. Catchy, modern, emotionally direct, and built to move far beyond the theater.

"In the Heights meets The Wire"
Songs — Act One World Premiere
  • Somebody That MattersOpening
  • Stay Clean
  • One Last Run
  • Miguel and Teddy
  • Amigos
  • Where Did I Go Wrong
  • You Best Say YesAct One Closer

All music and lyrics by Austin Cook.

Experience It
The First
30 Minutes

A live visual album presentation of Act One

Certain limited-use generative AI tools are employed solely as internal presentation aids to help producers and collaborators hear and see a more fully realized interpretation of the intended final work. All underlying writing, melody, harmonic structure, and art direction are original to Austin Cook.

Austin Cook — composer and music director
The Writer
Austin
Cook
Composer & Book Writer

Jeff Award-winning composer, music director, and producer based in New York City. Austin has spent over a decade shaping music behind the scenes for some of the most demanding rooms in theater and entertainment—from the Broadway pit of Hamilton to original campaigns for Google and Qatar Airways.

The Dreamer is his first fully authored work: story, book, music, and lyrics written entirely by Cook. It's the culmination of years spent learning how stories work from the inside—as a collaborator, arranger, and builder of other people's visions—now turned toward something entirely his own.

His work bridges film, theater, and contemporary music production. He writes for the culture that's here, not the one we remember.

Jeff Award Winner Hamilton — Broadway Google Qatar Airways Some Like It Hot Wanted — Broadway

"I wrote The Dreamer because musical theater still doesn't spend enough time with the people I see as the heartbeat of our cities—people living paycheck to paycheck, fighting for daily bread, a place to sleep, and something steady to hold onto. We don't often put the full human story of poverty, street life, and survival on a musical stage—the families behind it, the choices made under pressure, the love that exists even inside chaos. And we rarely center immigrant communities with honesty and dignity, especially as ICE raids and policies shaped by power and politics tear through real neighborhoods. These lives aren't 'issues.' They're the majority of the world. Their stories deserve to be told with the same scale, craft, and celebration we give to safer subjects.

I believe in musical theater because it reaches people through every sense at once. Music can entertain, yes—but it can also break you open, make you feel seen, and give you strength you didn't know you had. When you combine that with dance, design, lighting, and the raw electricity of live performance, a story doesn't just get understood—it gets lived. That is the kind of theater I want to make: urgent, emotional, and unforgettable. Not as a lecture, but as something you can't shake on the walk home.

Too often, our industry defaults to what feels proven: revivals, familiar titles, jukebox stories built around names we already know. I'm not against those shows—but I'm hungry for more. The Dreamer is a story for our times: action and suspense, romance and sacrifice, and a community fighting to stay human in a system that treats them like numbers. And it's built to move like today's culture moves—through pop, R&B, hip-hop, and gospel-driven music that's catchy, modern, and emotionally direct.

My hope is simple: that audiences leave not only thrilled and moved, but seeing the people in their own towns differently—because our art didn't just entertain them, it changed something in them."

— Austin Cook
Where We Are
Development
Status

Act One is complete—script, score, and production concept fully realized. The first thirty minutes is ready for presentation today.

Austin is seeking collaborators and partners to bring The Dreamer into its next stage of development.

  • Workshop and staged reading opportunities
  • Producing partners with vision for this material
  • Choreographers at the intersection of hip-hop and modern dance
  • Directors who understand the world this show lives in
  • Creative development support and feedback
Active Grant Pursuits
Fred Ebb Award
$60,000
June 2026 submission window
NMI Search for New Musicals
Up to $25,000 in workshop support — July 2026
Jonathan Larson Grants
September 2026 cycle
NAMT Festival
Opens November 2026
Eugene O'Neill NMTC
Opens September 2026
Get in Touch
Let's talk
about this show.

Producers, directors, collaborators, and development partners welcome.

Start a Conversation →