At first, Winnipeg-born Ari Posner set out to build a career as a songwriter. After discovering that perhaps his abilities as a lyricist did not match his musical gifts, he moved into the fast-paced world of ads, which gave him the training to work in myriad styles and deliver on a deadline. Now, he is one of Canada’s most respected and prolific screen composers.

In collaboration with Amin Bhatia, he has scored award winning hit shows such as Anne with an E, Flashpoint, and X Company, and with Ian Lefeuvre shows including Carter, Johnny Test, and Supernoobs.

In this episode, we talk about his stirring solo work on Northern Rescue, and get philosophical about the long-term effects that the pandemic has had on his working life, the upsides of having a studio in a commercial space, working remotely, and ask: “is the spotting session dead?”

We also dig into his methods for capturing and re-purposing ideas, using the “mirror test”, the amount of emotional information a scene can have and how music fits into that, dealing with client feedback, when collaboration goes wrong, plus an incredible insight about screen music from Canadian acting icon Colm Feore.

Available wherever you get your podcasts, and at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1155269

Watch the interview with Ari on YouTube.