Presenting the kick ass class of Young Guns 22
It’s a kick-ass class. Young Guns 22 is topping the charts in creativity. But are you even surprised? Of course, not. If you’re new here, let me catch you up. Young Guns is a community of incredibly talented individuals – think amazing cinematographers, animators, illustrators, photographers, designers, and directors – and a new class of winners is chosen by an expert jury every year. This year we have 33 winners and among them, we have some very new, very exciting titles to unveil – an Architectural Designer, Composer, Stage & Show Designer, and Colorist.
We interviewed the winners so we could share their prowess with you. And if you’re a NYC local you can snag a ticket to the official YG22 Party at Sony Hall on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, where you will have the chance to meet and greet them.
Young Guns continue to dominate the creative industry, so we’re happily presenting you with the kick-ass class of Young Guns 22.
Jocelyn C Chambers
Composer
Based:
Los Angeles, California
Hometown:
Austin, Texas
What were your original impressions of the Young Guns competition, award, and community?
I was honored to be a juror for The One Club’s annual ad awards, but it wasn’t until a friend sent Colorful + Young Guns my way that it clicked. I knew immediately it was a prestigious opportunity, one that I initially wasn’t sure I was worthy of (the convincing but wildly untrue concerns of imposter syndrome, obviously). BUTTER encouraged me that I was a shoe-in, so we took the leap of faith and applied!
How did you end up in the creative field anyways?
I profoundly resonated with music before I can remember. Before taking piano lessons at age seven, I was playing music by ear. It wasn’t until age 13 that I discovered the magic of composition (around the same time my Star Wars era kicked in - and it’s still going strong). Once I learned film scoring was an occupation, I said, “that’s it. I’m doing that.”
“Once I learned film scoring was an occupation, I said, “that’s it. I’m doing that.””
My mom and I sat down and formed a 10-year plan that included studying music through high school, earning a bachelor’s in composition, moving to Los Angeles to earn a graduate certificate in film scoring, and formally launching my career. Within one year of our plan, and one year of studying composition, I entered and won the Texas Young Composer Competition with my first orchestral piece “My Heart.” I received the honor of having my work performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. After winning the competition once more, I went on to earn my bachelor’s degree in composition at the University of Texas at Austin at age 20, and moved to Los Angeles at 21 to earn my graduate certificate in film scoring from UCLA. Fast forward two years to early 2020 – I quit my corporate job to work in music full-time. Then, the funniest thing happened. A few months and a couple indie documentaries into the pandemic, I received multiple inquiries from different ad music houses asking if I’d be interested in freelancing. I excitedly said yes, having thought to myself scoring ads would be cool one day. The next month, I was on a Black Ad Composers panel with Wendell Hanes and Kevin J Simon. Though I had never won an ad award, and felt I was a novice in a very experienced company, my work got the attention of BUTTER Music and Sound. We had a formal introduction, and they offered to send me music briefs in the future. Then, crickets. Within the next year, I freelanced for music houses including Barking Owl, Found Objects, The Teenage Diplomat, and more. In summer 2021, a staff composer job opened at BUTTER. I didn’t think to apply, as I had settled into the idea of never holding a 9 to 5 in my entrepreneurial career. But after three separate people, including BUTTER’s creative director, encouraged me to apply, I said, why not? Within three weeks of my initial interview, I was hired, and the rest - Lil Ruby, Smirnoff Smashed Tea, Clash of Clans, Doritos, and more - is history.
Congrats on the YG win! Why did you decide to enter this year?
I had already begun my application process from the encouragement of a friend, and paused, partially out of imposter syndrome. BUTTER swooped in, encouraging me to apply with the confidence that I would win. When it happened, I had to stop and remind myself that, like Sha’Carri Richardson, I am That Girl!
You only get to submit six projects that embody you and your talent. So, how did you decide which pieces were good enough to make the cut?
Sometimes I listen to past work. To observe, to remember, to find inspiration. I find myself saying “The trumpet harmonies were a good choice” or “Oof, this mix is a little outdated.” Then, sometimes, I find myself saying “I can’t believe I wrote this.” It’s those pieces that I listen to over and over. The pieces that in the moment challenged me to try something outside what I already knew. Lil Ruby was an exercise in “yes, Jocelyn, you do know how to write hip-hop.” Voices of The Civil Rights Movement took me back to my roots as a classical musician. I got to blossom. Doritos was a lesson in imposter syndrome, a masterclass in “don't know how to play classical guitar? Doesn’t matter.” Those pieces that made me lean back in my chair and bite my fingernails with veiled pride were the easy choices.
What was your reaction when you discovered that you won?
I was sitting on my couch, fresh off of an early morning finishing an orchestral commercial project. I opened my work email, saw that I won, and went, “Wait. WHAT?!” What happened afterward was a blur of excitement!
How does your current home inspire your creativity as an artist?
I believe cities have sounds. Sometimes LA/Southern California is an electric guitar bathed in reverb, complemented by the low, ambient wash of the ocean. Sometimes it’s an acoustic felt piano, fading in and out of earshot with tender chords and heart-pulling melodies. I feel it like an undercurrent when I’m driving through Leimert Park at sunset, with its familiar suburban streets lined with palm trees. I feel it when I’m coasting up the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu, when the sun glitters on the island blue water. I feel it when I find a new mountain to explore, each peak and crevice layered with lifetimes of memory. It’s this undercurrent that compels me to write, to memorialize my experiences as I was, am, and will be.
Now that you’re a part of the Young Guns community, are there any past winners you look up to and admire?
The Daniels (YG14)! Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of the best films ever made. Their ingenuity absolutely floors me.
Name a dream project that you have yet to fulfill — maybe Young Guns will propel you in that direction!
I’d love to score an A24 project! Their films never fail to surprise me. They’re constantly taking big risks, whether through simple ingenuity or non-linear storytelling, and they always get to the heart of what they aim to convey. I know their team would compel me to push my creative boundaries and expand my musical sensibilities. I love scoring drama and dark comedy, so the heavier, the better!
Will we see you at the YG22 party in NYC in November?
Heck yeah!
Come party with us and celebrate the class of Young Guns 22 on Wednesday, November 13, 6:30 PM, at Sony Hall in NYC!
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