// STORY-DRIVEN SCORING

Original music for film and visual media.

Derek Baird’s work ranges from award-winning PBS documentaries and environmental campaigns featuring Robert Redford, to commercial brand scoring for American Honda Motor Co. and the biofeedback-enhanced psychological thriller, Nevermind.

Drawing from a wide range of musical styles, Derek writes music driven by the story.

Derek Baird scoring session view from control room
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FEATURED PROJECTS

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

Following Pál

Directed by Hanh Nguyen

An upcoming feature centering on cellist-composer Pál Hermann. The score was designed to complement Pál’s own works, bridging the narrative and emotional flow of the film. Woven into a haunting soundscape, live cello evokes the turbulence of World War II and Pál’s personal journey.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY

NRDC Advocacy

Featuring Robert Redford

Advocacy spots for NRDC. The music relies on transparent orchestration and an understated mix, leaving space for Redford’s message to carry the urgency.

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

Hurley

Produced by Patrick Dempsey

Tracing the life and legacy of racing champion Hurley Haywood. Electronic pulses drive the restless tension of the track, while warmer tones ground the life behind his public persona.

INTERACTIVE / VIDEO GAME

Nevermind

Biofeedback Psychological Thriller

An experiment in psychological tension. The music engine responds directly to real-time biofeedback, warping the score to mirror the player’s physiological stress.

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

In Exile

TIFF Official Selection

A portrait of Burmese refugees trapped in exploitative labor. Built on restraint, the score channels internal isolation through sparse string arrangements and stillness.

Derek Baird score manuscript on the music stand
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SELECTED CREDITS

Wide Angle PBS Series
Following Pál Feature Documentary
NRDC feat. Robert Redford Advocacy Campaign
Tyrus Feature Documentary
American Honda Corporation Brand Scoring
Moyers & Company PBS Broadcast
Hurley Produced by Patrick Dempsey
Exposé: America’s Investigative Reports Emmy-Winning PBS Series
Nevermind Biofeedback Thriller
In Exile TIFF Official Selection
Caffeinated Feature Documentary
Centenarian Feature Documentary
Wild Things NRDC Feature Doc
Catherine Wheel Craig Lucas Play
Finding Home: A Foster Youth Story PBS
Why Knot
United States of ALEC Bill Moyers Special
Prudential Financial
The Drill Project
Projeto Yatra
Devil's Creek Distillery
American Nightmare
Dough
False Witness
Over Under
Path to Nipei
Night Float
FESTIVAL SELECTIONS
  • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
  • Telluride Film Festival
  • Tribeca Film Festival / Iron Mule Film Festival
  • Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner
  • Chicago International Film Festival
  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival
  • Screamfest Horror Film Festival
  • International Wildlife Film Festival
  • Wild and Scenic Film Festival
  • Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital
AWARDS & HONORS
  • CINE Golden Eagle Award
  • Chicago International Film Festival — Gold Plaque, Silver Plaque & Cert. of Merit
  • Best of Category — International Wildlife Film Festival
  • Best Documentary Short — Yosemite Film Festival
  • Games for Change Nominee — Most Innovative Game
  • Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Finalist
  • IndieCade Official Selection
  • Harry Warren Endowed Scholarship — University of Southern California
  • Vincent Persichetti Music Scholarship — UNCSA
ARRANGING, ADDITIONAL MUSIC, ASSISTANT
  • Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria
  • Bill Moyers Faith & Reason
  • Dora The Explorer
  • Go, Diego, Go!
  • Crazy Love
  • Committed
  • Viva Baseball
  • American Girl: Sage Paints the Sky
  • Hellraiser Hellbound (Concert Suite)
Derek Baird conducting on the scoring stage
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PROCESS & BACKGROUND

Derek is a Los Angeles-based composer creating music for film and visual media.

His scoring process centers on close collaboration with directors, finding a musical language that belongs to each project.

Before focusing on scoring, Derek spent years as a live musician in New York City, playing in indie bands, Off-Broadway productions, and experimental music ensembles. He also worked as an assistant for the composers behind Sex and the City and Dora the Explorer.

He completed graduate studies in Screen Scoring at the University of Southern California, following undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and composition studies with Conrad Cummings at Juilliard Evening Division.

Derek Baird score preparation Derek Baird studio
Derek Baird portrait
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GET IN TOUCH

Fill out the form below or reach out directly at Derek Baird Email

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