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Screen Scoring

Aaron Gao

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Aaron began his journey studying piano at the age of six and composed his first piece three years later. Towards the end of elementary school, he was introduced to DAW software and has been producing music ever since. With a strong background in multiple disciplines and music genres, he joined the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, solidifying his position as Peabody's Premiere Scholar. His professional career began with multiple collaborations on films produced by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and arrangements performed on other platforms, including All Classical FM (Portland Station).

During his undergraduate studies, Aaron also worked in one of the rising media groups in China, New Style Media Group (NSMG), as a music directing assistant and assistant in its A&R department. From communications with collaborators to actively making decisions on music directions/budgeting, he quickly became a key member of the team and rose to scoring his first feature project, The Abyss, a television series.

Aaron now operates in Mayhem Mirror, an independent game development studio, as a project managing assistant and music composer working alongside well-respected veterans in the production field, including ex-Riot Games composer Andrea Bellucci and game director Alvaro Garcías Martínez. Although the team is small in size, they strive for triple-A quality and have evidently created extraordinary experiences for users in public playtests, catching the attention of numerous game publishers/investors, and currently holding around 70k wish-lists on Steam with growing interest from key markets in China, Korea, and Western Europe. This milestone has placed Project CRETE on Steam's official "Global Popular Upcoming Games" list. Aside from his venture in the video game industry, Aaron is active in composing soundtracks for multiple mainstream Chinese television shows, signed with one of the most prominent film music companies in the country, THE SOUND. In the U.S., Aaron has contracted with Rebound Sound to create soundtracks for upcoming video game projects to be disclosed later this year.

In recent months, Aaron co-founded Project Buta, a video game development studio with the mission to bridge video games with philanthropy. The business focuses on using interactive gameplay as a means for users to donate to various charity organizations through in-game content. The group has been registered as a licensed business and is currently in the state of fundraising with venture capitalists, having already raised more than $200,000 to fund its development.