About Daniel Platzman
Platz has been immersed in music since he was a child, learning to play many instruments including guitar, bass, piano, percussion, trumpet, violin, viola, double bass, and more. He spent his summers growing up in Atlanta working at a performing arts camp where he brought the campers short film ideas to life. He quickly realized that experimenting with the musical elements of the films was his favorite part. Platz was inspired to continue his studies at Berklee College of Music where he pursued both high level jazz studies and film scoring.
In 2011, shortly after graduating from Berklee, Platz reunited with previous collaborators Ben McKee and Wayne Sermon, and vocalist Dan Reynolds as the drummer for Imagine Dragons. Later that same year, the band signed with Interscope Records and would go on to release five certified Platinum albums over the next decade. They collected a Grammy Award, and multiple top 5 rankings on the Billboard 200 and Top 40 along the way.
As a film composer, Platz prides himself on being a hands-on participant in all stages of the process. His knowledge of and ability to play multiple instruments provides a unique texture to his compositions and allows him to communicate with and direct team members on a deeper level. A big picture strategist, Platz particularly enjoys the process of developing scores that function as an additional “character” to enhance the story being told. He also specializes in genre combining. Cowboys in space? Romance amongst robots? Platz is your composer.
Favorite experiences thus far include composing for Best F(r)iends, the follow up project to The Room by Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero. He also had the honor of contributing as a drum and viola soloist for Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Platz has participated in the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., received the Vic Firth Award for Outstanding Musicianship, and the Michael Rendish Award in Film Scoring. Musical inspirations include Danny Elfman, Bernard Hermann, Jon Brion, Hans Zimmer, John Coltrane, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Stevie Wonder.
