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Stour musician wins Emmy
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| Emmy Award winning Mark Willott |
A STOURBRIDGE-BORN musician is on top of the world after scooping an Emmy for music he composed on a home-made PC in his tiny bedroom studio using a £100 guitar his parents bought him 15 years ago.
Mark Willott was awarded the prestigious accolade for outstanding achievement in composition for a series of promos he devised for the National Basketball Association playoffs on American TV network TNT.
The former Stourbridge College photography and media lecturer, who turns 31 on Friday (May 9), flew out to New York on an all-expenses paid trip to the glittering Emmy Awards ceremony at the city's Lincoln Centre, where he was stunned to learn he had beaten a host of established artists to pick up the award, which recognises excellence in the television industry.
He told the News: "It was really bizarre. There were three awards for that category, but I didn't know at the time - so when they called out the first winner I was half disappointed and half relieved that I didn't have to walk on stage. I didn't think there would be a third award.
"It was a bit of a blur really. I don't think anybody expected it - you usually have to put a bit of time in on these things."
Mark composed the award-winning playoffs music in his bedroom studio in Old Hill, on a home-made "cheapish PC" with the Fender Squire guitar he has had since his teens.
And he had never even met his employers until he flew out for the ceremony, as he was contacted by TNT bosses after they heard his rock, orchestral and break beat sounds on iTunes.
He said: "I started out as a sound designer for Swordfish Studios, a game developer in Birmingham, and I came to TNT's attention when they came across my soundtrack for the game Cold Winter.
"I'm lucky to have been working for them for the last year now - that's going to continue and hopefully some good projects will come from this."
Mark, who used to play bass with Wordsley rockers Jet Set Willy, is also busy writing and recording new material with his new band Wireless - comprising long-time bandmate, singer and guitarist, Christian Garrington, and drummer Mike Cates, and they hope to start gigging in the next few months.
Check out www.myspace.com/markwillott or www.wirelesstheband.com
9:30am Thursday 8th May 2008
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