Mike Forst

Music & Sound

Projects & Partners

Space Sharks - Original Music and Musical Sound Design
Sunset Overdrive - Additional Music, Music Supervision, Performer
Additional Music
Additional Music and Musical Sound Design
UX Sound Design, Sonic Branding, and Audio Implementation
UX Sound Design, Sonic Branding, and Audio Implementation
UX Sound Design, HRI, Character Design, Sonic Branding, and Audio Implementation
UX Sound Design, Sonic Branding, and Audio Implementation

  • “When it comes to the skillful craft of horror and suspense composition, there's no one better than Mike Forst to create a spine-chilling and heart-pumping score that leaves you on the edge of your seat…"

    Bonnie Jean Tyer - Director/Filmmaker

  • “…Mike is a rare blend of someone who is technically gifted, but also unafraid to take risks. He is lovely to work with, and most importantly, he truly has a point of view as an artist…”

    Eren Celeboglu & Ari Costa - Writer/Directors

  • “Mike is an incredibly creative and collaborative music partner. He takes direction, builds on it, and pushes it to new exciting territory. Mike has the intangible skill that many composers spend their entire careers chasing, he has a ’sound’ and a ‘voice’…”

    Matt Nelson - Executive Producer, Yessian

  • "Mike Forst and his intrinsic ability to breathe life into a story through music are singular… Mike's musical compositions, coupled with his collaborative method, will add a beautiful and distinctive sonic dessert course that will elevate any story."

    Beau Ferris - Director/Producer

  • "Having collaborated with Mike on both narrative storytelling and audio user experience design, I can testify to his voracious curiosity and intuitive expertise. He enters collaboration with an openness and enthusiasm that invites everyone to the table and raises the collective bar… I would work with him again and again."

    Jessie Kitchens - Senior Product Design Manager, Meta Reality Labs

  • "I've heard music makes a movie, but was never proven this true until I worked with Mike Forst. Everything he delivers is gold and not just his musical masterpieces but in his knowledge, positive attitude, and overall gumption… beside him on any project, and I will hope to on everyone."

    Katie Lynn Stoddard - Producer

  • "Mike Forst is proactive, organized, collaborative, and above all else, a brilliant composer and a storyteller at heart… Furthermore, his score had innovative and outside-the-box instrumentation and a unique atmosphere that was exciting, playful, and full of suspense…"

    Lucas Fraga Pacheco - Director/Supervising Animator, Pixar

  • “…Working with Mike as a composer has been an absolute highlight in my film-making career. It is a joy to observe him, up close, crafting an immersive score and finding innovative ways to elevate a film’s narrative; tirelessly hunting for unique instruments and sounds to find just the right way to capture the emotional stakes of the story and its characters…"

    Stefan Schumacher - Director/Writer/Supervising Animator, Pixar

  • “Mike's passion for music and film is evident in his work as he constantly searches for new ways to push the medium forward… His ability to enhance the director's vision and bring the story to life through music is what makes him stand out as a musician.”

    Neth Nom - Director/Animation Lead

  • “Mike has scored a number of projects that I have worked on and, in each case, his music has elevated the game experience and brought depth and specificity to the story…”

    Dan Clegg - Game Designer, Baobab Studios

  • “I had the pleasure of working with Mike Forst for over a decade on many different projects and he just gets it… I highly recommend Mike for any project that requires a strong and distinct musical voice.”

    Jon Shamieh - Senior Audio Engineer, Apple

  • “[Mike’s] not only a seasoned professional, but, more importantly, brings new, creative approaches to projects and leaves ego at the door which is very important for this type of work.”

    Connor Moore - Executive Creative Director, Listen.

  • “[Mike’s] commitment to the craft of composing, paired with his tremendous skill, in addition to his approachability and refined people skills, put him at the top of our list when we need custom music.”

    Elad  Marish - Senior Producer/Founder, Swell Music + Sound

  • “…With over a dozen musicians involved, Mike's tracks went on to become the identity of the game, even being used in national television commercials. He is an obvious choice when it comes to getting results and quality.”

    Michael Molinari - Founder, Studio Bean Games

Bio

Mike Forst is an award-winning composer and sound designer based in Los Angeles, CA. With over a decade of experience, he has contributed his versatile storytelling skills to films, video games, TV shows, brands, and first-of-their-kind products. Mike is best known for his work on the Student Academy Award-winning film Skin, the multi-award-winning film Sonder, and his extensive work on pioneering first-of-their-kind products through interactive music and sound. With experience in nearly every music and audio post-production role, he brings a holistic and empathetic perspective to every collaboration.

Mike began his career at an audio-post house, primarily working on video games. He contributed to AAA titles like Insomniac Games’ Sunset Overdrive, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2, and Microsoft’s Crimson Dragon. After working on a wide range of projects and clients, he carved out a unique niche combining game-sound interactivity with emerging technologies, becoming a leading expert in User Experience (UX) Sound Design. Over the years he has worked at several tech startups and with major companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.

In 2018, Mike joined Amazon’s Lab126 as their sound lead for their first consumer robot, Astro. At Amazon, he collaborated with diverse teams, including engineers, producers, marketing, animation, and top executives including Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos. Beyond audio and music, he drove major initiatives such as licensing the middleware tool Wwise, defining Astro's character, managing a team, designing the out-of-box experience, and developing other visionary concepts that continue to shape the product. His expertise also led to ongoing collaborations across other Amazon teams, which continue to this day.

Mike left Amazon as a full-time employee in 2023 to focus on his primary passion: creating unique music for compelling narratives. Throughout his artistic career, he has developed an evocative composition style described as emotional, nostalgic, dynamic, and dark. With his deep understanding of sound design, Mike intuitively composes music with unique sounds to enhance the narrative. He specializes in building distinct musical worlds by blending organic and synthetic sounds crafted to keep the audience immersed in the story.

Mike began playing piano at age 5 and formed original bands at 12, always seeking innovation and disrupting the norm in his music. He's collaborated with top musicians and diverse artistic disciplines like modern dance and art installations. Recently, he released "Hypnagogia," a concept album inspired by pandemic-induced auditory dreams.

Mike loves spooky movies and prefers when it rains.

mikeforstmusic[at]gmail[dot]com