Leo Birenberg is an American composer and orchestrator for film and television.
Born in Kentucky and raised in Chicago, Birenberg studied composition atNYU andUSC.[1] While there, he started composing his first scores in collaboration with his roommate, filmmaker Jeremy Reitz.[2] His favorite score is fromOut of Africa.[3]
After graduating, he had a chance encounter with composerChristophe Beck, who ended up taking Birenberg on as a mentee.[4] Under Beck's tutelage, Birenberg worked as the score coordinator on numerous large projects, includingThe Muppets,Pitch Perfect,Runner Runner, andFrozen. In 2014, Birenberg started composing additional music for Beck’s films, includingMuppets Most Wanted,Edge of Tomorrow, andAnt-Man.[5]
In 2014, Birenberg also started composing his own original scores for television shows, includingNext Time on Lonny,The Britishes,Big Time in Hollywood, FL,[6] and the YouTube Red seriesSing It![7]
In 2016, Birenberg received an email from producer Eric Appel, and asked to compose music for the then-upcoming FX seriesSon of Zorn.[8] Upon approaching the series, he took the original up-beat synth-heavy score and replaced it with something that spanned a vast array of musical styles, sampling the styles of country music and church choirs.[9] In 2017, Birenberg released a soundtrack for the show. That same year, Birenberg also started composing music for the Seeso original seriesTake My Wife. He also composed the score for the 2017 comedyF the Prom.[10]
In 2018, Birenberg co-composed YouTube and Sony seriesCobra Kai with composer Zach Robinson.[11] They also scored the subsequent seasons through to season six. In addition, he recently scored the music for Dreamworks'Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.[12]
In 2019, Leo composed the music for Hulu'sPen15.[13] He also recently scored Adult Swim's animated seriesTigtone andTribeca Film Festival selectionPlus One.[3]
The joint score with Zach Robinson forWeird: The Al Yankovic Story won the 2023Primetime Emmy forOutstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)[14]. The duo also gained the following nominations:
Their music forCobra Kai has had the following nominations:
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | How to Rob a Bank | Composer |
| 2024 | Die Hart: Die Harter | Composer with Zach Robinson |
| 2023 | Bottoms | Composer withCharli XCX |
| 2022 | Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Composer with Zach Robinson |
| 2022 | Butcher's Crossing | Composer |
| 2022 | Mack & Rita | Composer |
| 2022 | Anything's Possible | Composer |
| 2022 | Unplugging | Composer |
| 2020 | Impractical Jokers: The Movie | Composer with Zach Robinson |
| 2020 | Secret Society of Second Born Royals | Composer |
| 2019 | Red Penguins | Composer |
| 2019 | Plus One | Composer |
| 2017 | F the Prom | Composer with Zach Robinson |
| 2015 | The Peanuts Movie | Composer (additional music) |
| 2015 | Ant-Man | Composer (additional music) |
| 2015 | Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | Composer (additional music), Orchestrator |
| 2014 | Good Kill | Composer (additional music) |
| 2014 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | Score Producer |
| 2014 | Red Army | Composer |
| 2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | Composer (additional music) |
| 2014 | Muppets Most Wanted | Composer (additional music) |
| 2014 | Endless Love | Composer (additional music), Score Producer |
| 2013 | Frozen | Score Coordinator |
| 2013 | Runner Runner | Score Coordinator |
| 2013 | R.I.P.D. | Score Coordinator |
| 2013 | The Internship | Score Coordinator |
| 2013 | The Hangover Part III | Score Coordinator |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Composer (segment: "Happy Birthday") |
| 2013 | Charlie Countryman | Score Coordinator |
| 2012 | Struck By Lightning | Score Coordinator |
| 2012 | The Guilt Trip | Score Coordinator |
| 2012 | Pitch Perfect | Music Assistant |
| 2012 | The Watch | Score Coordinator |
| 2012 | This Means War | Score Coordinator |
| 2011 | The Muppets | Score Coordinator |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Score Coordinator |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | Composer with Zach Robinson (10 episodes) |
| 2024–present | Jurassic World: Chaos Theory | Composer; OriginalJurassic Park themes byJohn Williams (10 episodes) |
| 2023–2025 | Twisted Metal | Composer with Zach Robinson (10 episodes) |
| 2023 | Obliterated | Composer with Zach Robinson (8 episodes) |
| 2023 | Florida Man | Composer with Zach Robinson (7 episodes) |
| 2022 | Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin | Composer with Zach Robinson (6 episodes) |
| 2022–2023 | Interrupting Chicken | Composer (11 episodes) |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolicals | Composer (TV mini series, 1 episode) |
| 2020–2023 | Die Hart | Composer with Leo Birenberg (18 episodes) |
| 2020–2022 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Composer; OriginalJurassic Park andJurassic World themes byJohn Williams andMichael Giacchino (50 episodes) |
| 2020–2021 | Central Park | Composer (12 episodes) |
| 2020 | Helter Skelter: An American Myth | Composer (TV mini series, 6 episodes) |
| 2019–2021 | PEN15 | Composer (24 episodes) |
| 2019–2020 | Tigtone | Composer (20 episodes) |
| 2018–2019 | Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny | Composer (26 episodes) |
| 2018–2025 | Cobra Kai | Composer with Zach Robinson (65 episodes) |
| 2018 | In Search of Greatness | Composer |
| 2016–2018 | Adam Ruins Everything | Composer (7 episodes) |
| 2016 | Take My Wife | Composer (7 episodes) |
| 2016 | Son of Zorn | Composer (13 episodes) |
| 2016 | A Classy Broad | Composer |
| 2016 | Sing It! | Composer with Zach (10 episodes) |
| 2015 | Big Time in Hollywood, FL | Composer (12 episodes) |
| 2014 | The Britishes | Composer |
| 2014 | Next Time on Lonny | Composer (10 episodes) |
| 2014 | 30 for 30: Soccer Stories | Composer (1 episode) |
| 2012 | The Kindly Midwesterner | Composer (TV mini series, 8 episodes) |
| 2011–2013 | Dropout | Composer (18 episodes) |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Every Part of You | Composer |
| 2023 | One Night With Love | Composer |
| 2020 | Pretty People | Composer |
| 2016 | Remember This Voice | Composer |
| 2015 | Scatterwild | Composer |
| 2014 | Grooming | Composer |
| 2013 | After I've Gone | Composer |
| 2013 | Three Little Words | Composer |
| 2013 | The Desert Son | Composer |
| 2012 | Goat Sucker | Composer |
| 2011 | Dani and Wayne | Composer |
| 2011 | Shock Troop | Composer |
| 2011 | Baby Ruth | Composer |
| 2010 | The Harbinger | Composer |
| 2010 | The Half Man | Composer |
| 2009 | Caring Hearts & Caring Hands | Composer |
| 2009 | Kouzelnik | Composer |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising | Composer with Zach Robinson |
| 2020 | Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues | Composer with Zach Robinson |
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