H. Scott Salinas

Playing guitar since the age of twelve, Salinas began his music career on the small island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. Scott soon became known as an accomplished sideman and toured the island in reggae and blues bands. In 1993, Scott left his island home to major in music at Princeton University. At Princeton, Scott discovered jazz and classical music, turning his whole musical world upside down. He scored three short films including the all-guitar psychological thriller Kentucky Motel, and completed a 20-minute mini-opera that debuted at a concert heralding classical musicians Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Edgar Meyer (bass), and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Toni Morrison.

After graduating from Princeton Magna Cum Laude in 1997, Scott continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he concentrated in film scoring and honed his jazz guitar skills. In the summer of 2000, he was awarded the prestigious Berklee College of Music Segue Internship Award. This included a scholarship for his final semester at Berklee and an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for a month-long internship at Segue Music, the largest film music editing company in Hollywood. At Segue, Scott had the unique opportunity to work with world-renowned composers and directors, sealing his decision to forge a career in scoring for film.

Upon graduating from Berklee Magna Cum Laude in 2001, Scott worked at Verité Music with the film composer Sheldon Mirowitz (Outside Providence, 7 Part PBS Series: Evolution, Johnson County War, Troublesome Creek), writing and orchestrating music for television films, documentaries, and commercials.

In June 2002, Scott was the youngest person ever to be named Grand Prize Winner in the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition. Scott was selected from over 450 contestants by a panel of film industry experts including Don Davis (The Matrix, Jurassic Park III). The prize included a paid assignment to compose the score to a classic silent film and the opportunity to record the score with a Hollywood film scoring orchestra. Scott's assignment was to score the 1928 film, Laugh, Clown, Laugh, starring Loretta Young and Lon Chaney. The score debuted on Turner Classic Movies with much critical acclaim.

In June 2004, Scott moved to Los Angeles and joined Machine Head, a collective of composers, sound designers and electronic artists. Scott's work includes Edison, an action thriller starring Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J, and Justin Timberlake; Conventioneers, a love story and political satire taking place at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City; and 51 Birch Street, a documentary for HBO and a 2005 Toronto International Film Festival selection.