Special shoutout to @raycasarez.bsky.social for the influencer mic and capture this footage live at the panel and to Jamie Mac Rae @sebastianwolff.bsky.social @materiamusic.com for inviting me to join them on this panel!

Creativity is only one half of the job. The business behind the music we make is what shapes our careers and opens doors to opportunities

This year has been full of incredible collaborations. I’m grateful for conversations happening around our craft and the future of game music

Thank you to Lilith Games, Team AFK, our performers, producers, engineers, mixers, and everyone who has helped us bring the music of AFK Journey to life from the launch of the game. And thank you to the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for this recognition!

We were proud to stand beside two Emperia projects this year — AFK Journey and Delta Force — and our label Emperia Records received an nomination for Best Score for Video Game (Console & PC) for Fallen Aces: Episode 1 composed by Josh Barron. We’re incredibly proud and grateful.

Songs like these are always a true team effort:
Music by: @benhicksmusic.bsky.social & Gina Kouyoumdjian (p/k/a Matilda Stray)
Performed by: Gina Kouyoumdjian
Produced by: Alec Justice
Score Production & Music Direction: Emperia Sound and Music

I am so thrilled that you were nominated. It’s one of those special moments, because the music was incredible and genre-defying, and it’s a beloved world. There’s a lot of magic in this nomination, and its’s couldn’t have happened to a nicer person! Congratulations!

And to the @recordingacademy.bsky.social, thank you for your ongoing recognition of game music as the art form it’s always meant to be seen as.

This isn’t just a milestone. It’s a reminder that passion, collaboration, and connection always find their way to the surface in our creative work.

I’m eternally grateful to @ubisoft.com, @lucasfilm.bsky.social @ubimassive.bsky.social, Disney, my team at Emperia Sound and Music and everyone on the Outlaws music teams who believed in this music and gave it space to breathe.

Above all else, this moment feels like a reflection of the people who made it possible. The trust, friendship, and chemistry I’ve had the privilege of sharing with @wilbertroget.bsky.social and @joneverist.bsky.social turned our work in a galaxy far, far away into something deeply human and personal

Huge love to Charlie for helping bring Star Wars Outlaws music to life! And special thanks to @RayCasarezMusic for not only introducing me to Charlie, but also for filming and editing this clip!

#StarWarsOutlaws #GRAMMYs #GameMusic

The Emperia family is beyond proud of our creative teams highlighted here:
Josh Barron Barron • @benhicksmusic.bsky.social • Gina Kouyoumdjian• Alec Justice • Jeff Rona • Max Davidoff-Grey

Here’s to celebrating the incredible talent behind these nominations!
#HollywoodMusicInMediaAwards

From the noir grit of Fallen Aces: Episode 1, to the emotive storytelling woven into the AFK Journey songs, to the pulse-pounding energy of Delta Force, every note represents months (and often years!) of passion from creatives who genuinely care about the craft.

Thank you!!

Then, before I could even finish processing that, the Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate's Fortune soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy!

I'm so incredibly proud of @codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social, the team at Emperia, and everyone involved in the OST's creation!

@codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social's work on Outlaws makes him the single most prolific composer of diegetic Star Wars music, with 34 tracks. Kevin Kiner is next with 23, Deana Kiner with (approx.) 22, John Williams 21, and Harlan Hodges & Randy Kerber tying Michael Tavera with 19.

Bee Seliga Ben Hicks Gina Kouyoumdjian @topdollarpr.bsky.social and the rest of my team and musicians who helped shape this world.

Thank you to the Recording Academy for continuing to shine a light on video game music! #starwarsoutlaws #starwars #videogamemusic