Five years ago, Ryan Elder didn't know there were jobs for people who could write music for TV commercials. "It never occurred to me until I came out here," says the 24-year old LA-based composer.

Elder, on the First Boards roster for his "House of Taylor" theme, was completing his studies at Macalester in St. Paul, MN, when he spied a three-month internship at Admusic in LA. All he knew was that the firm recorded music, "and I was interested in that, along with writing."

Elder headed west in summer of 2001 and never looked back. Not only did he enjoy the work, he discovered he was a natural. His knack for short-form composition dates back to college, where the string quartets he wrote were often on the short side. Unlike musicians who itch to compose longer works, Elder relishes the restrictive parameters of the half-minute spot. "I love the idea of fleshing out a full concept in 30 seconds," he says. "It suits my writing style more than writing a symphony."

The job (Admusic took him on full-time last year) doesn't come without its challenges. He says composing for ads is about creating the proper atmosphere. The key, Elder says, is "reaching into that bag of tricks to nail the mood musically". He stuffs quite a few tools into that bag. Elder used strings and accordion to recreate the style of an old Italian film for "House of Taylor" - Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' work for Elizabeth Taylor's perfume line. For another GS&P spot, E*Trade's "The Pitch", Elder concocted a music genre he dubs "David-Lynch-meets-'60s-spy-film". He also composed a largely groove-based, techno-sounding piece for BBDO's Cingular spot "Art School". He's proud of the range of styles. "I can do pretty much anything," he says, matter-of-factly.

Though he favors rock, Elder's musical tastes run the gamut. Eventually, he hopes to compose a punk-rock piece. Meanwhile, he's still learning the trade, rounding out his bag of tricks with new skills such as orchestration.

Elder aspires to be a record producer, and feels his experience in the ad business will not have been wasted. His work at Admusic has allowed him to work with a constantly changing roster of musicians. "I do something I love every day," he says. "Not everyone gets to do that."

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