I'm José Luis Esquivel, a Mexican composer and orchestrator with over 15 years of experience crafting music for film, television, and immersive experiences. Grammy Latino-nominated and award-winning, my work spans feature films, short films, and TV series, earning Best Score recognition at international film festivals including the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, with scores performed by prestigious ensembles including the Nashville Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and the LA Philharmonic. Beyond composition, I bring a professional understanding of the music industry from my work at Sentric Music, as Copyright Assistant, and Loud Music, as Music Supervisor, where I collaborate with major studios and labels. This means I deliver clean, broadcast-ready audio files and communicate clearly at every stage of the creative process.

José Luis Esquivel

I'm José Luis Esquivel, a Mexican composer and orchestrator with over 15 years of experience crafting music for film, television, and immersive experiences. Grammy Latino-nominated and award-winning, my work spans feature films, short films, and TV series, earning Best Score recognition at international film festivals including the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, with scores performed by prestigious ensembles including the Nashville Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and the LA Philharmonic. Beyond composition, I bring a professional understanding of the music industry from my work at Sentric Music, as Copyright Assistant, and Loud Music, as Music Supervisor, where I collaborate with major studios and labels. This means I deliver clean, broadcast-ready audio files and communicate clearly at every stage of the creative process.

Available to hire

I’m José Luis Esquivel, a Mexican composer and orchestrator with over 15 years of experience crafting music for film, television, and immersive experiences. Grammy Latino-nominated and award-winning, my work spans feature films, short films, and TV series, earning Best Score recognition at international film festivals including the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, with scores performed by prestigious ensembles including the Nashville Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and the LA Philharmonic.

Beyond composition, I bring a professional understanding of the music industry from my work at Sentric Music, as Copyright Assistant, and Loud Music, as Music Supervisor, where I collaborate with major studios and labels. This means I deliver clean, broadcast-ready audio files and communicate clearly at every stage of the creative process.

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Language

Spanish; Castilian
Fluent
English
Fluent

Work Experience

Copyright Assistant at Sentric
February 1, 2025 - Present
Member of the Activity Tracking team: processing Cue Sheets and Spotify performance reports to ensure accurate royalty collection, and conducting back-claim investigations with international collection societies. Coordinates directly with Latin American collection societies, managing territory-specific requirements and documentation workflows. Developed comprehensive operational guides for SACM (Mexico) and SADAIC (Argentina) to standardize processes and improve collection efficiency. Previously part of the live claims team tracing royalties from major societies including PRS (UK), SACEM (France), SGAE (Spain), and SOCAN (Canada).
Music Composer & Orchestrator at Freelance
January 1, 2015 - Present
Composed scores for 5 feature films, 12 short films, and 4 TV series. Orchestrated for prestigious ensembles including Nashville and San Francisco orchestras. Collaborated with producers Mario Santos and Gustavo Santaolalla on high-profile projects such as MTV Unplugged - Café Tacvba and Gustavo Dudamel & LA Phil, feat. Café Tacvba. Founded Estesia, a specialized film music production and composition team. Produced the Grammy Latino-nominated composition 'Guapanguito' for Orquesta Moderna. Produced the album 'Abstracciones' with National Symphony Orchestra performers. Achieved #5 on the iTunes Germany Classical Music chart.
Music Supervisor at LOUD MUSIC BROKERS
February 1, 2021 - Present
Music licensing and curation for feature films and clients including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, P&G, NU, Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Star+. Negotiated high-profile licenses for Pepsi Black, Google, and Sabritas. Managed relationships with major labels (Warner, Sony, Universal) for rights negotiations. Music coordinator: oversee music production services. Handle budget management and legal compliance for all music-related content.

Education

Master of Music Industry Studies at University of Liverpool
January 11, 2030 - February 27, 2026
Music Supervision Certificate at Berklee College Online
January 1, 2018 - February 27, 2026
Master of Film Arts at Centro de Cultura Casa LAMM
January 1, 2017 - February 27, 2026
Specialist Degree in Orchestration for Film & TV at Berklee College Online
January 1, 2016 - February 27, 2026
B.S. Digital Music Production Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey
January 1, 2015 - February 27, 2026
Master of Music Industry Studies at University of Liverpool
January 11, 2030 - February 27, 2026
Music Supervision Certificate at Berklee College Online
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2018
Master of Film Arts at Centro de Cultura Casa LAMM
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2017
Specialist Degree in Orchestration for Film & TV at Berklee College Online
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2016
B.S. Digital Music Production Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2015

Qualifications

Music Supervision Certificate
January 1, 2018 - February 27, 2026
Specialist Degree in Orchestration for Film & TV
January 1, 2016 - February 27, 2026
Berlinale Talent: Talent Development Programme
January 1, 2020 - February 27, 2026
Felipe Villanueva National Composition Competition Winner, OSEM Mexico
January 1, 2019 - February 27, 2026
Musical Composition Workshop for Animation
January 1, 2022 - February 27, 2026
Modern and Postmodern Studies Certificate
January 1, 2022 - February 27, 2026
Talent Development Programme - Berlinale Talent
January 1, 2020 - February 27, 2026

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Other
    paper Noir

    Noir is a jazz symphonic work for tenor saxophone, jazz trio (piano, double bass, and drums), and symphony orchestra, inspired by the writing of Patrick Modiano, the French Nobel Prize laureate known for his explorations of fragmented memory and identity. The composition reinterprets Modiano’s recurring narrative technique as a musical “idée fixe,” using persistent motifs that transform throughout the piece to evoke a sense of obsession and retrospection. Noir was premiered by the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM under the direction of Vince Mendoza, alongside works by Antonio Sánchez and other leading Mexican composers, as part of a program celebrating the International Jazz Day.