Kim Planert

Biography

Before moving to Los Angeles Planert lived in the UK where he collaborated with several music producers and musicians including Craig Armstrong, Capercaillie, Secret Garden, John McLaughlin (FIVE), Dave James (Take That), Gordon Goudie (Simple Minds), Karen Matheson, Phil Cunningham, James Grant, Karen Casey, Michael McGoldrick, The Dhol Foundation, Phamie Gow, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Ensemble.

Planert and Robert Duncan have collaborated since 2011 on numerous shows including ABC's series Castle, The Unit (CBS), Lie to Me (Fox), The Gates (ABC) as well as the movie Into The Blue 2: The Reef.

Kim Planert and Robert Duncan won "Best Score in a TV Show" at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards for Missing (ABC), in addition A Reason was nominated for "Best Score in an "Indie Feature". His score for Nest of Spiders won the award for "Best Use of Music in a Short Film" at the Park City Film Music Festival and he was awarded the Gold Medal for "Best Original Score" at the Global Music Awards for the feature film A Reason.

Planert completed the passion project Skid Row Marathon, a feature-length documentary following the story of a Los Angeles judge who starts a running club on Skid Row to give its members a second chance at life as they battle their addictions. Planert invited a former addict and homeless musician (one of the subjects of the documentary) to work on the score with him and also conduct at the final scoring session.

As a producer, he joined the teams on Skid Row Marathon, A Reason and Chasing Grace in bringing the projects to life. He also has his own productions in development.

As a sound engineer and producer he worked in the UK for over a decade, recording and mixing more than 40 albums and also soundtracks for several films including American Cousins, The Bone Collector, One Last Chance and the TV show Crowdie + Cream - which won a BAFTA award for "Best Soundtrack" and "Best Theme".

Kim received his masters from the UNCSA School of the Arts and his Bachelor of Recording Arts from the Southern Cross University of Australia. He studied under veteran composers such as Emmy-award winner Hummie Mann, David McHugh (Mystic Pizza), Sir Prof. Clive Pascoe (student of Leonard Bernstein) and Jack Smalley (Charlie's Angels, The Last of the Mohicans).

In addition to his professional accolades, Planert made four tours at the age of 19 to the former Yugoslavia during the armed conflict, providing humanitarian aid. One of his first songs, recorded on a four track, was written for the people of Bihać, who at the time were surrounded by Serbian forces. The tape made it to the "Pocket of Bihać" and was played on radio to give hope that they were not forgotten.

Kim's great passion for skydiving and wingsuit flying is the inspiration for his forthcoming album Airis. With over 400 jumps to date, taking part in the US National Championships and flying above Black Rock City at Burning Man, Kim's adventures in the clouds bring an exciting edge and a deeper spirituality to his already dynamic work.

Planert has also taught at the School of Audio Engineering and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.