Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe announce composer challenge

Submissions are now open until September 5^th 2017 at 5:00PM (PST) for a unique online challenge presented by Indi.com in partnership with NatGeo, Fox21 and Milan Records. Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe are hosting a competition for the music community entitled, “Show us your Musical Genius!”

Participants will submit their rendition or interpretation of the NatGeo Genius theme and blue ribbon judges along with Zimmer and Balfe will pick the winners. The composers recently received an Emmy Nomination for their Main Title Theme for GENIUS. The Emmy-nominated, scripted series is from Executive Producers and Academy Award-winners Brian Grazer & Ron Howard, and Executive Producer Ken Biller. Top prize winners of the musical challenge will be invited to a Hans Zimmer or Lorne Balfe recording session in London or Los Angeles.

The Emmy-nominated co-composers are excited to hear the entries.  As Academy-award winning composer Hans Zimmer explains, “Lorne and I were honored to collaborate with Ron Howard for this enlightening project about geniuses.  We hope that through this Challenge on Indi.com, we can discover and present a new musical genius to the world.”  Award-winning composer Lorne Balfe adds, “With a challenge like this, there are so many creative possibilities and interpretations of our theme. We are expecting to receive some very impressive entries!”

“This MUSICAL GENIUS CHALLENGE celebrating the show and the music nomination can literally change the lives of the winners.” explains Indi.com Executive Nicole Greenwood . She describes the challenge, “Participants go to  http://indi.com/genius/showusyourmusicalgenius to listen to the Original Main Title Theme Music and to download the sheet music; then create their version.  It can be a tribute to the original, a solo instrumental, or a completely unique spin on the music. Anything goes!”

Once submitted on INDI.com, participants are incentivized to share their video submission on social media directly from indi.com so they can be tracked; this creates INDI BUZZ which can earn prizes. The ‘Judges’ Pick’ and the ‘Buzz Winner’ (creator of the video with the Most Buzz) will have their entry shown on the social media of Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe and Milan Records, and be invited to attend a recording session with Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe in Los Angeles or London (winners are responsible for their own transportation and accommodations)

About Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer one of Hollywood’s most innovative musical talents having scored over 100 films, being honored with an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and four Grammys.  His credits include “Sherlock Holmes,” “Rain Man,” “Gladiator,” “The Lion King,” “As Good as It Gets,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “The Thin Red Line” and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Prince of Egypt.” Zimmer has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Board of Review. He also has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Zimmer’s other credits include “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Rango,“ “Kung Fu Panda,” “Frost / Nixon,” “The Dark Knight,” “Angels & Demons,” Guy and most recently “DunkirK” for frequent collaborator, director Christopher Nolan.

About Lorne Balfe

Lorne Balfe is a Grammy Award-winning, EMMY and BAFTA nominated film composer.  His film credits include “Terminator Genisys,”  “iBoy,” and “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” the animated films “Home” and “Penguins of Madagascar,” video games Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Crysis 2, and the Skylanders franchise. Balfe’s recent film and TV credits include “Churchill,” “The Lego Batman Movie,” “Marcella” and “The Story of God.” Additionally, Balfe has produced two of Hans Zimmer’s Oscar-nominated scores, “Sherlock Holmes” and “Inception.”  In 2010, Lorne Balfe was nominated for the prestigious Discovery of the Year at the World Soundtrack Awards in Belgium.

About Indie.com

Indi is a Brand driven micro-influencer and talent discovery platform led by CEO Neel Grover and President Greg Giraudi who have sold $5 Billion online as the former CEO and COO, respectively of Rakuten Buy.com. The Indi team of seasoned ecommerce and digital media veterans has built and sold multiple Internet companies for more than $500 Million.  Notable clients include America’s Got Talent, Elite Modeling, Hewlett Packard, IBM, the Denver Bronco’s, Sacramento Kings, Pepsico, the Hard Rock Cafe and Starbucks. Indi is based in Southern California, and has users in over 200 countries.

About national Geographic

National Geographic gets you closer to the stories that matter. Through the world’s best scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, National Geographic captivates and entertains a global community through television channels, magazines, children’s media, travel expeditions, books, maps, consumer products, location-based entertainment and experiences, and some of the most engaging digital and social media platforms in the world. A joint venture with 21^st Century Fox, National Geographic reinvests 27% of proceeds to help fund the conservation and education efforts of the National Geographic Society.

First Place Buzz Winner Prize:

The First Place Buzz Winner will not only have their work shown to the A-list Celebrity Panel, they are also GUARANTEED TO ATTEND A RECORDING SESSION WITH HANS ZIMMER OR LORNE BALFE IN LA OR LONDON! (and if the stars align, they may even get to meet with BOTH of them!

Top 10 Buzz Winners Prize:

The Top 10 Buzz Winners & Selects (selected by top Industry Professionals) will have their videos sent to a Panel of A-list Celebrity Judges. Their selects will then be presented to Hans and Lorne! They will also each win an autographed GENIUS CD!

Select Favorites Prize:

Select Favorites (selected by top Industry Professionals) will have their videos sent to a Panel of A-list Celebrity Judges. Their selects will then be presented to Hans and Lorne! They will also each win a GENIUS CD!

Hans and Lorne’s Pick Prize:

Hans and Lorne’s absolute favorite will not only be shown on the their Social Media, they’ll also get to ATTEND A RECORDING SESSION WITH HANS ZIMMER AND LORNE BALFE IN LA OR LONDON! (and if the stars align, they may even get to meet BOTH of them!)