Pete Carpenter Fellowship
for aspiring media composers
The Pete Carpenter Fellowship is an annual, competitive residency for aspiring film, television, and video game composers. The program awards two $3,000 awards each Fall for an intensive, in-studio mentorship with established composers in New York and Los Angeles, as well as offering the opportunity to consult with other distinguished leaders in the entertainment industry.
The Pete Carpenter Fellowship was established in 1989 by BMIF Artistic Consultant and iconic composer Mike Post, in memory of the late Pete Carpenter, who was Mr. Post’s co-composer of television themes and scores including The A-Team, Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files (for which they won a GRAMMY), Hardcastle and McCormick, Hunter and Riptide. Also the winner of an Emmy and fifty BMI Film & TV Awards, Post is best known for his TV theme songs for series including Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, and NYPD Blue.
“To honor Pete’s memory, we created the Pete Carpenter Fellowship, which was really an extension of my work with him. This Fellowship couldn’t happen without BMI. It’s the place to be because they’re a team of composers first and genuinely invested in your success. When I see our young winners, I get a mainline injection of optimism and am reminded of why I started this program and what I learned at the beginning of my own career: somebody’s going to appreciate what I wrote and pay me for it, life’s pretty good, and it’s especially good because we have BMI covering our back.” - Mike Post
Eligibility Requirements
All applicants:
must be at least 21 years of age as of the submission deadline.
may only submit one application per BMI Foundation awards program.
may not submit the same musical work to more than one BMI Foundation awards program.
must be pursuing a career in TV, film, and/or video game composition.
must be authorized to work in the United States as of the deadline for the application.
must be available during the Fall for fellowship activities; applicants still enrolled in college or university will not be considered for the fellowship.
Applications for the 2023-2024 Pete Carpenter Fellowship are closed. Applications for the 2024-2025 Fellowship will open in the Summer 2024. If you would like to be notified when applications open, please sign up using the link above.
Application Requirements
One 1-3 minute recording of an original composition from a recent personal project or re-score.
Co-composed or shared credit work is ineligible.
You may submit this recording as a video file, audio file, video link, or audio link.
You may submit multiple samples totaling 1-3 minutes, but each sample should be at least one minute long.