Career summary

Pru Montin is an award‑winning composer and sound designer whose work spans film, television, games and interactive media. She completed a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts (History) at Monash University in 2009, followed by the Australian Film Television and Radio School, where she received support in 2012 to develop myOrchestra, a full‑scale interactive music education project.

In 2016, Pru was awarded the prestigious Brian May Scholarship to undertake the Master of Music in Film Scoring at New York University. After relocating to New York and subsequently Los Angeles in 2018, she established a diverse international practice, collaborating with leading Hollywood composers and directors. Her work has been featured at major festivals, including Cannes and Palm Springs, and her music appears across a wide range of screen projects such as ABC’s Dream Gardens and Club Arak, Freeform’s Siren, the AACTA‑nominated feature Moon Rock for Monday, and the romantic comedy All My Friends Are Back in Brisbane.

Pru’s contribution to contemporary screen music has been recognised through significant industry accolades. These include the APRA AMCOS Professional Development Award for Film and Television (2019), the Johnny Dennis Music Award (2019), and APRA Innovator for World IP Day (2020). She has been acknowledged as an ASCAP “Composer to Watch” and previously received The Sorel Organisation Women in Music Scholarship (2015) as well as first place in the NYU Scoring Competition (2017). Her career has also been shaped by key industry mentorships, including Women in Film and Television (2013) and Sonar Music with Anthony Partos (2014).

Across her practice, Pru brings together technical innovation, creative versatility and a commitment to collaboration. Her work continues to contribute to the advancement of contemporary screen composition in both Australia and the United States.

Career pathway

• 2020 – APRA Innovator for World IP Day
• 2019 – Awarded the coveted biannual APRA AMCOS Professional Development Award for Film and Television
• 2019 – Johnny Dennis Music Award Winner
• 2018 – Moved to L.A., California
• 2017 – NYU Scoring Competition Winner
• 2016 – Recipient of the prestigious Brian May Scholarship and relocated to New York to commence a Master of Film Scoring at NYU
• 2015 – Recipient of The Sorel Organisation Women in Music Scholarship to attend the NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop
• 2015 – Featured on the ASCAP Composers to Watch List
• 2014 – Women in Film and TV Mentorship with Antony Partos and Sonar Music
• 2012 – Master of Screen Arts (Screen Music and Interactive Design, AFTRS)
• 2010 – Graduate Diploma of Screen Music (AFTRS)
• 2009 – Bachelor of Music / Bachelor of Arts (majoring in History)

Why did you choose to study a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts at Monash?

One of the biggest drawcards for me was how comprehensive the Bachelor of Music at Monash was. It was the only university offering a double degree in Arts and Music, so I could study both Jazz and Arts. I loved that I could study culture, film studies, philosophy, classical music, composition, electronic computer music, and more. Because I’d learnt Indonesian at school, Monash’s strong ethnomusicology department also allowed me to study gamelan.

I was also attracted to Monash because of the Arts program. I majored in history, but I specialised in everything related to film, which was really incredible. It was like doing a film degree through the Arts department. Monash has always promoted that it is a university that does things differently and prioritises innovation. I felt like I needed to be there, especially because of the career I wanted to pursue.

What does your career as a composer and sound designer involve?

My most recent work was on a feature film where I was the lead composer. I had six weeks to score an entire film from start to finish. This included original songs, as well as the background music which emphasises the emotion and narrative arc within the film. My goal is to try and tell an authentic story through the music that I compose, record, edit and produce.

Before I was a solo lead composer, I would work as an assistant for other people. I collaborated and assisted Hollywood composers such as Cliff Martinez (The Neon Demon, Drive), Adam Peters (Icarus, Snowden), Michael A Levine (Cold Case, Siren) and Andrew Hewitt (The Double, Villains). I’m currently working with Russ Landau (Survivor and Fear Factor) on a production music library.

I also teach at the Summer Film Music course at Monash, guest lecture at Box Hill Institute and have taught at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

Also, as a Sound Designer, my work involves dialogue editing. ADR recording, atmosphere design, sound effect design, backgrounds, music editing which is another stream of work. Starting in sound design led me to work more in music.

How did your double degree give you the skills to forward your career?

I was invited to Hollywood for doing something that I did for years at Monash. In my first year at university, I learnt how to make computer generated music, which is now what gets me invitations to work on major movies. Being able to do this obscure computer programming is common in music, but not in the film world.

Although I am a triplet, and standing out is a part of my nature, Monash gave me the skills to try new things. In my career, I combine the worlds of generative computer programming and sampling to film, which traditionally were never allowed to coexist. This unique style is something that I learnt during my time at Monash.

Would you be where you are without studying at Monash?

I don’t think I would. Many people in the film industry believe music can be learnt through apprenticeship, but without Monash I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or skills to progress. I’d just be repeating what others had done. Studying made me a critical thinker and gave me the confidence to experiment when everyone else was doing the same thing. Courses like The Death of the Author blew my mind, and even after three postgraduate degrees I haven’t found that level of critical thinking anywhere else. At Monash everything is questioned, which shaped me as both an educator and creator.

Learning avant garde music like musique concrète felt removed at the time, but it led directly to sampling and sound design. Every skill becomes part of your toolkit, even when it doesn’t feel relevant at the moment. That future-focused, innovative culture is why I chose Monash and it helped me become a trendsetter.

Collaboration across departments was another strength. Working between music and theatre eventually led to my work with Bell Shakespeare on the 2022 Comedy of Errors tour. Theatre gave me freedom to try ideas in ways film often doesn’t, because film is tied to picture while theatre is fluid and driven by audience and performance. Once you understand narrative musical form, it translates across theatre, interactive media and even games.

Do you have any advice for students who want to pursue a career in music and film?

People value authenticity and honesty. Being authentic helps you carve out your own space. I never predicted I’d end up in Hollywood using sampling and computers to make music for film, but being innovative (like Monash encouraged me to be) and true to myself took me further than copying what others were doing.

Be open to opportunities and make the most of them. I wouldn’t be where I am without saying yes to the chances I was given. Studying taught me that you don’t know what you don’t know. Using everything I learnt including musique concrete became essential. We performed live with computer generated music back in 2004, which shows how far ahead we were. Take advantage of what you’re taught; it’s curated by people who know the industry.

Collaborating across departments was also a huge strength. Experimental theatre gave me the freedom to try ideas that later influenced my film work, which can be more restrictive.

One of my breakthroughs came from sampling the squeak of a chair. People said it wasn’t musical, but I made a four minute track from it. That piece reached Hollywood A-listers and led to meetings, and eventually my move to Hollywood. That’s musique concrète in action and it’s why authenticity matters. You never know what small idea or moment will connect you with someone.

I met my vocalist when she walked through my classroom at NYU during a tour. Ten years after we graduated, we reconnected in New York and now we’re working together on a rom com.

I even played trumpet on Bluey. I wasn’t a trumpet student, but they let me join the classes, and years later that experience became part of my career.

What does music mean to you? 

For me, film music adds ideas that aren’t visible in the storytelling. It creates another layer of narrative and character development. That’s what draws me to it.

I always teach creativity because creativity is something AI cannot do. My focus is on teaching creativity, not just pure music.

Where do you see the future of music and are there any genres or collaborations you are eager to explore?  

AI is going to replace mediocrity. The future lies in creativity, creation and aesthetic building. We need to stay a step ahead. When we bring all our skills together, we create a unique voice and without that, we won’t stand out.

The games industry is exploding right now, especially in Melbourne, and it’s an exciting space for musicians.

In terms of genres or collaborations I’m eager to explore, generative music feels really exciting. It’s what I started doing in music, and being able to incorporate that into film brings out unexpected results. You generate something, put it into a picture, and then shape it. I really want to get back into generative music, especially with AI, because it can be an interesting tool to expand upon, using it as a basis and then building on it. It’s not necessarily fully there yet, but it has potential. AI is so important. It is the future whether we like it or not.

What’s the best career advice you have ever received and how can young musicians position themselves to stand out?

The best advice I ever received was from my film teacher at AFTRS, who told me, “You will never do mainstream music.” It took me years to understand he really meant, “stick to what you do. You’re an ideas person, use the people around you”. What first felt like a stab in the heart became the best advice of my career.

To stand out, I loved something Cliff Martinez once said: take two ideas and combine them to create something new. I do this myself combining two skills to make something unique so you’re not just regurgitating other people’s ideas. It’s a powerful way for young composers to set themselves apart.

Updated in July 2026