Jeff Cardoni

Composer of Starz’s Heels

Courtesy of Subject

Jeff Cardoni’s talents range from intimate independent fare to full orchestral majesty. With over 45 feature film scores and several network series to his credit, one can hear his work worldwide every day. His unique ability to cross genres has made him a powerful player in the film composing industry.

Jeff originally studied classical piano while playing percussion in school orchestra. But it would be rock and roll that would lead him to Los Angeles in 1997. After a brief stint as lead guitarist for the Warner Bros. band "Alien Crime Syndicate", Jeff left to pursue film scoring full time. He worked under several Hollywood composers including John Murphy (Snatch, 28 Days Later) while studying conducting and orchestration at UCLA. He was recently voted ASCAP 2019 TV Composer Of The Year and nominated again in 2020 alongside Lorne Balfe, Bear McCreary, and Mark Snow.

His body of work ranges from studio features such as Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Step Up: All In, and Just Friends, to independent films such as The Confirmation from Oscar-nominated Bob Nelson (Nebraska) and the Sundance darling The Vicious Kind. His television scores include the hit Mike Judge hit Silicon Valley for HBO, CBS drama Training Day with the late Bill Paxton, the highest-rated comedy of the year Young Sheldon for Chuck Lorre, and the worldwide Jerry Bruckheimer produced hit CSI: Miami. 

Jeff is also an active songwriter, penning the theme songs to FX’s The League, MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”, and Fox’s MadTV,  with songs appearing in countless films, including "Hard Knock Life" with Mike Myers in Austin Powers, “Long Road Home” featuring Gene Simmons of Kiss for CSI, and collaborating with Minnie Driver for an updated version of classic “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” with a live orchestra recorded at the Fox Newman stage. Jeff also produced several songs with Jon Lajoie for the soundtrack to The League and a Lexus Super Bowl spot with legendary alternative rock group The Pixies. He recently produced a reimagined version of the Mariah Carey classic track “Fantasy” for the upcoming Ryan Reynolds starring, Shawn Levy directed Fox feature “Freeguy”,  featuring vocals by actress Jodie Komar (Killing Eve). 

Recent scores include the Golden Globe-winning Netflix series The Kominsky Method, starring Academy Award winners Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin, the Bad Boys spinoff series LA’s Finest for Jerry Bruckheimer, thriller feature Paradise Cove starring Mena Suvari (American Beauty), and the reboot of the classic Saved By The Bell coming to Peacock in late 2020.

Listen to the Heels soundtrack.

Watch the trailer for Starz’s Heels.

This episode of The Pop Disciple Podcast is hosted by Paul Goldowitz.

Production, Editing, Mixing, Mastering | Paul Goldowitz
Select Cues Throughout Episode | Jeff Cardoni
The Pop Disciple Podcast Theme and Outro Music | Paul Goldowitz

Special thanks to Jeff Cardoni and White Bear PR.