Ravi Krishnaswami

Profile

Ravi Krishnaswami is an award-winning composer and songwriter for media and games.

His credits include Super Bowl commercials, AAA video games, top-rated apps, landmark retail installations, long running television themes, network IDs, and numerous short and feature length films. His work has been recognized by the Cannes Lions, Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), Association of Music Producers (AMP), London International Awards, Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards, and the Game Marketing Awards.

Krishnaswami was raised in Ardsley, NY, where piano lessons and school orchestra inspired him to spend his paper route money on a cassette four-track and an electric guitar. As a music and English major at the University of Virginia, he studied poetry writing, ethnomusicology, film music, and electronic music composition. He also formed an indie-pop band called Charming.

Moving back to New York City, Krishnaswami joined Sacred Noise, an advertising-focused music production studio and was quickly redefining the musical sound of the US Army and Pontiac as a young staff composer. Over a 10-year period, he scored national spots for major brands such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, GE, Pfizer, Volvo, and Cadillac.

In 2008, Krishnaswami departed Sacred Noise to launch COPILOT with his longtime producer Jason Menkes. As founding partner, creative director and lead composer, he has continued to work on ads while expanding into interactive media for clients such as Visa, Verizon, and World Wildlife Fund, and into the gaming world, with credits for Fallout 3, Dishonored, Wolfenstein, Tetris, and BattleCry.

As a songwriter and producer, Krishnaswami has written and recorded three albums with Charming and collaborated with The Magnetic Fields (Nonesuch), Sharon Jones (Daptone), and Yung Chen Lhamo (Real World). As a guitarist, he is a founding member of the highly acclaimed tribute act The Sons & Heirs, who have brought the music of The Smiths and Morrissey to fans across the globe.

Krishnaswami is currently a member of the music composition faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts, mentoring MFA candidates in scoring for media and songwriting. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, daughter, and rescue dog. He has finished the NYC marathon twice and enjoys swimming and yoga.