BMI Celebrates its 37th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards

Atli Örvarsson, Mark Isham and Mark Mothersbaugh each receive multiple awards

BMI introduces three new award categories: Streaming Documentary, Film Festival and Streaming Film

Posted in News on July 12, 2021

BMI is proud to celebrate its 37th annual Film, TV & Visual Media Awards, saluting the top-performing composers in film, TV and visual media of the previous year. The honorees were announced today across BMI’s social media and digital platforms, featuring a selection of notable composers and multiple award winners, including Atli Örvarsson, James Newton Howard, Ludwig Göransson, Mark Isham, Mark Mothersbaugh, Nathan Barr and Thomas Newman, among many others. To view the complete list of winners, watch exclusive video content, and listen to some of the scores that helped propel the top-grossing films, top network television series and highest-ranking cable network and streamed media programs, visit our special awards page.

“We’re incredibly proud to honor BMI’s exceptional composers and celebrate their outstanding musical contributions that have elevated the year’s most popular films, series and other streaming media to new creative heights,” said Natalie Baartz, BMI’s Vice President, Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media. “We’re thrilled to honor their unique artistry and vision, which have truly made a meaningful and memorable impact around the world. Congratulations to all of our award winners, and we look forward to celebrating together in person next year.”

BMI introduced three new awards, including the BMI Streaming Documentary Award, BMI Film Festival Award and BMI Streaming Film Award, recognizing the importance of these mediums and the composers whose musical works have contributed to these categories. The new accolades brought in several first-time BMI Award winners, including Jongnic Bontemps, who accepted his first crystal in the BMI Streaming Documentary Award category and Casey Wayne McAllister, Gene Back, Nami Melumad, T. Griffin, and Woody Pak in the BMI Film Festival category. Additionally, Alex Belcher, Clyde Lawrence, Cody Fitzgerald, David Wingo, Duncan Thum, Jay Weigel and Joe Wong were also part of the winners’ freshman class in the BMI Streaming Film Award category.

Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson adds his 29th BMI Award to his collection, receiving the most awards this year with a total of six crystals for his work on the popular NBC franchises Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Fire, as well as the CBS crime dramas FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, and the new Apple TV+ crime series Defending Jacob. Mark Mothersbaugh follows, adding five BMI Awards to his growing list of accolades. His work on the Bravo crime series Dirty John, the FX comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows, The Willoughbys, The Croods: A New Age, and the popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King were honored. Mark Isham earned four crystals this year for his work on the blockbuster Judas and the Black Messiah, the action-thriller film Honest Thief, the Hulu drama series Little Fires Everywhere, and the Disney+ film Togo.

Esteemed composer, Atticus Ross, had a phenomenal year winning an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Original Score for his work on Pixar’s Soul. Today, he accepts a crystal recognizing his Academy Award win for his touching score to the animated film. In addition, R&B songstress H.E.R., singer/songwriter Tiara Thomas and songwriter/producer D’Mile took home their first BMI Film Award honoring their profoundly moving Academy Award-winning song “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah.

BMI also welcomed an exceptional group of 35 first-time BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards honorees this year. Some of the new inductees include Bobby Krlic (The Alienist), Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Josh Kramon (Veronica Mars), Genevieve Vincent (The Broken Hearts Gallery), Heather Christian (The Shivering Truth), Jabril Ameer Battle (The Last O.G.), Jucee Froot and Matthew Head (P-Valley) and RZA (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), to name a few.

Additional esteemed composers receiving awards include Chris Westlake, Christopher Lennertz, David Buckley, John Williams, Mac Quayle, Sean Callery, Sonya Belousova and Trevor Gureckis, among others.

For more information and a complete list of 2021 BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Award winners visit our special awards page. To join the conversation, use #BMIFilmTVAwards on Twitter and Instagram (@BMI) – and stay connected through Facebook.

Academy Award® Winners

“FIGHT FOR YOU” FROM JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
D’Mile
H.E.R.
Tiara Thomas

SOUL
Atticus Ross

BMI Cable Television Awards

ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE
Jacob Shea

THE ALIENIST
Bobby Krlic

THE CHI
Patrick Warren

DIRTY JOHN
Mark Mothersbaugh

THE LAST O.G.
Jabril Ameer Battle

THE OWL HOUSE
TJ Hill

P-VALLEY
Jucee Froot
Matthew Head

PAW PATROL
James Chapple (SOCAN)
Jeff Cohen
Graeme Cornies (SOCAN)
David Kelly (SOCAN)
Scott Krippayne
Brian Pickett (SOCAN)
Michael “Smidi” Smith

POWER BOOK II: GHOST
Michael White

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
Lou “Buster” Brown
Scott “Shavoni” Parker

THE SHIVERING TRUTH
Heather Christian

SIREN
Anton Sanko

WARRIOR
H. Scott Salinas

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Norma Kutzer
Mark Mothersbaugh

YELLOWSTONE
Brian Tyler
Breton Vivian

BMI Film Festival Awards

Feature

BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS
& SOCKS ON FIRE
Casey Wayne McAllister

BOYS STATE
& FIVE YEARS NORTH
T. Griffin

COWBOYS
Gene Back

WAIKIKI
Woody Pak

Short

COLETTE
Nami Melumad

BMI Network Television Awards

9-1-1
Mac Quayle

9-1-1: LONE STAR
Mac Quayle

BIG SKY
Trevor Morris

BLUE BLOODS
Rob Simonsen

BULL
Sean Callery

CHICAGO FIRE
Atli Örvarsson

CHICAGO MED
Atli Örvarsson

CHICAGO P.D.
Atli Örvarsson

FBI
Atli Örvarsson

FBI: MOST WANTED
Atli Örvarsson

GREY’S ANATOMY
Carim Clasmann (PRS)
Galia Durant (PRS)

NCIS
Brian Kirk

WALKER
Jeff Beal

YOUNG SHELDON
Steve Burns

BMI Streaming Documentary Award

MURDER TO MERCY: THE CYNTOIA BROWN STORY
Jongnic Bontemps

BMI Streaming Film Awards

BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON
Duncan Thum

EXTRACTION
Alex Belcher

A FALL FROM GRACE
Jay Weigel

FALLING INN LOVE
Edward Shearmur

NOELLE
Cody Fitzgerald
Clyde Lawrence

THE REPORT
David Wingo

SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL
Steve Jablonsky

TO ALL THE BOYS: P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU
Joe Wong

TOGO
Mark Isham

THE WILLOUGHBYS
Mark Mothersbaugh

BMI Streaming Series Awards

BIG MOUTH
Mark Rivers

THE BOYS
Christopher Lennertz

CARNIVAL ROW
Nathan Barr

CASTLE ROCK
Thomas Newman
Chris Westlake

DEFENDING JACOB
Atli Örvarsson

THE GREAT
Nathan Barr

HUNTERS
Trevor Gureckis

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
Mark Isham

THE MANDALORIAN
Ludwig Göransson

MINDHUNTER
Jason Hill

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
Gwendolyn Sanford
Regina Spektor

OUTER BANKS
Fil Eisler

RAISING DION
Kris Bowers

SERVANT
Trevor Gureckis

SOLAR OPPOSITES
Chris Westlake

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
Kevin Kiner
John Williams

TIGER KING
John Enroth
Albert Fox
Mark Mothersbaugh

TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN
Ramin Djawadi

THE TRIALS OF GABRIEL FERNANDEZ
John Dragonetti

UNBELIEVABLE
Will Bates

VERONICA MARS
Josh Kramon
Courtney Taylor-Taylor

THE WITCHER
Sonya Belousova

WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA
RZA

YOU
Blake Neely

BMI Theatrical Film Awards

THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY
Genevieve Vincent

THE COURIER
Abel Korzeniowsk

THE CROODS: A NEW AGE
Mark Mothersbaugh

HONEST THIEF
Mark Isham

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Mark Isham

THE LITTLE THINGS
Thomas Newman

THE MARKSMAN
Sean Callery

MONSTER HUNTER
Paul Haslinger

NEWS OF THE WORLD
James Newton Howard

NOBODY
David Buckley (PRS)

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Anthony Willis

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
James Newton Howard

TENET
Ludwig Göransson

TOM AND JERRY
Christopher Lennertz

UNHINGED
David Buckley (PRS)

THE WAR WITH GRANDPA
Aaron Zigman

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