H. Scott Salinas

H. Scott Salinas doesn’t just dabble—he dives headfirst into some seriously wild projects. From putting his spin on Bruce Lee’s world in “Birth of the Dragon,” to dropping beats for HBO’s “The Newsroom” (yeah, Aaron Sorkin’s one), this guy’s everywhere. He’s the mind behind the music for Cinemax’s “Warrior,” that Kung Fu series people can’t stop talking about, and he even scored the Oscar-nominated documentary “Cartel Land.” Not exactly amateur hour. Back in 2002, Scott bagged the Grand Prize at the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition—youngest ever to do it, by the way. Since then, he’s stacked up awards like Cannes Lion, Clio, and BMI, and honestly? Folks in the biz know his name for a reason. Versatile? Absolutely. Specialized? Somehow, also yes. He’s comfortable everywhere, from moody orchestral stuff (think “Zipper,” produced by Darren Aronofsky) to writing catchy originals like “Jamie Smiles” for “Just Friends,” that hilarious cult comedy. Oh, and if you’ve ever whistled the Old Spice jingle, that’s his handiwork too. Lately, Scott’s been busy with projects like Apple TV+’s “The Banker,” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie—it’s a slick civil rights-era heist story, with a jazz and orchestral score he recorded at Abbey Road in London and Capitol Records in LA. He also tackled “Baghdad Central” for Channel 4 and Hulu, a gritty detective thriller set in early-2000s Iraq during the US occupation. The guy’s got range, no question about it.