Bleeding Fingers Music
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music composition, Film and television scoring |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Hans Zimmer, Steve Kofsky, Extreme Music |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California , United States |
Key people | Russell Emanuel (CEO and chief creative officer), Steve Kofsky (Chairman), Hans Zimmer (Founder) |
| Products | Custom musical scores for film and television |
| Parent | Sony Music Publishing (via Extreme Music) |
Bleeding Fingers Music represents a collective of composers dedicated to crafting scores for film and television. This enterprise is a collaboration between renowned composer Hans Zimmer, his associate Steve Kofsky, and Extreme Music, the production division of Sony Music Publishing. Its primary focus lies in delivering bespoke musical compositions tailored for the entertainment sector.
History
Zimmer’s involvement with Extreme’s production library began in the late 1990s. When Extreme expanded its presence to the United States in 2001, it set up operations within Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions facility located in Santa Monica, California. Responding to the growing need for customized television scoring in 2012, Extreme joined forces with Kofsky and Zimmer to establish Bleeding Fingers Custom Music Shop. Following an eight-month pilot phase that produced music for approximately 30 television shows, Bleeding Fingers was officially launched in August 2013, appointing Extreme’s Russell Emanuel as CEO and chief creative officer, with Kofsky serving as chairman.
Under Zimmer’s guidance, a skilled team of composers was assembled to spearhead Bleeding Fingers’ initial focus on unscripted programming, reality TV, documentaries, and light dramatic series. The company developed specialized micro-libraries tailored to complement each show’s unique style. Early notable projects included scores for Survivor, Hatfields & McCoys, The Men Who Built America, and Mountain Men, earning recognition through awards from both ASCAP and BMI.
In 2016, Bleeding Fingers provided the score for the BBC documentary series Planet Earth II. Zimmer composed the main theme while Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe handled the scoring. The music was performed by an 80-piece orchestra at Air Studios, leading to nominations for a British Academy Television Craft award as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition.
The company also contributed the score for the BBC’s Blue Planet II, collaborating with Radiohead on "(ocean) Bloom," an orchestral adaptation of Radiohead’s "Bloom." Zimmer co-composed this score alongside Shea and Dave Fleming.
In October 2017, Bleeding Fingers took over as the primary scoring team for The Simpsons starting with its 29th season, succeeding longtime composer Alf Clausen.
Bleeding Fingers created the musical package for Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020), followed by composing cues for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2021). For the 38th and 39th seasons of both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, which premiered in September 2021, they reimagined the main theme of Jeopardy! and revamped Wheel of Fortune’’s entire music package, including a revival of its iconic "Changing Keys" theme. Additionally, they produced the music package for the Jeopardy! National College Championship in 2022.
Operating out of Remote Control’s Santa Monica facility—often referred to as "The Stanford of Score"—Bleeding Fingers employed eleven full-time composers by 2018, many of whom received mentorship from Zimmer himself. The company also contributed to the stop-motion Netflix special Alien Xmas.