BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Student Jack Ryan The annual event featured a studio orchestra class, a panel on the film scoring industry, and the presentation of the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship.
By
Tori Donahue
October 21, 2025
From left: Oleg Smirnov, assistant chair of screen scoring; Tim Huling, associate professor of screen scoring; composer Fil Eisler; Jack Ryan, student scholarship recipient; Tracy McKnight, BMI vice president of creative for film, TV, and visual media; Rodney Alejandro, dean of professional writing and music technology; and Sean McMahon, chair of screen scoring
Image by Michael J. Thomas III
Berklee held its annual BMI Day on Monday, October 20, welcoming acclaimed film composer Fil Eisler and Tracy McKnight, BMI's vice president of creative for film, TV, and visual media. The event, hosted by Sean McMahon, chair of the Screen Scoring Department, highlighted the ongoing partnership between Berklee and BMI and included the presentation of the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship to student composer Jack Ryan in recognition of his outstanding talent and potential in screen scoring.
Earlier in the day, Eisler led a film scoring studio orchestra class, sharing his creative process with students. In the afternoon, McKnight and Eisler joined a panel discussion on the film scoring industry, offering insights from their careers and answering questions from students and faculty.
The first BMI Film Scoring Scholarship was presented in 1998 by Grammy-winning composer Michael Kamen. It is awarded each year to a student selected by the Screen Scoring Department based on the student's musical ability, financial need, and potential for career success.
The Screen Scoring Department's relationship with BMI is one of the most important relationships we have. Every year, BMI Day is a special day for our department on campus, said McMahon. We are so grateful for all that BMI has done for Berklee's screen scoring students for almost three decades, and appreciate Tracy's presence at Berklee to participate in our panel and present the annual BMI award to Jack Ryan, a promising, up-and-coming composer.
Our partnership with Berklee College of Music continues to be a meaningful way to invest in the next generation of composers, said McKnight. The BMI Film Scoring Scholarship reflects our ongoing commitment to nurturing creative voices in visual media and we're thrilled to recognize this year's recipient, Jack Ryan. We'd also like to extend our gratitude to Fil Eisler for helping make BMI Day at Berklee so special.
Receiving this award would not have been possible without the guidance from the faculty and my peers, said Ryan. I am grateful to be able to continue growing as a composer with the support of BMI.
About Jack Ryan Born in London to Irish and Japanese parents, Jack Ryan originally planned to study psychology at the University of Cambridge before following his passion for music in the film industry. Inspired by Pinar Toprak's BM '00 score for Us Again, Ryan applied to the artist's alma mater, Berklee College of Music, where he currently studies in the Screen Scoring Department. During the summer of 2025, Ryan interned at Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions (RCP), which provided him with inspiration and perspective on the industry as a whole. He plans to continue to work in the film industry following his graduation from Berklee. Ryan is grateful to his various mentors, including Alexis Bragga, Will Marriott, and the RCP team in Los Angeles, for offering him guidance that goes beyond music.
About Fil Eisler Fil Eisler is one of Hollywood's most in-demand film composers, with projects spanning studio blockbusters, comedies, independent films, and acclaimed television series. A recipient of multiple BMI Awards and honors from the World Soundtrack Awards and SXSW, Eisler is celebrated for his dynamic style and deep understanding of directors' creative intent. His diverse collaborations include work with Lee Daniels, Catherine Hardwicke, Melissa McCarthy, Marti Noxon, and Phillip Noyce, with whom he collaborated on Fast Charlie (Vertical Entertainment), starring Pierce Brosnan and Morena Baccarin. A Czech-born, English-raised composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Eisler began his career as a touring musician and producer, working with artists such as Robbie Williams, Christina Perri, and Imogen Heap before transitioning to film scoring through the prestigious Sundance Film Composers Lab.
About BMI Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, BMI is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 22.4 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.4 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy, becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI's repertoire, from chart-toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year.
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BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Student Jack Ryan The annual event featured a studio orchestra class, a panel on the film scoring industry, and the presentation of the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship.
