Mark Governor
Mark Governor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Occupations | Composer, Producer, Writer |
| Writing career | |
| Genres | soundtracks, pop, rock, fusion |
| Website | markgovernor |
Mark Governor is an American composer, producer, and songwriter known for fusing pop, rock, and orchestral music. He has contributed to over 20 films, including scoring Pet Sematary Two, Mindwarp, Masque of the Red Death, Notes From Underground, and extras for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies.[1] His music has been featured in over 250 television shows including Friends, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Daily Show and Shameless. For theater, he has written the rock musical shAme, and co-wrote the Latin dance musical Possession with Marc Sambola.[2][3]
Early life
Governor was born in Boston and grew up in Needham, Massachusetts.[4] He studied music at the University of Massachusetts Boston, worked at the university radio station, WUMB-FM, and graduated in 1978.[1]
Career
Governor moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1980 and studied film scoring at UCLA with Walter Scharf. In the early 1980s began scoring documentaries about old Hollywood including Ticket to Hollywood, The Divine Garbo, Hollywood Ghost Stories. In 1988, he began working for producer Roger Corman and scored five films for his New Horizon Studios, including Hollywood Boulevard II, Masque of the Red Death and Overexposed.
His first major studio film was scoring Pet Sematary II (1992) for director Mary Lambert.[5] He then scored the independent films Notes From Underground and Santa Fe, both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This led to a collaboration with Iggy Pop on the score for The Brave, directed by Johnny Depp.
Governor simultaneously worked as a songwriter, artist and record producer, releasing his first compilation of original songs in 1995 for Sonoton Records. He has released over 12 albums in genres ranging from punk, grunge, EDM, pop, alternative. His album Notes From The Edge featured string quartet and vocal arrangements of rock and alternative classics. The track Stadium Rave Governor co-wrote with Glenn Nishida for their 1998 album Clubmix developed a cult following after being featured on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Jellyfish Jam."[6]
In 2008 he co-founded the Los Angeles Rock Opera Company with director-choreographer Janet Roston and co-directed it from 2008 to 2016.[7]
He wrote the rock musical, shAme an adaptation of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.[8][2] From 2019 to 2022 ShAme was developed for Broadway with director Kathleen Marshall. It has had productions in Boston, Los Angeles and Berlin.
Discography
Film Music Highlights
| Film | Year of Release | Governor's Credit |
|---|---|---|
| One Last Time | 2025 | Composer |
| Downsizing | 2017 | Soundtrack cues |
| Crash Pad | 2017 | Composer - additional music |
| The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Extended Edition) | 2015 | Composer and Music Supervisor for DVD Extras Documentaries |
| The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition) | 2014 | Composer and Music Supervisor for DVD Extras Documentaries |
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition) | 2013 | Composer and Music Supervisor for DVD Extras Documentaries |
| Nebraska | 2013 | Soundtrack cues |
| The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie | 2004 | Soundtrack - "Stadium Rave" |
| Blindness | 1998 | Composer |
| The Players Club | 1998 | Arranger and Conductor |
| The Brave | 1997 | Composer, additional music; Arranger and Conductor |
| Santa Fe | 1997 | Composer[9] |
| I Married a Strange Person | 1997 | Composer |
| Uncle Sam | 1996 | Composer |
| Notes from Underground | 1995 | Composer[10] |
| Till the End of the Night | 1995 | Composer |
| Pet Sematary Two | 1992 | Composer[11][12] |
| Mindwarp | 1991 | Composer |
| The Divine Garbo (TV Movie) | 1990 | Composer[13] |
| Hollywood Boulevard II | 1990 | Composer[14][15] |
| Masque of the Red Death | 1989 | Composer |
Discography
| Album Title | Year of Release | Artist | Governor's Role | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Sam | 2026 | Original soundtrack | Composer - Producer | Klaatu Records |
| Pet Semetary Two | 2019 | Original soundtrack | Composer - Producer | Terror Vision. Land Records |
| Dime | 2014 | Jan King | Producer - Songwriter | Citysound Music |
| Confessions of Lily Rogue | 2010 | Dhana Taprogge | Producer | Fly Me To The Moon |
| Notes From The Edge | 2008 | Notes From The Edge | Artist - Producer | Citysound Music |
| Dance Pop Remixes | 2010 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Modern Rock Explosion | 2006 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Nation of One | 2004 | David Rea | Producer - Arranger | Citysound Music |
| Offbeat Eclectic Ensembles | 2003 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| A Whore's Diary | 2003 | Mark Governor | Producer - Composer | Citysound Music |
| Pop Sensation | 2000 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Cheaper Than Therapy | 1999 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Citysound Music |
| Clubmix | 1998 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| The Scarlet Letter | 1998 | Original Soundtrack | Producer - Songwriter | Citysound Music |
| Alternative Rock Unplugged | 1997 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Rap Street | 1995 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Alternative Rock Box | 1995 | Mark Governor | Producer - Songwriter | Sonoton |
| Beach Balls | 1988 | Original Soundtrack | Producer - Songwriter | Metal Blade |
References
- 1 2 Chatterley, Vanessa (January 18, 2025). "A Major Score". UMass Boston. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- 1 2 Stoudt, Charlotte (June 6, 2008). "Rockin' till it's scarlet in the face". LA Times. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ Putnam, Leah (January 31, 2023). "16 New Musicals in Development at Goodspeed Musicals' 11th Annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove". Playbill. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ Chatfield, Michael (2018). "Carmel's Creative Composer". Carmel Magazine. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ Kautzer, A.W. (February 11, 2020). "Blu-Ray Review: Scream Factory's Pet Sematary Two (Collector's Edition) - "Orchestrated Grunge Composer Mark Governor on Pet Sematary Two"". The Movie Isle. Archived from the original on 2026-08-19.
- ↑ "Spongebob Squarepants - APM - Mark Governor - Stadium Rave A - Theme Song". Internet.
- ↑ Kaan, Gil (July 18, 2018). "Interview: Choreographer Janet Roston Makes MOVES Everybody Wants To Dance To". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 2025-06-20.
- ↑ Donahue, Anne Marie (June 22, 2000). "Rock-and-Roll Scarlet". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Film Reviews - Santa Fe" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. January 23, 1997.
- ↑ "Film Reviews - Notes from Underground" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. September 27, 1995.
- ↑ "Film Reviews - Pet Sematary Two" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. August 31, 1992.
- ↑ Holden, Stephen (August 29, 1992). "Freudian Horror and a Dead Dog" (PDF). The New York Times.
- ↑ Klein, Andy (December 3, 1990). "Cable TV Review - The Divine Garbo" (PDF). Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Hollywood Boulevard II" (PDF). Vol. 13, no. 21. Los Angeles Free Weekly. March 8, 1991.
- ↑ "Reviews - Hollywood Boulevard II" (PDF). Variety. February 25, 1991.