Roy Harter
| Roy Harter | |
|---|---|
 Roy Harter in his home studio, 2003 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roy Gunther Harter |
| Born |
March 6, 1973 Sunnyside, Queens, New York |
| Genres | Country, Rock, Dub, Experimental |
| Occupations | Sound Designer, Musician, Radio Personality |
| Instruments | Keyboards, Accordion, Theremin, Guitar |
Roy Harter (born March 6, 1973) is a New York Emmy award-winning, composer, sound designer and audio mixer, best known for his work in television and film. He is also a multi-instrumentalist for various performing and recording artists. Harter is the founder and owner of the post-production facility SkinnyMan, located in Times-Square, New York.
Biography
Early life
Born into a German / Austrian family in Sunnyside, Queens, New York, the Harter family settled in Bellerose, Queens, New York. Roy began taking piano lessons at the age of 9, and eventually began studying music theory under original Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore.
Harter’s first band was the art-rock band "Matisse" which he formed while attending Chaminade High School in Mineola, Long Island. By the age of 14, Harter was spending his summers interning at Hip Pocket Recording Studios, where he assisted alongside television composer Eddie Jobson and developed an interest in commercial music and post-production.
He went on to graduate from St. John's University, in Jamaica, Queens, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a Minor Degree in International Studies, due to a year spent studying in Budapest, Hungary. Harter first began playing keyboards professionally with Chrysalis recording artist Fabulon while still in college. Although, the instability of a life as a touring musician reaffirmed his interest in seeking work at a recording studio.
In 1995 Harter accepted an entry-level position at Superdupe Studios in New York, where he worked as a tape duplicator. It was around this time when Roy moved to Woodside, Queens, New York, and began meeting and performing with many Irish musicians (including Dan Donnelly) in the local pubs. After two years he accepted another position at Clack / Hothead Studios where he eventually rose to full-fledged audio engineer and sound designer. Harter began offering his services as a composer, and soon found himself writing music for his clients’ television spots and films.
Editional Effects
In 1998 Harter became co-owner of the audio division of the television post-production facility Editional Effects, (EENYC) located in Times Square, New York City. He set up and ran their audio division.
SkinnyMan
In 1997 Roy set up his current television and film post-production facility SkinnyMan, located in Times Square, New York City. He has composed music, mixed television commercials, promos, and shows for many major television networks including: Noggin, VH-1, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, M2, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Fox News, Sci Fi Channel, Comedy Central, BBC, USA Networks, Court TV, Logo, Spike TV, WE, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, CBS, ABC, Food Network, Oxygen, ESPN, Bravo, TruTV, Cloo, Nat Geo, Science Channel, and Discovery Channel. SkinnyMan also currently serves as a home base and recording studio for all of Harter's musical projects.
Notable Events
Using various musicians, including members of Paul Simon's band and Stiff Little Fingers, Roy Harter composed all the promotional music for the children's television network Noggin. The "Alley Pond Park Ensemble" he created for the project was given strict rules that only allowed the musicians to perform using common household items, such as pots and pans.
In the spring of 2002, Erik Friedlander created Broken Shadows, Radio Nights at Tonic. Roy was hired to provide onstage sound effects for a series of old-fashioned live radio broadcasts.
In July 2003, Roy Harter's first solo album "Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath" was released. He played all the instruments on the album.
On October 21, 2005 Harter gave a televised alpine bell performance in Times Square, New York City. The event was sponsored by Verizon and aired on Nickelodeon. The performance was also simulcast on the Viacom Jumbo-Tron Screen in Times Square, New York.
During the summers, Harter can be found performing at various European music festivals with various artists. He has performed on the main stage at the 2006 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, UK, as part of Dan Donnelly's live band, Sonovagun. In 2008 Roy Harter performed with Dan Donnelly and Sonovagun on the Leftfield Stage at Glastonbury Festival. In 2010 and 2011 he performed at Beautiful Days Festival with The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys, as well as Dan Donnelly. In 2013 he performed at Beautiful Days Festival with Goldblade, Dan Donnelly, Men With Ven, and The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys.
From January 2007 to 2010, Roy hosted a weekly radio show entitled "Roy Harter's Outlaw Hour", airing every Sunday night on UK based, Tinternet Radio. The show was primarily a music program showcasing outlaw country and rebellious musical acts, both classic and modern.
Since 2011, Harter has become a regular character on "The Davey Mac Sports Program", hosted by Dave McDonald. Due to Roy's limited knowledge of sports, he plays the musical sidekick character of "Roy Shaffer", often interrupting and accompanying the host with humorous musical stings. The live show can be heard on SiriusXM every Saturday night at 7-10 PM (EST) on the Opie and Anthony Channel.
Roy Harter is involved with The Beatles Complete On Ukulele project. This worldwide musical project, founded by David Barratt, features a re-recorded version of an original Beatles song, featuring a ukelele in every arrangement. Harter has produced tracks with radio personality Sherwin Sleeves, as well as bestselling author Deepak Chopra for the project.
Harter's collaborations with Deepak Chopra have included composing original music as well as audio recording for his various projects.
Roy Harter is the music composer for the popular Nickelodeon game show, "Figure It Out".
Roy Harter and Sherwin Sleeves have a musical collaboration entitled "Oddy Clone". While the two claim to have never met in person, or even spoken to each other, their album was released in April 2013.
Personal life
Roy Harter currently lives in Manhasset, Long Island with his wife and two children. His younger brother Kenneth Harter is a music producer and audio mixer living in California.
Filmography
- 2003: Tide – Composer
- 2005: The Mad One – Actor
- 2007: Area X - Composer
- 2007: Astoria Park – Sound Design / Mix
- 2007: The Slackers - Sound Design / Mix
- 2008: Act As If - Sound Design / Mix
- 2010: Go-Go - Composer / Sound Design / Mix
- 2010: After the Catch (Season 4) - Sound Design / Mix
- 2012: Nickelodeon's Figure It Out - Composer
Discography
As Roy Harter
- 2013: Oddy Clone With Sherwin Sleeves
- 2003: Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath
As Audio Engineer or Producer
- 2001: Liz Skillman - "In the Middle"
- 2002: Liz Skillman - "Wayphoria"
- 2000: Abbey of Regina Laudis - "Women in Chant"
- 2000: Bed Devils - "Le Caprice"
- 1999: Dequincy’s Dream - "Solfege"
- 1998: Dequincy’s Dream - "Jeepers Mister, Thanks for the Sweet Deal"
With Dan Donnelly & Sonovagun
- 2006: Bootleg
- 2006: The Beach E.P.
- 2007: Yearning a Living
- 2008: Live in NYC
- 2010: Running E.P.
- 2011: Country and Northern
Awards
2002 Promax Award Silver
- Music Package / Sound Design Post Score or Instrumental Theme
- Comedy Central, "Shocktoberfest in South Park" - Composer
2003 Promax Award Silver
- Use of Music
- Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants "Are You Square Enough?" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Bronze
- Non-News Out of House Open
- Nickelodeon, "Slam! Opening Theme" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Bronze
- Non-News Out of House Interstitial
- Nicktoons Holiday Party - Composer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Silver
- Non-News / In-House Image Promo Over :30 to :90
- Noggin, "Spill It Campaign" - Composer
2003 Promax Award Gold
- Holiday Image Campaign
- Nickelodeon, "Nicktoons Holiday Image Campaign" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2006 BDA Award Silver
- Interactive Media, Greeting, E-card or E-vite
- Harrison Industries, "5C Cocktail Party" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2006 BDA Award Gold
- Interactive Media, DVD Design
- Editional Effects Reel - Sound Designer
2007 Promax Award Gold
- Marketing Presentation, Internal
- Anatomy Media, Reuters "Time of Our Lives" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2007 Promax Award Gold
- Marketing Presentation, External
- Anatomy Media, USA Networks Upfront "Character's Welcome" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2010 Emmy Award
- Promotion: Program Promo Campaign
- MSG Network "Heart of New York Campaign" - Audio Mixer
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References
External links
- Skinnyman website
- Twitter website
- Alpine Bells website
- Roy Harter interview for Press Magazine in PDF Format
- Roy Harter interview