biography
James Hannigan is a BAFTA Award-winning composer known for his richly melodic and atmospheric scores across AAA video games, television and audio drama. An International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) and Webby People’s Voice Award winner – with five additional BAFTA nominations – his work in games includes entries in major franchises such as Harry Potter, Warhammer, Evil Genius, FIFA, F1, Grand Prix, Transformers, Theme Park, The Lord of the Rings, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Art Academy and Command & Conquer, as well as titles such as RuneScape, Dead Space 3 and Steelrising.
His television credits include music for series such as Primeval, while his work in full-cast audio drama and audiobooks features major productions including The Sandman (Amazon/Audible’s best-selling Original), DC’s Kingdom Come, and the Discworld, Harry Potter and Audie award-winning Alien series. | LISTEN
Hannigan’s music – such as the parodic Red Alert 3 Theme: Soviet March – has been streamed hundreds of millions of times. He has recorded with renowned ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra, at studios such as Abbey Road Studios, AIR Studios and Skywalker Sound – collaborating with artists including Regé-Jean Page (for The Sandman: The Song of Orpheus), Miriam Stockley and others. His scores, including those for titles such as RuneScape, have been performed in concerts around the world. | NEWS
Music licensed from his back catalogue is also widely heard in television series, including Top Gear, The Grand Tour, Emily in Paris, Saturday Night Live, Olaf Presents, SpongeBob SquarePants, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Dance Moms, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tour of Houses and Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts - as well as countless trailers and promos.
Other credits as composer include BBC Radio 4 adaptations of Neverwhere, Stardust and Good Omens, and a small number of his tracks have also featured in video games such as Terraria and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. As Sound Designer in film, his early credits include the Golden Reel-nominated Lost in Space.
Beginning his career in the mid-1990s, Hannigan first worked as Electronic Arts Europe’s in-house composer before transitioning to freelance work based at the legendary Pinewood Studios. His credits from the period include Theme Park World (BAFTA Award in 2000) and the pioneering interactive music of Evil Genius (BAFTA nomination in 2005) and Republic: The Revolution (BAFTA nomination in 2004) - designed by Demis Hassabis, now CEO of DeepMind. During this period, he contributed to a wide range of titles, including entries in the Wing Commander universe such as Privateer 2: The Darkening (featuring Christopher Walken, Clive Owen and John Hurt) and Freelancer, as well as Conquest, Brute Force, Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels, Theme Park Inc., Grand Prix 4, Infestation, numerous EA Sports titles, Beasts and Bumpkins, Flight of the Amazon Queen, Cutthroat Island and many more.
A fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a longstanding BAFTA member, Hannigan has been interviewed by BBC Radio, Classic FM, Sky TV, IGN, Forbes and MusicRadar, and has spoken at institutions and events including the Royal College of Music, the School of Sound, EIGF, Musicworks, Ludomusicology and the DEVELOP Conference; in 2012, he was featured in BAFTA’s Conversations with Composers series held at the Royal Albert Hall.
A conference founder and occasional writer, he has contributed articles to Classic FM, DEVELOP, Pixel Addict and other outlets, and is co-founder of Screen Art Connect, formerly held at London’s Southbank Centre in partnership with PlayStation, BAFTA, the Ivors Academy, PRS For Music, Classic FM, Music Week, and Electronic Arts.
Hannigan enjoys a low public profile and largely avoids social media, preferring to spend his time in the studio - surrounded by an ever-growing collection of analogue synthesizers and vintage arcade machines.
YouTube | YouTube Music | Spotify
James Hannigan doesn't use social media