Ben Kopec
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Nils Kopec known better by his stage name
, Ben Kopec, is an American based musician
and composer
.
As a composer, Kopec has had his music used in feature film trailers, such as Never Surrender
, The Curse of Micah Rood, and more. He has had many placements on TV as well, including MTV
, CBS
, Bravo!, Fox
, A&E Network
, and more.
He formed the American based Industrial rock
band Intricate Unit
in 1999, but did not start performing live until 2003. Since then Intricate Unit has opened for many major label bands on the East Coast, and even headlined their own tour in 2006.
Kopec has also been successful in starting his own music promotion company and offering assistance for other musicians and composers trying to get their music into film and television with his publishing company, Jukebox Johnny. Kopec has most recently started a Rock Band
Authoring service, called The Rock Pulse, to help bands get their music into the Rock Band Network
.
father. Kopec's siblings include, older brothers John (from his father's first marriage), Christopher, and two younger sisters, Nanette and Amanda.
Having grown up in Derby, Connecticut
, Kopec was involved in sports such as soccer, baseball
, and basketball
. Finding a passion for music, Kopec bought his first guitar
when he was 9 years old. Kopec released 2 albums while in high school but did not play out live until he was 19 years with his band, Intricate Unit
.
Kopec studied Music and Sound Recording at the University of New Haven
for 2 years before meeting a gentleman named Tim Britt, who lured him to attend the University of Hartford
for a degree program called Audio Engineering
.
Kopec went on to receive his 4 year Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Engineering at the University of Hartford. He went on to also receive his Minor
in Communications
. In less than 2 years, Kopec also received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Electrical Engineering
. Kopec is currently taking classes for his Master's degree
in Electrical Engineering while pursuing his passion for music.
88.7 FM. Kopec would go on the air every Wednesday from 6PM to 8PM for over 2 years. It was on here that Kopec regularly invited other local musicians on air for interviews. Kopec would also use this medium to promote his industrial band, Intricate Unit
.
is the brainchild of Ben Kopec. Having played many shows at Toad's Place
in New Haven, CT, the band eventually started playing many shows in the Tri-state area
.
In 2004, the first time Intricate Unit ever tried to play at Toad's Place
, Kopec was arrested for causing a public disturbance.
Having played to thousands of people in Ohio
in 2006 at the Gathering of the Juggalos, Intricate Unit
has been touring and selling records since.
, Sony
, Digital Apocalypse, Cackle TV, Shoot Em Up Media, Kopec has established himself as a very unique composer that combines orchestral with a modern day cutting edge.
Kopec has placed 2 years in a row at the Hollywood Reporter Film and TV Music Conference in Los Angeles for his music in trailers and video games. Kopec's main focus is on writing high energy, action packed music for feature film trailers, independent movies, and sports cues.
To expand his horizons and marketability, Kopec also frequently works with Massachusetttes based company, Sonicbids, for music licensing opportunities. This allows the licensing for a much broader range of music for various opportunities.
Many people have signed-on Kopec to write for their productions. This includes many non-exclusive libraries as well as many exclusive libraries.
Kopec is an official ASCAP (American Society for Composers and Publishers) member since 2005. Kopec also has a music publishing company called Jukebox Johnny with ASCAP.
In late 2009, Kopec started a company called The Rock Pulse. The mission of this company is to provide a service for bands to get into the Rock Band Network
. To date, The Rock Pulse has authored songs for Intricate Unit
, Dead By Wednesday, and more.
On 10-10-10 Kopec officially relocated his home and studio to Los Angeles, CA. He currently lives and works out of his Hollywood home studio.
On June 1, 2011, Kopec's latest release, Epic Orchestral and Cinematic Rock for Film Trailers, was reviewed and nominated for Best CD of the Year.
MTV / MTV2 / MTV3- Real World Road Rules Challenge, Dr. Drew, Parental Control, Rock Dinner
CBS - As the World Turns
Showtime - UFC Fight
Sony Pictures - The Greg Behrendt Show
A&E - Ice Road Truckers (History Ch.), Gene Simons Family Values
FOX Sports - NASCAR
E! - 10 Vampires We Love
Oxygen - Bad Girls Club
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Ben Kopec, is an American based musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
As a composer, Kopec has had his music used in feature film trailers, such as Never Surrender
Never Surrender (film)
Never Surrender is a 2009 film about an MMA champion who finds himself fighting in illegal underground cage fights. The film's cast features a number of real MMA fighters. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and was produced by Destiny Entertainment Productions...
, The Curse of Micah Rood, and more. He has had many placements on TV as well, including MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Bravo!, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, and more.
He formed the American based Industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
band Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
in 1999, but did not start performing live until 2003. Since then Intricate Unit has opened for many major label bands on the East Coast, and even headlined their own tour in 2006.
Kopec has also been successful in starting his own music promotion company and offering assistance for other musicians and composers trying to get their music into film and television with his publishing company, Jukebox Johnny. Kopec has most recently started a Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Authoring service, called The Rock Pulse, to help bands get their music into the Rock Band Network
Rock Band Network
The Rock Band Network is a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix Music Systems with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2...
.
Personal life
Kopec was born Benjamin Nils Kopec to a mental health care working mother and a sprinkler fitterSprinkler fitting
Sprinkler fitting is an occupation consisting of the installing, testing, inspecting, and certifying of automatic fire suppression systems in all types of structures. Sprinkler systems installed by sprinkler fitters can include the underground supply as well as integrated overhead piping systems...
father. Kopec's siblings include, older brothers John (from his father's first marriage), Christopher, and two younger sisters, Nanette and Amanda.
Having grown up in Derby, Connecticut
Derby, Connecticut
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.-History:...
, Kopec was involved in sports such as soccer, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Finding a passion for music, Kopec bought his first guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
when he was 9 years old. Kopec released 2 albums while in high school but did not play out live until he was 19 years with his band, Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
.
Kopec studied Music and Sound Recording at the University of New Haven
University of New Haven
The University of New Haven is a private university that combines a liberal arts education with professional training. The university comprises five colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the Tagliatela College of Engineering, the Henry C...
for 2 years before meeting a gentleman named Tim Britt, who lured him to attend the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
for a degree program called Audio Engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
.
Kopec went on to receive his 4 year Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Engineering at the University of Hartford. He went on to also receive his Minor
Academic minor
An academic minor is a college or university student's declared secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. As with an academic major, the college or university in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to...
in Communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
. In less than 2 years, Kopec also received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. Kopec is currently taking classes for his Master's degree
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Electrical Engineering while pursuing his passion for music.
Radio Host
While attending the University of New Haven, Kopec inherited a 8 year running Industrial music radio station called The Industrial Revolution. The station itself was called WNHUWNHU
WNHU is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to West Haven, Connecticut, USA, the station serves the Connecticut college area. The station is currently owned by University of New Haven.Broadcasting at 88.7 MHz in stereo, the station first signed on at 1600 EDT on June 4, 1973...
88.7 FM. Kopec would go on the air every Wednesday from 6PM to 8PM for over 2 years. It was on here that Kopec regularly invited other local musicians on air for interviews. Kopec would also use this medium to promote his industrial band, Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
.
Intricate Unit
Intricate UnitIntricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
is the brainchild of Ben Kopec. Having played many shows at Toad's Place
Toad's Place
Toad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub in New Haven, Connecticut, with two other short lived locations in Waterbury, CT and Richmond, VA.-History:...
in New Haven, CT, the band eventually started playing many shows in the Tri-state area
Tri-state area
There are a number of areas in the 48 contiguous United States known as tri-state areas where three states either meet at one point or are in proximity to each other. The best known of the latter type is the New York metropolitan area...
.
In 2004, the first time Intricate Unit ever tried to play at Toad's Place
Toad's Place
Toad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub in New Haven, Connecticut, with two other short lived locations in Waterbury, CT and Richmond, VA.-History:...
, Kopec was arrested for causing a public disturbance.
Having played to thousands of people in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 2006 at the Gathering of the Juggalos, Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
has been touring and selling records since.
Professional career
Ben Kopec is an international composer for film, TV, and video games. With over 7 independent releases, Kopec has a very diverse background in musical compositions. Writing for companies such as Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Digital Apocalypse, Cackle TV, Shoot Em Up Media, Kopec has established himself as a very unique composer that combines orchestral with a modern day cutting edge.
Kopec has placed 2 years in a row at the Hollywood Reporter Film and TV Music Conference in Los Angeles for his music in trailers and video games. Kopec's main focus is on writing high energy, action packed music for feature film trailers, independent movies, and sports cues.
To expand his horizons and marketability, Kopec also frequently works with Massachusetttes based company, Sonicbids, for music licensing opportunities. This allows the licensing for a much broader range of music for various opportunities.
Many people have signed-on Kopec to write for their productions. This includes many non-exclusive libraries as well as many exclusive libraries.
Kopec is an official ASCAP (American Society for Composers and Publishers) member since 2005. Kopec also has a music publishing company called Jukebox Johnny with ASCAP.
In late 2009, Kopec started a company called The Rock Pulse. The mission of this company is to provide a service for bands to get into the Rock Band Network
Rock Band Network
The Rock Band Network is a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix Music Systems with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2...
. To date, The Rock Pulse has authored songs for Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit
Intricate Unit is the creation of Ben Kopec. Although IU has seen many live members come and go, Kopec still persists and continues to write to the present. Kopec writes the music by himself in the studio and than has members play it live. Kopec has hand crafted light boxes to be triggered live...
, Dead By Wednesday, and more.
On 10-10-10 Kopec officially relocated his home and studio to Los Angeles, CA. He currently lives and works out of his Hollywood home studio.
On June 1, 2011, Kopec's latest release, Epic Orchestral and Cinematic Rock for Film Trailers, was reviewed and nominated for Best CD of the Year.
Ben Kopec
- 2004: Film and Game Trax 1
- 2005: Film and Game Trax 2
- 2005: Diverse Dance Music
- 2005: Acoustic Guitar Works
- 2006: Piano Pieces 1
- 2006: Sports Music Vol. 1
- 2007: High Energy Sports Music Vol. 2
- 2008: Cutting Edge Orchestral Music Vol. 1
- 2009: High Energy Sports Music Vol. 3
- 2009: High Impact Trailer Music Vol. 1
- 2010: High Impact Trailer Music Vol. 2
- 2010: Music for Advertising
- 2010: Tension and Drama Music for Modern TV
- 2011: Music for Advertising Vol. 2
- 2011: Music for Video Games
- 2011: Epic Orchestral and Cinematic Rock for Film Trailers
Intricate Unit
- 1999: Deception
- 2000: Denial
- 2002: Detached
- 2005: Thru-Hole
- 2011: To Live is Pain
TV Credits
For a Full list of credits, please visit Kopec's official IMDB page:MTV / MTV2 / MTV3- Real World Road Rules Challenge, Dr. Drew, Parental Control, Rock Dinner
CBS - As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
Showtime - UFC Fight
Sony Pictures - The Greg Behrendt Show
A&E - Ice Road Truckers (History Ch.), Gene Simons Family Values
FOX Sports - NASCAR
E! - 10 Vampires We Love
Oxygen - Bad Girls Club
Filmography
For a Full list of credits, please visit Kopec's official IMDB page:- Thinking Speed (Score) (2011)
- We Are the Future (Score) (2011)
- Peril on Cemetery Road (Score) (2010)
- The Curse of Micah Rood (Trailer) (2010)
- Never SurrenderNever Surrender (film)Never Surrender is a 2009 film about an MMA champion who finds himself fighting in illegal underground cage fights. The film's cast features a number of real MMA fighters. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and was produced by Destiny Entertainment Productions...
(2 songs) (2009) - Regret (composer) (2009)
- Train (Additional Music) (2008)
- This is the Sea 4 (2 songs) (2008)
- This is the Sea 3 (2 songs) (2007)
- This is the Sea 2 (4 songs) (2005)
- This is the Sea 2 (4 songs) (2005)
- Silly (2 songs) (2005)
- That Tiny Little Crevice in the Back of Your Mind (3 songs) (2004)
External links
- Ben Kopec, official website
- Ben Kopec's YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel - Intricate Unit Hard Industrial Rock band