Gregory Joseph O'Connor (born May 27, 1967) is an American composer and songwriter. He has composed scores for over 30 television series and has written numerous featured songs for television, films, and commercials. He is a Primetime Emmy winner and a four-time Emmy nominee. He has scored projects including variety, single-camera comedy, multi-camera comedy, animation, one-hour drama, game show, sketch comedy, award show, stand-up, reality, hidden camera, documentary, and virtual reality.
Early life O'Connor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Music, as well as the "Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television" program at USC. He began studying music at age six, taking piano lessons at the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He also played alto saxophone for eight years. His education included performing in various ensembles as a pianist, saxophonist, or vocalist, including concert band, jazz band, glee club, and various top 40 bands throughout high school and college.
Career
1990s Early in his career, O'Connor scored the Emmy Award-winning Ben Stiller Show and The Sunday Comics on FOX.
Chicago In 1993, O'Connor co-wrote the song "Here with Me (A Candle in the Dark)" for the Chicago album Stone of Sisyphus, which was unreleased until 2008. He has written and produced other songs for Chicago, including “Firecracker” and “Someone Needed Me the Most” from their 2022 album Born for this Moment. He also co-wrote the songs "The Only One" and “Show Me a Sign" with James Pankow from their 1997 and 1998 compilation albums The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 and The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II. Both songs reached the top 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts.
MADtv In 1995, O'Connor became the musical director and composer for all 15 seasons of the sketch comedy show MADtv, produced by David Salzman and Quincy Jones. In 2006, 2007, and 2008, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award as a composer for MADtv, and won in 2006 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. The songs that were nominated include "Sad Fitty Cent," co-written with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele. He also won a BMI Film and TV Award for his work on the show in 2007. He would go on to work with MADtv cast members on their own projects, including Will Sasso’s Ten Minute Podcast and Frank Caliendo's The Caliendo Cast. He also composed songs for Emmy-winning actress Alex Borstein.
2000s In 2002, O'Connor composed the underscore for all three seasons of the hidden camera series The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, as well as for the cop drama 10-8: Officers on Duty in 2003, starring Ernie Hudson and Danny Nucci. He was the musical director and composer for the ABC reality competition series The Next Best Thing, which aired for one season in 2007. O'Connor co-produced and arranged the song "Christmas Is Just Around the Corner" from Barry Manilow's 2007 album In the Swing of Christmas. He also co-produced five songs on Manilow's album The Greatest Songs of the Eighties in 2008. That same year, he wrote and produced three featured songs for Lori Petty’s directorial feature film debut, The Poker House. He also composed music for award-winning comedian David Alan Grier's Chocolate News.
2010s In 2010, O'Connor composed, produced, and sang two songs for the animated film LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers. In 2011, he wrote and produced two songs for the film The Greening of Whitney Brown, starring Kris Kristofferson, Aidan Quinn, and Brooke Shields, one of which was performed by Shields. In 2012, he produced and composed songs for the Lionsgate animated film Foodfight! He also produced two songs for Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy, performed by Kimberley Locke on the soundtrack of the 2008 film Camille. In 2016, he composed the opening theme songs for the ABC series Greatest Hits, produced by Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich. He also composed the theme song for the series Gay Skit Happens, with two members of Pentatonix. In 2019, he scored the TV short Defrost: The Virtual Series, directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Bruce Davison, Harry Hamlin, and Tanna Frederick.
2020s In 2020, O'Connor wrote the featured “Laura Dern” song for the 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards, which instantly went viral and was featured in many major publications and news outlets. He also composed the main title theme for the Disney+ series Prop Culture. He scored the animated feature film Bobbleheads: The Movie for Universal Pictures, starring Cher, Jennifer Coolidge, Brenda Song, and Luke Wilson. In 2023, he composed the score and featured songs for the film drama My Home Unknown, produced by Lawrence Kasanoff. He also composed the company logo music for Kasanoff's Threshold Entertainment, as well as for Academy Awards producer Rob Paine's House of Paine Entertainment.
Notable credits + Television Year Title NetworkCredit(s) 1992 The Ben Stiller Show FOXComposer, cast (Springsteen band pianist) 1992 The Sunday Comics FOXComposer 1993 Bakersfield P.D. FOXComposer1994Project TimeDisneyComposer 1994 Sports Illustrated 1994 Swimsuit Issue Video WarnerVision / DakotaComposer 1994 Trashed MTVComposer 1995 MADtv FOXComposer, music director, cast (various roles)19951995 Young Comedians SpecialHBOComposer (theme) 1996 Comedy Central Canned Ham: The Cable Guy HBOComposer1999HBO WorkspaceHBOComposer (theme)2000My Funny ValentineAMCComposer 2001 Gary & Mike UPNComposer 2002 The Jamie Kennedy Experiment The WBComposer 2003 10–8: Officers on Duty ABCComposer 2003 2003 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards E!Composer (opening song) 2003 Queens Supreme CBSComposer (theme) 2004 Blue Collar TV The WBComposer 2004 He's a Lady TBSComposer 2004 The Mansion TBSComposer (theme) 2005 The Starlet The WBComposer 2006 Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising Logo TVComposer (theme), cast (record producer) 2006 The Big Gay Sketch Show Logo TVComposer 2007 The Next Best Thing ABCComposer 2008 Chocolate News Comedy CentralComposer, cast (church piano player)2008The Capture of the Green River KillerLifetimeProducer (songs) 2009 Super Dave Spike-Tacular SpikeComposer 2016 Gay Skit Happens Logo TVComposer 2016 Greatest Hits ABCComposer (theme) 2016 MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion The CWComposer 2020 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards IFCComposer (song: "Gay Spirit") 2020 Prop Culture Disney+Composer (theme)
+ Film Year Title Producer Credit(s) 1994 Mona Must Die MMD Productions Composer 1994 Reality Bites Universal Pictures / Jersey Films Composer (additional music) 1994 Timecop Universal Pictures / Largo Entertainment Producer (songs) 1995 Get Shorty MGM/UA / Jersey Films Composer (additional music) 2008 Camille A-Mark Entertainment Producer (songs, additional music) 2008 The Poker House Phase 4 Films Composer, producer (songs) 2010 LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers Threshold Entertainment Composer, producer (songs) 2011 The Greening of Whitney Brown Perfect Weekend Composer (songs, additional music), producer (songs) 2012 Foodfight! Lionsgate Composer, producer (songs) 2012 Holiday Spin Mystique Films / Lifetime Composer (dance music) 2015 Hoovey Gundersen Entertainment / EchoLight Studios Composer, producer (songs) 2016 A Sunday Horse The Sunday Horse II Composer, producer (songs) 2019 Defrost: The Virtual Series Randal Kleiser Productions Composer2019Grease XRRandal Kleiser ProductionsComposer 2020 Bobbleheads: The Movie Universal Pictures / Threshold Entertainment Composer, songwriter 2023 My Home Unknown Lawrence Kasanoff / Threshold Entertainment Composer, songwriter2024Baby Boomer YearbookRandal Kleiser ProductionsComposer
Awards Year Award Project Category Result2001Primetime Emmy AwardsGary & Mike - "Mole Folks Song"Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards MADtv - "A Wonderfully Normal Day" Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics 2007 BMI Film & TV Awards MADtv BMI Film & TV Awards 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards MADtv - "Merry Ex-Mas" Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics 2008Primetime Emmy AwardsMADtv - "Sad Fitty Cent" Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
References
External links Official Website
LinkedIn Profile