I (Benjie) am a composer, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and writer.  I am also a dancer, a board game designer, graphic designer, and sometime writer. After more than a decade of composing and producing music for TV and film, I am now also pursuing my other passions of dance and game design.

My musical journey started from a young age, beginning with piano and violin at the age of five. Throughout my school years I participated in many youth music groups including BISYOC as a violinist, NYTW as a performer-musician, and also led several local music groups and bands in various styles including classical, punk rock, latin, jazz and folk. By the age of seventeen I had grade eight ABRSM for violin and DipABRSM for piano under my belt, as well as having dabbled with many other classical, traditional and band instruments.

Although music was the obvious choice to take forward into higher education, I loved the sciences (especially physics) as well as acting and other arts, and so careers in theoretical physics or drama were close contenders. After three years of work, travel and deliberation, I decided to study composition through technology at RWCMD in Cardiff, graduating in 2013 with first class honours. Throughout university and since graduating, I wrote collaboratively and individually for a wide range of projects including Hinterland, Steel Country/A Dark Place, Hidden, Pili Pala, Galesa (Welsh BAFTA Best Original Score winner alongside Tic Ashfield).

Although music has formed the backbone of my life, I have always had other interests which I have pursued to one degree or another. Writing, games and dance have been a great source of creative outlets, of personal development, and of connection to the community around me, and I am grateful to have had the time to spend in these hobbies. I am never satisfied doing just one thing, and so I knew I wanted to explore how multiple careers in these different disciplines could work, and knew I wanted to keep my eyes and ears open to possibilities that came my way.

At present, I dance Lindy Hop locally and further afield, teaching with The Swing Project (my partner’s organisation), and taking part in classes, workshops and festivals. To get to this point has already been a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait to see where this journey will take me next!

I also now run my own independent board game publishing company called Cosy Cub Games, which has its first game “TENBY” arriving in stores in Spring 2025. After many years of designing games as a hobby, this feels like a real achievement to have manifested something real into the world that will hopefully bring joy to many people.

My desire for writing has not diminished, however this itch is currently being scratched by running DnD campaigns for my friends. I imagine a book or two will likely be written as a result!