After receiving his master's degree in Composition and Technologies from Boulder, CO, Sam began his career working for Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) as his primary assistant, doing sound design, additional composition, studio music tech, conducting and orchestration. During his years with Junkie XL, Sam worked on several films including Blind, and Dead or Alive, along with several video games, Need for Speed: Pro Street, SSX Blur, and the Sims. Sam also assisted Tom on his album (Booming Back at You) and several remixes, including Madonna's "Seven Minutes to Save the World" that was nominated for a Grammy.

In the summer of 2008, Sam was hired by Remote Control Productions (Hans Zimmer) as the US Sample Department Manager. During his tenure at RCP, Sam expanded the department and lead his team in designing sounds for movies such as Angels and Demons, Sherlock Holmes (1 & 2), Pirates of the Caribbean IV, Inception, Dark Knight Rises, and video games such as Crysis 2, Modern Warfare 2, and many more.

Sam Co-Owns Sonicsmiths, with Michael Hobe and specializes in taking a compositional approach to sound design, and his knowledge of both unusual instrumental acoustics and digital manipulation lends to a never ending supply of new and interesting sonic possibilities. Sam's musical background is as a woodwind player (bassoon), vocalist, and pianist.

Upgrade membership to get access to client roster details.

Upgrade to see how you're connected to other professionals through your credits.

Upgrade membership to unlock contact and representation information.

Upgrade membership to unlock box office data.

Upgrade membership to add and manage your images.

Select your profession and Known For titles

Access full contact and representation details

Find the right people with Discover advanced search

View contact info and get hired with IMDbPro

Add your primary image and get discovered

Find contact info for agents and management

View connections to industry professionals

See who's working on in-development titles

Upgrade your membership to view client lists.

Upgrade membership to access historical STARmeter charts for yourself and other professionals.

Get insights on who this person is frequently credited with.

Upgrade membership to add and manage demo reels.

Karin Konoval, Andy Serkis, Terry Notary, Nick Thurston, and Scott Lang in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Sam Estes(I)

Sam Estes(I)

Known for

Credits summary

STARmeter

Contacts