Finding Your Happy with Jongnic Bontemps ’92

Born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island, an undergraduate at Yale, a 15-year career in Silicon Valley, and then off to the University of Southern California to study music – it’s been quite a journey for Jongnic Bontemps ’92. 

Born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island, an undergraduate at Yale, a 15-year career in Silicon Valley, and then off to the University of Southern California to study music – it’s been quite a journey for Jongnic Bontemps ’92. Now an award-winning composer and musician, Jongnic found his passion at Portledge. 

Jongnic grew up with a piano in his living room and played at church regularly. At Portledge, he was able to build upon that foundation and foster his passion. “I remember going down into the basement of the Lower School for our music classes with Mr. Fuller,” Jongnic remembers. “I just took off with everything music here. I was in various music groups. I think we started a jazz band that hadn't existed before. With a couple of friends of mine, we started our own little rock band, and we would basically write our own music. I would play for assemblies and accompany various singers.” 

The support he received at Portledge gave Jongnic the confidence to explore his musical voice when he decided to shift careers after 15 years working in Silicon Valley. After attending Yale University, a decision Jongnic made because of the University’s commitment to community and civic service, Jongnic took a job in Silicon Valley. But he never felt fulfilled. Eventually, he gave in to the voice in his heart, and with his family, he moved to Southern California to study music at the University of Southern California. 

This spring, he spent the day meeting with our Middle and Upper School students. He presented on his journey from Portledge to professional musician and spent time with our IB Music Theory students. His goal was simply to remind them to follow their passion. “You can find your happy,” he says. “It doesn't matter how old you are. Never be afraid to invest in yourself because you are the best return. I ended up going back to school for music and eventually went to USC for film scoring. My wife and I left our jobs in northern California, sold everything, and moved to Los Angeles. Literally, by the time we were done with USC, we had nothing. But I ended up creating a new life where I married software and music.”

Jongnic has worked on over 100  projects, from documentaries to feature films, and most recently wrote the music score for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which received the inaugural NAACP Image Award for Outstanding TV/Film Score and was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Outstanding SciFi/Action Score. “On the surface, I would say Transformers is my biggest professional accomplishment yet,” he says. “I’m the first African-American to score a blockbuster film, a film that grossed over $400 million worldwide. But I would say the score that I'm probably most proud of, a project that is really meaningful to me, is My Name is Pauli Murray, which is a documentary about Pauli Murray. I’m a civic-minded, civil rights-minded person. The freedoms that I enjoyed as an African-American in this country were architected by the arguments that Pauli Murray made. And many people don't know who Pauli is. Pauli is an American hero. And I am so proud to be part of telling Pauli's story.”

We can’t wait to see what Jongnic does next!

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