Nick Wood was born in Liverpool, moving to London at the age of 19. His industry roots date back to his start in music production at the legendary Marcus Studio in London. At the age of 19, Wood signed with Virgin Records as the founding member of New Wave band, Appassionata.
In 1987, a fortuitous trip to Japan inspired Wood to relocate to Tokyo several years later, founding music agency Syn with Simon Le Bon and Yasmin Le Bon in 1991. He has been based there ever since.
Having composed over 2000-commercials, Wood went on to compose film soundtracks including 13 Kaidan (Masahiko Nagasawa’s award-winning thriller starring Tsutomu Yamazaki), animated film To-i Umi Kara Kita Coo, RAILWAYS 2 (starring Tomokazu Miura), declining birth-rates documentary Birthgap (Stephen Shaw) and The Brighton Miracle(directed by Max Mannix).
Additionally Wood's work has been featured on a variety of network and streaming television shows, including licensing songs to Tokyo Vice (HBO), Pachinko (Apple TV+), Fistful of Vengeance (Netflix), and People Just Do Nothing (BBC). Collaborations with creative partner, Simon Le Bon, include ‘Closer To Your Bed’ (performed at Cannes Lions 2017) and an upcoming collection of co-written songs slated for release in 2025.
Wood’s commercial work includes compositions for CNN, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Mercedes Benz and Shiseido, with a stand-out project creating the engine sound of the Fiat 500E in 2020. With experiential projects ranging from hospitality (including a 90-minute soundtrack for Claridge’s Spa in London) to healthcare (Disney’s Imagination Tree at Monash Children’s Hospital), Wood approaches multi-media projects with a commitment to storytelling and leveraging human emotions through music.
Recent achievements include being invited as speaker to present at the prestigious 2018 ADFEST and the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. His composition of CNN’s global campaign theme “Why We Go” won an Emmy for Outstanding Promotional Announcement in 2017 and the Best Use of Music and Sound Design at the coveted PromaxBDA (the world’s premier award show for entertainment marketing and design). Wood has also won a Clio Award for work with CNN Creative Marketing.
Working between Tokyo and Los Angeles, supplemented by his unique lakeside studio in Lake Towada (Northern Japan), Wood combines a profound love of Cinema with a fascination of ambient music and wellness, composing the ‘Towadako Series’ in 2024; a collection of ambient music lovingly documenting seasonal changes in Northern Japan. This five-piece collection was mixed in Dolby Atmos and released worldwide.
