Women is...: Elizabeth Myers Sweet Sound of Success

Elizabeth Myers Sweet Sound of Success

Who She Is: Elizabeth Myers is a songwriter and composer for commercials, independent feature films and TV themes. Elizabeth Myers Myers is co-owner with her husband of Trivers/Myers Music Inc., a multiaward-winning music company based in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Myers composes original music predominantly for commercials, traversing genres from calypso to Italian opera to technopop for clients ranging from Pioneer to Ford to Aprilia Motor Scooters.

Born: 1952

How You Know Her Work: Trivers/Myers composed the melody for the "CBS Evening News" theme and scores for numerous major commercials, including Polaroid's "Dog and Cat," in which an intrepid dog documents the bad behavior of a mischievous cat.

How She Got There: Myers earned a master's in composition and continued to study classical composition in Paris, eventually moving to New York to orchestrate ballets for choreographer Agnes de Mille. "I was lucky to have mentors who weren't afraid to recommend me," says Myers, who went on to score several plays and then to become musical director of "Grease" on Broadway.

Number One Tool: Her Steinway grand piano. "It's unusual these days because it's so cumbersome. I practiced on one every day for 20 years. Now things are different -- I also have a computer as a sidekick."

On The Process: "Music is such a personal statement. I spend a lot of time with directors and producers trying to get it right. But music has another life. If it doesn't match this time, maybe you can use it another."