WENDELL HANES is an Emmy Award–winning composer and founder of Volition Sound whose music underscores award-winning Movies and Television Shows seen by global audiences. Hanes has scored thousands of tv commercials for the top brands around the world and has won every major award in advertising.
Hanes scored feature films for Oscar Winning directors and Executive producers Lisa Cortes, Louis Psihoyos, and James Cameron. Hanes composed the score for HBO Max’s The Fall of Diddy, the Emmy Award–winning documentary Storming Caesars Palace, and two Emmy-nominated films: The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show (Peacock) and PBS Frontline’s American Reckoning. He earned a Sports Emmy Award for his work with ESPN.
His collaborations with leading filmmakers include working with two-time OSCAR–nominated director Geeta Gandbhir on HBO’s acclaimed docuseries Black and Missing, which earned the Television Academy Honors Award, NAACP Image Award, Independent Spirit Award, and the Gracie Award.
Hanes’ documentary work also includes the NAACP Image Award–winning Hulu documentary The Killing of Breonna Taylor, the PBS Independent Lens documentary Hazing, and the biographical film Frederick Douglass.
His film credits also include The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion, produced by Academy Award–nominated producer Lisa Cortés and directed by Farah X, as well as The Game Changers, executive produced by James Cameron, which earned Academy Award consideration and the KOBE BRYANT doc “MAMBA’S MURALS.”
In television, Hanes serves as composer for Nickelodeon’s That Girl Lay Lay, the Emmy-nominated and three-time NAACP Image Award–winning Netflix series Family Reunion, and the sitcom Act Your Age, starring Tisha Campbell.
Beyond film and television, Hanes has composed music for more than 2,000 commercials and produced and composed some of ESPN’s most recognizable broadcast themes, including SportsCenter, The Stephen A Smith Show, NFL Countdown, NBA Countdown, College GameDay, The X Games, The NHL Theme, and The XFL theme.
Through Volition Sound, Hanes has collaborated with renowned recording artists including 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and Teddy Riley. His work has powered campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized brands while earning every major honor in advertising, including multiple Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, Effies, One Shows, TELLY’S, ANDYS, Addy Awards, London International Awards, and Golden Award of Montreaux’s.
Hanes continues to compose across film, television, and global media while developing new original projects.