Hi, my name is Don Smith,  my compositions for Ponza Productions are one-hundred percent my own creations, from writing to final mastering. I’ve never bought a sample collection or stock MIDI files, ever, in my life. I don't want to diminish the authenticity of my own work in using them. However, I am open to collaborating with other writers on shared projects.

 

As a child of the late 20th century, my sound has a retro 70’s and 80’s feel. Experience has taught me. however, to always be open to new music, learn from it and let its influence come through during the creative process.

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The story behind the name Ponza Productions? Ponza is a tiny island off the coast of Italy about an hour's ferry ride from Terracina, or Naples. My grandfather was born there, and while he never returned after emigrating to America as a child, he never forgot Ponza. He always spoke of how enchanting and inviting it was. He often reminisced on how the sunset glowed on the pastel-colored stucco dwellings and shops, how he and his friends played football on the piazza, and how he missed seeing the hillsides covered with purple, red and yellow blooms of prickly pear cactus.

 

I went there myself recently and found that everything he had said about the island to be true. Ponza felt like a return to a place I'd never been to before. So, when thinking of a name, there was only one choice, Ponza Productions.