As a champion on behalf of film composers around the world, Deniz Hughes first developed a strong following at New York University’s Music Theory and Composition: Screen Scoring program, where she personally fostered the careers of over a hundred students, some to unprecedented acclaim. A Fulbright scholar, she earned her doctorate from Yale in music composition, and studied closely with the greats of American music, including John Corigliano, Jacob Druckman and Virgil Thomson. Her music has been featured in film (Pokemon, The First Movie), television (commercials with Super Bowl airings), award-winning theater productions (off-Broadway and at the Shakespeare Theatre) and for dance (at the American Dance Festival). As an orchestrator she has worked closely with Elliot Goldenthal (on several films including Interview with the Vampire and A Time to Kill). She has lectured on film music extensively throughout the United States and abroad - at institutions such as the Royal College of Music, Bristol University, Rutgers University, Carleton College and Yale University. She also taught at Lehman College consistently on behalf of their distinguished professor of music, John Corigliano, for over twenty years.

Her Facebook group For Film Composers Only with Dr. Deniz Hughes has over 6700 members from over forty countries. Her online materials include her innovative Music Budget & Composer’s Fee Chart which has garnered much attention. Her recorded lectures have been shown in classes at the Berklee College of Music and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. An outpsoken advocate for diversity in the film scoring industry, she continues to advise and support composers all over the world.