Craig Huxley

Craig Huxley (also known as Craig Hundley; born 1954 ) is an Emmy Award-winning producer, inventor, actor and musician. He received a Los Angeles NARAS MVP nomination from the Recording Academy, organization that runs the Grammy Awards.

In 1967, he portrayed Captain Kirk's nephew in the Star Trek episode "Operation Annihilate!". He also guest starred on television in Bewitched , The Brady Bunch , Lancer , and Kung Fu .

His first album, Arrival of a Young Giant, was a trio album by Hundley (piano), Jay Jay Wiggins (bass), and Gary Chase (drums) that was released in 1968. Craig Hundley Plays with the Big Boys, from the following year, had a big band added to the trio. The 1970 release of his modernized adaptation of Rhapsody in Blue, also featured a big band, and included Larry Carlton on Guitar.

Huxley invented a musical instrument – an aluminum refinement of the blaster beam – in the 1970s. The instrument was featured in the soundtrack of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Huxley played it for the soundtrack to 10 Cloverfield Lane.

In 1985, Huxley conceived and built The Enterprise Studios, a recording studio complex in Burbank, California.

Early life Born on November 22, 1954, as Craig Hundley in Sherman Oaks, California. Where he attended Ulysses S. Grant High School, he showed early academic ability and received high marks during his secondary education (IQ of 184).

Huxley began studying classical piano at the age of nine. By age twelve he had shifted toward jazz, influenced particularly by pianist Bill Evans, as well as Oscar Peterson, Peter Nero, and George Shearing. Early commentary on his playing noted both strong technical ability and stylistic influences typical of young jazz performers. the second album was “Craig Hundley Plays with the Big Boys” and included an orchestra arranged by Don Sebesky, along with the trio expanded with Larry Carlton on guitar. The Tonight Show: Starring Johnny Carson, Today, and Showcase ’68, and performed at venues such as Shelly’s Manne-Hole in Los Angeles and the Village Gate in New York. and reportedly won a “Best Combo” award at a Battle of the Bands event that year. The group toured with singer Johnny Mathis and appeared on variety programs hosted by entertainers including Red Skelton, Jonathan Winters, and Steve Allen.

1970s: Experimental Phase During the 1970s, Huxley transitioned from his earlier public profile as a teen jazz pianist into work centered on electronic instruments, television, and film music. Becoming increasingly interested in electronics, avant-garde styles, and instrument-building. which relates to a large electro-acoustic string instrument design associated with his later film and electronic-music work.

Conceived to generate otherworldly drones and tones suited for science fiction sound design, the Blaster Beam addressed Huxley's need for unconventional audio elements beyond standard synthesizers. The first prototype was hand-crafted in his workshop in 1975, initially for experimental recording sessions that explored its potential in atmospheric music production. Huxley's background as a session musician, where he honed skills in sound manipulation, directly informed this inventive process.

The sound of this instrument made it effective in science-fiction and suspense film scoring. The instrument gained widespread recognition through its prominent use in Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979),

Prior to its cinematic breakthrough, the instrument had already appeared on television, composer Stu Phillips stated that during the production of The Amazing Spider‑Man (1978) who sought to use inventive sounds in his score, including “weird percussion instruments — things like the Blaster Beam” to enhance the show's musical palette. As well as during the third season of Wonder Woman (1979), marking one of its earliest broadcast uses.

Craig playing his Blaster Beam has been featured on dozens of movies, TV episodes, streaming series and video games, within the Star Trek franchise, including James Horner’s score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Craig's composition of "Genesis Project" reinforcing its association with large-scale, dramatic science-fiction narrative.

1980s - 1990s: Sound Designer and Film Composer In the early 80s Craig continued his career as a session musician and now film composer. Composing for Film and TV like Roadie (1980), Schizoid (1980), Alligator(1980), Americana (1981), Cat People (1982), Prince, Donna Summer, Barry White and Quincy Jones. Craig playing the blaster beam was also used for pure audio productions like Prince's Purple Rain, Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror, and Quincy Jones' Ai No Corrida. Craig became involved in recording-studio production and electronic music entrepreneurship. The studio was reportedly in regular use by major performers and recording projects, and Huxley often participated in sessions as a producer, performer, or instrument designer, including work involving his experimental electronic instruments. The facility also hosted sessions for commercial music releases, film and television scoring, and documentary audio production.

SlingShot Entertainment In the late 1990s through the 2000s Craig founded and led a DVD production venture called SlingShot Entertainment, a home video distributor based in Burbank, California. Craig launched this company on March 19, 1997, producing and releasing the first commercial DVD in US history and led the company in various distribution milestones such as early IMAX and 3D DVD releases -Animation Greats!, Africa, The Serengeti – IMAX, Antarctica, An Adventure - IMAX and Tropical Rainforest – IMAX. It specialized in releasing films originally shown in large-format theaters (such as IMAX) on DVD and VHS, effectively making specialized documentary and nature films available for home audiences. For example, catalog records list DVD editions of large-format titles like Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets and Yellowstone issued by SlingShot Entertainment, often remastered from their original IMAX presentations and published in the early 2000s

2000s During the 2000s, Craig Huxley continued operating Enterprise Studios. In 2016 Craig performed the Blaster Beam for every single cue in the film 10 Cloverfield Lane produced by J.J Abrams and composed by Bear McCreary. In 2019, Huxley played the Blaster Beam Doctor Sleep(2019), based on Stephen King Horror Sequel to "The Shining".

In 2023 Huxley played his Blaster Beam in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, as the sound of the Shrike, Captain Vardic's ship.