Seiter was born in Okemos, Michigan, and studied music composition at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan until 2003, when he decided to move to Los Angeles. [4] He began working with Michael Giacchino as a score assistant in 2004 and later as an additional orchestrator. Their early collaborations included the video game Call of Duty: Finest Hour, the hit Disney/Pixar film The Incredibles, and the hit television series Alias (created by Star Trek producer and director J.J. Abrams) and Lost (co-created by Abrams and fellow Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof).