Sampson was a member of the Alloy Orchestra, often playing at silent film screenings. He scored animated specials and short films by Michael Sporn and composed the main title theme for the PBS series Long Ago and Far Away (hosted by James Earl Jones). He scored documentaries for filmmaker Errol Morris including Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, My Father's Garden, and Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.. His music was heard on NOVA and American Experience.