Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1353865
34 I M PS E . O R G W hile there are many MPSE members that can tell their own story about how they have made a living outside of Los Angeles as a sound editor, I would like to share mine with you here. I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and moved to Texas with my family as a child and made it my home. For University, I attended the University of Texas at Austin as a viola major, but quickly found my love for recording. I started recording classical and jazz musicians and eventually expanded into rock bands and rappers. At some point, my mentor Mark Sarisky put me up for an internship cutting dialogue on a feature film supervised by Tom Hammond of Soundcrafter. Soundcrafter was THE premier studio in town. Tom and the dialogue supervisor, Ajae Clearway, taught me how to cut dialogue. With my previous experience and access to a recording studio, I talked my way into also recording the Foley for the film. My girlfriend, now wife, had a background in theatre and I volunteered her to be my Foley artist. I was hooked. Growing up, I used to make my own "films" with friends. Sound-for-film was a way to bring my interest in recording and filmmaking together. I promptly transferred to the radio, television and film department and spent the rest of my time as a student working on every film I could. After graduation, I spent the summer working on a handful of small film projects, but realized I needed some more stable income. I got a job at the local Guitar Center selling pro audio equipment. While no one dreams of a life in retail, I took the opportunity to buy gear at a discount and continue working on every film I could on the side. Eventually, I was able to hang up my retail hat as more film and TV work started coming in. In 2011, I was given the opportunity to join the crew over at Soundcrafter and proceeded to be thrown into the fire. I worked on the reality TV show Shipping Wars, along with Richard Linklater's award-winning film Boyhood. Long story short, it was a busy year. On top of everything, I also started to build a roster of clients for Soularity. Working in film outside of the studio system was (and still is) a hussle. You not only have to be good at what you do, you have to be able to build relationships. You can't just wait for work to come your way, you have to be proactive. Networking plays a big part in staying busy. Being active on social media, attending filmmaker meet- ups and regional festivals all help. Staying in touch with past clients is also a huge part of it. At this point in my career, I consider myself very fortunate. It has been over a decade since I have had to really update my resumé or reel, but the work keeps coming. This is because of the relationships I have built over the years. I work almost entirely on referrals. I build relationships with the filmmakers I have worked with in the past so the next time a project comes up, I am the first person they reach out to. When someone asks THEM for a recommendation, I get the nod. Beyond that, I have several studios and crews I am on the roster for. This gives me an additional flow of work to help keep me busy when they are. Austin has a healthy post sound community and we all know each other. I still regularly work for Soundcrafter and have had an opportunity to edit for several other studios and mixers in town. In 2020, I got to do a little work in the Dialogue/ADR Department under dialogue supervisor David V. Butler and supervising sound editor Tim Rakoczy, on Robert Rodriguez's latest film, We Can Be Heroes. I learned a lot working with such a talented crew. I primarily consider myself a supervising sound editor and dialogue editor. However, living in Austin, I wear a lot of different hats. On smaller projects, I do it all. I edit, design, and mix. When working as part of a crew, I might supervise on one project, record Foley or ADR on another, or even mix. I also work on a wide variety of projects. Features, documentaries, MAKING IT AS A SOUND EDITOR OUTSIDE OF HOLLYWOOD BY KOREY PEREIRA MPSE When people think of "making it" in the film business, they picture someone loading up their car and heading straight for Hollywood. While working on a studio lot with world- class facilities and rubbing elbows with the industry veterans sounds like a dream to any aspiring sound artist, it is far from the only path one can take to "make it" as a sound editor.