CAS Quarterly

C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 47 get into Skywalker Sound. Make a crazy plan and stick to it—it's probably not that crazy! Stephen Urata: I have a background in music performance and composition. I got into Skywalker Sound by starting out as an assistant re-recording mixer, then worked my way up to mixing full time. It's interesting how these seemingly small events led to such pivotal moments in your career. Do you feel your background helped you land this special gig? Stephen: I believe it was the fortunate opportunities I had being mentored by so many amazing people at Skywalker Sound. Bonnie: Matt Wood and Dave Acord hired me on Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels as FX editor and re-recording mixer. I consistently worked for them on a variety of projects and was beside myself when they and [producer] Dave Filoni wanted me to be a part of The Mandalorian. I have a deep love and respect for those guys. Chris: From 2003 to 2015, I shared a studio in Atwater Village with Ed Shearmur and composer Theodore Shapiro. Teddy would eventually become my primary client; we've collaborated on about 60 projects. Teddy does a masterful job of combining orchestral elements with the pop and indie world, which is why I think we work so well together. In 2008, Teddy hired USC graduate Ludwig Göransson to be his assistant. Ludwig's talent was obvious from the beginning, so it didn't take long for him to start landing his own gigs. Ludwig, Teddy, and I now share a facility in Clockwise from top left: Shawn Holden CAS, Bonnie Wild, Stephen Urata, Blake Collins CAS, and Christopher Fogel CAS Glendale, and the rest is history. So, I guess that's just a long way of saying that what got me this gig was proximity! Blake: I believe my background had almost everything to do with it. With the reputation that OSU has, having worked there made my résumé stand out. Through Dan, I was able to meet Shannon Mills, a supervising sound editor and designer at Skywalker Sound. I was on vacation with my family up north in the summer of 2016 and I had gotten a tour with Shannon of the Ranch just for fun. After the tour, I thanked Shannon and we got to talking and we both found out that Skywalker was looking for a mixer and I was searching for the next step in my career. One thing led to another and by September of 2016, I was recording my first show as the Foley mixer on the Jack Foley Stage. It was a dream I never thought would happen. There have been many technical "firsts" on this show. Can you talk about your technology setup? Shawn: I record on an Aaton Cantar X3. I am currently using a Cooper 208D mixing panel, Lectrosonics wireless and IFB products, Schoeps microphones, DPA, and Sanken lavs. Blake: Starting at the Ranch, they asked me what equipment I wanted; I had never been asked that before! Besides the newly installed Avid S6 and Myer 5.1 speaker setup, I use the Martinsound Martech MSS-10 mic pre and the Sennheiser MKH 800 mic. This was my go-to set when I was at Skywalker Sound. I'd throw in a Senn 416 or KMR 81 every now and then, but I like what I like! Having learned to record using outboard gear at OSU, I also have

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