CAS Quarterly

C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 1 29 that do have an ear, and if they don't like the way it sounds, it will make a difference." For many small businesses, advertising is an essential tool to help procure new business. In the film industry, however, word of mouth is key. As Marti explains, "A lot of the times, it's the picture editor or the head of post-production who makes the decision on where it goes to mix, and a lot of it is financial. All of those things have to be taken into consideration before it even gets to the director or the studio. We're in the business of communication, so it's important to communicate with the people who create the content." For Sam and Melani, they enlisted veteran sales rep Ed Fassel to help keep the business coming in. Ed is constantly staying in touch with his connections and keeping Aura on their radar. Melani points out, "You rarely get someone Googling 'post-production facility' because it's such a personal relationship. When one producer is happy, 10 more hear about your company. When your clients trust you, then their associates will trust you, too." Located next to Porto's Bakery in Burbank (he was there first, by the way), I asked Marti how important a role he thought location plays in the success of his business. "Burbank is a media center, and business taxes are very low here compared to Los Angeles. There's a lot of people who want to be based in Hollywood. But when I was on the Westside, people wanted to be in the Valley, and when I'm in the Valley, people wanted to be on the Westside— you're always chasing your tail. So, unless you have one client specifically you are trying to satisfy, [ask yourself] if you can guarantee that you are going to be working with that one client in When it comes to maintaining the studio and making upgrades at The Dub Stage, Marti told me, "I always found the engineering aspect of it [interesting]. Obviously, I love the mixing aspect of it too, but I pride myself on the combination of the two." When I asked him about his plans for future upgrades, he replied, "There's not many more major upgrades to do to the room. It sounds great, it works great, we're just doing refinements. The room has had 12 hours of downtime in 17 years, compared to any other room in town, that's pretty damn impressive." "When your clients trust you, then their associates will trust you, too." –Melani Lewis perpetuity. No. Things are going to change. I think you need to be flexible on your location and realistic of what your client base is." While we may not all have our own facilities to run, working as a freelancer is very much like running your own business. When I asked Melani and Sam for any parting advice, Melani stressed the importance of a work-life balance. "As a company run by a woman who also has kids, it's important to make sure you have support and people to lean on." Sam adds, "Running a post facility requires long hours, and it's not uncommon for those long hours to take a toll. So, you need not only business support, but personal support as well." "We're in the business of communication, so it's important to communicate with the people who create the content." –Marti Humphrey CAS "You take care of your people, and if you do well, you take care of them a little bit more." –Sam Lewis For Marti, one of the things he feels has diminished over the years is a more structured form of mentorship. As a CAS member for almost 30 years, Marti says, "One of my strengths is seeing talent and helping them evolve. We have to remember, we all stubbed our toes and somewhere down the line someone was kind enough to hire us and give us opportunities and be patient with us." His advice for younger mixers, "First and foremost, work on your people skills, realize you're going to give up a lot to work in this industry. It's a very challenging industry, but when a client at the end of a mix comes up, gives you a hug or shakes your hand and says, 'Great mix! You really helped my project out,' it makes it all worthwhile. To me, that's the goal of what we do." For Sam at Aura, upgrading is a measured approach. We'll have a super busy fall and spring, and then summer is slower. There's definitely those peaks and valleys. With Sam and Melani, the funds earned during the busy times don't just go to equipment, but to their staff as well. "You take care of your people, and if you do well, you take care of them a little bit more. And then when it's slow, that's the time to do upgrades. You have to know how big you are and how big you want to get." I asked Sam how important he thought having certain pieces of gear affected a client's decision to work at Aura. He replied, "As long as it works consistently and sounds good, then I think that's all they care about from a technical perspective." Melani added, "You need a workflow that is consistent without breaks. There are always a lot of shiny new things coming out and the look is definitely a huge part, but there are a lot of producers

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