Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1487666
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 27 "Who you are and what you bring to your clients and how they feel about the experience, that's uniquely you." –Bob Bronow CAS MPSE difficult fight scene, and two people will chime in with a note. I just ask them to repeat themselves. We have a saying on our stage, and I'll give my partner Jeff Haboush full credit, he says, "Multi-passer. I'm not ignoring you; I'm just doing a couple passes here." BB: I'll often say, I'm sorry, explain it to me like I'm 10. There's clearly something simple that I'm not getting. So please help me to understand what you want so I can give it to you. Everyone wants to be heard, and nobody wants to be ignored. LA: Every new show, it's always a new thing. Whether it be in-person or on Evercast, if I'm not understanding, I'll simply ask for more details. Sometimes they might not be sure about what they're wanting, so you can ask questions about the story and what point is supposed to be conveyed. All you can do is give them another option and see if it sticks. If not, well, back to the drawing board. But at least you're one step closer to achieving the note. It's like molding this bulk of clay. How you approach each note helps you gain that client's trust. So, if our communication is on point, what else can we do to nurture these relationships and optimize our customers' experiences? LA: Teamwork with your mix partner is a great way to keep the clients happy. I'm on a show now, Daisy Jones & the Six, working with Matthew Waters CAS, who is so good at running a room. While I'm working, he'll chat with the people behind us and keep them entertained. Then when he's working, I can be like, "So, how's that golf game going?" It's like, we're going bowling: All right, I'm up, you're up. So, it's really like we help each other and we can keep the vibe of this being a fun room. Also, making it feel like a safe space. There's so many times where we've had a director come on the stage and, perhaps, they've just come from some crazy VFX meeting, and they breathe a sigh of relief and say, "I'm so glad to be here. You guys know what you're doing." I love that we can create that environment for them. BB: You ultimately wind up talking about personal stuff like family and kids. That's something we all bond over. And then you connect and feel like you understand them. There are so many great mixers out there. The only thing that I bring to the table that they can't is me. Who you are and what you bring to your clients and how they feel about the experience, that's uniquely you. You've got to be someone that they want to hang out with because they are going to have to hang out with you. So, at the very least, be someone they don't hate hanging out with! Hopefully, when your client's leave, they will remember how great the mix was, but regardless, they will remember how you made them feel. The important thing is to make sure they get what they want, and hopefully, they keep coming back. JC: We want to create the best experience for them. I want my clients to leave with an experience where they know that my team and I really cared. They gave everything, there was a connection, and that these were the right people to tell their story to the world sonically. Hopefully, they come back because they know there is something about this that I want to experience again, and on every project. Thank you Lindsey, Joel, and Bob for sharing your wonderful perspectives. Since speaking with you, I have already incorporated some of your ideas into my own workflow and am already seeing an impact. I think as mixers, if we try and really understand our clients, treat them with kindness, and have fun while taking care of them, we have a good chance of building strong relationships. I find this allows me to open up and be my true self as quickly as possible. And once I can just be myself, everything else seems pretty easy.