Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524863
32 M PS E . O R G to build a recording and production space there. We recruited a multi-talented friend, Ernst Darma, and the three of us spent a year renovating and building out a spectacular space. Then, the week we planned to open, COVID forced us to shut down. As much as this seemed like a doomsday notice, we hadn't realized what a strange and lucky break this was for us, as the games industry got a huge boost from people being forced to stay home and entertain themselves. The demand for content and implementation was incredible! We grew rapidly during that time and found other opportunities to expand into Europe and Scandinavia and built the team we have today. With Rebound Sound having outposts in Krakow and Malmo, how do you manage and maintain consistency in quality across different locations? AB: Remote teams are a very difficult and relatively new phenomenon, and I think because everyone is learning how to do this at the same time, the industry is quite patient with the process as we all learn and adapt to this new model. Regular communication is key, and we use multiple platforms to keep the team open and engaged. We embrace our time zone differences as a strength that allows us to operate around the clock, and we love the opportunity to learn from our diverse cultural experiences. We appoint our most experienced team members to lead small groups and funnel all our content through them, so that we are always aware of what we are sending out the door. Often, Mikael and I oversee each project from a quality assurance standpoint so we can be sure to always achieve the highest quality bar. Can you discuss some of the notable projects your companies have worked on and their impact on the gaming industry? AB: My past employment at Activision led to me developing a lot of great friendships and connections within the Call of Duty and Destiny ecosystems, and when I decided to go freelance, I was very lucky to have gained the trust of those people, which allowed me to build a company from the ground up and have the incoming work I needed to grow the company at a critical time. We've been blessed to work on, in some capacity, every Call of Duty project released in the last four years, as well as all the Destiny 2 releases with our great and loyal friends at Bungie. We also have many other new and exciting projects in development with other partners that we can't announce just yet! How do you stay motivated and inspired in such a rapidly evolving industry? AB: It is the rapid evolution that keeps me inspired. Things move fast, and you really must stay on top of everything or risk getting left behind. That said, experience counts for a lot in this industry, and I've found that the same problems always seem to show up during the journey of game development, and it's a huge advantage to be able to predict all the things you will need to do and all the obstacles you will likely face. What do you believe are the most important skills and qualities for a successful career in sound design and editing? AB: The main thing is developing your ears. Learning to listen and trust yourself to know when a sound works and when it doesn't is a hard skill to obtain and takes years to master. So many people think it's the tools and the gadgets and the software, but it's easy these days to make forgettable noise (which I make plenty of), but it's very difficult to craft something artistic, authentic, and memorable. The only way to learn is to make a million mistakes. I believe that the common experience of "imposter syndrome " that we all tend to suffer from time to time can be used as a motivation to continually strive Rebound Sound Company, Santa Monica Studio 1