Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1529890
26 W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y level of dedication to the craft that has skyrocketed Brent's career. He continued along in the Doozer family, eventually supervising a quaint little show called Ted Lasso, which gave the world a much needed warm hug with its wit, charm, and of course, fantastic sound. Joe definitely knows how to pick 'em. Seeing the potential in someone and nurturing it is a talent all on its own. Now, 18 amazing years later, Joe, Brent, and I—all active members of the CAS—are reminiscing over tuna melts and French fries at Patys Restaurant in Toluca Lake. The very same place I first met Joe when he hired me back on Scrubs, Season 5. It's all come full circle. I was over at Warner Bros. sound mixing Shrinking, Season 2 for Doozer this year, while Joe and Brent spent a good part of 2023/24 collaborating on Bad Monkey, Bill Lawrence's latest #1 Apple TV+ series. With their close friendship, they could easily communicate the needs of their respective departments to each other. A prime example is when it became apparent that a recording session with Crystal, the tufted capuchin monkey, was a much needed story element for the show. Kip, now a supervising producer, agreed, trusting the crew he'd worked with for so many years. Joe promptly arranged the session back in Florida. Brent recalls, "The monkey ADR session was super valuable since very little of the production monkey sounds could be used because of the overlapping trainer prompts. Joe asked Crystal's trainer to emote different sounds, which were then labeled with their corresponding emotion, so back in L.A. we'd know how to properly use them for the monkey's reactions. It gave us a pallet of clean, well-recorded performances that really gave Bill, Kip, and EP Matt Tarses many more options with how to play Crystal's reactions since we had so little salvaged production audio. Even more amazing, our composers, Jamie and Waz Jackson, used some of those recordings in the end credit music. It's very haunting—and I love it." I'm on my second iced tea. Old photos and their accompanying ridiculous stories are flying. Joe's pride in his two protégés- turned-friends is evident, as is our appreciation for the incredible opportunities we've been given. Brent helps music recording engineers learn the skills of running an ADR session. The workflow, if you think about it, is rather similar to recording an album. Often, we've been in super remote locations where having on-site ADR or VO was integral to the production schedule. Brent finds local studio engineers and trains them to broaden their career to the film and TV world. As for myself, I enjoy speaking about production sound at high school and university film programs. I even schlep my gear to Career Day when I can. Recently, I helped troubleshoot my daughter's surprisingly complex public school sound system. Twenty channels of Sennheiser wireless for a junior high cafeteria-by-day, theater-by-night? Lordy. Joe still recruits trainees, now officially sanctioned by our union and a gateway to membership. And if the stars align, I hope to take on a sound trainee for Shrinking Season 3. Kip, I hope you're reading this! Let's continue to share our knowledge and pay it forward. Crystal the monkey ready for some ADR. Crystal the monkey taking control of the mix.