MPSE Wavelength

M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 55 has the largest concentration of MPSE members of any city in the world. That makes sense. L.A. is home to some of the most accomplished sound professionals on the planet and it's the birthplace of the organization that was founded back in 1953. But for some reason, the L.A. sound community doesn't seem to get together nearly often enough, outside of the formal award galas. In an e‡ort to bring a broader range of people together in a more casual setting, I've used the banner of my podcast to host Tonebenders Sound Design Meet Ups in L.A. The original idea behind the Tonebenders podcast was to create a virtual place for sound designers and editors to listen in on discussions of our craft, share ideas, and swap information. Over the years, the listenership of the podcast has expanded worldwide, and in e‡ect, has become a community where everyone is welcome. Many have been inspired by the podcast to pursue or persevere in careers in sound because of the knowledge and sense of belonging that Tonebenders o‡ered them. Of course, listening to a podcast is one thing, but meeting face-to-face and making real-life connections is something else. In practice, being a sound editor, often working remotely out of a home studio, isn't necessarily the best environment to learn and develop. Most editors would also agree that in a business of "it's who you know"—getting out and meeting people is more important than ever. It's with that idea in mind that Tonebenders started to host meet ups in 2019. These meet ups bring together people with a wide range of experience and knowledge, and in the casual setting of a pub night, people share stories and get to know each other. Los Angeles Tonebenders has hosted meet ups in Los Angeles, New York City, Austin, and Toronto and each event has been more successful than the last. In the fall of 2024, the motion picture sound editors jumped onboard as a sponsor for the first-ever meet up in London. That event was a smashing success and gave many British and European editors a chance to know more about the MSPE. As the 2025 Golden Reels approached, the MPSE o‡ered to sponsor the 3rd Annual Tonebenders Los Angeles Sound Design Meet Up, which turned

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