Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535880
62 M PS E . O R G practices to find good candidates from universities and places hiring managers may not look. By interviewing more people and hiring the best candidates, we naturally ended up with a diverse staff. Korey: What specific steps did you take to ensure diversity in your hiring practices? Kate: We made sure to interview a wide breadth of people, not just friends of friends. We posted job openings in various places, including Facebook groups for emerging audio professionals and women's groups. We also made sure to do the legwork to find good candidates from underused, underutilized pools. Jeff: We also focused on entry-level positions. We believe that the way to end up with a diverse staff at higher levels is to hire a diverse group of people at entry-level positions. By doing this, we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to grow and advance within the company. The Apprenticeship Program Korey: Your apprenticeship program stands out. Can you explain how it came about and how it has evolved? Kate: We started with a standard internship, but we wanted to create a program that was more of a training initiative. Apprentices receive hands-on experience in sound effects design, Foley editorial, dialogue editorial, and mixing. The program is now a paid six-month position, ensuring that apprentices are job-ready and confident in their skills. Jeff: During Black Lives Matter, we reached out to one of our former apprentices, Colin Grant, who recommended making the internship a paid position to help underserved communities. We took his advice and changed it to a paid apprenticeship, which has been very successful. Korey: What does the apprenticeship program entail? Kate: The program includes lessons in session layout, recording skills, file naming, Pro Tools quick tips, sound effects design, Foley editorial, dialogue editorial, and mixing. Apprentices sit for hour-long lessons with our team members who specialize in each area. They then work on projects and receive feedback. At the end of the program, they complete a final project where they put all their skills together. Jeff: The program is designed to ensure that apprentices are job-ready and confident in their skills. Many of our current staff members came through this program, highlighting its success in nurturing talent. Boom Box Library Korey: Can you tell us about Boom Box Library and what sets it apart? Kate: Boom Box Library offers custom sound effects libraries designed by sound professionals for sound professionals. We felt like we had something to add to the usability of sound effects libraries, coming from an effects editing background. Our libraries are very specific, filling niche needs in the industry like our recently released pinball collection. Jeff: We reverse-engineered any problems we were running into with to have a company that was at least 50% female or gender non- conforming individuals. At the time, only 5% of audio positions were held by women. We broadened our hiring practices, actively seeking candidates from underrepresented groups. We made sure to interview a wide breadth of people for entry-level positions, and through this approach, we achieved and maintained a 50-50 staff ratio. Jeff: We also opened our hiring Jacob Cook MPSE CAS braves the heat to record a 1966 Ford Mustang for use in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also for sale from Boom Box Library). James Yaiullo MPSE records himself skateboarding when establishing the signature sound of a skateboarding pup in Disney Junior's Pupstruction (2022).