Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 97 flew in from the Netherlands, and still another came over from Scotland. There were even a few Americans that showed up to the event, while they were in town already or travelling through. When you add in my own journey from Canada, it was a pretty international affair. In addition to those who crossed borders, there were people from all over England who had travelled to London to be a part of this fun evening. It was impossible to keep track of exactly how many sound folks came out because the main room at the pub we had booked ended up filling to capacity, causing a bunch of secondary gatherings to form in other parts of the pub and out on the street. At one point, late in the evening, the fire alarm went off, and everyone was forced out onto the street. It was an interesting sight to see, with 100-plus soundies filling the streets of Soho on a beautiful summer eve. I wish I had thought to get a group picture at that point! In addition to London, Tonebenders has now had similar Meet Ups for the sound communities in Los Angeles (x3), Toronto (x2), New York City, Mexico City, Austin, and soon Denmark. One thing I have learned from all these gatherings is that people working in audio post-production are typically just a fantastic group of people. They tend to park their egos at the door in order to celebrate each other and the work we all do. These nights have been tremendously inspiring, as you get to meet lots of new people and hear about all the interesting projects everyone is working on. At this London Meet Up, I met supervising sound editors, re-recording mixers, Foley artists, dialogue editors, sound effects editors, runners, and all sorts of people working in game and immersive audio. One Foley artist came out to the pub straight from a freelance gig, pulling along a large wheeled suitcase full of props. One very smart young sound person, Lamar Samuels, made a bespoke bingo card before coming out of the pub. It had just about any job you can think of in the audio world, for both game audio and films/series, laid out on a grid. His goal was to meet a new person at the gathering that worked in each of these various roles. This smart technique gave Lamar a reason to approach many of the more established professionals in attendance and strike up conversations. Allowing him to meet many new people to find out what section of the audio spectrum they work in. By the end of the night, he had the whole grid filled with check marks, as he rounded the pub talking to just about everyone there. I love this idea‒such an original way to introduce yourself to lots of people. The Tonebenders Sound Design London Meet Up v2.0, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors, was such a success that there are already discussions on for a v3.0 sometime in 2026. So, keep a lookout for a future announcement of the date and then clear your calendar. It will be a guaranteed great night out in Soho! Timothy Muirhead MPSE, host of the 2nd Annual Tonebenders Sound Design Meet Up in London.