Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544300
30 M PS E . O R G interviews of features you didn't get. MM: I can't believe that either. That's the problem. I just can't believe it. Who could be better than me? [laughter]. In fairness … to myself … I do a lot of "stunt" interviews; interviews I will never land because the filmmakers have a favorite sound designer (not me), yet their studios require three bids in a vain attempt to keep everyone honest. SSS: Exactly, so they're crazy. [laughing] Did you ever go through a time in your career where you felt you were being held back? MM: Only once. I found out in 1979, my last year at Hanna-Barbera, that the departing head of the sound department had told his replacement not to promote "the kid" (me) to sound editor. I found this out when my new boss took me out to lunch, soon after his hire, to tell me that he was, in fact, promoting me to sound editor, a big day in my career. He told me that my previous boss (who was fired for incompetence) had described me as "impatient." Is it un- humble of me to say, "Nya, Nya, Nya, Nya, Nya … MPSE is giving me a big trophy!!" Told ya so!!! SSS: That's fine. Any other regrettable moments? MM: There are many. But this is an important mea culpa. After I left Hanna-Barbera, I went to Paramount Studios, taking a demotion from sound editor to assistant because I wanted to be in live action. I wanted to work on movies... They assigned me to John Hanley, the Head of the ADR department. John took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew. Insanely generous with his time. He did most of this training while he was working on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the biggest movie of that year. It would come to pass that John had to leave Star Trek: TMP because he was sick and couldn't come back to complete it. John went to the director, Robert Wise, to explain the situation. Bob asked, "Who's going to replace you?" John said, "Take the kid." Mic drop… I was in a department that had 10 other ADR supervisors with much more seniority and experience. John told Bob he had been training me on the movie and was the best choice. I wasn't a very good ADR editor, but John had the faith that I would figure it out. And I did. That introduction put me on one of the biggest movies of the year, gave me my first feature film credit and introduced me to Richard Anderson and Stephen Flick whom I would become partners within a sound editing company a scant year later. That recommendation changed and set in motion a complete change Mark Mangini c. 1979