Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545099
12 M PS E . O R G Jamey Scott MPSE Supervising Sound Editor/ Sound Designer It took me eight years after moving to Los Angeles from San Diego to land my first studio feature gig. I came to town with a lot of experience in game audio and short films, thinking I'd gain traction quickly, but building up a network of creative allies took far longer than anticipated ... especially while supporting a wife and two young kids. Fortunately, I was able to sustain myself working in games while spending my free time taking on non- or low-paid short films and Getting into "The Industry" is something each of our members has a unique, and usually unusual path into the film, TV, interactive, and gaming audio community. MPSE Wavelength is pleased to present an ongoing column that presents the various experiences of our membership in their path into the industry. Our MPSE Board of Directors will be presenting their experience, and we would love to see our membership contribute to this column about their experiences as well. ultra-low-budget features, refining the skills that I would need for film work. I did a ton of free work on whatever I could get involved with, but I was also helping people make their dreams come true, so I was happy being of service in that way and some of those people that I helped turn around and helped me out too. Sometimes it was just by being friends with other struggling artists, but sometimes it was also things like referrals to new people who could help me advance a little bit toward my goal of getting paid to work on sound in the film industry. A major turning point came when I was referred to work on an indie film with Stephen Flick, a longtime hero of mine who quickly became an important mentor. After collaborating on a few projects, he told me that if I could get into the union, he'd hire me for the remake of Total Recall. Getting into the union was incredibly challenging, but I made it happen, and he followed through with his promise. That project gave me my first real shot, and I worked my butt off to prove my creative caliber. Even after that breakthrough, my path wasn't smooth. Film work came in sporadically, and I continued supporting myself through games and later VR. I eventually lost my union status due to inactivity, but the relationships that I built during that time led me back into the union and into larger projects. That momentum ultimately brought me to where I am now: working as a first-call editor/ designer with Randy Thom and more recently, supervising features for Skywalker Sound. I don't know if I'd confidently say that I've "made it," because actual security and financial freedom are an elusive plateau for most freelancers, but I'm making a living doing what I love with people I adore working with and I'm stoked with how I'm living my life for now. Looking back on my journey, I've definitely struggled most of my adult life to do this work. I've had some extreme highs and heartbreaking lows, but I'm glad that I'm doing this over anything else. It truly is what BY CHARLES MAYNES MPSE BREAKING ENTERING & "Looking back on my journey, I've definitely struggled most of my adult life to do this work. I've had some extreme highs and heartbreaking lows, but I'm glad that I'm doing this over anything else. It truly is what I was meant to do, and I'm grateful that I have been able to muster up the perseverance and attract enough good fortune to keep it going for this long."