In preparation for my career following graduation from LCC I spent the first quarter of the year preparing connections in the world of audio post production for film. Most of my network is in Los Angeles, because of runner positions I held during high school, however, in anticipation for my most to New York this coming summer I spent time reaching out to studios and post production companies based in New York to express my interest and seek out advice. Following a lucky phone call with a distant family friend I was put into contact with Goldcrest Films and Formosa Group which both have audio post production studios in New York and London. After emailing back and forth with various members of the team at Goldcrest in New York I was able to get into contact with Mark Kaplan the current VP onsite. I arranged a meeting for when I was going to be visiting my younger sister in New York, and when I met up with him I received some great advice, got to tour studios A and B on site, and he was able to put me into contact with other relevant figures in audio post production based in New York.

The main takeaway I had from this meeting with Mark at Goldcrest was his emphasis on network. Not seeking out jobs and opportunities, but just making gaining contacts and establishing potential friendships that can help you out in the industry. The form of a blog post limits my ability to explain my current perspective in an academic context, however, I learned that it is more likely you will be sought out to fill a position if you aren’t driven by desperation searching for a job, but rather exposing an eagerness to learn and to be taught. Advice can be given out for free, jobs and careers cannot. The caveat is, and this is in the most positive sense, people love to give advice, especially in this industry. I have emphasized that I would like to eventually work for an established post production studio alongside my freelance practice because of my fascination of the film process as well as the appeal of the environments that I have been exposed to around this field. Current positions that I am discussing right now with Mark as well as other studio techs and studio directors mainly lie in the realm of assistant work alongside dialogue and music editors, as well as sound designers. I am very focused on the idea of starting as an assistant and learning the necessary professional skills tailored to a specific audio post production studio not only to eventually work as a lead sound designer or composer eventually, however, I also want to learn how to transfer knowledge in efficient and practical ways, so that I know how to articulate my own practice in professional contexts.

Following graduation in July, I will be moving to New York City to work in audio post production for film. Alongside working within a rigid studio environment, I will maintain my own practice and personal artistic development through personal projects as well as collaboration with friends I will be living with in Brooklyn.

The draw to New York came from visiting friends consistently throughout the last four years I have been in London, and from this draw I was able to develop additional connections and relationships with new people in the field of audio post production for film. On my most recent visit in March 2025, I had spent the previous two months reaching out to various film sound studios, composers, ADR mixers and recordists, and sound designers to eventually build a list of people to meet with throughout my six day trip. People I met with included Mark Kaplan, the executive vice president of Goldcrest Films New York, Jesse Ehdret, former sound designer and current director of technical operations at the Formosa Group, and Marcello Dubaz, who is a freelance sound designer and dialogue editor who is affiliated with multiple post studios in New York and Los Angeles. I also got to tour studios A and B at Goldcrest while I was there, as well as the Formosa Group space in Tribeca in Manhattan. I learned a lot and received some very great advice through these meetings, the most reoccurring advice emphasizing the importance of network and connections. I received a promising assistant dialogue editor position that will most likely open up by September this year. Financial planning from the last six months has allowed me to save up enough funds for rent / living expenses for the worst case scenario which assumes I will be unemployed for six months, however, it will hopefully only be a month of unemployment.

Personal practice is equally as important to me as professional development, and with my network of friends in New York I will be able to maintain my practice in composition for short films, installations, fashion shows, and live sound practices. For the past year I have been working with the JB Sound Company run by Joe Barker who specializing in live sound and lighting around the UK. Through this experience I have not only had the means to make enough money for additional savings as well as living expenses in London, however, I have also been able to learn a variety of consoles and PA systems, deal with stressful environments and problem solving under public and performative pressure, and apart from engineering I have been able to have a few jobs as a stage manager providing me with irreplaceable experiences dealing with artists and other managers. This is all experience very subjective to the live sound world, and I can carry these skills and personal developments not only through my personal practice, however, I believe they will also help my technical and social ability in studio environments. For my degree portfolio I have focused on composition in music and visual music, and will continue building my library of compositions for personal and commercial use.

Listening in personal and live contexts have shaped my personal practice, most notably this year I have been influenced by visual music dating back to the 1920s through the 1960s including works from Len Lye, Jordan Belson, Viking Egeling, and Stan Brakhage. Musical artist influence has still predominantly stayed within the bounds of jazz, acid rock, and a lot of r&b from the 1950s through the 1960s. Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes, and Blake Mills have been extremely influential in my improvisational practices and mixing/production. Following my move to New York I hope to continue recording as well as performative practices, scheduling conflicts with work and university have limited my ability to perform live in London during the past three years, and I am hoping that when my schedule opens up by August I will have more time to organize events and perform at different venues my friends are associated with.