The last few years at Sonic Union have taught us that, just when you think you have a handle on things, something unexpected may happen. We make plans, and the universe laughs.
Until March of 2020, I had never worked from home, and I imagine most post production professionals have had a similar experience. Thanks to the team we've built, we've been able to adapt to this "new way" of working.
Now that we’re hopefully through the worst of things, as far as the pandemic goes, the question still remains: What does our business look like going forward?
Two years ago, the answer could’ve been anything from “we’re never going back,” to “once this is sorted, our business will snap back to the way it was before.”
The reality seems to fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. We are thrilled to have clients back in our studio on a regular basis, whether we're welcoming clients who've flown in from out of town, require recording in-person, or have deliverables that are difficult to manufacture at home, such as Atmos and immersive sound. That said, there are benefits to working from home as well. No commute, working with say, West Coast clients who’d otherwise be mixing down the street, and the greatest gift of all, no pants!
Another thing that’s come from the pandemic seems to be the willingness of our friends and clients to involve us in the process from an earlier point in the production calendar. This helps foster a more collaborative environment between all parties.
We’ve moved into the increasingly-important and ever-growing podcast space of late, and have been fortunate to see some major successes with Out Travel The System for Expedia, Place Settings for Saveur, as well as We Got You, in conjunction with PRX, and the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. These were among our opening podcast projects, and we were responsible for all of the audio creative, including original music. “We Got You” was particularly gratifying because of the content: Teens giving advice to younger kids during very confusing times.
We’re looking forward to growing those more creative aspects of Sonic Union and taking advantage of the talented humans under our collective wing. And wearing pants…occasionally.
Steve Rosen is the co-founder of Sonic Union (www.sonicunion.com) in NYC, which offers commercial mixing, sound design, podcast creation and Dolby Atmos mixing & mastering services.
Photo credit: Juan Patino