The Producers Podcast - Voiceover And Radio / Audio Production

Its been a long couple months of preparing to start a new job (which I am oh so very excited about)  plus enduring the Cumulus move in Dallas, in my current job.  So, after taking a little time away from talking to the paramount figures in Radio Imaging and Voiceover I am back with a really fun interview. Matt Fisher at BBC-Radio 1 in the UK is the guest.  He is actually one of 6 different people who produce station sound for Radio 1 and Radio 1 extra.  Not only do they have a stable of highly skilled and creative producers in house, they also have the luxury of out-sourcing projects to other great producers.  I tried to pretend (unsuccessfully at times) to know something about radio in the UK but Matt set me straight on a number of topics.  I hope you enjoy it! Show 41 Part 1  

Part 2 continues with Matt Fisher at BBC – Radio 1 in London.  We do get into the tech speak a little plus I learn exactly where that funny accent of his is actually from

I am proud to have the duo of Mike Crank and Trevor Shand at CBS Radio, Los Angeles on the show.  They are responsible for Jack FM and KROQ respectively but have a very open structure to collaborate creatively.  You will hear plenty of audio, old and new, and get the inside scoop on their new book, Braindead Creative Help.  There are other books written about production of music and even audio for radio but none, that I have seen, that give the imaging and branding of a station this much focus.  They break things down into chapters that are easy to reference in the future and make it an easy “skip-around” type of book.  I would call it a handbook and I do recommend it.  I start part 1 with the Trevor Shand Production demo.  Mike’s demo kicks off part 2. show40_1_101911_Crank_and_Shand

Part 2 with Mike Crank and Trevor Shand at CBS L.A.  I start this part with the full Mike Crank Demo.  We dive into their brand new book about Radio Creative: Braindead Creative Help. You also get to hear some old school Crank Prod and a few funny tales of radio.  I think I try to get them to fight, unsuccessfully. show40_2_101911_Crank_and_Shand

Part 3 continues here with Mike and Trevor!  I stear us into a bit of Tech-speak and some advice on the future.  I start with a song from Trevor which may or may not have landed him the gig at KROQ.  I finish with some Peak/Denver stuff from Mike. show40_3_101911_Crank_and_Shand

Joe has been neck deep in radio sound design from all angles for decades.  He is generous, knowledgeable and has experience that few if anyone else have in common.  As anyone who has been to my site has noticed AV Deli has been a huge supporter of this podcast for almost 2 years.  AV Deli is a great service in which I take part.  But if you are looking for a 40 minute advertisement for them then this will be a bit dissatisfying. We did talk about Joe’s thoughts on the current radio climate and his vast background.  However, Joe and I wanted this episode to focus more on what a producer or voice talent can do to prepare themselves for life after the radio station.  We discuss the ups and downs of being on your own.  We  talk about what you can expect and the unexpected of finding your niche outside the protection of a corporate station.  There are still a lot of ways a talented producer or voice talent can earn a living and Joe gives us a insight into his life experience to help plan for the future. show

I am very grateful to be joined by John Willyard this month.  He is the longtime voice of Country Radio.  I say that as an obvious generalization because when you talk about the “sound” of country radio and the station voices that are used, he is at the very top of the list and used by the biggest and most important stations around the country.  John is not limited to country imaging VO but he is limited to country when it comes to radio imaging VO and that’s exactly how he likes it.  He has also been the voice of the CMA’s for 15 years and counting, the voice of CNN and many other projects on TV, Radio, Web and even museums!  I start off his interview with a retrospective of his years on country radio dating back to 1991 (and I may have mis-spoke and said 1992, but it is now 20+ years!).  John put this together for this interview.    To learn more about John visit his site… www.JohnWillyard.com John_Willyard_show38_1_082511

Part 2 continues with John Willyard.  The intro audio is from K-Bull 93FM which he has been a part of for a very long time and demonstrates some of his range and also what a pretty creative PD can do on a country station, if he isn’t afraid of barriers. John_Willyard_show38_2_082511 I discuss some upcoming content at the end (also the beginning of part 1) but I am happy to mention that I just secured an interview with BOTH Mike Crank and Trevor Shand at CBS in L.A.  Mike happens to be one of my heroes but I will go into that at a different time. The Next episode features Joe Kelly of AVDeli – avdeli.com  – Joe has been a huge supporter of this podcast since very early on.  He is also someone I had been badgering to be on the show for a long time too.  So everything is finally coming together!

Rick Allen has been oft requested and now finally a guest on the show.  In fact if it weren’t for a lost email a couple years ago he would have already been a guest.   Technology!  This was a really fun and informative interview for me.  I love waxing on the past and to do so with a guy like Rick was a unique experience.  This episode comes in 3 parts and each part is a little extra long so you may need extra time to listen to this episode.  BUT I think its well worth it.  We start part talking about his career and the stops along the way he makes.  We spend a good amount of time on his work at the legendary Hot (103) 97 in NYC.  Guess how long Eric Edwards has been voicing that station…. Rick_Allen_show37_1_072411

In Part 2 with Rick Allen I take things in to the present talking more about the current landscape of modern radio and production.  I tried to play a little devils advocate as to why we shouldn’t just expect people to produce 7 stations in one radio group with ZERO time to create and Rick gives plenty of reasons why this is bad practice.  We also discuss more of his current projects and one of my favorite voice talents, Rick’s friend and neighbor, Ann DeWig.  As I anticipated this interview was in-depth and could not be completed in 2 measly parts.  So don’t forget to continue onto part 3! Rick_Allen_show37_2_072411

This is the final part of the Rick Allen interview.  We talked about so much and also realized….we talked about SO MUCH!  So we did end up bringing the episode to a conclusion. Mainly I took things a little deeper into the technical world speaking very specifically about the tools he uses and some of his signature tricks. I hope to speak with Rick again in the future.  Perhaps my favorite thing is to know that Rick is still so passionate about radio, imaging production, sound design and life in general.  It gives us younger folk an upbeat outlook on the industry when sometimes we hear a lot more negative then positive vibes from the people we work with and for. Rick_Allen_show37_3_072411

This episode features sound design producer Joe D’Agostin.  He is the man at D’Agostin Productions which is responsible for Sound Freqz and the brand new Identi-Fi imaging libraries.  Joe has actually taken a different path through is radio/audio production career.  It was interesting to hear about his background and his day-to-day routine.  While his main focus is on creating the tools that imaging producers use to create imaging he also has his fair share of radio clients for whom he produces branding.  We discuss the usual arsenal of topics from tools, software and hardware, to the inside info on how he gets his signature sound. show36_1_062911

Part 2 continues, seamlessly I might add, with the Identi-Fi demo and more great tips and inside info from Joe.  The End features the 80’s Imaging Library demo which I think is pretty darn fun and unique.  Check the show notes page for links mentioned in the episode and don’t forget Rick Allen will be the next guest so email your questions now. show36_2_062911

Robert Dudzic, the creative talent behind Trynity HDFX, is the guest.  His work is well known from his days at Clear Channel to his current work with Grooveworx.  He has had the ear of Dave Foxx at Z-100 NYC for years and has created a new extension of Trynity with Dave’s opinions in mind.  We talk about that product and everything else he does on a daily basis.  Most people may know he does not originate from the states but you might find it interesting how he actually got his start producing sound design. show_35_1

Part 2 continues with Robert!  We discuss the future quite a bit but also a way you can win some really cool prizes!  Plus all the other sound design nerdery we can get to. show_35_2

Stew Herrera is the guest and he brings a wide-range of skills to the table.  He has been at KLOS in Los Angeles for…a long time…which is rare in today’s radio climate.  Stew is a very easy guy to talk to and seems to be able to put everything he does into very relate-able terms.  Basically, I think this episode will be one of the more valuable ones to the younger talent looking to break into radio imaging production or voice work in general.  We discuss all facets of voice work and how you juggle multiple jobs at once.  We also talk about some of the Trailer world’s intricacies you may find interesting. show34_1_041511

We continue with Stew Herrera.  Part 2 includes a wider range of topics: Trailer Voice Over, Promo Voice Over and some listener questions.  Stew also talks about what he feels is the most important thing to do be successful in this business. show34_2_041511

John Kerber is the guest and has a pretty fascinating, and perhaps for some, relate-able story.  John currently is the head of production the Howard Stern channels over at Sirius in NYC.  Before that he was many places including MTV and also as he put it, unemployed about to receive his last unemployment check.  John has also been producing excellent sound design elements for his company Blue Sound Design which he has just recently brought to a National scale with Citadel Media.  In Part 1 we spend most of the time on John’s background.  Don’t forget to check out Part 2 for the more geeky tech stuff and more on his current projects. show33_1_031511

Part 2 continues.  We get into the technical side of what John does.  Perhaps my favorite moments are when we discuss all the fancy production tools John likes to use in sound design.  He also discusses his latest projects – Blue Sound and Spark.  Both are imaging libraries being offered by Citadel Media with links on the show notes page.  Also, John has some good advice for young producers and seeing where he has been and what he has achieved I think he is a pretty good guy to listen to. show33_2_031511

Sony Award winning producer Paul Armstrong joins the show.  Paul has also recently moved his company, Redefined Media, into new offices in London so it has been a busy time.  Paul was a winner on the Benztown Blog contest which fast tracked him onto my podcast, but to be honest I was already certain I would have brought him on as a guests regardless.  He does great things with “theatre of the mind” production for radio stations, networks and other commercial clients.  Check the show notes post for links to full audio files featured in this episode. show32_1_021111