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Language In Production

No, I don’t give a shit about cursing

Microaggression is a form of bias that can occur in everyday language, often subtle and said inadvertently. Language can be problematic when it’s a common phrase or saying and people avoid understanding its origins or implications. We use language to express ourselves, and even when we have the best intentions some phrases, wording, and terms, in general, are no longer applicable or widely accepted.

Just last week I overheard someone (a white thirty-something dude) say to one of our members of the production team (a 19-year-old black student) ask “how’s it going, Boy?” Racism is reprehensible and protests are happening across the world, and he had the balls to be casually racist. I doubt it even registered to that “southern boy” that what he said was horrible. The student took it well, I don’t even think he flinched, I’m guessing he is used to it. I didn’t ask him about it, maybe I should have, but I did give him a ride home since the city was under a curfew and we were working past it. I went to a protest last weekend as well. I took my dad’s advice and protested peacefully and kept my distance from the police. He lived through the civil rights movement as a young man in the south, recalling abundant racism and fellow students as KKK members. Although not surprised, my dad is concerned and worried about the future of our country. So am I. It feels like a dystopian society where we are repeating the same awful battles over and over.

“In many ways, overt racism has declined gradually since the civil rights movement, Kanter said, and white people often assume that because they do not utter racial slurs, or perhaps are well-versed in and value social justice, that they do not have to worry about engaging in racist behavior themselves” (Eckart, 2017).

We should avoid perpetuating stereotypes just because it’s always been done that way. Complacency is the root of many issues in our society. People get oddly protective over “the way it has always been done,” even if that way is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or generally just an asshole way to behave.

JK Rowling recently made a statement via Twitter that was trans-phobic where she attempted an awkward joke about people who menstruate. There are probably a lot of people who have never heard the terms cis-male/cis-female and have no idea what TERF stands for in this context (it means trans-exclusionary radical feminist). There are loads of new terms, phrases, and words to add to our vocabulary, and there’s plenty of old ones that we can let go to make room for them.

Handsome transgender teenager tearing the word Female into MALE in Gender identity, equality and human rights. Breaking silence about own gender identity transgender Pride and freedom concept.

Most of it comes down to simply respecting other people. Inclusive does not mean “people who are different, like how I am different.” The intention of inclusivity is not as meaningful as actually doing the work.

“People are tired of talking about diversity and inclusion, frustrated by talk not turning into impactful action, and overwhelmed by the number of issues to address and the scope of what must change” (Crayton, 2017).

It seems contradictory when we are working toward being “sound humans” rather than the “sound guy” when we are still using racist & sexist terminology. I’ve explained to more students than you’d expect why one end of a cable is male/female. There was a better way to explain connectors without invoking the birds and the bees. Maybe it doesn’t bother you because “that’s not what I meant by it” but the phrase “Master/Slave” when referencing control and communication is troubling as well.

Now I use plug/socket and hot (for voltage). I don’t want to be the person who singles someone out because I was ignorant, insensitive, or holding onto implicit biases. I want to be better than that, we all need to be better than that. Through teaching and education, we can reframe society into a transformative version.

Resources:

Crayton, Kim. (2017, June 19). “There’s a big difference between an intention to be inclusive and a strategy.” Retrieved from https://qz.com/work/1308410/theres-a-big-difference-between-an-intention-to-be-inclusive-and-a-strategy/

Eckart, Kim. (2017, September 13). “Offhand comments can expose underlying racism, UW study finds.” UW News. Retrieved from https://www.washington.edu/news/2017/09/13/offhand-comments-can-expose-underlying-racism-uw-study-finds/

Im, Sinclair. (2020, June 12). Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/12/tech-industry-has-an-ugly-master-slave-problem/

Read more:

Avoiding Casual Racism

Harassment Training 

Avoiding Sexist Language

 

Moving Towards an Inclusive and Anti-Racist Audio Industry

In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.

Angela Y. Davis

To create an equal society, we must commit to making unbiased choices, including being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives. While SoundGirls has always been inclusive,  we acknowledge that sexism and misogyny are not the only things that affect our members. We acknowledge that our members may face several levels of oppression– sexism, racism, homophobia/transphobia, ageism, ableism, class, poverty, culture and anti-religion.

Intersectionality, as introduced by UCLA School of Law/Columbia Law School Professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, acknowledges that a combination of a person’s identities and qualities is the basis of their discrimination that cannot be fully addressed by isolating each quality separately. It operates as both the observance and analysis of power imbalances, and the tool by which those power imbalances could be eliminated altogether. Thus, efforts to fight sexism necessitate examining other forms of prejudice, such as race (e.g., women of color’s experiences of gender bias differ from white women and experiences of racial bias differ from men of color), religion (e.g., anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia), gender (e.g., transgendered experiences of bias differ from cisgendered), class and ability.

This raises big, difficult questions, ones that many people have previously been unprepared, or unwilling, to answer. Once we acknowledge the role of race/racism as well as other overlapping factors in unfair treatment and lack of representation, what do we do about it? And who should be responsible for addressing it, anyway?

Acknowledging and accepting this work (we acknowledge we will not always get it right and hope members will point out when we don’t), we want to start an ongoing discussion. We want to create a safe space to share experiences, resources and education on Anti-Racist, intersectional work that addresses the changes needed in the industry yesterday.

We encourage our members to share their stories, experiences, thoughts and ideas in this safe space. We have put together guidelines to help you get started. All people contributing stories will have final approval before publication. You can contribute anonymously and we will keep your identity anonymous.

We believe in the power of words to create, build up, inform, nourish and repair. Toward that ideal, SoundGirls seeks to foster original writing that informs, educates, expresses truths boldly, and seeks ways forward thoughtfully and inclusively.

Please submit writing to soundgirlsbloggers@gmail.com

Suggested Topics

These are just suggestions to help guide you. You are welcome to write on any topic you choose (please note we will not run blogs that are counterproductive to Anti-Racist work, no All Lives Matter, anti-Palestinian, TERF, etc.).

Topics you care deeply about make the best posts, and we encourage you to highlight your own perspective — whether that comes from real-world experience, original research, or reporting in the field.

Introduce yourself.

Let readers know who you are and what you are writing about, you are also welcome to contribute anonymously.

Use an appropriate title and subtitle to best reflect your idea.

Images count. Use one or more quality photos and images relevant to the content.

Double-check to make sure you’re not violating copyright or licensing with your images. Free resources like Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash are great for sourcing Creative Commons-licensed images.

Writer Guidelines

Sharing your thoughts, experiences and hard-earned problem-solving techniques is a great way to help others, make connections and strengthen our commitment to diversity in the audio industry.

Inclusion: Writers should be conscious of representing the diversity found in the entrepreneurial community.

Distinctive message

Solid content: Experiences, Education, Suggestions and Advice, Solutions

Pieces typically run about 700-1,000 words. More expansive pieces that run over 1,500 words are welcome and will do better in search.

Quotes, anecdotes, quotes, academic/think tank studies, data points. These must all be sourced or linked to their sources. Don’t make us search for your sources, please.

Proofread and spell-check the document: Spell check and grammar check before submitting.

Factual accuracy: Check the spelling of individuals and company names. Make sure to confirm facts with several sources (at least three sources).

Please include Photos.

Minimize potential harm to any persons who by the publication of the information may be put at elevated risk of targeting, threats and other risks to personal safety.

Avoid discriminatory, hateful, harassing, intimidating or needlessly derogatory content or conduct.

Respects and protects the privacy and family life of non-public figures and children.

Allows reasonable opportunity for affected persons to respond, criticize, object and refute claims of wrongdoing.

You’re free to repost content from your blog or website.

You can add any links you want back to your own website or add any type of call-to-action you want, whether it’s to a piece of long-form content, a subscribe page or something else.

 

Here Is A Story Called “Use Your Words”

 

 

“Copying is the sincerest form of plagiarism.”

David Mamet

 

I’d like to start by modeling attribution.  My dad has said this to me a million times.  It’s not only hilarious but points directly at the problem.  Copying isn’t, as the old adage goes, a form of flattery.  It’s a form of theft.  (“Of course I don’t need credit or remuneration for my hard work – just knowing you like it [enough to steal it] fills my heart/belly/wallet/CV.”)  Since I did not generate this newly-spun adage, I’ve put it in quotes and added the author’s name, to ensure that people know that these words are his, not mine.

Once upon a time, I was plagiarized.  It was shocking to browse ye olde internet, see a post and think, “Gosh, that sounds familiar…Oh, because I wrote it.”  When I brought the incident to the attention of the people involved, a potentially incommodious situation blew into a shitstorm en flambé.  The people responsible (whether or not they “did it” – the people responsible for the people who may have done it) didn’t respond as I might have expected.  Including, but not limited to: no apology and an approximate shitton of gaslighting, with a hefty pinch of name-calling for flavor.

We worked it out, the posts came down, but wow was it uncomfortable.  And eye-opening. A friend said to me, “I am just so surprised to see women doing this to other women.” To which I replied, “I’m not; we’ve all been poisoned by the same stuff.”

Which got me thinking about colonialism.  The white supremacist, hetero-normative, capitalist patriarchy just loves to say, “I’ll take that.”  And, living under these oppressive systems as we do, we’ve all been crop-dusted with the poisonous influence.

We see this in the swimsuit aisle, bikinis covered in the sacred patterns of Indigenous peoples who were disallowed from using the patterns themselves. In rape culture (as if women aren’t capable of enjoying sex, so it has to be removed from us forcibly).  In the mining of mountaintops.  In the dollars “saved” over industrial meat.  In the white rock-n-roller who’s never heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  (This paragraph could be very, very much longer.)

We also see it on the internet, over and over, brazen copying, indistinct misattribution.  Different disguises, same thief.  Rampant, because it’s just so easy to copy and paste.  (“How will they/who will ever know?”)  Maybe we don’t even mean to.  Or perhaps didn’t bother hunting for the original author.  Or forgot to mention that we didn’t create that thing we put forward, so people assume we made it.  (Further forgetting to correct the assumption.)  Occasionally I see things in quotes with no name attached.  “INSUFFICIENT!”  I yell at the screen.  (Also, I realize, insufficient.)

Before I go on, let me be completely clear: someone using my copy on the internet led to an unfortunate misuse of my time and energies.  It was a heinous pain in my ass and I was sad about it for community reasons.  This situation was not of the same severity as rape or cultural appropriation.

And but it’s also not unrelated.  The point I want to make is that the impulse to take without request or reciprocity is the same impulse, however, applied.  It grows both gross violences and subtle misdeeds.  To varying degrees, but without question, it’s in all of us.  And it’s all theft – petty pilfering or grand larceny, but all of it theft.

“Yes, I’ll take that.”

Well, don’t.

Don’t take that.

“What does one do, sensibly, once it’s clear one has swallowed poison,” asks educator Pamela Samuelson.  “If one’s got their wits about them, one spits it out.  How do we cure ourselves of our colonial heritage?  We disavow the ways of colonial heritage.”

Spit.  The poison.  Out.

Truth provides agency.  The truth, in this instance, is “I do that.”  Somewhere, somehow, I do.  You do.  We do.

And we need to hunt for it.  (By “we” I really do mean “all of us” – and those of us who have benefited more from the taking will have more work to do.)  Every time we find an instance of “I’ll take that” in ourselves, the next logical step (now that we “have our wits about us”) is to assiduously enact its antithesis.  Courteously request and learn how to take no for an answer (consent can only be real if dissent is an option).  Find exchange in equity and reciprocity.  Attribute, celebrate, and acknowledge the work of others – especially that which has made our work possible.

But there’s one more piece.

What shocked me most about the whole copying situation wasn’t so much that they did it (shit happens, benefit of the doubt, ok, alright), or that they are women (identity won’t save us from unfortunate behavior), but that the first sentence off their keyboard wasn’t an apology.

And it needed to be in order for us to proceed with understanding.

Apology composts rift to grow repair.  It is the only thing which can because it’s based on acknowledgement of all aspects of experiential relationship – me, you, us, past, present, future.  “I see that I did this.  I see that this caused you harm, which I not only regret, but take responsibility for – and I commit to doing less harm.”  A true apology includes, preferably stated, the commitment to do differently.  To grow.  May it be, to grow towards one another after a breach has distanced us.

In the words of Maya Angelou, “Do your best.  When you know better, do better.”

There is better to know and better to do.

We did not get to choose what poisons came in the cloud of culture.  But we can diligently work, quietly examine, fight tooth and nail to locate every last drop in us, and spit that shit out.  Again and again.  Acknowledge to ourselves and those we have affected.  Apologize.  Repair.

What is the alternative?

With my thanks to KDay and Zoe Gardner for their peregrine pointed feedback. Deep bow to Pamela Samuelson and Sara St. Martin Lynne for further besideness and word-wielding.

Willa Mamet: Singer and songwriter, Willa was born in a trunk and raised by performers of all kinds. She’s made music since about that time, singing irrepressibly and playing piano and guitar. With her musical partner, Paul Miller, she recorded two albums, East Hill Road and Let Somebody Love You, both of which won the VT Times Argus “Tammy” Album of the Year in 2013 and 2015. Her next album will be born in Spring 2020. Meanwhile, she plays out sola, with Miller, and other beloveds, bringing her unique blend of rapier tongue and honey heart to her audiences. Hear the voice that Patti Lupone calls, “Heartbreaking. Musical. Contemporary and ancient.”

Willa lives in Oakland, CA, with her beloved upright, her uncle’s guitar, a whole lot of elderberry bushes, and her six-pawed cat. She travels. A lot. For music.

Read Willa’s Blog

 

 

Pride Through Our Eyes

 

June has arrived! We are officially half-way through the year. June is also Pride Month. Pride is known in the LGBT Community as a month filled with celebration, joy, and parades. But this Pride Month is different. Pride parades and events across the globe are canceled. But this doesn’t have to stop the spirit of Pride. I couldn’t write this article without including others. I asked our SoundGirls Community that identify as LGBTQ+ to share experiences and insight. Here is what some have to say.

What does Pride mean to you? 

“Pride to me is just being true to yourself. Loving what makes you different from everyone else. Loving the parts of yourself that people will try to shame you for. Being you and loving it. That’s pride to me.” (Alexi Wright, She/Her)

“Pride means being able to bring your whole self to any situation and not feeling like you have to hide or amend any part of who you are” (Kacie Willis, She/Her)

“Pride means being unashamed of who I am and what I accomplish, or how I live.” (Samantha Potter, She/Her)

“Pride means not being afraid or ashamed of my own identity. (Luana Moreno, She/Her)

“To me, Pride is about being able to come together with my queer community and take up space in a way that we are not normally afforded.” (Audrey Martinovich, bi, she/her)

Have you ever experienced prejudice in a work environment because you are LGBTQ+? 

“I’ve experienced the typical misogynists that come with working in a very male-dominated industry. A lot of LGBTQ women do go through some form of bs, which is very unfortunate because these women are more than capable of doing their job. But, I personally don’t have any crazy horror stories when it comes to my experiences.”

“Not overtly, as in “we don’t hire lesbians”. But I have experienced being equated to “the guys” and being expected to be complacent with the objectification of other women because I’m attracted to them. I have been objectified because I am a bisexual woman. And heard that this orientation is “just an excuse to be slutty”.”

“I am very fortunate to have never had my sexuality be an issue at work but I recognize that this is not the case for many LGBTQ+ people.”

In what ways can the Entertainment Industry, particularly the Audio Industry be more inclusive? 

“The industry should make conscious and consistent efforts to provide educational/shadowing opportunities to students in under-represented demographics. It all starts with exposure.”

“Be more welcoming to women in general. Stop the boys club culture, because toxic masculinity and homophobia come in that same pack.”

“The audio industry can be more inclusive by marketing towards minority groups of all kinds and encourage participation. It’s becoming way more of a casual topic, gayness, and the like than it used to be. I think the Entertainment Industry probably has the highest ratio of LGBT-to-het/cis-gendered individuals. Audio is not a large group and by sheer numbers, there are just statistically more white straight men. It’d be nice if we could have a space for LGBT audio folk. It comes down to the question, “How do we get people who have no idea this industry exists involved in said industry?”

“The audio industry needs to make a conscious decision to be more open and include images of Queer, POC, and women in their advertising and media campaigns. Normalize the look of someone other than straight, white, men as a place to start. Hiring people with the intent to have a diverse staff. If Beyoncé can find 15 black women who can play the violin while being her tap-dancing backup dancers, it’s possible to find more queer engineers/producers for projects.”

What advice could you give to a SoundGirl that is struggling with their identity? 

“Best advice I can give you if you’re struggling with your identity is, trust yourself.

Nobody knows YOU better than YOU. Trust that you’re not crazy, and there’s NOTHING wrong with you. Most importantly, love yourself. You’re beautiful in every way.”

“Anyone struggling with their sexuality or identity should find a group of friends through which they can find a support system. SoundGirls is a great community to sort of shout “Hey, is there anyone else like me out there?” and find those other people who can relate or at the very least, are strong allies. We should never be afraid to live like how we want, but there are some real-life limitations and it’s a tough line to walk — that world between being true to yourself and a working professional. Sometimes those can be mutually exclusive but often are not. Like most things, there’s a huge land of gray where we can live as ourselves and be amazing professionals in pro audio.”

“Reach out to the community, in private if needs be. It’s incredibly inclusive and most people in this group are committed to being supportive.”

“I would tell a struggling SoundGirl to find a community. Whether that’s a friend they trust or to post in the SoundGirls Facebook page. We are here for each other from amateurs to pros, gay/straight/everything in between and beyond, and I know personally that older LGBT+ folks went through some stuff and love passing down advice and guidance to the younger generation. Whatever you’re experiencing, someone has been through it. Find them and ask how they dealt with it and how it turned out.”

“The struggle is real…but on the other side of the struggle, you will eventually find peace. Breathe. Live life day by day.”

As a Black Queer Muslim Woman working in the audio industry, I am thankful for my SoundGirl’s Community. I am grateful that I have a community that is empowering and uplifting. At times, when I felt like my voice wasn’t heard or I was discriminated against in a work environment, I am always able to count on SoundGirls for support and guidance.

Have a safe Pride Month, filled with love and self-love.

Thank you to all of the SoundGirls that have contributed.

El sonido y sus profesiones aplicadas

 

 

El sonido y sus profesiones aplicadas:

Conoce desde la experiencia de profesionales de que tratan algunas especialidades en mundo del audio.

Este lunes 15 de junio, tendremos la primera sesión de esta serie de charlas: Sonido en Vivo, estaremos conversando con las profesionales:

Marina Bello, Técnica de sonido argentina, especializada en la operación de FOH y Monitores en shows en vivo desde 2002, a la vez que se desarrollo en el area de Producción Técnica para bandas y productoras de shows internacionales. Ha trabajado con artistas como Miranda!, Gustavo Cordera, Lisandro Aristimuño, Los Pericos, Julio Iglesias, BRMC, Amaia Montero, entre muchos otros.

Actualmente es la operadora de FOH de WOS, operadora de monitores de Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso & la ATR Banda, y jefa técnica del teatro Margarita Xirgu – Espacio UNTREF.

Ximena Montenegro, Técnico de sonido e ingeniera de audio, por mas de 15 años se ha dedicado al refuerzo sonoro, ya sea como asistente, técnico para sala o monitores de diferentes empresas. Ha mezclado para diversos artistas como : Marisela, Lucero, Erick barrios, Denise Rosenthal, entre otros ademas ha participado activamente en festivales como Viña del Mar.

Roberta Siviero,  Con 20 años de experiencia de sonido en vivo, comenzó su carrera en compañías de renta de audio, además cuenta con experiencia en sonido para TV, teatro y estudios de grabación, incluyendo postproducción en audiovisuales.

Roberta es Cofundadora del grupo de mujeres sonidistas “Mulheres do Áudio” en São Paulo que se formó en el año 2012 ayudando a visibilizar a las mujeres en la industria.

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Carolina Anton, es Ingeniera de Sonido – Sistemas/FOH y Mon con más de quince años de experiencia, ha colaborado con artistas y producciones distinguidos en más de veinte tours a nivel nacional e internacional; Ha mezclado para artistas como Kool & The Gang, Gloria Gaynor, Natalia Lafourcade, Mon Laferte y León Larregui, ademas trabaja para compañías como 2hands production services y Eight Day Sound. Actualmente ingeniera para MexFutura. Carolina es cofundadora de la empresa 3BH, que desarrolla proyectos de integración tecnológica para estudios de post-producción y música en México y Latinoamérica y a partir del 2016 comenzó a representar a la organización Soundgirls.org en México, apoyando a las mujeres a profesionalizarse en la industria del espectáculo.

Andrea Arenas, graduada en Ingeniería electrónica, con estudios de música y percusionista, es ingeniero de sonido con 14 años de experiencia. Trabaja para Cirque du Soleil en el show Totem y cuenta con experiencia en audio en vivo, grabación y producción musical en estudios, también grabación y producción musical de orquestas sinfónicas de El Sistema. Su experiencia profesional va desde trabajos en producciones discográficas de la Deutsche Grammophon con Gustavo Dudamel, como también soporte técnico de consolas Digico y otras reconocidas marcas en Hermes Music para bandas como Maná, Vicente Fernández, Ricky Martin; ha participado como voluntaria de audio para soundgirls en eventos como el She Rocks Awards, Girlschool y preparación de gira de Pearl Jam.  Y ha sido técnico de sonido en varios shows del Cirque du Soleil. (At sea, Luzia, Amaluna y Totem)

Post-Production Surround Sound Webinar

Mixing and Sound Design in Surround Sound with Ai-Ling Lee and Paula Fairfield

Join SoundGirls and Women Who Are Sound for a webinar on

Moderated by Leslie Gaston-Bird author of the book, “Women in Audio”, Governor-at-Large for the Audio Engineering Society, and Chair of the AES Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is also a freelance re-recording mixer and sound editor, and owner of Mix Messiah Productions. She has a Heartland Emmy nomination for the film “Enough White Teacups”, directed by Michelle Carpenter.

Ai-Ling Lee was born in Singapore where she studied music audio engineering. After two years of mixing and editing commercials and music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue a career in sound design for feature films. Since then she has worked as a sound designer, re-recording mixer, and sound supervisor on a variety of films including Jojo Rabbit, La La Land, First Man, Deadpool, Wild, Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi) and Buena Vista Social Club. Ai-Ling has had the opportunity to work with directors Damien Chazelle, Taika Waititi, Jean-Mar Valée, Noah Hawly, Wess Ball, Cameron Crowe, Gus Van Sant, and Sam Raimi, to name a few.

Paula Fairfield is an International and Emmy award-winning sound designer for tv, film, commercials, and basically anything that makes noise. She has 10 Emmy nominations with two wins for her work on Game of Thrones, along with multiple wins and nominations for her work in both The US and Canada. During her career, she has had the privilege of working on tv projects such as the iconic “LOST” and visionary filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez, Brian DePalma, Paul McGuigan, and Darren Aronofsky.

Post-Production Surround Sound Webinar

Mixing and Sound Design in Surround Sound with Ai-Ling Lee and Paula Fairfield

Join SoundGirls and Women Who Are Sound for a webinar on

Moderated by Leslie Gaston-Bird author of the book, “Women in Audio”, Governor-at-Large for the Audio Engineering Society, and Chair of the AES Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is also a freelance re-recording mixer and sound editor, and owner of Mix Messiah Productions. She has a Heartland Emmy nomination for the film “Enough White Teacups”, directed by Michelle Carpenter.

Ai-Ling Lee was born in Singapore where she studied music audio engineering. After two years of mixing and editing commercials and music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue a career in sound design for feature films. Since then she has worked as a sound designer, re-recording mixer, and sound supervisor on a variety of films including Jojo Rabbit, La La Land, First Man, Deadpool, Wild, Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi) and Buena Vista Social Club. Ai-Ling has had the opportunity to work with directors Damien Chazelle, Taika Waititi, Jean-Mar Valée, Noah Hawly, Wess Ball, Cameron Crowe, Gus Van Sant, and Sam Raimi, to name a few.

Paula Fairfield is an International and Emmy award-winning sound designer for tv, film, commercials, and basically anything that makes noise. She has 10 Emmy nominations with two wins for her work on Game of Thrones, along with multiple wins and nominations for her work in both The US and Canada. During her career, she has had the privilege of working on tv projects such as the iconic “LOST” and visionary filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez, Brian DePalma, Paul McGuigan, and Darren Aronofsky.

Black Technicians Matter 

Before I get into this blog, let me say that I am writing this with very high emotions.  My heart is breaking for BIPOC.  I am horrified by the overwhelming lack of acknowledgment and responsibility in regards to the aggressive use of police brutality that has plagued this country for years, decades, even centuries.  I am utterly sickened by the blatantly flagrant display of racism that pours out of the White House every single day.  So, yes, it’s possible that you are reading a different, maybe more fiery tone from me today because I am fired up.

In an effort to provide some kind of tangible support, I want to use my small platform here to discuss some ideas for the future, when we’re able to live and work freely in the world again (remember, even through all of these recent atrocities, we’re also still in a pandemic).  One day, we will be healthy again.  One day, we will be able to work again.  One day, people will start forgetting the protests, the rallies, the news.  That’s the time that we need to remember that even when we’re not inundated daily by all of these disgusting displays of inhumanity pouring in through social media and other news outlets, it will still be happening and will continue happening until enough of us start using our fiery emotions as fuel to actually DO something about it.  It’s not just the inhumanity toward BIPOC that is a problem, it’s also white complacency, and, frankly, blindness.

A couple of summers ago, I hired a crew of seven sound technicians to support my theatre company’s summer season. Generally, most of my hires come from the USITT convention, KCACTF, and SETC.  A couple of weeks into the summer, one of my interns said to me,” I just wanted to let you know that I think it’s really great that this crew is mostly women and mostly people of color.  You’ve created a really inclusive department, and I wanted you to know that I appreciate it.”  Wow.  What a fantastic compliment that I, in no way, deserved.  What she said was true.  They were mostly women, and they were mostly people of color.  It’s just that I didn’t do that on purpose, and I didn’t even realize that’s what we had until she brought it up.

I was blind.  I have to imagine that, as a black woman, the person that said this to me probably enters almost every situation looking around the room to see how outnumbered she is in terms of race.  I didn’t think of that, because it’s something I never do.  I really don’t walk into a new situation and think, “Oh good, at least there are other white people.”  That summer’s beautiful blend of racial variety was a complete accident.  I learned from it, though.  I learned that as a person who regularly hires other people, I have an obligation to make sure that I am not just going through the same old motions and that I am using my privilege and my position to promote diversity and equity.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the organizations I listed above, in fact, it’s quite the contrary.  USITT, KCACTF, and SETC provide so many opportunities for so many young people throughout the year, and I would be lost without them.  They all have many subgroups within their organizations that are specifically geared toward marginalized communities such as BIPOC, Women+, and LGBTQ.  I just think we can all be taking another step.

Maybe we should recruit specifically within HBCUs.  In researching for this blog, I very easily came across this list of HBCU schools offering performing arts programs. I also came across this HBCU list which provides useful statistics related to the schools and their demographics.  It takes two minutes for that extra Google search, and then finding department faculty email addresses after that is easy!  As I’ve already mentioned, the theatre organizations and conferences I’ve encountered in the past are doing a good job of continuing to promote diversity and inclusion, but this thought led me to Google search “black theatre conferences,” and the first hit was for The Black Theatre Network.  What a fantastic recruitment opportunity that I have been missing out on.

My point is that I don’t want us all to relax when the heat is turned down.  Let’s keep moving forward.  Let’s take another step—push a little harder.  I want to challenge shop heads, recruiters, and managers to remember this blog during hiring season, and ask yourselves if there’s something else you can do.   It’s our responsibility as artists to never stop learning, and never stop growing.

Diversify You Crew

The EQUAL Directory is a global database of professionals that seeks to amplify the careers and achievements of women working behind the scenes in music and audio. Any person around the world can add their name and claim their space. And, any person looking to hire a more inclusive creative team can find professionals in their area.

POC in Audio Directory

The directory features over 500 people of color who work in audio around the world. You’ll find editors, hosts, writers, producers, sound designers, engineers, project managers, musicians, reporters, and content strategists with varied experience from within the industry and in related fields.

While recruiting diverse candidates is a great first step, it’s not going to be enough if we want the industry to look and sound meaningfully different in the future. Let us be clear: this isn’t about numbers alone. This is about getting the respect that people of color—and people of different faiths, abilities, ages, socioeconomic statuses, educational backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientation—deserve.

 

Post-Production Surround Sound Webinar

Mixing and Sound Design in Surround Sound with Ai-Ling Lee and Paula Fairfield

Join SoundGirls and Women Who Are Sound for a webinar on

Moderated by Leslie Gaston-Bird author of the book, “Women in Audio”, Governor-at-Large for the Audio Engineering Society, and Chair of the AES Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is also a freelance re-recording mixer and sound editor, and owner of Mix Messiah Productions. She has a Heartland Emmy nomination for the film “Enough White Teacups”, directed by Michelle Carpenter.

Ai-Ling Lee was born in Singapore where she studied music audio engineering. After two years of mixing and editing commercials and music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue a career in sound design for feature films. Since then she has worked as a sound designer, re-recording mixer, and sound supervisor on a variety of films including Jojo Rabbit, La La Land, First Man, Deadpool, Wild, Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi) and Buena Vista Social Club. Ai-Ling has had the opportunity to work with directors Damien Chazelle, Taika Waititi, Jean-Mar Valée, Noah Hawly, Wess Ball, Cameron Crowe, Gus Van Sant, and Sam Raimi, to name a few.

Paula Fairfield is an International and Emmy award-winning sound designer for tv, film, commercials, and basically anything that makes noise. She has 10 Emmy nominations with two wins for her work on Game of Thrones, along with multiple wins and nominations for her work in both The US and Canada. During her career, she has had the privilege of working on tv projects such as the iconic “LOST” and visionary filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez, Brian DePalma, Paul McGuigan, and Darren Aronofsky.

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