Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nick Bozzone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

I started working in professional studios back in 2004. Between then and 2018, I had learned almost all of the ins and outs of how to not only produce high quality and professional audio, but how to run my own studio. These skills were given to me throughout the years by some of the kindest and most talented people in the industry from all over the country.

In 2018, I decided to go out on my own and become a freelance audio mixer / sound designer. Up until then, I never setup a home studio… I always had access to the equipment I needed through the company I had worked for at the time. Again, after working for so many years, I had an idea of what was needed equipment wise, and how to set it all up to be a successful engineer in the studio… and at home. My plan at the time, was to drive around LA and work in any facility that needed an extra hand. This could be for heavy studio workloads, engineers out on vacation, out sick, etc. During the year of 2018, I was traveling around for about 85-90% of all projects I touched in LA and San Jose. Each facility was setup differently, which made my job that much more hard and stressful. From different networks and passwords, to different equipment, plugins, security, locations, millage tracking, billing methods… the road I had chosen was not an easy one for those who aren’t ready for these additional challenges!

And then……. COVID hit!

I had already purchased, setup and tested my home studio, and got it working flawlessly. As Covid rapidly began its chokehold on the entertainment industry and the forced subsequent studio closures, producers and account directors were madly in search of studio options for projects still in the pipeline. Studios were trying to adapt as quickly as possible by scrambling to figure out how set their in-house engineers up at home in order to keep the work flowing. However, faced with forced closures, equipment shortages and shipping delays, this was a very slow and monumental task. Everyday the lights were out, there was more and more revenue being lost.

Enter, me!

I liken this particular time to the game “Hungry Hippos”… but instead of hippos, there were previously setup freelancer mixers, and instead of the watermelons, there were projects and clients. Everyone was scrambling to work, and to get their work done… remotely! If you were setup and good, this was the chance of a lifetime. I was able to work with a few clients I had previously never met in person, and the only thing I needed to do was to prove myself and my skills to them. The quality of work I was able to provide made them happy, and they told a few clients and friends of theirs, who used me, who I then proved myself to… who told a few more clients and friends… and this has been happening ever since.

To me, one of the non-obvious benefits too all of this, is that those lesser known mixers who have real skill and who are really good, finally got the chance to show what they can do to an audience larger than anyone ever thought possible… all due to remote working.

Nick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Nick Bozzone, and I am a post production sound mixer and sound designer. To those of you who don’t know what that is, I am responsible for everything you hear in a TV or radio commercial, short film, feature film, documentary, video game, music video, art installation, slot machine, audio book, telephone answering system… any type of medium that you can hear things on, I’ve probably done a project just like it. This includes recording voice over, dialog restoration, music mixing, sound design, ADR, stereo mixing, 5.1 mixing and ambisonic mixing (YouTube 360VR, FaceBook 360VR and Oculus VR).

The road that has gotten me to where I am today, and the success that I have had, was long and certainly not easy. After graduating college with a Communications degree in Northern California, I moved across the country and went to Full Sail University for my Recording Arts degree. I then moved BACK to California and hit the streets hard, trying to find an internship in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. After 4 months of knocking on doors and a lot of Mapquest directions printed out (remember that?!? haha), I was finally extended an unpaid internship in a small studio in downtown Sacramento that focussed on local radio commercials. It took about a month there until the studio manager hired me on full time. About 8 months later, one of my resumes hit in Los Angeles, and I was offered a job working on feature film conforms for Airlines and TV broadcasts, as well as foreign language releases. I had to live on my brothers couch for awhile until I could save up enough money to get my own apartment. After about 6 months of working the night shift at this studio, it was announced that they were going bankrupt and would be closing, which left me hitting the streets knocking on doors again.

I went into Santa Monica and asked for a tour of the most prominent commercial studio at that time, P.O.P. Sound (Pacific Ocean Post). Once the tour was over and I was driving back to my apartment, I got a call from the studio manager offering me a position in the duplication department where they made copies of DBCs, VHS tapes, CDs, Dats, DA-88s, etc. It was here that I learned how to work with video and timecode and many other skills that I still have and am grateful for. After awhile, a position opened up in one of the studio rooms as an assistant mixer and I was selected for it. I spent over 4 years sitting beside an amazing mixer, Stephen Dickson, who taught me everything he knew about being one of the top commercial mixers in Los Angeles. Everything from technical mixing concepts to reading the room full of clients, working with high level executives and celebrities alike. Eventually, I began to mix low budget projects after hours until I could prove that I could handle the pressures of working in front of clients on tight timelines (they call this ‘running the room’).

Not long after this, I was offered my own studio (Studio D), with my own assistant mixer, and it was here that my career really began. Since then, I’ve worked in 5 studios throughout my career, and 3 of those shut down while I was an employee. To say that you have to be tough and resilient in this business, couldn’t be more accurate!

I have been working for myself now as a freelance mixer / sound designer for over 4 years, and I love it! I’m not going to lie, I was scared as hell making the transition from a full time employee to working for myself, as you no longer have the safety net of a company or corporation under you. But that said, these last 4 years have been the most fulfilling of my career so far… all of my successes, all of my clients both old and new, are mine. When I make a mistake, there’s no one else to blame. When I come across a problem, or something that I don’t know… it’s up to me to figure it out or learn how to do it! I am responsible for how successful or unsuccessful I am. It makes the wins more powerful and the loses that much more painful. This is one of the best rides I’ve ever been on!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best humans in the business. They have entrusted me with their multi-million (sometimes billion) dollar projects and consumer products they are responsible for. When you have that level of responsibility, you need to be sure that you can deliver quickly, accurately and professionally. Some of the most recent commercials have been a part of are for Maserati, BMW, RAM, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Taco Bell, Jack In The Box, Snapple, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Simi Wines, Sony Playstation, Nintendo, Alienware, Ingram Micro, Dell, Walmart, Lowes, J.G. Wentworth… the full list is long! Some of the video games I’ve been a part of have been Battlefield 4, Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Cyberpunk 2077, Concrete Genie, Uncharted 4, Mafia 2, Brutal Legend and many more. I’ve also had the pleasure of being extended awards for some of my work by The Emmys, The Clios, The Telly Awards, The ADDY Awards, The G.A.N.G. Awards, The Radio Mercury Awards, The EPICA Awards, The Golden Reel (M.P.S.C) Awards, and countless Film Festival awards so far.

The main lesson I have learned is to never give up… find a way, focus, work hard, stay positive! Also, and this goes out to everyone… be sure that you are celebrating your successes, no mater how small they may seem! You’ll be amazed at how just a small recognition of the good things in your life will feed more and more, and larger and larger celebrations… and that, in my mind, is success.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If I had a time machine (LOL), I would go back and take a few business classes in college. At that time, I never thought I would ever be working for myself… in fact, I didn’t really know I would be working in audio for about 90% of my college career. There are many things I’ve had to teach myself, research and learn the hard way since going out on my own. Yes, those hard way lessons you never forget, but it would have been nice to avoid them altogether.

Another resource that I wish I knew how important it was, in the beginning of my career, was making client relationships! When you begin your career path, you tend to focus on HOW to do your job and how NOT to make mistakes. When all of your focus is on this, many other aspects of successful business tactics tend to become hidden, or lost in your focus. For me, it was the idea of creating relationships and maintaining them. As time went on, and I became more and more confident in my abilities, I began to realize this naturally, but it never truly hit home until I began working for myself. Now, my client relationships are just as important as my skill level in audio work. I can boast and brag all day long how much I know about the software I use (ProTools), but if I can’t communicate with a client well enough, or if they feel like I’m not 100% vested into their project… they can throw a rock down the street and hit another engineer who can and will be. I promised myself to not let that happen.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’ve had the fortune of working with many clients throughout my career as I’ve said before. Sometimes you really click with people, and sometimes you just don’t. Those who I clicked with, became friends of mine fairly quickly. One of the difference between me and some other engineers out there, is that I like to have fun while we work! It’s a lot easier to have fun when you know your job and your skills inside and out. You can focus on what you’re doing, and also be able to enjoy the company of your clients. I’m easy-going, fun, sharp, and I have very good attention to detail (which was groomed into me early on by my mentors). Additionally, I’ve never stopped learning new techniques or equipment. I feel like it’s my can-do, or die trying mentality that feeds my reputation as well. I’m happy to try any idea asked of me, whether I think it may work or not. Some engineers take offense when clients ask them to make changes to their mix, I do not. One of the many lessons I learned the hard way through the years, is that you never really know if an idea will work, unless you try it. I’ve been proven wrong too many times to die on that hill haha.

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