Blog Where did 2008 go? | Where did 2008 go? |
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Anyone who has visited this site in the past year has no doubt been dismayed by the lack of updates. 2008 was a very productive year, and I simply failed to keep the website updated. So without further ado, here is a recap of some of the projects I worked on in 2008... In January, I began teaching a class with my good friend John McLeod on Media Production. It lasted for one semester, and although I intended to blog about each week's class here, I was unable to find the time and never even made it to week 2. However, we did produce a commercial parody that I can share here: The teens all took part in the production and it was a lot of fun. Also in January, Cross-eyed Studio joined forces (sounds super-heroic) with the marketing and design firm Train Of Thought1 to produce the voice-overs for their VTrain product. They have an impressive client base including LG Electronics mobile phone division and DHL International Americas, and I'm very honored to be working with them. Train of Thought was my last employer before taking Cross-eyed Studio on as a full-time business, and I owe much of my success to everything I have learned and gained from my relationship with them. I've also made a lot of great contacts with some very talented voice-over artists, both locally, and around the world. In February, I began working with local worship pastor and my good friend David Calvert on an EP of songs he's written and performed for various weddings over the years. It later grew to a full album as his wedding resumé songlist grew. Watch for an update on that project as it nears its release date. It will be available on iTunes as well as CD. Also in the early part of 2008, I had the opportunity to work with a few short-run projects with R&B and hip hop styled artists. It was good to stretch a little with mastering a hip hop project, because it really requires a sensitivity to the end use that is different from mastering a rock or acoustic album. I worked on some personal projects during 2008, such as recording the song I wrote for my brother's wedding. It gave me a chance to grow in my experience with sequencing midi instrumentation in Acid. I also entered a video contest2 for Sheetz convenience stores. It was actually hard to bring myself to doing it because I had no idea how it would be received. As it turns out, I won the contest and received the grand prize of $5000 worth of Sheetz gas and goodies. In the latter half of the year, I worked with local band Shattered On Saturday3 over two sessions to track, mix, and master a great rock EP. They're slated to have a release party and concert with some other local bands at the Holly Springs Cultural Center on January 16th at 6:30pm. I also had the pleasure of working with local solo artist Saki Bright and her fiancé Austin Taylor for a full album of songs. The two recorded the CD to give as a gift to everyone who came to their wedding earlier this month. How cool! They are both very talented, so I hope to hear more from them as they begin their life together. To round out the year, I worked on a particularly challenging and fulfilling project with a startup company that is surely on track to make waves on the web. I can't say anything about the company until they have launched, but the project itself was an original soundtrack for a cartoon. I brought in four very talented musicians and produced a synchronized jazz soundtrack on the spot. Special thanks to two artists who were already friends of Cross-eyed Studio, Dave Finch, Mike McKee on piano and drums respectively -- as well as Ryan Chriscoe and Larry Dempsey on tenor sax and upright bass. What a fun time we had making music together. In post, I added some sound effects and vocalizations to round out the piece. The client was so pleased that they have invited me to join in on more projects to come in 2009! I continued throughout the year to work on website and graphic design projects, but still feel that I'm very much a student in that realm. I added the Adobe CS4 Master Collection to my software palette, and am committed to continuing to learn and grow in all things creative. Here's to a great year in the studio. How blessed I have been to enjoy my first full year of business, and to gain enough altitude to soar into 2009 with enthusiastic optimism. Links to refrences: |
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