AWARD WINNING AUDIO PRODUCITON
IN 2020 an author came to me with a very strange, but wonderful book. A book about a mystical little person who would sneak about the world with one objective in mind... to take chairs and (for the pure pleasure of getting a reaction from a human) move them; how odd.
Daniele (the author) had a strange mind, but I like strange and so when he asked me to produce an audio book for him, I jumped at the chance. I had never produced an audio book before, but had heard so many and had only one thought: "A better effort needed to be made".
There seemed to be such little effort in so many audiobooks! It was as if time was a huge factor in production, so an actor (sometimes not) was sat in front of a microphone and they read till they finished and that was it, audiobook.
I detested the fact that these things (books) that so much heart and soul had been poured into, were to be fed to consumers in such a half-hearted way. Audiobooks needed to be better.
Don't get me wrong though. I didn't think I was suddenly the Spielberg of audiobooks, nor did I want to overdo it by adding way too much production. Things had to evoke the listeners imagination, but not take over...and the voice had to have some heart.
Fast forward one year later and the book won Outstanding Production, Best Producer of an audiobook at the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Awards in New York, otherwise known as The SOVAS awards.
Unfortunately, due to the strict pandemic restrictions in 2021, all the plans on attending the awards in New York had to be cancelled.
However, the award eventually made its way around the world to Dubai.
I'm ever grateful for the award and the inspiration it gave me to keep telling stories, exploring creativity and travelling to worlds elsewhere.
