My Time as a Multritrack Fellow at Listen.
By Olivia Melkonian, Multitrack Fellow
Starting out in radio I wasn’t initially sure if it was necessarily for me, but I felt so absorbed and comforted by the world of audio that I had now created for myself – I couldn’t leave. I studied Media Production at the University of Sussex and practiced audio production in radio, live sound, journalism and podcasting throughout my time. After years of free work, volunteering and gaining unpaid experience I was ready to be taken seriously, as I now had years of training and practice under my belt. I came across the Multitrack fellowship in it’s pilot year, and although I didn’t get in, I managed to grace a spot in the 2021 fellowship. Multitrack is shaping the way for emerging audio producers who don’t have the same access as those who already dominate the industry, and provide incredible support, professional training and invaluable experience with the help of other companies in the industry, like Listen.
I joined Listen on a part-time placement from February until the end of March this year. Throughout my time, I learned from various members of the wonderful team and quizzed their brains on everything I could think of: pitching process and etiquette, mastering and EQ, developing narratives and personifying characters and also improving my interview questions. I spoke to people across the board and the most useful conversations came out of talking with producers about their ongoing or past podcast projects, from pre-production through to editing. It was inspiring to hear how some of my favourite podcasts have been made, and hear the insight behind each of the producer’s beautiful decisions.
Now that the Multitrack fellowship and my time with Listen has ended, I hope to put these skills I’ve developed over the last few months to good work and find some projects that really inspire me. I’m always interested in family histories, heritage and memory, so I hope to encompass my interests as well as continue to diversify my skills. I really enjoyed learning more about post-production processes and hope to learn more about the engineering side of the industry, while also developing things like characters and narratives that I previously struggled with. I want to make audio more accessible for people who haven’t directly studied it like I have, and hope to build a network of like-minded individuals who are passionate about skill-sharing and supporting each other.
www.homegr0wnsounds.com
https://www.instagram.com/homegr0wn_/
www.mixcloud.com/olivia-melkonian/
https://soundcloud.com/olivia-melkonian
https://www.instagram.com/oliviamelkonian_/
