We caught up with the brilliant and insightful James Raub a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

James, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Diversity is key. Being able to transition seamless from commercial, industrial, independent or feature work makes the process easier. A great attitude goes a long way! Working in such a creative environment there are always going to be challenges be it people or technical. How you deal with those, in the most positive and professional manner, will lead to you being called back for the next production(or not)! Fortunately I get called back. A lot.

James, 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?

I started mixing bands and doing live sound professionally when I was 18. Playing in bands since I was 14 really helped develop my ear for tones, sounds and levels. Plus, playing multiple instruments(not always well) was fun and made me appreciate each “voice” they had in the frequency spectrum. I did live sound for many years until moving to San Diego. After several years of being here a good friend started a film company. So, I asked to handle sound for any projects that developed. After going thru the learning curve and transition to film it’s been the most fun and rewarding work i’ve ever done! Working with creatives(that being band, crew or actors) has made for some great experiences and defiantly a LOT of stories! Doing location sound mixing involves listening well, troubleshooting issues quickly, good communication, making talent comfortable and providing a professional workflow(on set and for post production). Working with so many people requires all of the above and more than I can list! Helping a director/writer tell their story with sound fascinates me and always will! It’s a constant of furthering my education in technology and people!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The resources for education now are endless. From the technical aspect you can learn just about anything about the tools of your trade. Creative workarounds and experiences are just a search away. Who needs a manual anymore!?

Have you ever had to pivot?

Shifting from working with mostly musicians throughout my life to actors was a pivot. Fortunately we’re all creatives and have the same goal. To write a great song or story and have it be enjoyed by as many people as possible!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james_raub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.raub