Walsh Family Media has always served as a place where young talented artist can spread their wings and make a huge impact on the film industry. Brendan Murphy is no exception. The Rhode Island native joined the WFM team just over a year ago as a sound engineer, but has gotten a chance to get involved with everything from file management and database organization to accounting and even a little acting for reference videos. The UMass Lowell grad has a degree in music performance and sound recording technology. At 23 he is currently the youngest member of the WFM team and can often be found tearing it up on the bass guitar or freestyling to a funky beat. But don't be fooled; this break dancing beat dropper means business.
Murphy first learned about WFM and The Cool Beans projects after a choice encounter with studio head Patrick Walsh at a local watering hole. Murphy immediately showed interest in the Beans projects, even offering Walsh suggestions for improving problems with the current audio pipeline in place at WFM.
Upon first arriving at the studio, Murphy, a Brooklyn resident, says he was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a full scale, creative production studio right in his own backyard in. In fact, he says he often rode his bike to work prior to the studio's relocation to Midtown Manhattan. Murphy immediately went to work on restructuring and organizing the studio's entire audio department. "Brendan's keen attention to detail and his prowess for organization has proven a tremendous asset to the team," says Walsh. A self proclaimed "fast learner" Murphy prides himself in his ability to figure out solutions to problems and integrate them into the sound production pipeline.
Brendan has embraced the "Anything Goes" approach to the sound design of We Need a Hit, the studio's first feature length film. The zany nature of the film removes many of the limitations found in more conservative film's sound design schemes. Drawing inspiration from a number of film genres including Warner Brothers and Hanna Barbara cartoons, Murphy seeks to recreate the same crazy and fun feeling that one gets when watching a classic bugs Bunny film.
Murphy points to personal influences such as legendary producers and engineers Quincy Jones (producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller), Roger Nichols (steely Dan engineer) Alan Parsons (engineer on Pink Floyd's Dark side of the Moon) and Phil Spector (producer of the Beach Boys Pet Sounds), as well as film sound designers like Ben Burtt (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Wall-E) as his inspirations.
Murphy constantly seeks to "betterize" himself as he delves into all aspects of production. According to Murphy, the best part of being on a small team is the exposure one gets to all areas of production. Unlike his previous work at post production sound houses like Silver Sound and Riverside Digital Media or doing sound on location for film, working at a small animation studio affords Brendan the chance to be involved in every step of the process. Whether it's brainstorming and sculpting animated sequences with scratch sound and rough voice ideas, coaching award winning actors in the voice over booth,or composing music and doing final mixes and sound effects, at WFM he gets to touch it all.
"It's the people," Murphy says that sets WFM apart from other studios. "The dedication, energy, and enthusiasm of the different personalities really meld into something special."
One of Murphy's favorite experiences at WFM thus far was the opportunity to go to The Sound Lounge, a Manhattan Based recording studio, to do the final mixing for Club Kid'doo: The Adventure Begins, a project WFM produced last year for a client out of New Jersey. He also enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with Kevin Fox, a California based composer who has composed much of the score for We Need a Hit. Murphy is also a huge fan and catalyst in the impromptu jam sessions that occur regularly at WFM. "Its a chance for people who wouldn't necessarily be comfortable expressing themselves to let loose a little bit and have fun whether they play an instrument or not. We've even had an investor or two lay down some licks on one of the guitars in our growing collection," Murphy recounts. The improvisational vibe and nature of the jam sessions has actually spawned ideas for original beans songs, says Murphy, who has had the foresight to record such sessions for future inspiration.
According to Murphy, maintaining focus can be one of the most difficult challenges in working with a small team. Many of the team members at WFM wear many hats in order to keep the ship running smoothly, requiring a heightened level of organization to ensure that no particular task is overlooked. "In a way, it's also the good thing about a small team," Murphy says.
It would seem that few have stepped up to the plate with as much vigor as Brendan, who is said to be one of the first people into the studio each day and just as often one of the last "warriors," as Patrick Walsh likes to call his team, locking up the door. "Brendan never hesitates to take on an additional task; regardless of how little it has to do with sound or audio engineering, treating even administrative task with the focus and attention they deserve," another co-worker stated.
Brendan aspires to one day run his own company keeping sound design and sound design software on the cutting edge. The leadership skills he has acquired while at WFM and the macro glimpse of all of the aspects of not only audio production, but animated film production as a whole, will prove to be an invaluable asset on that ultimate quest.
The future looks bright for Brendan and the whole WFM team as they work tirelessly, day in and day out with unrivaled passion and motivation to achieve their dreams of bringing The Cool Beans to the big screen.
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