By Dayna McCallum
Doug Kent has joined Westwind Media as president. The move is a homecoming of sorts for the audio post vet, who worked as a sound editor and supervisor at the facility when they opened their doors in 1997 (with Miles O’ Fun). He comes to Westwind after a long-tenured position at Technicolor.
While primarily known as an audio post facility, Burbank-based Westwind has grown into a three-acre campus comprised of 10 buildings, which also house outposts for NBCUniversal and Technicolor, as well as media focused companies Keywords Headquarters and Film Solutions.
We reached out to Kent to find out a little bit more about what is happening over at Westwind, why he made the move and changes he has seen in the industry.
Why was now the right time to make this change, especially after being at one place for so long?
Well, 17 years is a really long time to stay at one place in this day and age! I worked with an amazing team, but Westwind presented a very unique opportunity for me. John Bidasio (managing partner) and Sunder Ramani (president of Westwind Properties) approached me with the role of heading up Westwind and teaming with them in shaping the growth of their media campus. It was literally an offer I couldn’t refuse. Because of the campus size and versatility of the buildings, I have always considered Westwind to have amazing potential to be one of the premier post production boutique destinations in the LA area. I’m very excited to be part of that growth.
You’ve worked at studios and facilities of all sizes in your career. What do you see as the benefit of a boutique facility like Westwind? 
After 30 years in the post audio business — which seems crazy to say out loud — moving to a boutique facility allows me more flexibility. It also lets me be personally involved with the delivery of all work to our customers. Because of our relationships with other facilities, we are able to offer services to our customers all over the Los Angeles area. It’s all about drive time on Waze!
What does your new position at Westwind involve?
The size of our business allows me to actively participate with every service we offer, from business development to capital expenditures, while also working with our management team’s growth strategy for the campus. Our value proposition, as a nimble post audio provider, focuses on our high-quality brick and motor facility, while we continue to expand our editorial and mix talent working with many of the best mix facilities and sound designers in the LA area. Luckily, I now get to have a hand in all of it.
Westwind recently renovated two stages. Did Dolby Atmos certification drive that decision?
Netflix, Apple and Amazon all use Atmos materials for their original programming. It was time to move forward. These immersive technologies have changed the way filmmakers shape the overall experience for the consumer. These new object-based technologies enhance our ability to embellish and manipulate the soundscape of each production, creating a visceral experience for the audience that is more exciting and dynamic.
How to Get Away With Murder
Can you talk specifically about the gear you are using on the stages?
Currently, Westwind runs entirely on a Dante network design. We have four dub stages, including both of the Atmos stages, outfitted with Dante interfaces. The signal path from our Avid Pro Tools source machines — all the way to the speakers — is entirely in Dante and the BSS Blu link network. The monitor switching and stage are controlled through custom made panels designed in Harman’s Audio Architect. The Dante network allows us to route signals with complete flexibility across our network.
What about some of the projects you are currently working on?
We provide post sound services to the team at ShondaLand for all their productions, including Grey’s Anatomy, which is now in its 15th year, Station 19, How to Get Away With Murder and For the People. We are also involved in the streaming content market, working on titles for Amazon, YouTube Red and Netflix.
Looking forward, what changes in technology and the industry do you see having the most impact on audio post?
The role of post production sound has greatly increased as technology has advanced. We have become an active part of the filmmaking process and have developed closer partnerships with the executive producers, showrunners and creative executives. Delivering great soundscapes to these filmmakers has become more critical as technology advances and audiences become more sophisticated.
The Atmos system creates an immersive audio experience for the listener and has become a foundation for future technology. The Atmos master contains all of the uncompressed audio and panning metadata, and can be updated by re-encoding whenever a new process is released. With streaming speeds becoming faster and storage becoming more easily available, home viewers will most likely soon be experiencing Atmos technology in their living room.
What haven’t I asked that is important?
Relationships are the most important part of any business and my favorite part of being in post production sound. I truly value my connections and deep friendships with film executives and studio owners all over the Los Angeles area, not to mention the incredible artists I’ve had the great pleasure of working with and claiming as friends. The technology is amazing, but the people are what make being in this business fulfilling and engaging.
We are in a remarkable time in film, but really an amazing time in what we still call “television.” There is growth and expansion and foundational change in every aspect of this industry. Being at Westwind gives me the flexibility and opportunity to be part of that change and to keep growing.
