Meet Jared Fellows | Mixer and Mix Tech

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jared Fellows and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jared, why did you pursue a creative career?
On the first short I ever worked on in college, I worked with a friend pretty closely on the sound edit. I really enjoyed the creative back and forth about the sound, but I especially liked his enthusiasm. He really cared about the outcome and was excited to tell the story. Participating and sharing in clients’s joy and energy excites me and motivates me to work. Also, each project’s process and storyline become a lasting part of you. The best projects I’ve worked on have changed me as a person. After a couple of those experiences, I knew I wanted to continue working in post-production sound.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a curious person and I enjoy learning about all of post-production, from sound to picture editorial and color to post producing. It helps my work because I can communicate and understand other people in the process better and I think it makes it easier to develop relationships with people in this field. I also am a good mediator. Recently, I supervised a small indie feature where the turnover from picture to sound, i.e. transferring video and audio assets from picture editorial to sound editorial, wasn’t going well, and people on both sides were getting upset. I stepped in, listened to both sides’ grievances, and was able to mediate between them to make sure that the turnover happened smoothly. It took patience, personalized understanding, technical knowledge, a willingness to learn, and a clear eye on the final goal to succeed.

Lessons that I have learned:

1. Stay humble always, no matter the situation.
2. Work is more about the process than the outcome.
3. Always find a way to have fun at work. Post-production is long and difficult, and so you need to find a way to make every day fun for you and your team.
4. Create meaning and purpose to your life outside of work. Having everything depend on work leaves you vulnerable as a person when it cannot support you. If you have hobbies, friends, and loved ones that you can lean on, your quality of life is better and your work will be better when you return.
5. Always think about how you can do more or better for others.

I got to where I am today by being willing to put the extra time in to learn when it was necessary and by having faith that my efforts will be rewarded somewhere and somehow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were coming to town, I’d make sure they have tsukemen from Tsujita Annex on Sawtelle, birria goat tacos from Tacos y Birria la Unica, and Coral Cafe in Burbank for their chicken fried steak (get it even if you don’t like chicken fried steak!). During the morning/day, I’d love to show them a few hikes like Runyon Canyon and Solstice Canyon as well as Abalone Cove, the Korean Friendship Bell, and Point Fermin in Palos Verdes.

I also like to do a big loop of my part of the city from the PCH to Sunset to DTLA and back through where I live on Pico because I think it gives a good sense of how I experience the city.

Depending on the person, I’d also like to take them to a movie at a rep theater like the Vista, Egyptian or Brain Dead, or go to a concert at Sound Nightclub, Exchange, or Catch One.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First of all is a group of friends and collaborators named after a web series we worked on called Outta Pocket. They put me on so many gigs, recommended me to others, helped me fund my equipment, and supported me for years. I wouldn’t be here today without them.

I’d also like to acknowledge Eric Huezo who taught me so much about how to be a mix tech; Pete Elia and Kevin Roache who chose me as their mix tech from the runner pool; Jason Coleman who has mentored me on how to mix sound effects for TV and has taught me a lot about what it means to be a good collaborator; and finally Bryan Parker who listened to my edits and showed me what it means to truly love post-production sound.

Instagram: @it_groovy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-fellows/

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8713777/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_jared%2520fellows