Meet Dereck De Mesa: Audio Engineer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dereck De Mesa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dereck, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I believe risks are very important in a persons life. If you take risks and put yourself out on the line, you create a whole set of opportunities for the future. You can generate many possibilities, whether it’s achieving what you originally set out to do or unlocking a door you hadn’t even considered yet. Even if you fail, it’s beneficial because you gain valuable insight and experience from failure. Essentially if i had not taken certain risks, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In fact it was 5 years ago (2015) where I decided to quit my job and attend SAE Institute of Technology. Within 3 years I was able graduate from the Audio Engineering program and immediately started working as an intern at multiple recording studios in the greater Los Angeles area. Now I am building a network of clientele and working with various artists in different creative industries from all over California. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ever since I can remember I’ve always had a niche for music especially the production behind the it. When recording/mixing a song what I love the most is working with the artist in person. I like picking at their creative side and having it come to fruition within the song. As engineers we have a job of catering to the artists needs, whether it’s adding certain effects to a song or making it sound the way they want it. And thats where I believe sets me apart from others; working side by side diligently and forming a sort of chemistry between artist and engineer. Like I stated before, essentially I dropped whatever I was doing and decided to chase after a goal I had set for myself. It was NOT easy, full time student with little to no income coming in. Anything is attainable as long as you have a plan set. While you don’t know whats going to happen in the future it’s always a safe bet to plan ahead. While thats one of the lessons I’ve learned there are a few others, asking for help, accepting support, and having positive mindset are other important lessons I’ve grown to learn throughout my journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If there was ever a chance of taking a friend around the city of Los Angeles for a full week, it would consist of one or two days showing the the famous LA landmarks and the rest of the week would be eating different cultural foods that are all over Los Angeles. For breakfast I would start at a very famous Pasadena staple, “Luckyboy’s” where they have THE BEST breakfast burritos. For lunch I would recommend Silverlake Ramen in Los Angeles. For dinner would have to drive down to Koreatown, Los Angeles for some all you can eat Korean BBQ. These are just a few choices out of about a million from where you can choose in LA. Some of my goto’s are: In-n-Out, Sonia’s Taco Truck in Eagle Rock, Point Point Joint (authentic Filipino food), Canters Delicatessen, & Night+Market Song. During the week probably plan some form of hike, a trip to the beach, or even cap the night off at a karaoke bar! There are so many things to plan for in Los Angeles, I don’t think I could fit an entire plan within only one week.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Before quitting my job and attending school there were of course factors that needed to be accounted for; what will I do for money while in school? How will I make ends meet with bills? Is the risk worth the reward? Those questions can weigh heavily on any individual. Thankfully I am blessed with a great support system that stems from both my family and peers. So first and foremost I would like to dedicate and thank my family for supporting me in my endeavors into the Music Industry, without their support none of this could even be possible. With all the talented artist/creators that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, there are two specific people I would like to thank most and they are Andrew Moran and Arnulfo Reyes III. When I mentioned talented creators, both Andrew and Arnulfo can be put at the top of the list for me. Us three have formed this team and I believe each of us pushes and encourages each other so much because we want nothing but the best from each other and we as a group know what we’re capable of providing in this industry.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixedbydereck/
Other: dereck22demesa@gmail.com