Meet Francisco “ Cico” Silva | Sound Mixer / Musician / Drone Pilot / Adventurer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Francisco “ Cico” Silva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francisco “ Cico”, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Taking risks is a fundamental part of my growth since I was very young. Very much like my parents who came to this country from Chile, South America.
As a young student musician I wanted to be a lead trumpet player that had all the high notes and solos…. Risky.

As a young athletes I wanted to be great in not just one sport but sometimes three.. Risky.

As a student I wanted to do well not just in regular classes but I also wanted to excel in honors courses, AP courses and have great grades to hopefully get a congressional recommendation to one of the few selected to get into the Naval Academy after Hogh School… Risky.
I say risky because to do well in all of these categories is what I wanted to show was possible to me but also everyone looking to see if I was good enough to get scholarships and acceptance into great colleges by being able to compete at a high level. Risky, because if I failed I believed I wouldn’t be where I needed to be at that time or prove to my family that college was possible.

In my career in the entertainment and audio recording world, I took a risk in my early stages of working in Hollywood. I had a full time job doing one of my many unfulfilling 9 to 5’s and one day a close childhood friend got me a production job for a few days on an MTV show. He told me after a few days on set …… take the risk and commit 100% to doing sound and quit your job. It was risky because I had only done 2 jobs at that point and they were only a few days of work. But he could see how much I really loved it. It’s where I should have been all along. My close friend, Adam, said to me, this is what you WANT to do as a job because it’s part of my DNA. Music and sound has been part of my entire life since I first pickup up a trumpet at the age of 8. Working the 9-5 was a pay check , a crutch to make ends meet but totally unfulfilling and wasted time that I could be on set honing my craft on the next opportunity, whenever it may be.
The risk I took then was worth it.
I still remember the first full week I worked on a set because I couldn’t believe how much fun I had AND I was getting paid!
The risk literally paid off.
I’ve been mixing sound for TV for almost 20 years now.
The risk I took that day has led me to traveling all over the world, working with musicians, artist, highly regarded actors and world leaders and taking some very physically demanding jobs that were sometimes life threatening. For most, these are something that one could only dream of doing one day or only doing the crazy jobs I said yes to in your dreams!
So yes, It has been said that I am a risk taker.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career started with my love for music way back when I was 8. I feel every thing I did with music since then help prepare me for my career in sound and field recording. Training so many years to become a proficient trumpet player not only gave me the opportunities to perform but also play along side world class musicians. Being in those environments trained me in many ways for my future.

This early “training” has helped me currently in ways that I believe set me apart. I am a trained musician and I love to perform in front of an audience, In the tv and film industry I am aware of and interact with other artist. These are the types of people I get to interact with as a field sound mixer. I feel comfortable around other artist and talent since I trained for so many years to be one.

A lesson I learned early is that Being comfortable around mostly strangers every day is important and people can sense it. As a sound person We often times need to get in the personal space of our talent. This often happens while I am putting on a lavaliere and mic pack on them. It can be uncomfortable to be in someone’s space and asking them for a moment in time to get them mic’d or de-mic’d but the solution was being able to build a quick rapport without making it an uncomfortable situation. I would introduce myself and talk about music or just a Goodmorning without it being awkward. This often would be and can often be the ice breaker to make things go smooth. In my world of adventure shows, travel documentaries and projects with super star musicians, We have to be able to perform our duties as a sound mixer in a variety of high stress high risk environments with little time to act and react.
I think this could be one of my forte’s.
I’m an proud to be able to perform and do my job effectively for example : on stage with a world reknown rock band and fix a mic that is tucked away inside a costume, during a live performance not miss a beat , or record sound and follow a military unit thru an unscouted village looking for I.E.D’s while being shot at in Afghanistan, or mic’ing a world leader, like the president or Rwanda or prime minister of Israel. To me it’s a pleasure , an honor , and exciting and a new challenge. It’s exactly why I live and love to do this job. Those moments and those experiences to meet and greet great people and be paid to capture their voices and sound for the project.

Some lessons learned-
#1 obviously always listen. To your supervisors to your talent to your coworkers. Everything thing matters so listen and adapt to what you hear.

#2 Don’t feel like you can’t speak up. Many times there is a noise, a scratchy mic , a plane or outdoor noise that really can affect the final sound mix. It is ALWAYS appreciated in the long run to be professional and speak up if things sound wrong.

#3 Enjoy the job and learn something new from each opportunity or coworker. It is a world of endless learning and it makes you a better sound mixer a better coworker and a better department head.
It can make your workflow faster and easier the more you learn and incorporate these lessons from others.

I think I have always wanted the world to know that I am always up for the adventure regardless of the challenge.

I co-founded my professional sound services and drone company with a close friend and mentor, Ernie Munoz… we named our company No Fear Audio. That pretty much sums it up!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I live close to LAX so first I would pick them up. Swing by In-n-Out if the line wasn’t 3 miles long and then head home to my house in Gardena. 10 min drive

From there we could go to Manhattan Beach to my favorite steaks and martinis restaurant at Arthur J’s. Listen to some Sinatra style music and enjoy the best meal ever.

Another night we could stroll around Hermosa Beach, I would probably bring my trumpet and sit in with some local musicians at a few cool beach bars , listen to some great music and perhaps a few cocktails and dancing with friends.

Back at my place I like to listen to a lot of jazz music while sometimes practicing my trumpet. Later, watch movies for a light an easy evening … cook some homemade pasta or Chilean Empanadas ( both my parents taught me how since theyare Chilean ). After that retire on my balcony and treat my friend to some Laphroaig 10 and a very special Cuban cigar that I was able to bring back from a trip I took in Havana a few year back filming a 30 for 30 boxing documentary.

The last few days we could check out my favorite Dim Sum Restaurant, The Sea Empress, where if you don’t show up before 1pm you will be out of luck. NO MORE DIM SUM. If that happens there is my favorite Italian “open kitchen” style restaurant with the best thin crust pizza , espresso and desserts in all of LA, called EAT-ALIAN!
So amazing!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I mentioned a close friend that pushed me into taking that first step and risking a steady paycheck to pursue this career.
His Name is Adam Dubrowa – Director of Photography, Emmy Award winning cinematographer and long time friend of over 40 years.

Leslie Greif, Adam Reed, Ernie Munoz, John Dorsey, Colin Simms, Adam Howell, Mike Dy and many many others in this small world of sound mixers and professions who have helped, mentored or given me opportunities that I will always cherish.

Website: https://Www.nofearaudio.com

Instagram: cico0000

Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2623914

Image Credits
Cico Silva, Robert Alexander , Astrit Daku