Meet Jimmy Ward | Film Sound Mixer and Musician

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

Hi Jimmy, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up, both of my parents made a living in creative fields and I was lucky enough to receive their support to pursue my own, ever-changing goals. My mom is a professional, classically trained harpist and my dad is a former working animator and retired university professor. I took piano and guitar lessons as a kid but often struggled to find the motivation to properly practice. To this day, I feel as though I never achieved my full potential as a musician growing up, and it makes me wonder how different my life could be today if I had embraced it more. People always told me that music is a fun hobby, but it is not reliable for making money. I never really had strong aspirations for pursuing being a musician as a career, but I believe that those comments did deter me a bit creatively. I then started to figure out how I may be able to balance my artistic interests as well as financial security. When high school began, my musical ambitions had somewhat shifted towards potentially working in the music industry as a producer or engineer which are jobs I didn’t fully comprehend at the time. However, at the same time, I started taking cinema classes and found myself to be quite engaged with the work. In high school, I got to make silly class short films, produce silly intro videos for our school news broadcast, and had my first ever experience in film audio by being a part of a silly, but hefty 20-minute short film with my classmates. I learned as best as I could how to be a production sound mixer and Pro Tools at an amateur level. Outside of school, I started my band, VISUAL STATIC, with my friends Liam and Henry and roughly taught myself to play the drums. I say “roughly” because it was only when I took proper lessons years later that I realized how flawed my technique was. “Whiplash” and “Birdman” were two films around that time that left a strong impact on me when it came to drums as well as filmmaking as an art. My band and I met almost every week at Henry’s house to jam, played lots of Guitar Hero, and were able to lay some solid foundation for potential as decent songwriters. Once senior year came around, I decided to go to Pasadena Community College (a truly amazing school) to earn a basic music degree and take some music production courses. Even though I had really grown to enjoy filmmaking and found some genuine community in that, I still had the mindset to work in music because it was something I was ultimately very passionate about. As a band, we had written and self-recorded some music that I was proud of, but we all had to take time off from it to pursue our different careers and schools. So I started my overwhelming first semester and embarked on a new chapter of my life, but something felt off. By the time my second semester had begun, I was not happy. The music courses were enjoyable but were becoming more advanced than what I felt comfortable with. So after some long nights of deliberation, I decided to drop those courses and register as a film major. I started to realize that I just wasn’t all that intrigued by the difficulty and financial instability of a career in music production. I started taking some basic film courses and was able to take the music editing classes that I was still interested in enrolling in. I finally started to feel like was on the track and then (who would guessed it) the pandemic happened. I really struggled during that time but did my best to keep up with my online courses and stay motivated in life. A few years later I am finally starting to feel that optimism again about where my life is headed. Production/Post-production sound mixing is something I find to be immensely gratifying and imaginable as a career for myself. I have also been able to reconnect with my band and release our music comfortably as a hobby. All of this to say, that through all my uncertainties and doubts, I feel that I am extremely lucky to have found a creative path for myself that has seemingly combined many of my lifelong interests.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an independent production and post-production sound mixer as well as a drummer and songwriter for my band, VISUAL STATIC. I mention both aspects of production because that is the state of my work right now in my career. I find myself usually working a few days of the week on a set while also working on the mix or edit for a media project. After countless, mediocre student projects, I am finally at a point where I am able to work at a semi-professional level and make a living with sound. At some point in the future (likely sooner than later) I will most likely shift to one side of sound work based on what professional opportunities come my way. I go back and forth on what side of it appeals to me more. With production, I am on a film set of sorts for 8-12 hours a day and once I am done with the work, it is over. With post-production, I work the hours I like, typically 8+ hours a day in a comfortable space, but usually always have something to work on. My band is purely a passionate hobby as of now and frankly, I wish I had more time to dedicate to it. Balancing consistent long film days and personal life as well as trying to write/record music can be a lot. However, I feel truly grateful to be in the situation I am in where I genuinely enjoy working in film and have a collaborative, creative output with my close friends. I always try and find something meaningful to do in a day and these are what usually occupy my time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Although my mom’s kitchen is my favorite place to eat in Los Angeles, I recently discovered an amazing Italian restaurant in Silverlake called La Pergoletta. After spending a nice day at the Academy Museum, my girlfriend and I concluded our anniversary date at La Pergoletta. Honestly, it was probably the best pasta I have ever had. The food overall was very fresh and worth its menu price. Another place I always enjoy is visiting Amoeba Records in Hollywood. It’s hard to describe the magnitude of Amoeba unless you see it for yourself. I have bought dozens of CDs from them over the years and I always walk away with a surprise. The final place I’ll mention is the New Beverly Cinema, also in the Hollywood area. I have only been a handful of times but it is always a memorable experience. The atmosphere, 35 mm prints, and wide range of concession options are something I look forward to more and more each time I visit. Even though I have lived in the LA area my life, there is still so much I have yet to explore myself!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out my friends and fellow VISUAL STATIC bandmates, Henry Mencia and Liam Mohan. The three of us all met in our middle school Jazz band and I am so pleased to still be friends with them 10 years on. I am very grateful to have met two other talented musicians who like to collaborate and create music that we all enjoy. These guys have humbled me more times than I can count and I always appreciate the time I get to spend in the studio jamming and writing with them. I look forward to releasing more music (hopefully an album next year!) for a long time.

Website: https://linktr.ee/jimmyward

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmyward435/

Other: https://visualstatic.band/ www.youtube.com/@visualstaticband https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11603830/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr14

Image Credits
Auzy Shimek Andre Hurtado Connor Sweeney