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The Anklebiters
Moving
On
Up
Jamie Rio: Since the very first edition of
Anklebiters, I have attempted to answer
your questions and share my real-life,
seat-of-my-pants experience of the sound
biz with all of you. And with the help of
some very capable fellow sound techs and
anklebiters, I think I have done a good job of
it. Well, after seven years of working my own
small niche company, I am graduating to the
next level. That means I have grown from a
local guy to a more regional organization.
This will be my last installment of Anklebiters
and I would like to share some of my experiences
of taking “the next step.”
The first thing is: I didn’t just wake up one
morning and decide I wanted to grow into a
bigger company and make more money and
hire more people and have more headaches.
I actually have been planning my next step
for the last two years. And before I took the
plunge, I had a very fat contract for a major
corporation in my back pocket and another
one in the works. But all the planning and
contracts aside, there still comes that moment
when I had to put down some real cash
for the hardware. For me, the next step cost
roughly $55,000. I know some of you guys
drop that much on a weekend in Vegas, but
for an anklebiter, it represented a significant
change. And for those of you who follow
my writing, you know that I am opposed to
financing anything. So, I laid down the cash.
Actually, I put the various purchases on my
AmEx for the miles, and then paid off the
balance ASAP.
36 January 2006 www.fohonline.com
By JamieRio JamieRio and Paul Paul H.Overson
H.Overson
But I digress. The thing is, I didn’t put
myself in debt in order to progress. Now,
mind you, I had at least that much invested
in gear prior to my current purchases, but I
accumulated the earlier stuff in smaller bites.
So, here I am with a pile of new gear and I
realize my two-car garage won’t hold it all. I
just moved some of the gear to the garage of
one of my employees while I look for a suitable
and affordable warehouse. I knew this
was coming, friends; I just didn’t think the
subs were going to take up so much room.
And of course, I need a new, larger truck. But
I also anticipated this and will soon purchase
an appropriate vehicle.
Some of the things I didn’t plan are the
fact that I need to incorporate my business.
I am currently a sole proprietor, but I have a
good attorney. And then there are my own
personal feelings and growing megalomania.
If I can supply superior sound for 5,000
people, why not 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000 or
more? The hardest thing right now, however,
is to find an FOH guy who is a good as me.
Please don’t think that I am also an egomaniac.
But I mix every show I do (except for
the rental stuff ), and I am very good at it. In
fact, that is how I have managed to build a
successful and profitable business. So, how
can I do two shows in two locations on the
same day? I have to hire a guy who is good
and responsible. Someone who can manage
a show and bands and a crew. A person
who can work with the acts and promoters
and managers and jerks. Somebody who can
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think on his or her feet, who is faster than a
speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive
etc. In other words, I need a clone of
myself who will work for less money.
This predicament has led me to the realization
that growing a sound company (or
any business for that matter) is not just buying
more gear and getting more clients. You
certainly can’t grow without gear and clients,
but you and I and anyone else who wants to
achieve more must grow personally.
So, my greatest challenge is really to
become a better person. I know I will find the
right FOH guy. And hopefully he will be better
and sharper than I am. You see, my friends,
my real goal is to mix from my cell phone or
laptop while I enjoy the beach in Cabo San
Lucas. Oh, by the way, I have a show there on
Feb. 19.
Anyway, thank you all so much for reading
this column. I have really enjoyed writing it. I
am sure that Paul and the new guy will be at
least as informative and entertaining as I have
been. For those of you who will miss me, please
don’t worry. I will be popping up on other
pages of this magazine in the near future.
For now, good luck. Jamie Rio
Paul H. Overson: Jamie, we will miss you
very much! You have shown us the way to
change our circumstances by planning and trying
to do other types of gigs. It takes courage.
In January of last year, I tried my hand at
doing sound for a full-length movie. We hired
a boom operator and I mixed and recorded
the sound. It was a new experience for us,
and we were not sure what types of experiences
we would have. I had been an extra for
several movies, but I couldn’t remember what
the sound crew was doing. Since this movie
was filmed indoors and outdoors, we ran
into many scenarios, including water several
inches deep in an old abandoned jail complex.
We experienced blizzards, ice covering everything,
car crashes and anything else that you
can imagine. I have a newly-found respect for
movie sound crews and will do my homework
much more thoroughly next time.
The point that I am trying to make is to
try new gigs and change the way you are
doing your work. We have done sound for rodeos,
skiing and snowboarding events, plays,
concerts, festivals, parties, weddings, etc.
Change is the only constant in our business,
so we must adapt to keep fresh and hopefully
make a living. Sometimes, a new type
of gig will open doors that you had never
considered. Keep smiling and enjoy what
work comes your way! Jamie, I’ll be happy to
help you on Feb. 19 in Cabo San Lucas!
Jamie’s move upward leaves a hole in our
Anklebiter team. Think you can fill it? We are
looking for small- to mid-sized local soundcos
and would prefer one east of the Mississippi
just to keep things better balanced. If you are
interested, send an email to bevans@fohonline.
com. –Ed.