NUGEN community

Dana James Presson is a Composer, Producer and Sound Designer, best known for his work on the 2019 film Bite Club. He recently shared with us some thoughts on mutual aid within the creative industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a selection of the resources he has found helpful.

As the world unites to face this invisible and indiscriminate virus that knows no race, no gender, no color, no boundaries or borders; there has been a tremendous outpouring of unity and mutual aid around the world. Moreover, the music, television, and film industries have come together in support of fellow industry workers who are essential to our daily lives. I am a proud member of The Society of Composers & Lyricists, who last week sent out a selection of resources for composers, songwriters, and industry workers. This included information about emergency resources for artists, mental health resources for artists, an online remote opportunity put together by AudioAssemble.com, and so many other third party links. Thank you, SCL, for sharing these most helpful resources.

As we all face this pandemic together, I have begun to find social media groups and pages to be useful, positive outlets for engaging with fellow creatives remotely. One is a Facebook group set up by fellow SCL member, Carlos Villalobos, Jr.. Carlos’ group shares resources, current industry topics and news, and positive posts; many members share 'watch parties' and so much more. PERSPECTIVE: A Forum for Film, TV, and Media Composers is another group where participant members are helping each other in the most positive of ways. I have also found NUGEN Audio's posts uplifting to read. The Women In Audio series has been a positive and inspiring reading experience, as well as their continuing artist stories, and informative tutorials. Thank you, NUGEN Audio!

Another great tool I began using recently, which has helped make my process during the pandemic much easier, is called ReelCrafter. ReelCrafter is a subscription, web-based service that allows composers and songwriters to create unique and professional demo reels or mock-ups, to send out electronically with tracking metrics and custom URLs. One can even use it to send out audio for sound design, or dialogue.

I encourage everyone to visit these informative sources online and to seek out other resources. Stay safe, stay positive and creative, seek out social media groups and/or remote conferencing/webinars, and utilize the resources our great creative community has to offer. Let’s all keep engaged during this pandemic. Social interaction is at the core of humanity; finding ways to stay socially connected during this time is important.

Together we are stronger.