Conversations with Steve Gregan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Gregan.

Hi Steve, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like many, I came to Los Angeles to be a rock star. I had been a working actor in New York City, performing in plays on Broadway and Off, but music was my ‘passion’…so I told my bewildered agent I was done with acting, and began my years playing the clubs, bars, and coffee shops of LA. It was exciting, and humbling. Bands in LA are mostly broke, some paying to play, and I was bartending and waiting tables to make money. A later bandmate was an audio engineer, working on feature trailers. I was curious about it, and asked to sit in on some of his sessions. I was fascinated. Creating sound effects, mixing them with music and voices, using many tools I was familiar with from music…I wanted in. This was the early 90’s, and computers were in the early stages of being used in recording studios. I had to learn this new vernacular of ‘audio post production’. I took some UCLA extension classes (consider myself an alumni now), created a resume, and hit up every recording studio in Los Angeles. A small boutique in Studio City took me in, and within a year, I was working on the same feature trailers my bandmate had. A few years later, a client approached me with a proposal. We had been working together for a few seasons on all of ABC Television’s radio commercials, and another year was just approved. Their company, Wholly Cow Productions, was in Manhattan Beach, and the floor under their offices had become available. We built the studio, Wholly Cow Audio, in 1999. I did all of ABC’s radio spots for the next 7 seasons there, as well as most of Mattel’s commercials, several shows for various networks, voiceover and music recordings of all kinds. Wholly Cow Audio became Waterfront Sound in 2010, and continued to thrive in it’s beachfront location for nearly 18 years.

Those in the South Bay know of the construction project on the corner of Highland and Rosecrans, the site of my old studio. The building was sold, torn down, and a new, large apartment complex in being built there currently. Waterfront Sound relocated to the Manhattan Beach Studios lot in 2018. MBS has been home to Marvel, James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, Disney, and others, and being on the lot has given me the opportunity to work on many interesting projects, such as Thor, Captain America, Jane the Virgin, Scorpion, and many others. Recently, I’ve worked on Nonnas, Bad Monkey for Apple, and the upcoming Avatar film.

Fox Sports is one of my primary clients, and last year I won an Emmy as an audio engineer, working on pieces for the World Cup Soccer tournament.

Last year, I also released my first album, Skeletons, finally completed after some friendly cajoling. It’s on all the streaming services.

Personally, I’ve been a martial artist for much of my life, and have a 7th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, teaching classes at Bryan Hawkins’ Kenpo Karate in Mar Vista. I’ve been married for 38 years to my lovely wife, Karen, and we have one son, Nick, just graduated from UC Davis.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entertainment, as most know, is a fickle industry. There were times I had to work for others, freelancing as an engineer in studios around Los Angeles when my studio was slow. Being self employed is incredibly rewarding, but acting as a salesman, as well as operator, talent, and engineer, is very challenging. My clients are there to work with me specifically, so delegating certain aspects of the business is difficult, though I’ve hired some great folks to cover areas where I’m not knowledgable.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Being ‘creative’ is a must for me. For radio, the slate is blank. Silence. Video will give you suggestions of sounds to use. A slow motion football hit might contain the sound of thunder, with the crack of a shotgun, and earthquake rumble, groaning, pitch – altered vocals. Keeping an open mind to try the unexpected can find wonderful and surprising results.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Knowing the tools is a must. But, knowing Word does not make someone a writer. In my world, the ear is king. Musicality, an internal rhythm, a sense of frequency balance are invaluable. Playing well with others is also key.

Pricing:

• Industry standards….you get what you pay for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Waterfrontsound.com