#WFH Diaries: Kieran Kaye of Full English Post
As confinement continues in most parts of the world, we're checking in with creative people to see how they're faring. Here's an update from Kieran Kaye, the founder of Full English Post, a postproduction audio studio in Brooklyn.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself.
English sound designer, mixer and entrepreneur who landed across the pond in NYC.
Where are you living right now, and who's with you?
Long Island with my wife Sarah, our 1-year-old son Sterling, our cat Blackjack, our dog Bailey, our au pair, and a partridge in a pear tree.
What's your work situation like at the moment?
Although I was just about to open the doors on a brand new shiny studio in Dumbo, I also have a fully remote home office. I am operating almost business as usual, even offering attended sessions via Zoom. Communication and collaboration have been more essential than ever, so I've been making myself available on practically every chat and video conferencing tool that exists to connect with my clients however they feel most comfortable.
Describe your socializing strategy.
Zoom happy hours. Connecting with friends and family over virtual cocktails has been a life saver for my mental health. Also, yelling across the street asking for lawn advice from my neighbor—he's putting me to shame.
How are you dealing with childcare?
My wife and I were lucky enough to have signed up for the Au Pair in America program a few months back, and our au pair Tiffany lives with us. Without her, neither my wife nor I would be able to work from home successfully with our 1-year-old, who is constantly on the go.
What are you reading?
Aside from trying to avoid the abundance of news coverage, The Widow Clicquot. It's the biography of a powerful woman entrepreneur and one of the first innovators in branding (they basically didn't have wine labels before her!), which I found to be inspiring.
What are you watching?
The English Game on Netflix. My soccer team is normally Crystal Palace, but this is as close to sports as I can get at the moment.
What are you listening to?
We've been attempting to differentiate the days with various theme nights and a soundtrack to match from Taco Tuesday to Game Night Fridays.
How are you staying fit?
The dog has never had so many walks before from just about everyone in the house. Also discovered that kneading homemade pizza dough can even break a sweat. Plus, throwing my kid up in the air does wonders for upper body strength!
Have you taken up a hobby?
I've always been a fair weather beer brewer, so I've stepped that up a little. I enjoy the process, plus there's plenty of opportunity to add to my Foley library by recording the popping sounds of bubbling hops to the clinks of glass bottles in a crate—I find inspiration everywhere!
Any tips for getting necessities?
We've been buying in bulk and stretching it out as long as possible. Repurposing leftovers helps the humdrum of everyday life in quarantine.
An awkward moment since this all started.
Air hugging a friend who dropped much-needed homemade cookies off while wearing masks. Kind of depressing, but doing my part to keep not only myself and my family healthy, but others in our community.
Best work email you got since this all started.
I landed a new creative agency client who was clearly hesitant about using me as a new vendor, as well as the added unfamiliarity of a remote workflow. The job had multiple deliverables with specific requirements, including mixing for TV and 5.1 surround sound. Once they received final files, they were ecstatic!
An aha! moment since this all started.
I've had several moments of recognition that I can be stuck in my own ways, and although it's quite easy to dwell on the negatives, in a positive way this has opened my eyes up to being more flexible, more creative and looking at problem solving in a different light. I've also always thought about offering remote live streams of mix and sound design sessions for clients that aren't in NYC, so this was an opportunity for me to explore that with clients who were more willing to take a chance on me.
What's your theory on how this is all going to play out?
I'm staying positive, but the world will forever be changed. There is a new normal for the way we do things, which trickles down to include consumer behavior. Although I work on the postproduction side, the branded content and advertising my company works on will have to shift from now on.
