I absolutely love hearing origin stories of Pros in the business. So many of them are similar. Stick to it, don't give up on your dreams etc... all that stuff. But even though it seems corny, it's really true. Wes' story below is a testament to nurturing relationships, working hard and not giving up. Remember, I'm here to help you along the way. Reach out to me any time... but for now, read Wes' story, get inspired and keep on going!

Reposted with permission from Linkedin.

I thought I would take a break from the norm and start to share a bit about my journey, my purpose, my passion and about the people who have helped me along the way. This is a long post but I hope you'll stick with me to the end.
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My journey began in early childhood, my dad was an air traffic controller while my mom stayed home and raised my twin brother and I. Dad was also a musician (drums and guitar) and my brother and I followed suit. I took up the drums and my brother took to the guitar and bass. Fast forward a few years, my dad and a fellow friend from work decided to build a recording studio and I caught the bug. I learned audio engineering while my brother played an instrument for me to record! We had a blast in that studio.
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High school graduation was coming up and I heard a radio spot about a local school that was teaching audio production courses. I told my parents "this is what I want to do". They paid for me to attend and I learned the basics of audio in a school type setting as well as practical hands on learning with all the gear. This fueled my passion for audio engineering even more.
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The owner of the school, Korey Vanzant, called a year or so after the program ended to let me know he had heard of a couple of guys who were joining their studios together and were looking for an intern. I made the call and spoke with Chris Freels and LG Hamilton of The Music Group Studios. This led to 3.5 years of learning the craft from the pros and making an incredible cup of coffee or so I was told. My time at The Music Group was fun and full of learning. I owe those guys a lot of credit for bringing me in and showing me the craft.
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Through my time at TMG I met a guy named Jason Moore who was a composer/engineer that would come in to direct string sessions for their clients. He called me one day and said that he was working for a non-profit film company and they were looking for an audio engineer, to which I emphatically said "Yes!". Jason taught me the ropes for sound for picture and I knew at this point that this is really where my talents and passion for audio would be best suited.
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A few years passed and I found myself supporting my new wife through nursing school by delivering mail for USPS. Talk about a humbling experience! I worked 6 days a week, 10hrs a day. I spent most of my time on the route telling the people I met that "I'm really an audio engineer but just carrying mail for the time being to help my wife get through school". I got a lot of the typical responses I've heard through the years that basically went like this... "You have a respectable job, you should just give up that dream of audio and just do something you know will be steady". I know a lot of people meant well but I couldn't put out that fire in me to do audio. I knew this is what God put me on this earth to do and I wasn't ever going to give up on it.

After carrying mail I would go pop in and visit Don Juntunen and Jason Bushore at Ackerman McQueen to start forming a relationship to be top of mind if they ever needed another engineer. After 2-3 years of this, Don called me and offered me a position. I was elated! for the next 10 years I learned the ad biz by fire and it formed me into the professional I am today. Long hours, stressful deadlines, honing my craft through many revisions and creative direction. Don was the best boss I could've asked for and Jason Bushore was the mentor and friend I needed to help me grow. The debt I owe these guys, wow!
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Towards the end of my time at AM the company had lost some big clients and times were hard, this is where Jason Moore comes back into the picture. He had been sending me some reality TV mixing work when he was backlogged so I would work a full shift at AM during the day and then mix in the evenings and weekends for NorthSouth Productions. He encouraged me (a few times now) to come stay with him in Knoxville, TN and to reach out to some other media companies in the area. I finally took him up on his offer, flew from OK to TN and he graciously drove me around to meetings I had setup. One of those meetings was with Angela Hutchinson from RIVR Media.
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Angela offered me a show called "Home Inspector Joe" to mix and this is where I made the difficult decision to leave my full time career in advertising to make a go in the freelance world. So in October of 2021 I gave notice to AM and left on my adventure. I've since mixed many unscripted reality TV shows for networks like HGTV, TruTV, The Outdoor Channel, TLC and others and i'm so grateful for the opportunities that have come my way. I still have doubts along the way when work is slow but I have the grit now to keep on pushing until the end. There's many others to thank like Derek Mleynek, Colter Willhoite from WinnercommTulsa. Margot Gattuso from NoSo. Tyler Petersen and Keith G. Greer Angus and Revan McQueen and many more i'm probably forgetting but I just wanted to say thank you to all and share a bit about me personally and my journey. God bless you all!
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