Props to Pro-Audio

What do Lord Norman Foster, Oompa Loompas, James Bond and Abbey Road Studios all have in common?

They have all benefited from the creative and technical talents of Glenn Haddock, founder of Soundz Fishy, and master craftsman of studio consoles for the TV, film and music post-production industry.

“Prop making for the film industry was the best possible training for what I do now,” explains Glenn. “Turning fantasy into a working reality is a real test of creativity, innovation and problem-solving, and solving studio challenges is at the heart of what we do at Soundz Fishy.”

Starting his working career in Australia as an apprentice pattern maker in the early 80’s, Glenn always enjoyed designing and building things that were both functional and beautiful.

“After a period of back packing around Europe, I settled in the UK during the construction boom of the late 80’s / early 90’s and honed my skills making architectural models for the likes of Lord Foster and Lord Rogers. The precision involved in bringing detailed architectural drawings to life at such a small scale was also great experience,” says Glenn.

Not long after, he made his first foray into the film industry, working for Universal, Disney and then Paramount Pictures, making props for films like Event Horizon, Star Wars Phantom Menace, Robin Hood, James Bond and several movies in the Harry Potter franchise.

“I would basically be told what the film needed by way of props and then I would use my mechanical, electrical and design skills to turn those ideas into a living, working reality,” says Glenn.

From the rotating Core in Event Horizon, to exploding scanners in Bond movies and Oompa Loompa props on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake, nothing was too fantastical for Glenn to create. Working on the first three Harry Potter movies, Glenn’s many creations included the Nimbus 2000 broomstick, a three quarter-sized motorbike for Hagrid and the lantern held by Harry when trying on the invisibility cloak.

It also sparked his passion for the film and TV industry which is where Soundz Fishy do most of their work today.

Having set up a company making props and installations for movies, exhibitions and experiential events, Glenn was approached by Twickenham Film Studios.

“Twickenham had undergone a refurbishment and they wanted to improve the design and workflow of their studios,” explains Glenn. “I could immediately see how my design, build and electro-mechanical skills gained in film pre-production could add real value. Rise and fall legs, sliding screens and producer desks all add to the console functionality, adaptability and improve workflow, while keeping the studio tidy, safe and pleasant to work in.”

Glenn’s next pro-audio customer, Goldcrest Studios, had other challenges. Mixing equipment is traditionally very inflexible and many of these studios are hired by producers and sound professionals that have different needs and their own preferred mixing equipment.

Goldcrest needed flexibility and the ability to integrate different mixing consoles. So, Glenn invented the Hybrid Integration System, allowing different makes of console, such as the AMS Neve and Euphonix System 5 to function on the same control surface with the Avid S6.

“This was unique in the industry and word soon got around as producers used the studios and were impressed by their set up. We were soon approached by other world-leading studios including Abbey Road, Skywalker and Pinewood,” said Glenn.

With this side of Glenn’s business growing exponentially, he decided to focus solely on the pro-audio industry and set up Soundz Fishy in January 2021. With a surname like Haddock, it seemed natural to adopt the fish as the central theme of his branding.

With the COVID pandemic leading to a massive rise in content consumption and streaming, Soundz Fishy is also working with the new generation of TV and film production houses, including Netflix and Apple.

“Lockdown One initially put a bit of a dent in TV and film production and post-production, but now things are really thriving and Soundz Fishy has completed some great projects recently and has more exciting work in the pipeline. We are also scaling up our production capability and have developed an innovative new range of console designs and accessories combining everything we’ve learned during custom design and build projects. These will bring the same ergonomic and workflow benefits, but in a more affordable way,” said Glenn.

To find out more about Soundz Fishy visit www.soundzfishy.com. To discuss your studio challenges, call Glenn on 07976 843675 or email him on glenn@Soundzfishy.com.