Art DirectorTechnical DirectorCreative DesignerCamera OperatorLive SwitcherAudio EngineerLighting DesignerSet DesignerStudio BuilderBrand StrategistEPK AuthorSocial Media ConsultantYouTube AnalystOn-Camera TalentBusiness Consultant
The project
Highland Sound Productions is a music, film, and media company founded by Brian C. Hutson. It operates as a label, production house, and content platform across several properties: "The Highland Sound", an award-winning documentary chronicling Texas musicians from the 1990s to today; "Highland Sound Tracks", a live performance and interview series where artists perform custom sets recorded in audio and video simultaneously; and "I Was In That Band!", a podcast hosted by Grady Sandlin covering the DFW music scene.
I assisted Brian in building the podcast studio from scratch, served as Art Director on the documentary, and Technical Directed 12 episodes of Season 1 of Highland Sound Tracks. In the existing recording studio, I handled camera setup and testing, lighting, wiring, miking, sound checks, and live engineering. The documentary was co-directed by Hutson and Cody Thomason, a professional camera operator and editor who advised on camera and lighting for the podcast and came up with the name "Highland Sound Tracks."
What I built
Podcast Studio: Co-Built from Scratch
Three rooms in Hutson's father's house: a recording studio, an engineering booth, and an editing room. The studio and booth existed. Brian and I turned the editing room into a production-ready podcast studio from nothing. Across all three spaces, I helped with cable infrastructure, camera placement, lighting rigs, wiring, and the testing and calibration that makes a multi-camera, multi-room, multi-mic, multi-instrument shoot repeatable.
Cable Infrastructure
Tested and troubleshot the cable snake between rooms. Wired the full recording chain in the podcast studio.
Acoustic Treatment
Advised on panel installation and room sound management across both the performance and podcast spaces.
Set Design + Soundstage
Helped build the physical set, helped with decorating, helped establish the visual identity the show still carries.
Lighting
Designed and installed accent lighting and performance lighting. Ran tests across multiple configurations and iterated shoot-to-shoot to lock in the final look.
AV Installation
Hung and wired the TV monitor, set up the multi-camera monitoring system, camera placement and settings calibration.
Camera Testing
Weeks of placement tests, settings dialing, and lighting calibration. Sound checked and camera tested before each unique setup. Cody Thomason advised on camera settings, shooting, and lighting techniques.
Build process: LED install, set sketch, camera calibration, finished podcast set
Gear chain
Video
2x Blackmagic cameras on SmallRig cages with Canon L-series glass (EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM)
2x Canon bodies with EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, plus a Canon telephoto swapped in for specific setups
SmallHD monitors, 4-camera setup from a single director position
Audio / Recording Studio
Mackie console into Pro Tools
Multi-miking across 2 rooms, a dozen+ mics: drum kit, Rhodes, guitars (electric + acoustic), bass (electric + acoustic), harmonica
Room mics for ambient capture
Cable snake between studio and control position
iPhone footage shot by Travis used in podcast episode edits
Audio / Podcast Studio
Focusrite interface (4-channel) into Pro Tools (separate system)
Shure podcast microphones with quality stands
4 simultaneous mic channels with sync management
The documentary
Art Director, "The Highland Sound"
Title + Poster + Promo
Designed the title card, movie poster, and all promotional artwork.
Transitions + Sequences
Created all visual transitions between documentary sections, synced to the audio. Edited montage sequences for songs and section breaks. Assembled the narrative connective tissue between segments.
Photo Restoration
Large-scale photo restoration project for archival footage and stills used in the documentary.
Generative Art
Created original artwork using MidJourney: prompt engineering, source remixing, multiple composition techniques to produce visual pieces set to the music.
Photo Collages
Transformed production photography into stylized art collages integrated into the film.
On-Camera Segment
Featured in the documentary and filmed an on-camera segment about the Last House of God remix.
Album Art
Created album artwork for Highland Sound featured artists.
EPK + Festival Strategy
Wrote the electronic press kit for festival submissions and helped select which festivals to target.
Album artwork for WitherSmoke, one of the HST featured artists
The format: an artist or group arrives, does an extended interview with hosts Brian C. Hutson, Matthew Gray, or Grady Sandlin, then performs a unique, custom live set recorded in both audio and video simultaneously. Sound checked and camera tested before each unique setup. I shot, engineered, and appeared some across 12 episodes.
Audio Engineering
Ran the live recording sessions. Set levels, managed multi-mic setups across instruments and vocals, monitored the mix in real time during performances.
Camera Operation
Operated multiple cameras including a PTZ during performances. Focused cameras, checked settings, swapped and assisted in swapping lenses, set up shots. Moved cameras between two shooting locations. Simultaneously engineering audio across 2 rooms and a dozen mics.
Single-Chair Technical Directing
Sat at the 4-monitor station with a camera and mic on me. Managed four camera feeds, four audio channels, and sync from one seat. Technical directed, engineered, and appeared on camera simultaneously.
Brand + Creative
Designed the Highland Sound logo and splash page. Contributed to the intro song. Created original intro artwork that established the visual identity still in use through Season 3. Assisted and consulted on YouTube thumbnail design, best practices research, and channel strategy. Also did a remix of "The Last House of God" for Brian's project The Omni Galore (Dire League).
Livid Instruments (CEO)→Hardware product design, artist workflow understanding, Kickstarter execution.
20+ years musician / DJ→Audio engineering instincts, mic technique, room acoustics, signal chain fluency.
ACC Audio Engineering→Formal training backing the practical experience. Studio workflow, mixing fundamentals.
Mars Music (early career)→Hands-on gear knowledge across instruments, recording equipment, and signal chains.
US Army (NCO, Airborne)→Measure, test, verify, no shortcuts. The same discipline that goes into rigging a parachute goes into wiring a studio.
What I'd do differently
Every project teaches you something. Here's what this one taught me.
Compensation
The project started on handshake terms and stayed there. Expenses added up on both sides, but appropriate compensation for the scope of work never materialized. Next time, I'd formalize that upfront.
Credit
Credited as "Featured Art By" in the documentary, which I'm proud of. But there was no credit or acknowledgment on the Highland Sound Productions website for the podcast studio co-build, the production work, the logo, the artwork, or any Season 1 Highland Sound Tracks ideation and work. I'd establish credit scope in writing from the start.
Creative Disagreements
Differences in workflow philosophy and in how creative contributions were valued. Friction between executing a vision and being acknowledged for shaping it. Normal in collaborative work, but worth naming.
Sustainability
The operation runs on passion and favors. That energy is real, and it built something impressive. But I decided to take a step back after Season 1.
The show has continued through Season 2 and is headed toward Season 3. The podcast studio I helped create and build, the logo I designed, the brand style I authored, and the production workflow I assisted in establishing are still in flight.
What this demonstrates
Full-Stack Production
Studio construction, audio engineering, camera operation, art direction, brand design, live directing, and on-screen presence. All on the same project. Often in the same session.
Building from Zero
Bare room and an idea turned into a working, repeatable production environment with a locked-in technical workflow that's still running into its 3rd season.
Operating Under Constraint
Lean team. Tight resources. No margin for error. The work shipped. The documentary won awards.
Cross-Domain Integration
Broadcast (GigCasters) + music industry (Livid, DJ, Mars) + audio engineering (ACC) + creative direction, all converging on a single deliverable.
