Tell us a bit about your company, Azur Studios Azur Studios opened its doors in 2007. At that time, we were primarily dubbing Japanese programs into English, for NHK’s “Morning Drama”. Now we do a lot more, including Live Action, Anime, Foley Recording & ADR, and Voice Recording for TV or Radio. We have dubbed over 150 “Dragon Z” and “Gundam Seed” Anime episodes.
We are a small team, but we work efficiently and are dedicated to always delivering our best.
A few years ago, we expanded and branched out more into the Audio Post Production field, where we offer full-service Audio Post including ADR, Foley, Sound Design and Re-recording Mix.
We also host regular training sessions for promising voice artists. Many have been placed in shows we record.
What projects are you working on right now and/or recently completed?
We recently finished a mini-series for NHK called “Teen Regime” and are anticipating another mini-series in the next few weeks.
An ongoing project that we have is recording the Airport Announcements for YVR, Calgary, Prince George & Victoria. The client for this project is based in the Czech Republic. A few years ago, we were asked to record Fijian Announcements for the Auckland, New Zealand Airport.
We have also recently recorded dialogue for a Video Game. It’s always so interesting to see how that world operates. Very different from our “Post World”.
Azur is the designated Studio for Penguin Random House Canada for Audio Book recordings in Vancouver. This project is sometimes read by the author themselves if they reside in Vancouver. We have already covered a variety of titles from Neurosurgeons to Politicians and 2nd Generation Holocaust Survivor stories. Often these biographies are very emotional and heartbreaking.
What is a favourite project that you've worked on, and why? While I was living in South Africa, the Studio I worked at was asked by Disney to Dub the 1994 Lion King into Zulu. Disney has a very high standard, and in 1994 it was challenging to find someone who was a voice artist, and an actor, and fluent in Zulu! We also had to match the voices to the English version, who had used highly trained actors like James Earl Jones and Whoopi Goldberg. We auditioned hundreds of people and were on a very tight schedule as it was one of the first times that Disney Premiered the film in all 8 languages on the same day.
These deadlines also coincided with the 1994 South African elections. I consider it an honour and privilege to have worked on “The Lion King” and a major highlight in my career.
What percentage of your work is with local vs international clients/projects? I would say about 70% of our work is International and the rest is local.
Are you a Mac / PC / Linux shop or all of the above? We are a Mac based shop, but we do own 2 PC’s, one for accounting and the other one for clients use if needed.
What software / hardware / plugins can you not live without? We use Pro-Tools mainly and their Interfaces plus a C24 console. I constantly use the Izotope, Fab Filter EQ etc. plug-ins.
What impact did the pandemic have on your business? The Pandemic slowed us down, and even when we got going again it was still slow, due to social distancing and not being able to accommodate large group recordings. At the same time we had to relocate our studio. In the end it all worked out well. It is still a slow recovery for Japan and the ever-dropping exchange rate is a big factor for us too.
How long have you been a VPA Corporate Member? Azur has been involved for about 5 -6 years now.
Is there anything else about you or your company that you'd like people to know about that we haven't yet asked? Anyone is welcome to swing by to check us out and have some Coffee (we can even offer real “Turkish Coffee”!)
Cindy Au Yeung is a Chinese-Canadian editor and filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. She has worked in post production for the past 7 years and has been a 1st Assistant Editor on various documentaries such as I AM JOHNNY CASH and scripted television series such as DATE MY DAD, HIT THE ROAD, LOUDERMILK S3, and DAY OF THE DEAD.
Most recently, she has edited an APTN Lumi webseries SHADOW OF THE ROUGAROU, produced and edited a stand-up comedy series COMEDY INVASION, and is currently editing her first feature-length film, JONAH. On the side, Cindy also makes her own documentaries involved with #Elimin8hate, an organization dedicated to eliminating anti-Asian racism through the power of film, arts, and media. Nevertheless, documentaries will always remain as Cindy’s first love into filmmaking!
Originally from Nova Scotia, Gregor moved west with music as his main passion.
Following a BA in jazz studies from Capilano University, playing and touring with bands segued into composing which eventually lead to an interest in sound design and post production for film.
In 2010 Gregor started Cinescope Sound, a boutique facility that serviced a broad array of feature films, TV series and documentaries.
In 2020 his company merged with Bionic Audio to form Maverick Post Group, a new facility built from the ground up to serve the needs of the Vancouver industry and beyond.
As a re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor Gregor is also involved in the day to day operations of running a full service post facility.
Vancouver has an incredible wealth of talent and Gregor welcomes the opportunity to play a role in advocating for this community as we continue to grow and push for new opportunities.
Caleb is a composer and musician. With an aptitude to create music that reaches diverse audiences, his range of work spans from independent projects and short films, to televised series and theatrical features. Frequently writing with his brother Brian, their work has been featured on many notable animated and live-action projects, including recent series with DreamWorks and Netflix.
Caleb has called Vancouver home since immigrating from Hong Kong in 1997 and holds a Master of Music Composition degree from the University of Toronto. He is pleased to join the VPA board to serve the growing industry in the city.
A native Canadian with an early interest in television, Keri began her career as a PA on the sets of productions shooting in Vancouver. Connecting with Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation led to a focus in animation, and a move to Los Angeles, where she landed on the pilot of The Simpsons and began a diverse career in producing and supervising post production and visual effects. With over 200 hours of network and cable television credits, career highlights include four seasons of Ugly Betty, The Outer Limits, 12 Monkeys, The Crossing, and more recently Ted Lasso and Big Sky.
Keri has developed many relationships working both on the creative and technical side of production and post, and is happiest when connecting talented people with others who share her passion for storytelling. She recently settled back home in Vancouver with her daughter Emelia, and joined the exceptional team of artists at Barnstorm Visual Effects.
Keri is a proud member of the Vancouver Post Alliance Board, Women in Animation, The Producers Guild of America, The Leo Awards Board, The Visual Effects Society and the Animation & VFX Alliance of BC.
Don’s Post Production experience includes work as a Facility Owner/Executive, Post Supervisor and Editor for over 30 years with Finale Post (Picture Shop Vancouver) and its related companies. His credits include a wide range of feature, television, commercials, music videos, and cutting-edge documentaries.
He is actively involved in the Production and Post Production community in Vancouver, and frequently travels to LA for industry relations, marketing and sales initiatives with the major studios, networks and production companies.
Don currently sits on the Board of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association (MPPIA), the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia (Leo Awards), is a Founding Director of the Vancouver Post Alliance (VPA), Founder of the Vancouver Creative Lounge, and past Chair of the Whistler Film Festival.
He is also proud of the recent work he is doing as a member of the BC Motion Picture Industry COVID-19 Best Practices Coalition and as Chair of the BC Post Production Health & Safety Task Force.
Don is passionate about seeing Vancouver’s post production community reach its full potential, and looks forward to continuing to contribute to the success of its workforce and facilities.
Michelle has been working in Vancouver’s Post Production division for the past 18+ years. She started her career working in Master Control at a local television network which threw her into the fast-paced live on-air world. After 8 years she moved onto Senior Project Management at Finale Post (Pictureshop Vancouver) and Encore (Company 3). She is currently working on the client side as a Post Coordinator/Supervisor.
Michelle prides herself on her strong work ethic and excellent management skills. This array of roles has given her a top down view of her surroundings and allows her to work in all departments of a post-productions pipeline.
Michelle’s passion is raising her 4 year old son and seeing the world through his eyes.
Buket is a Post Coordinator/Supervisor who draws on her experience from working across multiple departments of Post Production for over 15 years.
Her interest in post started in the first year of university, when she followed her passion in picture and sound editing as well as post supervising. After freelancing and managing an award-winning sound studio in her hometown of Istanbul, she moved to Vancouver in 2013, where she has since worked on a wide range of projects both in management and editorial teams. Her most recent work is the first season of Snowpiercer.
Buket’s journey with the VPA began in 2015 when she volunteered for the Events Committee and joined the VPA board in 2018. During her time as a director, she continued to work with events, support the Membership Committee, and was an integral forming member of the Mentorship Committee as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Buket understands that the VPA provides a much-needed platform for our community to stay connected. As our growing community is becoming more and more diverse every day, she believes it is important to create equal opportunities for all genders, ages, ethnicities and abilities. She has a passion for promoting engagement with a more diverse community and giving voice to those who deserve greater representation.
Kelsy Wittmann has spent the past 20 years immersed in the film and television industry. She has had the privilege of working across the broad spectrum our industry has to offer; as a producer for live action, animation, and VFX projects. She is proud to have collaborated with clients such as Netflix, Marvel, EA, HBO, Paramount, and the local Atomic Cartoons. Her credit list includes high profile film projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Fast & Furious 7, 50 Shades of Grey and TV favourites such as Johnny Test, The Mist, The Order S2, and Wu Assassins. She is currently working hard at Animism Studios; where she is the Head of Production. Kelsy is a proud enabler of creative talent and technical innovators.
When Trevor isn’t finding the magic in film footage from other film projects, he’s filming his own. Trevor is an award winning filmmaker who has vast editing experience in both feature films and television. He continues to shape his editing style through genre, action and drama films. Wherever you are located, Trevor can execute your project while keeping collaboration intact. Among his many career highlights Trevor has worked with editor Dede Allen (Breakfast Club, Dog Day Afternoon, Bonnie and Clyde). In addition to working on the membership committee with the Vancouver Post Alliance, Trevor also serves as the British Columbia chair for CCE (Canadian Cinema Editors).
A native of Toronto, Sabrina moved out to Vancouver to attend UBC’s film production program. After earning her BFA, she landed her first job in the industry working in Post Production back in 2006 and has since risen to become an established, award-winning Picture Editor within the film community.
When she’s not glued to her computer, she sidelines as a voice actor for cartoons as well!
Kerry McDowall has been involved in Vancouver’s post-production sector for almost 20 years, working closely with Netflix, Disney, CBC, AMC Studios and NBCUniversal. As an Associate Producer, she leads post production departments on both series television and feature length movies, overseeing everything from budgets to final deliveries (and everything that occurs in between).
She currently dedicates her time and energy at the VPA to uniting and promoting our talented post production community and advocating for equity and inclusion in the broader film industry.
Eli started his sound career at an independent radio station in Istanbul and forged an international career in audio post-production over a decade. He has been honoured with 5 awards and 4 nominations. He worked as a Supervising Sound Editor and Re-Recording Mixer on films that screened at international film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlinale, Montreal, SXSW, and Sitges International Film Festival.
Eli holds a Diploma in Sound Engineering from SAE Sound Engineering School and a Master’s Degree in Sound Technologies from Bahcesehir University.
Besides his sound experience, he has been a part of grassroots organizations and advocacy groups about human rights and climate change for more than 15 years. He is the co-founder of a platform that aims to combat anti-Semitism. He believes in the importance of a collaborative community and has been volunteering with the VPA for 3 years.