Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Block.
Hi Joel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Man, this might qualify as ANCIENT history. I first came to Austin with the US Air Force, having served in such colorful places as Wichita Falls and Thule, Greenland. As my Air Force obligation was winding down, I joined a new FM radio station just signing on the air – KRMH, 103.7 FM – affectionately known as “Good Karma”. Enjoyed being on the air and serving as the station’s PD, but really enjoy doing the creative production for our sponsors after my daily board shift was complete. This led to the creation of my first commercial recording studio in the early 1970s, working with many ad agency friends who were also just getting their businesses up and rolling, too. My friend and future business partner, Bill Harwell, came into the picture around the mid-70s, and we proceeded to grow the business (and move it from time to time) from that point on.
We were on a fast-track in the 80s and 90s, building the corporation into a three-studio complex, recording commercials, corporate/industrials, talent demos, jingles and, occasionally, rock and roll. Along the way, we partnered with an ad agency in the purchase of a building at 30th and Lamar and enjoyed our “building on stilts” for over a decade.
One of the highlights of our many years in operation was joining forces with Deborah Byrd, who would then become my on-air partner in the production and hosting of both the “Star Date” and “Earth and Sky” radio series, which aired on NPR stations everywhere.
Around the end of 2010, the cost of doing business was accelerating a little too fast for us and we made the decision to pack it up and move on. I came home and set up shop in what was formerly our daughter’s bedroom, but today is quite a great-sounding production facility, thanks to today’s technology and some talented builders. I do most projects myself these days, with occasional editing help from engineers in various locations. The main thrust of the studio today is the recording and producing of audiobooks, which I thoroughly enjoy. And we still crank out the commercials, industrials and voice demos, along with NPR, BBC and podcast feed.
It’s all been good. It’s been fun, too, with wonderful employees and friends all along the way. Honestly, looking back, I don’t think I’ve worked a day in my life – so enjoyed creating theatre of the mind.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Perhaps my greatest lack of self-confidence came around the time we purchased a building and the costs and responsibilities associated with that. I often think of our audio industry as a roller-coaster ride, loaded with the ups and downs of the market. Seemed we were either just squeaking by or in tall cotton.
Also, I like to think of myself as a creative type, not a technical engineer. With some luck, I’ve been able to express creativity along the way. With some dread, I’ve had to cope with the technical issues involved in operating multiple studios. I’m not so good at that. So grateful there are folks out there to make sense of the wires and gear.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We do professional voice recording – podcasts, audiobooks, corporate presentations, commercials, voice demos. Personally, over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have been asked to do as much voice work as I have, being best known for the radio series voiceovers, especially “Star Date”, “Earth and Sky” and “Passport to Texas”. I also got lucky in the corporate/industrial voiceover world and have talked my way through my share of them.
Today, what sets our small business apart is that the studio turns out a high-quality product in an environment that’s warm, friendly and certainly not intimidating.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is equipment that is built like a battleship. I need to know that a session will happen and not get shut down by some electronic SNAFU. When we first built the business thirty-something years ago, we did it on the backs of companies like Tascam, Otari and Sony – where we could pretty well count on the fact that the gear was going to work, day in and day out. We didn’t have the budgets required for the cooler stuff – the MCIs, Studers, Neves – but we had the talent in our engineering department to make the most of what we did have and to turn out some really fine products over the decades. What also makes me happy is that so many of the sessions we do – even today – result in new friendships and happy times.
And, of course, what makes me happy is my lovely bride of thirty-something years, Delores, our daughter Ellie and her family and all the sweet people in our daily lives.
Contact Info:
- Email: joel@productionblock.com
- Website: www.blockhousesound.com
- Instagram: jcblock
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joelcblock
- Twitter: voicetrack
