Catching Up with ACRA Winner Chris Davis, How he feels…
The Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs) are held annually by Commercial Radio Australia. They are the largest gathering for commercial radio professionals in the southern hemisphere.
I caught up with Benztown’s Hot AC and Turbulence Producer Chris Davis, a friend and Winner of the Category “Best Achievement in Production”, in which he won with a production for the KIIS Network.
Chris literally works on the other side of the world from me. After producing the biggest Morning Show in Oz, Kyle and Jacky O, he joined forces again with his Genius Partner “Bozz” and made KIIS number one in Sydney.
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Chris, how does the winning piece sound?
The Entry this year was a quick cross-section of the production i do for KIIS on the Daily. So a Kyle and Jackie O Tactic in Breakfast, Branding for across the day, Bieber Tickets Giveaway promo and a Seize Opportunity for the station.
How does this feel to win a high prestige award like the ACRA?
Amazing!! Its great recognition to the hard work i have put in over the past year. But I was very surprised when my name was called out as i am a huge fan of the other guys that I was nominated with this year.
How has work been lately? How do you manage the insanity? Do you have any new techniques, tools, tricks?
Always busy hahaha and everyday is different so managing that can be tricky. I find putting the day into smartsheet, having folders in my outlook and setting reminders helps manage my day.
On an audio and DAW side I find having presets and templates to make my workflow more efficient.
Any new PlugIns? Maybe include a screencap and audio?
Im loving the Fabfilter Plugs and also sound toys. I also find putting multiple plugs on a track can give you some really unique sounds on both music and Voice. We are running “”The Cube” in Melbourne at the moment and P!nk in Sydney and really loved how these 2 promos came up (Love using Howard Richie’s Voice).
The Cube Promo:
P!nk Promo:
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What is the latest imaging techniques you tried out and stuck with it?
Um.. Well I like to try new things when I hear them or come up with my own sounds.. Matching Key and pitching VO is a big part of my production at the moment.. And I have always been a firm believer in that there is no right way to do this crazy job.. BUT make sure the message it clear! VO needs to stand out and the production around needs to compliment.
Creating a great major promotion/tactic promo – what is key? How do you do it?
Again For me its all about doing something different with each Promo or Tactic, take a script and make it sing! What can I do differently to make the boss/listener/team sit up and say wow!
I start by putting a rough promo together and get everything lined up.. Then I pull it apart and add effects/hooks/music etc to finish it off.
Thanks a lot for answering my questions Chris.
