IRON IMAGER 8 – the Champ is back in town…

IRON IMAGER, my baby is on – soon! I AM EXCITED AS HELL!

Sam Wickens will be back to face this years contender: Brendan Tacey from Australia (more about Brendan in the next days).
I had time to reconnect with Sam a few weeks ago in London and chat about whats changed since he became the champ, how his skills have evolved in the last year, what new things he’s learned and and and…ENTER SAM!

Sam, are you excited to get back to LA?

I can’t wait. I feel like last time I only got a taste of what Los Angeles is all about – I’m lucky I get to come back and do it all over again.

What are you looking forward to the most?

Enjoying some LA sunshine, seeing everyone at Benztown and WWRS and of course, taking on the competition. I can’t wait to see what format/script/work parts we’re given and see who I’m facing.

What have been the biggest changes after winning the belt? How did your year go?

It’s been an amazing year – I’m trying to improve my imaging every day just as I was before winning the belt. I suppose winning last year has driven me to learn new skills and demand more from myself. I’ve continued to learn a lot from other producers and doing a lot of audiovisual work has taught me new skills as well. Every project I am given now is an opportunity to try something new, test my speed, creativity and overall ability. I suppose I do always have Iron Imager in the back of my mind as no matter how small or big a project is, I see it as an opportunity to throw my all into it and see what I can get back.

What has been the biggest take away from the overall Iron Imager Experience?

It’s given me great experience and confidence to take on any project given to me, even if I have no idea how I’m going to make it work or put it together. I’ve started to see how I can use the skills I’ve been taught over the last few years into other scenarios and what I can do under pressure.

How has your skill set evolved in the last year?

I’ve been doing some work for Radio X the last six months or so. This has enabled me to dabble in a genre of radio I’ve never tried before. It’s been a learning curve and I think it’s made me a smarter producer. I’ve also continued to learn so much from the team at Capital. I’m lucky to be part of a team that is competitive and constantly drives one another to be more creative and push boundaries.

Any new findings, tricks, plugIns?

I do have some new tricks and techniques I’ve learned – but I’m not giving them away… I want to keep the belt! Most of the plugins I use are waves or Soundtoys and I’ve learnt how to use those plugins better and in different ways rather than invest in new ones over the last year.

What does the training routine look like?

Last year I worked on timing the most… fearing that I’d run out of it. I’m hopeful that won’t be an issue this year. I’m working more on coming up with creative ideas quicker and being more decisive and efficient in implementing those ideas so I have a clear vision from the off.

Who would you like to have as an opponent?

I’m sure whoever I face will be a talented person who deserves to be there. Hopefully, it’s someone who wouldn’t mind going for a beer after one of the most stressful hours of our lives.

What would you tell anyone not sure about entering and throwing their hat into the ring?

I only entered two days before the deadline last year. I hesitated and wasn’t sure if I had what it took to put something together, but I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I would say just go for it because you’ll never know what could happen.

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Check out Sam’s soundcloud for his latest tracks!