Our Team
The Sound Co-op started in 2015 as the brainchild of a post-work discussion — a vision for a sound mixing company that, through co-operation, could be a win for both production companies and for sound mixers themselves.
At its core then, and now, is the belief that together we can be stronger and better, that co-operation, not competition, would support better quality work for our clients, from booking to shooting to billing, and also foster camaraderie, mutual support, learning, growth, and change for ourselves as a team.
The founding board members worked for 2 years to build bylaws, internal operation, a financial and business plan - the infrastructure that is now The Sound Co-op - and incorporated as a Co-operative corporation.
Our #1 passion is to make sound easy for our clients. We use the best professionally-maintained equipment, and benefit from cooperative skills and knowledge. We have managers and administrators that handle business and technical aspects of our work, organize members' schedules, and have members recruit trainees and teach them skills often left to be learned on-the-go rather than in controlled environments.
The Sound Co-op also looks to be a positive force in the larger community of worker cooperatives and the movement for a more just and sustainable economy. The Sound Co-op is a manifestation of our belief that the future is co-operative.
Check out our Cooperative’s values here
Austin
A membmer of AMPS, Austin cherishes the privilege of listening in to fascinating stories from around the world and assisting in sharing them with an audience. he has a passion for documentaries that comes through in his work on them.
also a founding member of the sound co-op, he believes strongly in workplace fairness and democratic decision making and is excited to be part of the growing movement towards a just and sustainable economy.
His notable credits in sound mixing include HBO documentaries Everything is Copy, Suited, and Swiped, documentaries Frank Serpico, Joe’s Violin, and Border Politics, and TV work with shows such as hbo’s “The vow” showtime’s “couples therapy”, all three seasons of hbo’s “How to with john wilson”, and the 2 part show on netflix “sprint”. He’s most likely on a travel shoot for a new series at the moment or on his bike.
Phil
Phil’s career mission is to be a leader in the solidarity economy movement, as a worker-owner in a successful co-operative.
His experience in organizational startup, management, co-operative worker-ownership, sales, teaching, facilitation, youth work, small business operation, activism, non-profit, customer service, and volunteerism all contribute vitally to his capacity to put this mission into practice through The Sound Co-op. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Phil’s credits include The Mind of a Chef Potluck Music Special (Zero Point Zero Production, Emmy-nominated), WASTED! The Story of Food Waste(Zero Point Zero Production), The Circus: Inside the Biggest Story on Earth(Left Right for Showtime), Melissa Clark Recipes (The New York Times), The Third Team and Mission October (MLB Network), BOSTON (The Boston Marathon Documentary,) and Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.
Danny
Danny has been working in Production Sound since 2012, covering all manner of shoots, from Commercials, Documentaries, News and Sports coverage to everything in between. He transitioned to Sound Mixing having worked previously as a backline technician, and a recording & performing musician.
He met Phil at the early stages of developing the Co-op and has been involved since, with its formation. He has helped to shape and define the organization through its evolution, launch and continued growth. he is also the co-op’s in house repair specialist
His Credits include the feature length doc “Paul Auster: What If”, hbo’s “THE Vow”, multiple sports series for netflix, as well as many more. A democratic, fair workplace is a progressive alternative to the norm, so it is with gratitude that he works with the Co-op and the team that comprises it.
Teresa-Esmeralda
Teresa-Esmeralda Sanchez is a visual artist and award-winning independent documentary filmmaker. She is a first-generation Dominican American whose passion for storytelling has brought her to different corners of the world.
With nearly a decade of experience in all aspects of production, she's mixed sound for networks such as Hulu, Disney, MSG Channel, the Food Network, CNN, Amazon Prime, and more, and on shows such as abc’s “soul of a nation”, Netflix’s “sprint”, and PBS’s “hay dinero”
In addition to working and mixing in the Sound Co-op, she runs her own production Static Sifting Films, and is a co-founder and creative director at Colorway Productions. In her free time, she can be found either at home or in a studio drawing or intaglio/linocut printmaking.
Simon
Simon Guzman graduated at the top of his class from the competitive Sonic Arts Center (SAC) at the City College of New York. After earning his BA in Recording Technology, Simon’s expertise in sound and his network at SAC launched his freelance sound mixing career.
Simon is committed to delivering high-quality recordings and being a team player on-set. Simon first came across The Sound Co-op at a live shoot for the Carlyle Group and was drawn to the communal and democratic nature of the Co-op, as well as their wide network of support.
Simon has worked for a number of high profile clients including, CNN, ABC, CBS, HBO, with credits including netflix’s “Sprint” series, following podcaster alex cooper on a bts tour doc, abc’s “soul of a nation” series and many more
Fivel
Fivel Rothberg is a sound mixer who loves the tight knit teamwork involved in production work, and the opportunities it offers to go behind the scenes in a wide range of scenarios.
Fivel is super excited to collaborate with The Sound Co-op, as he loves to share, learn, and support horizontal workspaces! He often works with Meerkat Media Co-operative, Art21, and Still Rolling Productions. He’s done sound for netflix shows “Sprint”, “untold” as well as upcoming series on a number of platforms
Based in Brooklyn, NY but originally from Philly, he still calls H20 “wooder.”
Billy
Billy Mantani has over 20 years of experience crafting top-notch audio for film and TV productions. he thrives on bringing a creative and fun energy to every set, making the magic behind the scenes sound just as good as it looks on screen.
Throughout his career, he’s had the privilege of working with industry giants like Apple TV, Netflix, Showtime, CNN, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery, BET, and TLC and has captured sound for some incredible talents including Michael Phelps, Bryan Cranston, Aretha Franklin, Anderson Cooper, and Eli Wallach. When he’s not on set, you’ll find him outdoors — cycling, running, hiking, and rock climbing.
Growing up in New Jersey, he developed a deep appreciation for Italian cuisine and is still laughing about how he used to call mozzarella “mootz-a-rell” like a true Jersey native.
“The sound co-op is awesome! They have a great team of production sound crew and they are always available for whatever production/location and need we require! When I bring on someone from the sound co-op I know we're getting a team that has tons of experience and is going to crush it on set.”
—Gaelen Draper, Creative Director and Partner, Quirk Creative
“Capturing the highest quality sound for my film and production projects is of vital importance to the success of my work. Time and again I’ve turned to the Sound Co-op to help me achieve this—from my feature documentary projects Frank Serpico and Roberta Flack: The Quiet Fire to our docuseries projects including The Play. With unparalleled work ethic, commitment to helping me realize the vision of my work, technical expertise, and ability to work creatively and collaboratively, the Sound Co-op brings the very best in professionalism and thoughtfulness to sound recording.”
-Antonino D’Amborsio, Filmmaker/Author, La Lutta
The sound co-op has some of my favorite mixers that I’ve ever worked with. The level of professionalism is shared across their whole membership, so the quality of work you get from one of them, is the quality you’ll get from any of them and that’s an amazing resource. Sometimes we work with new people, because your first choice is unavailable and what this co-op does is offer you peace of mind, that whoever shows up will meet the standard you expect.
-Sharif El Neklawy, DP, sharifelneklawy.com
It's great that they can easily cover themselves for any range of dates. Because the co-op is so well staffed, I've never had them say they are unavailable. This is especially great in documentary environments when schedules can be unpredictable. I've worked on a range of documentary and branded content commercials with the co-op, and they’re always very professional. They take their jobs very seriously and always make me look good on documentary sets.
-Nick Midwig, DP, nickmidwig.com
working with the sound co-op has been great. They are very professional and responsive and a pleasure to work with. I’ve worked with them on a number of our shows, such as “After Hours with Josh Horowitz”, “Night Pigeon” Featuring Roy Wood Jr, and “Addiction busters”. 100% would recommend them. You know the exact quality you’re getting every time you bring on a member of the co-op to your set. Their consistency is amazing and they are great additions to the set vibe.
-Tyler McIntosh, Line Producer, Comedy Central
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