JMC Masters of Creative Industries (MCI) graduate Otto Reitano was already working in a field he loved, as an audio engineer, when he decided to return to his studies back in 2020.
After studying Audio Engineering at JMC several years earlier, Otto had been managing multiple studios for a company that offers commercial voice-over and production services to large companies for use in advertising (think: your favourite burger commercial or TV show promo). It’s been an enjoyable gig for Otto, with a fast turn around on projects and degree of creative flair, yet he found himself searching for a more meaningful way to apply his skills.
The decision to head back to JMC was led in part by the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, but mostly by his desire to find a pathway to be able to teach what he loved to others (which he now does!).
“I like teaching Ableton to friends and have done little workshops here and there. I get a lot of joy out of that, so I figured I might do that in a formal setting. A nice way of going about that seemed to be to get a Master’s degree of some sort, so I could at least teach at a Bachelor level”.
One thing Otto didn’t expect however, was to find a pathway to some of the biggest and most expressive projects in his career to date. Choosing to focus his studies around the importance of effective sound design, specifically in the context of audio fiction, Otto worked to develop an audio fiction series for children told two ways: once with sound design and once with vocals only.
“The research angle of this Masters solidified in my mind that sound design is damn powerful,” Otto explains.
“I can increase how much a child is engaged with a piece of media with effective sound design. I can increase how long they listen… I think that was my main takeaway and what has led me on to new jobs. Sound design is a really powerful thing that we often take for granted and being reminded of that is kind of what led me to put myself out there for more projects”.
After pitching for several new projects at the start of this year, Otto has landed one of Sydney’s most coveted creative infrastructure gigs at the new Martin Place train station, where he has been designing sound for the new subterranean pedestrian link tunnel beneath the foundations of the heritage-listed State Savings Bank.
An intricate and extremely technical project, Otto’s work is set to be heard by many thousands of commuters each day and symbolises a higher level of integration of creative inspiration and execution. As Otto puts it, “more and more there’s a pretty big crossover between what I do for my soul, for lack of a better word, and what I do for my bank account”.
Over everything else, Otto now feels that he has reached a stage of his career where he is tapping further into his creative energy more than ever before. “I think the Masters left me with more of an impetus to creatively make something happen, whereas with the Bachelors program, it was more about trying to get my career started”.
Learn more about Otto's work as a voice over studio manager and the metro station tunnel!
Interview and words by Clare Neal