Charting New Waters: Wave NY Opens up an Additional Studio

In a long-awaited move, Wave Studios has opened up a third studio for its New York team. Having initially made the move stateside in 2018 after establishing a strong reputation in London, the Wave team is expanding its US presence to keep up with the demand for their award-winning services.  With a slew of award wins under their belt already, most notably for The New York Times’ “The Truth is Worth It” Campaign, Wave finds themselves busier than ever with the new studio opening not a moment too soon.

To go behind the scenes and find out more about the new studio and how it fits into the company’s plans, LBB spoke with partner and ECD Aaron Reynolds, executive producer Vicky Ferraro, and newly minted sound designer/mixer Isaac Matus. 

Above: A reel showcasing some of Wave’s recent work. 

Over the course of the pandemic era, many of us have found ourselves longing for the creative fizz and hubbub that would come with an average day at the office. Missing the day-to-day of office life is one thing - but forgoing the scale and magic of working in a studio is something else entirely. 

Perhaps that’s why the sound design and mixing powerhouse Wave Studios is so excited to be opening up a new studio for its US team based in New York. Having set plans into motion before 2020’s initial lockdown struck, there’s a palpable sense of joy around the company as they tell LBB about their expanding facilities. 

“I don’t think that people have necessarily missed going into the office every day”, says Vicky. “But I do think people have missed coming for sessions in the studio. Particularly when it comes to sound, there’s a world of difference between listening to something out of a laptop speaker and hearing your creative vision come to life in the studio. We’ve missed sharing those moments with people”.

According to Aaron, the new space will also open up increased opportunities for Wave and the company’s clients. “It’s going to be amazing to be able to dedicate this space to new projects as it will help improve our workflow”, he says. “We’ve been so grateful to have both our London and Amsterdam studios as additional resources when we’ve needed to share projects due to the nature of our size.  But now with the new studio coming online, we’ll be able to offer clients more opportunities to keep the work within their own time zone. 

“It also means we’ll be able to work on bigger volume accounts”, adds Vicky, “the likes of which might normally take up multiple rooms at once. The extra accommodation will give us the scope to be a lot more ambitious”.

Additionally, the studio will allow Wave to carry out its work effectively amidst what Aaron and Vicky identify as a ‘hybrid’ working model in the future. “I think it is easier to be creative and provide effective feedback in person as opposed to Zoom”, notes Aaron, “but at the same time there are a lot of advantages to remote working and the talent it gives you access to. I think we’ll see a future where the studio is a kind of ‘hub’ where we’re working with some people in-person, and others on-screen simultaneously. What’s great about the new studio is that it gives us the infrastructure to do that on a bigger scale”.

Moving On Up

A big part of the company’s plans for the new studio is Isaac Matus. Having originally joined Wave as a runner three years ago after graduating from Berkeley College of Music with a degree in Sound Design and Music Production, Isaac now finds himself playing an essential role in Wave’s expansion as a sound designer and mixing engineer.  Originally hailing from Colombia, Isaac is also a native Spanish speaker whose skills will also be an asset to Wave, as the company aims to increase opportunities in the Hispanic markets in the US. 

Above: Isaac Matus will be a sound designer and mixing engineer at Wave’s new studio. 

“Ever since I started with Wave, I’ve had this goal of earning a reputation where I become associated with a specific kind of musical sound design, while nurturing my passion for all kinds of sound work”, he tells LBB. “I think this is a huge step towards making that happen, and I’m looking forward to being able to apply my diverse sound skill set on all sorts of creative projects and collaborations, with a goal of elevating the work”.    

Above: Highlights from Isaac’s recent work. 

For Isaac’s colleagues, his taking a leading role in the expansion is fully deserved. “He’s an amazing talent who has already gone far above our expectations”, says Vicky. “So it feels like a natural fit. We’ve all been really eager to expand our facilities, and Isaac coming through as a brilliant engineer was perfect timing”.

Having worked his way up from runner to engineer, Isaac joins a long-established culture within Wave of cultivating talent from within. “I started at the very beginning of Wave’s journey in London”, recalls Aaron, “and having the opportunity to go out and start up a new studio for us here in the US was very exciting. I love to see Isaac doing the same thing, and there’s plenty of others just like that at Wave.  This company has always been about growing our team, and growing the business as a result of that, “ he reiterates.  “Ever since the early days when it was just two studios in London, there was a focus on young talent coming forward. That’s what has also driven Wave forward, and to see it continuing here with Isaac is fantastic”.  

Looking ahead to the future, it seems as though this won’t be the end of Wave’s expansion in the US market. “We’re taking it one day at a time”, say Vicky and Aaron, “but of course we’re looking at ways we can keep growing in the US. We love working here, so we want to be positive and continue growing”.