SNK Studios Marks 15 Years of Creative Sound Design

When Seb Juviler first dipped a toe into the audio-post industry, he was a fresh-faced London School of Music graduate who had landed work experience at an audio post-production company in central London. Finding that he was unexpectedly excited by the creative opportunities post-production offered and pushed on by his innate entrepreneurial streak, Seb and long standing business partner Kayvan Moghaddassi founded their own company, SNK Studios, in 2004. This month the studios turn 15 and it’s in a happy moment of reflection that this story spills out. Only 5 years ago, unbeknownst to the new owners, Seb’s work experience company became a client of SNK - the significance of this not only closing a pleasing circle but highlighting exactly what SNK Studios holds most important - their client relationships and the team that empower them.

“Over the years I feel that I have been very fortunate to find such talented and creative people to help me grow this business - that goes for the booking team, the sound designers, the audio-producers and everyone in here. The fact we have such high levels of client retention is wholly down to them. They’re the reason we’ve been able to keep the essence of who we are so alive,” says Seb.

Stood at the top of Tottenham Court Road, SNK Studios has grown exponentially from their original one-studio outfit - now spread over six floors and encompassing 11 audio-post studios, two ADR stages and an enviable array of awards. 

With a client pool comprised of global brands, broadcasters, film studios and some of the world’s top ad-agencies, SNK Studios has made an illustrious mark on the audio-post industry. Yet, shying away from name-dropping the scores of Hollywood A-Listers that have graced the studios, Seb pins his success on building the ideal team. 

An integral member of that team, 11-year veteran and senior producer Sam Dillon recalls his very first day with rye laughter: “I was in the back of a car with Sir Ian McKellen, bringing him to a voice-over session at the studios. Confusing him for Sir Michael Gambon, I spent 15 minutes banging on about how much I love Harry Potter. Mortifyingly he just agreed with me.”

For Sam, SNK Studios’ constant development is what’s kept him excited for over a decade.

“We’ve built a new studio virtually every year for the past six years and we’ve gone from three people to almost sixty - we’ve now got a unique audio creative department working alongside the audio post team. We’re also making inroads into the foreign dubbing, international versioning and features arena too, so it’s a really exciting time for the business. After 11 years, to still be repeatedly told by clients and guests that they’ve noticed our growth and innovation is a really special thing,” he says.

Praised for their commitment to transparent rates and honest advice, Sam and Seb pride themselves on SNK Studios’ ability to act like a boutique audio post facility who can still have an eye to the wider picture. 

“The thing that makes me and the team happiest is the talent we’ve got and the way we work. Fulfilling our clients big visions and delivering on our promises is the most rewarding aspect of this job,” says Seb. 

As the team at SNK Studios begin to take steady steps towards a two decade milestone they say the future will see them working with a wider client base globally. They expect that as the industry supply chain continues to shift, they will be working with more and more brands directly alongside their agency and production clients.

To celebrate the birthday, a few members of the team are currently packing for warmer climes - heading to LA to meet with some of their US clients, having opened a New York office a few years back.

“We never wanted to be a mammoth industrial beast,” says Seb. “The last 15 years have shown that we can create exceptional work whilst staying boutique in size. We feel that we’re in a great position to be flexible to the future and to industry changes. The next 15 years will be a real testament to our experience. I can’t wait.”