Uprising: Gina Petrarca on Why Knowing Yourself Is a Superpower

Gina Petrarca is Sonic Union’s west coast producer, a role she had her eye on since age 13…  no, really. “I recently watched my 8th-grade graduation interview where I said this verbatim,” she says, speaking with LBB about her career so far. “I was shocked. I had no memory of wanting to be that. And of course, I had no clue in the world what a producer is. Even in film school, none of us understood what a producer really does. I can only chalk this one up to a true inner knowing, or maybe just a self-fulfilling prophecy.” 

Raised by an Italian father and nonna, Gina was spoiled by her family’s cooking and traditional - if slightly inappropriate - dinnertime songs, and certainly felt the innate pressure to succeed as an immigrant’s daughter. “It made me driven like no other, but when it came down to the ‘I want to major in philosophy or film’ talk, that was not immediately well received.”  

As long as she can remember, she never wanted to engage her brain’s left side, preferring to sing, dance, paint or catch bugs outdoors. A naturally awkward and existentially self-aware child, she found comfort in befriending the local wildlife or playing characters on stage. “I remember at one point, instead of being a dancer, I wanted to be a choreographer. I think that says something relevant.”

Irrespective of her father’s initial doubts, Gina found her passion in studying film and explored all aspects of the craft, working at edit houses and even at Paramount Studios over the summers. After graduating, she says she had one goal: to be around storytellers. “I didn’t have much of my ego in it, I wanted to just be a part of a bigger creative vision.” 

Through a former edit house boss, Gina sought this creative vision in Sonic Union, using her connection to cold-call the company’s co-founder Adam Barone and convince him to take her on as an intern. “There wasn’t even an intern position,” she adds. “I was quite fearless at 19. With every year I age, the fear builds!” 

It was during the internship - mainly spent planning the summer party and learning about business development - she fell in love with the company.

Looking back at these early days with Sonic Union, Gina says she learned a lot - diving headfirst into the many deliverables and unique needs of clients like Peleton and Autotrader, the latter of which provided her first opportunity to solo produce. “That changed my career, because I proved to myself that I could handle everything. That was vital. Soon after, I produced a Sheetz mnemonic – which they recently renewed their licence for another year!” 

A brand that she has enjoyed working with more recently is KFC, whose original music needs offer some exciting creative challenges. Often requiring “taking five steps back” to find the best approach, the producer shares that these projects require some unique processes and ideas, such as recording a choir singing a fried chicken-themed version of Handel’s ‘Messiah’.

With campaigns like these, she says, “It’s fun to acknowledge how ridiculous things can get. Even when things are stressful, it’s important that we remind ourselves we’re doing a dance together - we may accidentally step on each other’s toes or confuse who is leading on occasion, but attempting to bring a sense of humanity into the process makes it more rewarding for everyone.” 

This choreography between all the creative and production team members on a project is Gina’s favourite part of her job - seeing talented people in their element and “the sheer amount of effort” they put in together. It can be unfathomable for those outside the industry, she adds. “It still amazes me. Having had the opportunity to work in production, editorial and audio, I really appreciate the time, energy and soul that we all collectively put into these things. It’s never boring.” 

The challenging part, however? “Forgiving yourself after you mess up,” she says.

Nevertheless, through all the trials and tribulations, Gina maintains one consistent theme as an unwavering part of her philosophy: “keep being you.” Having learnt this from the praises of previous employers and colleagues, she has made it a pillar of her professional life, ensuring that she prioritises being curious about what makes her, well, her. “After [hearing it] a few times, I thought to myself… I guess this whole ‘me’ thing is a good thing.”

Describing how social media saturates our eyes with thousands of other people, she elaborates on this thought process, saying that she only ever wants to show up as uniquely herself. “Truly knowing yourself is an underrated superpower, and I find it just as useful in the workplace as it is outside of it. A main mantra for myself is ‘please send any energy back that is not mine’ which, let me tell you, is especially helpful after a long work day!”

These long work days are also something that poses a significant question to the relatively new producer, who challenges the normalisation of the industry’s workaholic culture. “We can admit this isn’t an easy thing to solve, but at the very least, we shouldn’t be apologising for having to take 10 minutes to eat a sandwich.”

Other areas for improvement, she identifies, are the industry’s tendency to judge talent based on age, gender or background, as well as a further need for brand transparency. This is something that “really excites” Gina, who’s looking forward to seeing how this shows up in authentic storytelling going forward. “A focus on sustainability and diversity gives me hope,” she adds. 

After being confronted with “an unusual amount of death at a young age,” Gina continues to have an inherent curiosity about mortality, and draws from both life and death in her day-to-day. Outside of Sonic Union, she is a birth doula and studies all things birth work, as well as compulsively surrounding herself with nature.

“I want to experience everything I can FOR my loved ones that had to leave me,” she says. “Life feels juicy to me. I want to feel all the feels and do all the things. In both my work and my personal life, I am very curious about what is next. I am curious about what I can learn. I am curious about how I can support others. I am curious to see what is possible.” 

She adds, “I don’t shy away from a challenge. ‘The only way out is through’ - another very, very cheesy phrase which I LOVE. I had to leave you with something.”