Juan Ortiz of Redd Pen Media and Behind the Boom Builds His Career and Community with Sound Devices
Producer/sound mixer on the importance of mentorship in audio production and building a platform for the next generation
PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 24, 2025 — Producer/sound mixer Juan Ortiz is always on the move. Whether it's producing high-profile video content for clients like ESPN, Ubisoft, True Classic, and Foot Locker as a freelancer or with his production company Redd Pen Media, or capturing location sound for film, TV, and music projects across the country, Ortiz has made it his brand to be constantly creating, collaborating, and sharing his knowledge with the larger production community. One of his recent accomplishments has been the founding of Behind the Boom, a community project aimed at helping location sound professionals network as well as welcoming and educating newcomers to the profession. Some of the content features Ortiz onsite with his Sound Devices 833 Mixer-Recorder, demonstrating tips and tricks of the trade that he’s learned throughout his many projects.
Learning the ropes
Starting out on the music engineering side working with local hip-hop artists in New Jersey, Ortiz got the bug for film after an opportunity to tour with KRS-One in 2007. It opened his eyes to the possibilities of applying that expertise alongside his sound capabilities. Looking to expand his capabilities as he formed his own production company, Ortiz quickly recognized the need for reliable information and training. “There wasn’t a lot of opportunity or information out there for people with my background when I first started doing this,” he explains. “There’s a community around the profession, but I wasn’t exposed to a lot of that coming up so it required a lot of research and learning to ask the right questions to get my chops together.”
“What I quickly realized was taking the time to ask questions and networking opened up more opportunities for me. I also stumbled upon Sound Devices fairly early in my journey so I made it a priority to learn things like the 744T and MixPre to get the bigger, more professional jobs.”
Ortiz currently makes regular use of the Sound Devices 833 and MixPre 10T MKII in his location sound and audio production work and has felt little need to deviate. “The sound quality has always been amazing and they are incredibly easy to learn for how capable they are,” he says. “Once I started doing this work and seeing them in 75% of the sound bags I was encountering, it was reassuring. I knew I’d made the right decision!”
Bringing together a creative community
Completely self-taught, mentorship became an important part of Ortiz’s professional journey as he saw opportunities to help younger professionals leapfrog some of the struggles that dogged his early efforts. “I learned a lot from working with other guys in the field and using YouTube, but found a glass ceiling when it came to more advanced stuff like RF Coordination,” he says. “I realized there was an opportunity to gather this community together and share the knowledge in a more concrete way.”
“There was so much I had learned and so many cool people who I’d met by that point who were willing to share. It made sense to bring it all together.”
Now boasting 4,700+ followers in a little over a year including a robust group of regular contributors from around the world, Behind the Boom has rapidly grown into an essential source of information and inspiration on the craft. Although there is plenty of technical advice and gear reviews shared regularly on the platform, Ortiz says that sharing the day-to-day journey of the profession is even more important. “Being exposed to this stuff early and developing the right mindset around the work is incredibly important — we want people to feel comfortable in aspiring and chasing their creative dreams,” Ortiz explains. “There’s so much talent in the generation coming up, but imposter syndrome is a real thing! Encouraging them to participate, ask questions, get a sense of the industry, and get comfortable learning from others is the real gift. That’s how you help someone build themselves into who they want to be.”
“It’s really about expanding the parameters of what people can learn and inspiring them to join this field. It’s amazing work and we see more and more people getting into it every day,” he adds. “It’s growing every day and so many of them want to know what Sound Devices are about and why so many of us use them, so it’s a good place to start!”
For more information about Juan Ortiz, please visit: https://soundbyjuan.myportfolio.com/home
About Sound Devices:
For more than 25 years, Sound Devices has created premier audio equipment that helps sound professionals capture superior audio. The company's products have been used for an array of applications, from award-winning feature films and television shows, to live events, houses of worship, and educational applications. Sound Devices designs, assembles, and supports its products at their Reedsburg, Wisconsin, headquarters and their Madison, Wisconsin, and Rickmansworth, UK, offices.
For more information, visit www.sounddevices.com.
