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I havent seen any threads in my sound mixer groups specifically looking for black mixers BUT there have been many threads looking for female mixers & similarly to this one, a lot of white men had complete meltdowns! https://twitter.com/nicole_sayslove/status/1273024834193195009
These guys love to go ballistic over the idea that they’ve benefitted from systems that prioritize, prop up & advance white men! I’ve seen it dozens of time when there have been calls to support & elevate female mixers, it’s past time we do the same for black mixers
aside from the systems/privileges that lead to overwhelmingly white crews, the cost to entry for a lot of sound mixers is very high! Production sound mixers are expected to own their equipment & that shits not cheap - making it inaccessible to many!
And this inaccessibility hits minority communities hardest, as they’re more ravaged by poverty. For those who dont own gear, the career path is working as a boom op or sound assistant - both good jobs but neither brings in the money or hiring power like being the actual mixer
As many film friends have pointed out, whiteness in film crews proliferates bc so much of our hiring is based on who we’ve liked working with before. When the opportunities dont arise for black production sound professionals, they’re losing at an exponential level
All this being said, if you are or know any black production sound mixers, no matter the experience level, pass along their info! For newbies, I have an entire 2nd kit to help teach/lend to mixers without their own gear
