#LoeriesRanking with... Howard Audio
In 2017, Howard Audio picked up more awards than ever before, including a Gold Loerie for their rework of 1980s classic Nightshift with director Teboho Mahlatsi of Bomb Commercials and Marais Janse van Rensburg from agency Metropolitan Republic; along with a Cannes Gold Lion and two D&AD pencils for their final mix and original music on the Ogilvy Johannesburg Cadbury “Pre joy” campaign; and two One Show awards – again for final mix and original music, this time on the BMW Original Parts radio campaign by OpenCo.
Singing the successes of audio composition
“We are extremely proud of our 2017 awards as they reflect the wide variety of our work from sound design and final mix to original music and musical direction,” says Adam Howard – owner, composer, producer and musical director at Howard Audio.
But what I am most proud of personally is that all aspects of our business were recognised in those awards.Howard himself is extremely well-rounded, as he’s also the musical director for William Kentridge’s avant garde chamber opera Refuse the Hour, which has been touring the world for six years.
Howard shares that Howard Music, as it was then called, was formed in 2004 and has been ‘Howard Audio’ since 2014, and hasn’t looked back since.
Looking ahead to what 2018 may bring, Howard says they’re very lucky to have started the year with many interesting projects, again ranging from original music to lots of final mixes. They’ve also just hired another two full-time engineers to help with their workload and can safely say all three of their studios are very busy.
I caught up with Howard himself to find out how they plan to extend their winning streak this year and who they admire most in the industry…
What do you attribute 2017’s successes to?
For some of the awards, we were credited for our final mix, while with other awards, we were credited for our original music, and our 2017 Gold Loerie was in recognition of the re-record we did of The Commodores’ classic song, Nightshift.
This is so important to me and Howard Audio, as only a few years ago we decided to change the company name from Howard Music to Howard Audio as we felt ‘audio’ best described what we do here.
I think the company name change, and also the fact that we built a brand new studio facility, with three state-of-the-art studios situated at Ministry Of Illusion in Bryanston, really was a great move for Howard Audio.
The three studios allow us to handle our work, while we have also opened up another facet to our business in the form of music album recordings. We’ve produced a number of albums over the past three years, with clients such as Swing City, Jonathan Roxmouth, Wonderboom, Robbie Malinga (RIP) and TV Show The Voice Afrique.
As a result of your Loeries wins, you were also ranked as fifth-best TV, film and video recording the 2017 Loeries Ranking table! What plans are already underway to better your ranking next year?
To be honest, we’re not chasing awards or rankings – although it’s nice to be able to brag a little! We’re just keeping focused on delivering amazing audio and music for our clients, which means always pushing the boundaries and asking ourselves how we can keep bettering ourselves and our business.
We don’t compete, we innovate.
How does the 2017 Loeries flock differ from your haul the previous year? 
Tipping a hat to the 'Nightshift'
Brendan Seery 29 Nov 2016
MTN's Nightshift commercial picked up both gold and silver Loeries at this year's awards. The Gold was for “best use of licensed music.” We were tasked with re-recording The Commodore's Nightshift for the commercial, which was viewed more than 4million times on YouTube. The song I re-recorded clearly resonated with South Africans, hence why I think this music picked up a Gold Loerie.
Tell us who you personally admire in the industry.
Musically, I think that has to be Rob Schroder of Robroy Music. Even though he may not know it, he has been a mentor to me! Twenty years ago, when I first arrived in South Africa, I started playing as a session trumpet-player for TV commercials.
I must have been asked to come in two or three times a month for Rob. It was here that I saw Rob in action, seeing how he handled clients and the various briefs that came his way. Had I myself got into the composing for commercials business, I would ask Rob for advice – on how to quote, and other advice on the industry.
He’s always been there for me with advice and an open attitude to the business. To see that he’s still at the top of his game after all his years in the industry has to be celebrated, and I have many lessons still to learn. Longevity is everything in this business.
With regard to a newcomer, I’ve made sure that I keep on performing as a trumpet player. That means that I still get to perform with many artists, in many genres, but the most important thing for me is that I get to meet and see new musicians coming into the industry. I must say, I’m blown away by the musical talent in this country.
So I’d say I admire all the young musicians that have made the decision to follow their passion and talent, even though it can be difficult to make it in the industry. My respect goes out to all of those young musicians.
As does ours. Lots to look forward to creatively from 2018! Click through to our Loeries’ special section for more, and be sure to follow Howard Audio’s successes through their press office, Facebook and YouTube channels.
Howard Audio launches into 2018!
Howard Audio 16 Feb 2018
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
