A BUSY SUMMER ENDS WITH THE RETURN OF A FRIEND

While you’ve been enjoying sun, surf and sand, the engineers at Baker Sound have been working on their studio tans.  It’s been a busy summer—here are some of the highlights:

In advertising news, LevLane Advertising was in for an ISDN record session as they produced a new, national radio spot for Sunoco APlus.  Earlier this summer the agency worked with MONSTER TRACKS composer Chuck Butler to expand their “Philly’s More Fun” campaign for GPTMC to TV and radio.  Pat Cannon produced both projects.  Building her reputation as the hardest working woman in broadcast production, Cannon also worked with Caspari McCormick both at Baker Sound and NFL Films to produce a new series of TV and radio spots for Jefferson University Hospitals.  The ads star actor Adam Arkin, and feature an update of the now-familiar theme music created for Jefferson by MONSTER TRACKS.  In addition to their work for Jefferson, Caspari McCormick produced new spots for Carsense and Mystic Seaport.

David Witz has also been busy this summer, producing new advertising for UHS (Universal Health Services), PJ Fitzpatrick (home improvement specialists), Agua Caliente (California Spa Resort & Casino), and Spirit Halloween Stores.  Hope Krosskove produced new radio for Einstein’s MossRehab, while Oxford Communications created new radio advertising for QuickChek convenience stores, and Hall-of-Fame announcer Harry Kalas voiced new spots for Coors.  We weren't kidding when we said things have been busy…

Our friends at Holton Sentivan + Gury were back, mixing new TV and radio for Comcast and World Wide Stereo.  HS+G also recorded voice over segments for a new educational project for The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.  The result will include both a live display and an online application designed to teach students about presidential campaigns in a fun and informative way.

Speaking of politics, Baker Sound has been right in the thick of major races all across the country.  This summer we've worked on spots for both the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns, plus several gubernatorial, Senate and House races, as well as political advertising produced by a variety of special interest groups.  Stay tuned—we’ll tell you more about our political work in November.

In other news, TV production company NHNZ (Natural History New Zealand) set up their cameras in Studio A to record interviews for The Biography Channel’s I Survived TV series.  Tukufu Zuberi returned to voice new episodes of History Detectives for Lion TV.  And Post Modern Sound of Vancouver produced an ADR session for Universal Studios’ Slap Shot—The Junior League, featuring former pro hockey player and star of the original Slap Shot Dave Hanson.

Finally, there were smiles all around when voiceover artist Scott Sanders returned to Baker Sound this month to record for the first time in over a year.  Sanders, the dean of Philadelphia voice talent and one of the most ubiquitous voices in the history of political advertising, was the recipient of a successful kidney transplant in July of 2007.  But in one of life’s great ironies, the breathing tube inserted during the transplant procedure damaged Scott’s vocal “fold,” and the resulting scar tissue threatened to end his remarkable voiceover career.  After therapy yielded no improvement, Scott underwent separate surgical procedures in December of 2007 and January of 2008 in an effort to correct the damage.  Unfortunately, both procedures failed, and Scott was forced to face the possibility that he might never return to voice work.

But Sanders continued to rehab, employing various voice therapy techniques, and in July of this year—whether by the power of the human body to adapt and recover, or by, as Scott speculates, divine intervention—his voice began to return.  Neil Oxman of The Campaign Group was among the first to encourage Scott's comeback, and in early August Baker President Rick DiDonato called Scott and urged him to come in and test his progress.  That test was an unqualified success; it was immediately obvious to all that Scott was ready.  “I notice some difference in his voice,” reports DiDonato, “but that’s only because I’ve recorded Scott for so many years.  He sounds great to me, and his ability to interpret copy is unparalleled.  Since he's been back, his voice continues to get stronger and Scott sounds more and more like his old self.”  Sanders agrees that the texture of his voice is slightly “different,” but he continues to rehab and strengthen his voice and he's thrilled to be back doing the work he loves.  “It gets better every day,” he says with renewed confidence, “and the more I work the better it gets.”  Producers seem to agree: Scott is right back in the fray, voicing political ads—including radio for John McCain and a number of other candidates.  We're just glad to see our old friend back behind the microphone where he belongs.

For additional information contact info@bakersound.com or phone 215-567-0400.