Weston Fonger and Angelina Powers are moving to a new beat as they launch Sound Goods, a next generation audio post and sound design studio. The partners, who teamed on award-winning audio mixing and sound design work while at Vinyl Mix, will continue to work in tandem as a sound designer/mixer and executive producer, respectively.
Fonger is a veteran of the New York audio post scene. He was the founding mixer when Vinyl Mix was launched in 2017 as the audio post arm of the global music powerhouse Yessian Music. Fonger explained that he and Powers are launching Sound Goods in response to a variety of factors. “First off, the nature of how work in the postproduction sector is done has radically changed. We think in many ways the new prevailing attitudes regarding remote workflows have provided a lot of new opportunities that just weren’t there before. If we’ve learned anything in this time, it’s that our clients value flexibility and reliability.
“It’s a really exciting time in the industry right now,” Fonger continued, “and Angelina and I feel we’re uniquely poised to take on the challenges of the current climate because we can be so lean with our overhead while remaining nimble and accommodating, both remotely and in-person as needed.”
Added Powers, “After working so closely for the past half-dozen years, we intuitively understand and appreciate each other’s strengths and skill sets. Based on this, we were ready to do all of this on our own.”
Fonger’s list of credits includes everything from Super Bowl spots and award-winning ad campaigns to projects like serving as supervising sound editor on Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour documentary, or collaborating with acclaimed animator Bill Plympton on numerous films. Fonger has also crafted immersive soundscapes for experiences such as NYC’s One World Observatory, Hudson Yards’ Edge, and many other attractions and installations worldwide.
Prior to joining Yessian as staff mixer in 2011, he spent a number of years freelancing for clients and post houses in New York, a stint following his formative time at audioEngine and Howard Schwartz Recording.
Powers is a seasoned executive producer with over 20 years of combined experience in music production, audio postproduction, live action production and business development, and brings her flair for connection and collaboration to every project. Prior to joining Yessian and Vinyl Mix as a producer she was in a sales role at Comma Music, and before that she was a partner in the independent repping firm SuperPowers. During her career, Powers has held representation roles with companies such as Chelsea, Commercial Artists Management and creative editorial company Red Car.
Powers said the newfound independence that she and Fonger have as Sound Goods opens them up to a new world of potential collaborations, “whether that’s a music house, a direct to brand project, a creative agency or working with production companies, post houses, VFX and animation studios, even social media influencers.”
Looking forward, the partners hope to cultivate an exclusive, diverse pool of top talent “that we can represent with a slightly different model than exists in the current paradigm,” Powers noted, adding “Community is such an important part of how we thrive and connect in a service industry like ours, and building that like-minded community is a top priority for us.”
Their first member of this troupe will be a familiar face: mixer and sound designer Jarrett Farkas will be represented through Sound Goods. His career highlights include numerous ad campaigns as well as mixing episodes of the acclaimed PBS series “Live From The Artist’s Den” and sound design, music and mix collaborations on over 40 original short films for the popular animated series, “TEDEd.”
“We’ve known and collaborated with Jarrett for a very long time,” said Fonger. “We’re beyond thrilled to have him in our community, and are planning to make some more announcements soon!
The partners said they’re interested in working across the various genres and media forms with which they’ve become familiar, from short films and feature docs to experiential events and installations. “In just the short time we’ve been up and running as Sound Goods, we’ve been contacted about projects in every one of those categories,” stated Powers.
