Top Left: Paul Lipson with the GANG | IESD Co-Chairs
During the 15th and 16th centuries in central Italy, a handful of highly intelligent, multi-talented and broadly skilled individuals rose to prominence - later earning the historical nickname, “Renaissance Man” - by acquiring a proficiency of knowledge and skills across a multitude of disciplines. In today’s notoriously specialized professional climate, it’s rare to find such a man.
But not impossible.
Say hello to Paul Lipson, President of the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG). Paul is a 21st Century version of the Renaissance man. He is as comfortable debating the merits of nanotechnology with his friends at M.I.T. as he is performing a Bach suite on the guitar. You’re as likely to find him absorbed in an intense Xbox Live session, as balancing a multi-million dollar operating budget on his laptop. Legal precedents, gaming trends, marketing strategies and perspective, orchestration, back-end server tech, vintage microphones, jazz harmony and theory, esoteric video game history - he can comment intelligently on them all.
Today he brings all of these personal and professional resources to bear in the service of GANG’s sound designers, composers, engineers and other game audio disciplines at every level of the Guild. Courtesy of Chance Thomas, Music4Games was able to interview Paul, and offer our readers an inside look at the new President of GANG.
Hi Paul, thanks for taking some time to be with us and answer a few questions. You were recently appointed to the position of President of the Game Audio Network Guild. Tell us what series of events brought you to the helm of this organization.
Well, it has really been a wonderful journey over the years. I started out working closely with Alexander Brandon, Clint Bajakian, and Michelle Sorger on the Education Committee stuff in the early days, and we were totally engaged with creating some truly groundbreaking policies for G.A.N.G. We knew that we had that right combination of skill-sets, and I think Tommy and Jack recognized the depth and commitment we brought to the table. All of us worked incredibly hard for the Guild early on, and I think we were just psyched to push ahead in areas that were underserved. About a year in, I was elected to the position of Senior Director, and we brought Michelle up as the Director of Development. Michelle rocks, and we took the energy and ideas from our work with the committees and amped it up even further. We created some exhaustive analysis reports and strategy docs, and launched the Program Partnership initiative at the end of 2005. That was really a culminating event, and the effects of our work created a sizable impact in 2006. I was elected President at the five-year anniversary of the Guild, and Michelle was elected as VP. I’m thrilled to be working in this continuing capacity with my fellow Officers and the Board. As in most things, hard work, persistence, and dedication can bring wonderful friends and colleagues together…and it also helps to have some awesome ideas, too.
How did you get involved with GANG initially?
I joined G.A.N.G. almost at the very beginning – about seven months after the initial launch, and became really interested when I was running HPM (Hit Point Music) out of Boston. I met Tommy at GDC, and we just hit it off. I mean, we got into this deep conversation about the games we love…and it was so satisfying to pull out even the most esoteric stuff and have Tommy tracking with me every step of the way. We must have talked for over an hour, and I was going back to stories of writing machine code on my Apple IIe and Commodore 64...reaching quite a ways back, pre MIDI, etc. Tommy didn’t even blink when I described recording my Goldeneye multiplayer sessions onto my VCR and then making a “best-of-me-beating-you-down” tape to give to my buddies during the holidays. We were just crazy-hardcore, and spending time with Tommy, Jack, and the founders of the Guild…there was a lot of synergy from the onset, and I knew that I had some things to contribute and should be a part of it.
What do you think is going well in game audio today?
I am so impressed with the ears, minds, and creative audio talent working in interactive entertainment right now. The last demo-derby we held at GDC was so inspiring…people are arriving with such a solid aesthetic, and come prepared to orchestrate, arrange, compose, edit, implement, and design at a very high level. Games are attracting the top talent, and it is not slowing down at all. The flipside of the same coin is what the tools and hardware are allowing us (composers and sound developers) to do technically. A quick chat with Brian or Scott at Microsoft, or Buzz and Dave over at SCEA, and its hard to not just stand up and clap. The limits are being pushed, and we have so much headroom compared to just five years ago. The contracts and business landscape is also reaching a new level of maturity. We have some exciting things to discuss at GDC in 2008, including a landmark videogame recording contract developed with the AFM, etc… It’s a great time to be in game audio, and the bar is being raised on a regular basis.
How has GANG played a role in that?
G.A.N.G is all about professional development, best practices, community, and education. We’re also saying things with a unified voice, articulating things and innovating on behalf of the entire community. Our efforts at GDC, the Program Partnership Initiative, scholarships, events…it’s working. Publishers are more informed about audio-specific issues, budgets are going up every year, developers are taking some risks and getting more robust support, and young talent is coming in prepared and knowledgeable. G.A.N.G. has a lot to do with that, and is a direct result of staying true and serving the original mission.
And what do you think needs improvement? What are the thorny issues keeping your members up at night?
Well, different things affect our constituency in different ways. Lots of people who are new to the industry – our student and apprentice members - are very concerned with finding and maintaining consistent work. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and there is an insular nature to the industry that many people find daunting. Things are definitely becoming more stable, but more can and should be done to set some standard benchmarks that the industry as a whole can rely on. There continues to be prevailing misinformation and lack of clear communication within the different facets of our industry, and there are occasional flare-ups due to the lack of solid industry standards and practices. Our professional members are usually living with this every day, from both a technical and logistical standpoint.
How will GANG participate in resolving these issues and making the world a better place for its members?
G.A.N.G. fosters a strong community, and provides a place where people can openly discuss their concerns. Logging into the message boards, it is not uncommon to see people connecting and helping each other with universal game audio issues, like jobs or contracts or networking techniques. It is wonderful to see experienced pros responding to a newbie and giving much needed encouragement and advice, or two heavy-hitters from major studios commenting on hardware or process, or the need for standardized reference levels, etc.. G.A.N.G. has created the community, communication, and networking opportunities that are essential to the growth and well-being of everyone in the field…and we are striving to better understand who makes game audio, and create an environment that speaks directly to the needs of the people.
You have already been instrumental in bringing to life several significant programs under the auspices of GANG, such as GANG | IESD and the GANG Program Partnerships. Can you tell us about them?
The Program Partnership Initiative was designed to create strategic partnerships beyond just traditional sponsorship of the Guild. There are many like-minded companies, institutions, and organizations out there that have a synergy with GANG and an immense amount of resources and energy for game audio. We knew early on that many people wanted to get involved in a hands-on, sweat-equity type of way, and that just becoming a traditional sponsor or writing a check wasn’t going to work for everyone. The Program Partnership Initiative creates a framework for people to partner with the Guild, and it provides access to infrastructure and logistical support that is essential to the Guild successfully executing on initiatives. The GANG | IESD proudly launched this year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. This is the first professional branch of the Guild, and it is geared for sound developers. GANG was starting to develop a reputation that it only catered to composers, and we wanted to remind everyone that we embrace all of game audio and dispel that myth entirely. The co-chairs of the GANG | IESD are some of the deepest players in the business, and we are confident that sound developers now have a home within the Guild that is specifically for them. Check out www.gang-iesd.org for more information…things are growing and being added all the time.
And as you look to the future, say the next 3 - 5 years, what kinds of plans do you have for GANG’s continued growth and relevance?
I see GANG continuing to be at the center of the scene. I think there will be more content, information, community events, partnerships, and high-level best practices coming out of GANG, and the industry will continue to turn to our community as the first place to look for talent and information. The GANG awards at GDC continue to grow, and I think our members will enjoy more exposure and focus on the issues in the larger media. Our immediate growth plans involve some important infrastructure improvements like a website overhaul (which is no small task). We are working to build all of the solid systems and get policies into place so we can just go out and execute on new things like the GANG | IESD branch and new Program Partenerships. The membership base is now all over the world, and we moving to create a stronger GANG presence outside the US.
How do you see your current term of leadership affecting the rank and file members of the Guild? For example, how will an audio director at a major publisher, or a freelance composer, or an in-house sound designer at a small development studio all benefit from your presidency?
I have a background that gives me a perspective and ability to reach all the levels of our membership. I can sit down with an audio director and get as granular as he or she might want, or sit down with the stakeholders in a boardroom and successfully defend a new project, policy or strategy. An executive with creative expertise is hard to find, and I think that is what has defined my involvement with GANG. Being able to understand and have empathy for such a diverse group of audiophiles, and then go home and create policies for the Guild in response...that is what I would hope people would expect and demand. People often look surprised that I can analyze a P&L, provide suggestions for how to change an underlying harmonic structure by ear, and then beat them at Halo 3…all in the same breathe. (laughs).
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You come from a remarkable family, highly educated, accomplished, successful, and supportive. Tell us about the home front.
(laughs). Well, an interesting fact is that I’m a fraternal triplet and have two sisters exactly the same age as me…we were all born at the same time, roughly two minutes apart. My sister Gabrielle is an attorney in Manhattan, and my sister Heather is an Educational Therapist in Santa Cruz, CA. My parent aren’t exactly slouches either – my mother is an immigration lawyer with multiple Ph.Ds, and my father is a pediatrician with an MBA. I guess I took much of that energy in my family and channeled it my own way, towards music and technology. None of us are content to stay stagnant for too long, and we all like to reach and challenge ourselves, and stay supportive of each other in the process. My mum’s firm has actually worked on a number of immigration cases for G.A.N.G. members, and she is even offering a special G.A.N.G. discount. Now if that isn’t supporting game audio culture, I do not know what is! Check out www.globalmobilitylaw.com, and tell her Paul sent you…
At the most recent GANG event – the summer BBQ – you entertained and mesmerized with your guitar playing, moving effortlessly from Bach to John Coltrane to Hendrix and back again. Tell us about Paul the musician (including your conservatory training and Jazz combo tours around the world).
I went to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and earned my Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree highest distinction in performance. I’ve been playing guitar and writing music for over twenty-five years, and I was fortunate enough to study with some of the masters. It was amazing to play a session with John Abercrombie or Mick Goodrick, and then walk down the hall and say hi to Yo-Yo Ma and Emmanual Ax, or people in the Boston Symphony. Between my degrees, I toured with my bands all over the world…Singapore, China, Brazil, Europe, etc.. The music scene and touring was still jumping in the mid-nineties, and I will never forget those years in my life. I’m doing so much management, consulting, and composing these days…sometimes I just want to toss it all away and go back on the road (laughs). This is an important part of what I bring to GANG, and the game scene in general…part of having an audio perspective.
Now let’s weave all the pieces together – Paul Lipson the musician, businessman, educator, inspirational leader, deal-maker. How do you keep these various threads all weaving together to the immediate and long term benefit of your membership – sound designers, composers, engineers, producers, managers, and other audio professionals in GANG?
Well, I’m a rather busy man because of all of that. (laughs). I think everything you listed is a defining trait, but it is all part of a whole. This is why I feel comfortable working with GANG and why I feel connected to the issues in the industry; I move between worlds pretty well…and that helps everyone in the end. I would want anyone to be able to talk to me and feel like I have empathy for his/her position. Managing a growing Guild like GANG is a huge undertaking, and the more perspective you bring…the more effective you can be in the service of the membership.
It’s hard to think of GANG without bringing to mind Tommy Tallarico. Yet, Tommy has turned over the role of President to you. Tell us about Tommy’s current involvement, evolving role, and about your leadership relationship with each other in the Guild.
Tommy is a dear friend, and an inspiring, dynamic force in the game industry. We have worked together so well, and it has been wonderful to be able to build on what he and the other founders started. Tommy’s role as CEO and Board Chairman gives him flexibility; and he’s really been able to support me in executing on GANG day to day. I think of him as the Godfather now; he’s Brando and I’m a young Pacino! (laughs).
One final question. Any predictions for Audio of the Year at the GANG Awards next February?
There was a ridiculous amount of great audio this year, and more coming. I’m still entranced by BioShock; Garry Schyman’s score is great. I think Jack Wall has got something huge coming with Mass Effect. To be honest, I’m playing so much Half Life 2 Orange Box…just give it to Valve again. The years go by, and the audio still amazes me.
Paul, thanks again for taking time to answer some questions and share your hopes and dreams for game audio professionals. We wish you great success in the months and years ahead.
www.audiogang.org
Interview by Chance Thomas