Keith Lindsay Celebrates 40 Years In The Industry
Keith Lindsay has worked at JMS for 40 years. He began his audio career in 1984 as a Youth Training Scheme trainee for the company, assisting the original JMS director and head of production Carl Goss in all aspects of the job.
“My interview at JMS was on a Friday afternoon,” Keith tells me. “I was in a newly bought M&S suit, as my eldest brother was getting married and I was catching the bus out to Hethersett.” So, in wedding attire Keith strutted up the drive past the Park Farm Hotel in Norwich, as a lady came running out of the building. “Are you here for the interview,” she asked.
Sandra Briggs, at the time secretary and admin, but later managing director of JMS.
The team was at lunch, so Keith helped himself to a cuppa – Sandra was telling him they’d be back soon. “I later found out she went back to the others telling them ‘He’s the one!’.”
And he sure was. Keith says that secretly he thinks it was the M&S suit that pushed him over the line – none of the other interviewees came smartly dressed!
As his job progressed, Keith’s day consisted of preparing the weekly voice session for radio commercials for the newly-launched independent radio station ‘Radio Broadland’. Over the years, this weekly session became a daily one, as JMS grew and acquired more radio station commercial production contracts. “We used new technologies, such as fax machines, to send and receive client script briefs and return finished scripts,” Keith reminisces.
ISDN, BT’s fibre optic service replaced ‘carts’ and ‘reel-to-reel’ tapes originally delivered via taxi or bike. Now, this too has been replaced, with other delivery systems and audio file forms. Keith has seen it all. “Whatever type of audio you need – corporate video soundtracks, radio or TV soundtracks, sales cassettes, on-hold telephone messages, audiobooks – I’ve made it!”
Today, LBB’s Zoe Antonov takes a stroll down memory lane with Keith to hear about his widely celebrated career.
LBB> Let’s bring it back to the start. What was it like to work under Carl Goss, and how did he influence your approach to audio production?
Keith> Carl was a great teacher. It was all very professional – industry standards had to be met – but we had fun creating the productions. He taught me to follow briefs, take on instructions and requests. And I met the deadlines! I finished when the job was finished. I gave the client the best and was proud of the finished work; what more could one do?
LBB> Looking back, what inspired you to enter the field of audio production initially, and what aspects of it keep you motivated and engaged today?
Keith> I was always more interested in the commercials between TV shows than the shows themselves, and I loved all ‘the making of’ programmes for films and TV programmes. JMS was a behind-the-scenes type of business, so when it ‘popped up on my radar’, I knew it was the job for me!
LBB> You’ve witnessed huge advancements in audio production technology – from reel-to-reel tapes, to digital editing software. What were some of the biggest challenges in adapting to these changes, and how did each new tool change the way you worked?
Keith> The most challenging aspect was losing the ‘hands-on’ feel. Scrubbing a reel-to-reel machine to find an edit point and marking them with a chinagraph pencil, slice them with a razor blade (and dropping the unwanted ¼ inch tape to the floor or looping it round your neck just in case the edit didn’t work), then sticking it back together with sticky tape and playing it back to see if it worked!
The technologies have advanced to give you a connection to the digital work, so it’s come full circle. Once again you have a scrubbing, hands-on feel to your edits. And no destructive editing or unlimited ‘undos’. Nothing worse than trying to find the right piece of ¼ inch tape to put back into the reel from a pile of thrown away pieces on the floor!
LBB> How did the shift from physical media (like cassettes and tapes) to digital formats impact the audio production industry and the way you interact with clients?
Keith> The biggest impact is time. Everything has become instantly needed (and instantly available, such as new music and SFX for production use, and voices in home studios). There’s no waiting around for deliveries by Royal Mail or couriers to deliver the finished product to the client. Need a voice – get them online. No waiting for the weekly visit!
LBB> Could you walk us through a typical day at JMS Group today? How does it compare to the early days when you were preparing audio for ‘Radio Broadland’?
Keith> A typical ‘radio day’? Once a script is approved, a voice is cast that we believe will best suit the client’s expectations. We’ll book a suitable link time via industry standard connection apps – Source-Nexus, Zoom, Teams, etc., and we like to try and direct every session. We’re supplying the client with the best possible product, so we rarely give up the control of how the script should sound, be performed and presented by the voice. They’re all very professional and can supply a great range of takes but I like to push and guide them to be that little bit greater! While waiting for the voice to come online, I’m editing music and SFX ready for the upcoming session so I can play to the voice what we are trying to achieve – a great production!
Other projects such as corporate video soundtracks or TV productions usually have clients in attendance/online, when directing the voice, so these sessions are usually booked days or even weeks in advance.
The deadlines are all a bit tighter nowadays – once script approval is given the expected delivery of a finished commercial is the same day!
In the ‘good old days’, the creating of scripts could take weeks, back and forth to clients via couriers or first-class post – it could even take days over the telephone trying to catch the decision maker in the office. Remember, this was before everyone had mobile phones!
In production, we’d have over a week to prepare music, SFX and other elements for our main weekly VO session, once script approval had been given. We were working sometimes weeks in advance of air dates to get the right voice for the right script.
The finished commercial would be put on an NAB audiopak cart or five-inch reel for the stations and a cassette copy for the exec to take to the client and play it to them in their office for approval.
LBB> With such a wide range of audio production experience – from corporate video soundtracks to audiobooks – what would you say is the most challenging type of project to work on, and why?
Keith> Every job has its own challenges. Take corporate videos as an example. You must make your music and SFX match the images on screen – the same with the duration of the voiceover. It’s no good talking about how wonderful the manufacturing process is if the image on screen has already changed to the next subject or image.
LBB> You mentioned sending scripts and commercials over fax and later ISDN and email. How has the process of collaborating with clients evolved, and what do you think is the biggest advantage of today’s workflow?
Keith> The biggest advantages and, if being honest, and biggest hassles, are once again time!
It’s great getting instant feedback, both good and bad, but it has created a bit of a ‘I need it yesterday’ culture. If you can click and practically deliver your finished product anywhere in the world, some jobs can be pushed right to the deadline limit and on occasions, the deadlines have become very, very tight.
But I think I can safely say I’ve never missed one yet!
LBB> Who or what would you say has been a key source of inspiration in your career, whether in the field of audio production or beyond?
Keith> It sounds cheesy but it’s all the people I’ve worked with over all the years. My colleagues at JMS, the voiceovers, the clients. All of them inspire me in different ways to make me want to create something unique and better
LBB> As someone who’s contributed to audio production for over 35 years, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in the industry?
Keith> Nowadays there seems to be courses at colleges and universities covering all aspects of the industry – It’s great to have the qualifications on your CV but the best thing is having the love of the job. I’m always asked what I do, and I always reply ‘I have the best job in the world’. Every day is different – and I love it!
