Tonebenders Podcast 354 - Tonebenders Goes to Los Angeles (featuring a mini-interview with Ben Burtt!)
Apr 8, 2026
Ben Burtt, legendary Skywalker Sound designer behind iconic Star Wars and E.T. effects, joins for a backstage chat. Tim recounts LA meet-up adventures, red carpet and Golden Reel backstage interviews. Highlights include studio tours, award-night reactions, and quick reflections on honoring filmmakers and sound community moments.
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Scaling The Tonebenders Los Angeles Meetup
- Tim Muirhead describes organizing the fourth Los Angeles Tonebenders meetup and agonizing over venue choice as attendance grew each year.
- The Hollywood meetup at All Season Brewing drew over 330 people, forcing a move to a larger venue and validating the risk to try a new location.
Organize Multi Studio Tours For Students
- When hosting studio tours for students, pair visits to multiple facilities for varied exposure and Q&A with top talent.
- Tim and MPSC took Golden Reel student nominees through Universal, Levels Audio, Glen Glen Film Center, and Formosa Hollywood for hands-on learning.
Tig Notaro's Stool Gag Backstage Mishap
- Tim recounts being the red carpet reporter at the Cinema Audio Society Awards and getting candid backstage moments with presenters like Tig Notaro.
- A shared joke led Tig to attempt her stool gag onstage, which failed due to felt pads, then she later blamed Tim while laughing backstage.