FXF008: THE SOUND ONE ERA 1968-2012

PART 3: Tribute to Bill Nisselson and Sybil Brown

Bill Nisselson was often described as the heart of Sound One. As managing Director from 1979-2001, Bill, alongside co-founder Elisha Birnbaum, set the tone of interaction, organized the deals and orchestrated the cross-traffic of post-production work between staff and clients which at its apex commanded 6 floors in the Brill Building and took in over 85% of the post-production film business in New York.

Not far from Bill’s office Sybil Brown, the receptionist from 1985-2005, offered a warm welcome, fresh flowers and the uncanny ability to locate people by phone in crucial moments and also stood as essential to the heartbeat of the Sound One experience. 

In this episode, staff and clients remember their interactions with Bill Nisselson, and Sybil Brown and share their stories about how both Bill and Sybil played a dominant role not only in shaping the working environment of  Sound One, but also in shaping peoples lives.

The Sound One Era: 1968-2012 is a multi-part series for Frame By Frame a podcast co-presented by Motion Picture Editors Guild and Post New York Alliance.

Frame By Frame is a podcast series that introduces you to the most influential, respected and accomplished cinema post-production professionals working in New York today. Through intimate, informal discussions between collaborators about post-production craft, aesthetics, process and technique, we’ll recognize and celebrate the iconic films and people that have made New York film history as well as those contemporaries who continue to make important contributions to the art of filmmaking. In conversations anchored by the film editor, we’ll share the stories that define New York as an essential ongoing capital of the global film industry.