Audio Media International started this series for our newsletter and, by popular demand, we’re picking five interviews every now and then and putting them on the site while we miss the usual shows and conventions. If you want to be featured or want to nominate someone, email rosie@audiomediainternational.com.

John Johnson, Chief Technology Officer, HHB Communications

Where are you right now? 
Working from home, although I have an on-site install this afternoon. 
What is the last album you listened to? 
I’ve been letting shuffle do its thing for the most part, but ‘Cuz I Love You’ by Lizzo was the last album I listened to. Huge! 
Describe 2021 so far in one sentence. 
A rocky start, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger & brighter! 
What skill have you developed in lockdown? 
Finding green spaces – On the weekends, I’d just set off & walk – A to A. I think my record is approaching 30 parks in one day, strung together with a few roads & canals. 
Apart from friends and family, what have you most missed this year? 
Playing football, and live music! My 11-a-side leagues have both cancelled for the season, and most gigs have been postponed a 2^nd time, but I’m pretty confident I’ll get to see some bands perform this year. 
What’s the biggest change to pro audio industry this year? 
Remote workflows, and a lack of in-person interaction – we’re lucky to still be working in a busy industry, and the pandemic forced us to utilise various technologies which have enabled us all to do so much more, remotely. That said, it’s hard not being able to catch up with people away from Teams or Zoom, and with virtual Awards or Trade Shows it always feels like something is missing. 
What live event do you most want to go to in 2021? 
Rammstein at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (postponed from 2020) – I’m not super confident it’ll go ahead, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  
Tell us something you’ve never told anyone else? 
I’m absolutely gutted that I never saw Van Halen… I’ll use that to remind me to go and see as many bands as possible while I can. 

Ralf Zuleeg, Chief of Soundscape Enablement, d&b audiotechnik GmbH

Where are you right now? 
In the office @dbaudio [Backnang]. 
What is the last album you listened to? 
Simple Minds – Good news from the Next World. 
Describe 2021 so far in one sentence.
I hope we’re getting over it. 
When does live music come back?
August, 5^th … late summer for sure 
What skill have you developed in lockdown? 
Being patient … and talking to my computer. 
Tell us something you’ve never told anyone else? 
No way, need to ask my wife first.

José Gaudin, Meyer Sound Technical Services

Where are you right now?
I am in Switzerland and I actually live very close to a ski resort. We just had snow and the weather stayed cold the past week.
What is the last album you listened to? 
Greatest Hits by Hank Williams III
Describe 2021 so far in one sentence. 
Work, work, work, ski, fly, and repeat. (Not exactly in this order, but the scale is right.)
When does live music come back? 
It is there, and there are still artists producing music, rehearsals being planned, shows happening in parts of this world, and people are buying more high-resolution music on the internet!
What skills have you developed in lockdown? 
Microsoft Teams, Zoom bombing survival, producing webinars overnight, graphing mic patterns in Excel, cooking with more diversity and test flight a helicopter after maintenance.
Tell us something you’ve never told anyone else? 
I miss travelling and my friends from the industry.

Brian Pickowitz, Vice President of Marketing, LEA Professional

Where are you right now? 
In the LEA Professional South Bend, Indiana office.
What is the last album you listened to?
Linkin Park Hybrid Theory
Describe 2021 so far in one sentence.
2021 so far is like watching a river that’s about to overflow and waiting for the dam to open the floodgates.
What skill have you developed in lockdown?
Crisis management
Apart from friends and family, what have you most missed this year?
Being able to walk into a store and not have to walk back to my car because I forgot my mask.
What live event do you most want to go to in 2021?
Any of them that support our Live Sound industry.
What’s the biggest change to the industry from the last year and will it stick with us?
Not everything will have to be face to face.  Business will continue to be done remotely more often.
Tell us something you’ve never told anyone else?
I might own one or two too many cars.

Gordon Reid, Managing Director, CEDAR Audio Ltd

Where are you right now? 
I’m in my study, which is usually one of the music studios in my house but has become my office for the duration of the lockdown.
What is the last album you listened to? 
When I started answering these questions I was listening to Genesis’ Trespass. I love early-70s Genesis, as well as early ELP, Yes, Pink Floyd… I’m sure that you get the picture. But as I finish, I’ve jumped forward fifty years and am listening to Nicolas Godin’s Concrete and Glass.
Describe 2021 so far in one sentence. 
It has been unusual, interesting, educational and frustrating in equal measures.
What skill have you developed in lockdown?
How to build and maintain relationships through a laptop screen. I think that we were all worried about how we would manage this when we were first sent home but, as time has passed, it has become easier and more natural.
Apart from friends and family, what have you most missed this year?  
Live performing and playing football. My band’s last gig before the pandemic was in March last year, and subsequent bookings have been postponed (sometimes more than once) until late 2021 and 2022. As for football, I have always loved playing and I’ll attempt to haul my ageing carcass around the pitch until I’m no longer capable.
What’s the biggest change to your industry this year? 
I think that it’s the same for many of us – conducting business via Zoom, Meet, or whichever other on-line mechanisms one uses.
What changes from the last year do you think will stick with us?
I wonder whether there will be a ‘new normal’ because I suspect that many people will want to return to the old one as soon as they’re permitted and it’s safe to do so. Sure, many will continue to conduct one-to-one business through a webcam, but other things such as on-line trade shows have not been a roaring success so I think that things will eventually revert (mostly) to the old normal, but with a greater degree of home working and on-line communication than before.
What live event do you most want to go to in 2021?  
I know that I should write something cerebral like an IBC, NAB or AES Convention, a signal processing conference or something similar but, if I’m really honest, it’s my band’s first gig after the lockdown.
Tell us something you’ve never told anyone else? 
I’m a Tottenham supporter, so I’ve never admitted to a grudging respect for the ‘invincible’ Arsenal team of 2003-2004.