Calrec Craft Interview: Florian Brown, A1
Brie Clayton March 27, 2023
0 Comments
Last year, veteran A1 Florian Brown spent a full day at Florida-based Full Sail University talking to students about what it's like to work as an A1 and the benefits of working in the broadcast audio. His talk covered many of the different freelance possibilities in audio, video, EVS, editing and more.
Brown began working as an A1 in 1995 and over the past 17 years, his career has led him to work on high-profile events such as the US Open (Tennis) where he worked as an audio supervisor. He's also worked on Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the ABC NFL Football draft. He's been using Calrec consoles for the duration of his career and during his time at Full Sail, he had a Calrec Artemis console on hand to show the students what it would be like to work on an audio mixing console that's so prevalent in broadcast.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you get started in professional audio?
My father was a freelance A1. He started at a news affiliate in Cleveland and then became the Audio Guarantee for Laclede Communications. But they struggled to find A1s so he mixed most of the shows himself. He then went freelance in 1988. I joined the Army and went to nursing school to become a licensed nurse practitioner. Once I got out of the service, nursing no longer appealed to me, so my father suggested I go down and work as a utility in his field. I was putting up ice mics on my first day. The rest is history.
2. How long have you been working in the broadcast industry and more specifically as an A1?
I started in the field in 1995 working as a utility and I was quickly promoted to A2. By 1998, a couple of the regular A1s moved out of town and the local crewer asked if I would be interested. I asked if taking the role would mean more work? Little did I know it was the start of what has been a wonderful and fulfilling career for me.
3. What are some major projects/broadcasts you've recently worked on and/or are currently working on?
I mix a lot of tennis including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. I'm one of the Audio Supervisors at the US Tennis Open. I also currently mix a lot of golf US Open, TPC Sawgrass, British Open, and the Ryder/Presidents Cup. I mixed last year's pre-game Super Bowl show and the ABC NFL Draft. I even mixed the Indy 500 back in the day. I've worked on almost every sport.
4. What are the highlights of being an A1? What makes the job exciting and why is it a good professional path?
The best part of being an A1 is never knowing just how your day is going to unfold. Some days are easy, some days are more challenging, but it's always interesting and it's certainly never boring! You get a real jolt of exhilaration every time you go live, plus a real sense of accomplishment after the show.
5. Tell us about the talk you gave at Full Sail University. How did it come about?
I was asked by Chris Fichera, VP of Group One (Calrec's US partner) if I would be interested in explaining the profession to some younger minds. I live in Tampa and Orlando, where Full Sail is, so just a short drive, so it seemed like a no brainer. We just discussed all the different opportunities and how easy it is to jump into the business.
6. Why did Full Sail University decide to do this education session with you?
I have worked with a couple of Full Sail graduates. I helped their careers, so Vincent Lepore, (Full Sail University's former Director, Event Technical Operations), heard of me through them and thought it would be good to get an experienced operator in to discuss the business. I was immediately intrigued at the idea and very happy to take this on.
7. What topics did you cover in your education session?
We covered all the different freelance positions available in audio, video, EVS, editing and more. We discussed what traits the crewing department and bosses on site are looking for. I made it clear to the students that punctuality and a good attitude are first and foremost.
8. We understand you did some demos/tutorial on the Calrec Artemis console. What did you show the students and why did you choose the Artemis for this? What were the benefits to the students for you to use the Artemis?
There were over 40 people in the audience, I wanted to show them that what an A1 does isn't much different from show to show and sport to sport. You can set up a loose default and that then becomes the bones for almost every sports broadcast. The idea was to take some of the magic and mystery out of the process. Calrec is the premier console for American sports and the Artemis, specifically, is widely used in this industry. It is prevalent in the industry and it made sense to use the audio console that I think students will encounter the most in their careers. Afterwards, lots of people had questions. I think they appreciated hearing from someone actually working in the business with almost two decades of experience.
9. What was the overarching goal of the event? What was your aim?
Sports broadcasting needs new, young, fresh talent. The problem is that not many folks know that these professions exist. You also don't have to travel 250 days a year to be successful.
Related COW News
March 14, 2023Producing for TikTok: Learn How KQED Is Adapting Its Video Editing Workflow to Serve a New Viewing DemographicEvolve or Die has to be the most defining phrase of the
February 23, 2023openGear Freedom with the Power of 12GIf you're a fan of openGear, it's most likely because it gives
10. How familiar are you with Calrec's technology?
Last year, I took a trip to Hebden Bridge in the UK where Calrec is headquartered, but I have been using their technology ever since I started mixing. Calrec consoles are some of the best in the bu
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
22/07/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
22/07/2026
A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...
22/07/2026
Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...
22/07/2026
Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services
Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...
22/07/2026
RT REPORTS NET SURPLUS OF 22.5 MILLION IN 2025...
22/07/2026
In the Opinion of the Censor airs Monday 27 July at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In the Opinion of the Censor looks at how films for theatrical release wer...
22/07/2026
Before a healthcare robot can be useful in the real world, it has to learn how the physical world pushes back. Anatomy varies. Instruments bend, press, slip and...
21/07/2026
New research involving a cross-section of Mongolias independent media landscape finds enthusiasm for AI as a tool to improve efficiency, sustainability and resi...
21/07/2026
With winners Spain having already paraded the World Cup trophy through Madrid in front of millions of fans and the dust now settling on an epic tournament of th...
Calrec Craft Interview: Florian Brown, A1 
