PROFILE
Rena Kozak
By Maxime Brunet
PHOTO : SCOTT MUNRO
Rena Kozak is an FOH engineer and tour manager based out of Montreal , QC . She has always had an interest in the arts , and played in numerous bands in her hometown of Calgary before becoming a sound engineer .
A talented dancer , Kozak was studying ballet at the University of Calgary in 2002 when she injured her foot . Unsure if she would be able to dance again , she considered alternate career paths . A friend of hers , recording engineer Josh Gwilliam , suggested she look into the audio recording course at the Academy of Production and Recording Arts in Calgary . After graduating from the program , she began working in a local studio but soon found the work of recording commercials to be monotonous .
Instead of pursuing more studio work , she interned with an electrical engineer and learned to fix analog audio equipment . In 2005 , that same engineer recommended her as FOH for a production of Guys and Dolls . She recounts : “ It was an insane opportunity in retrospect , a 24-person cast with a full orchestra . People work for decades to break into that kind of work . It was a crazy stroke of luck . I never thought I would like live sound ; it seemed so intimidating , but it was exhilarating to take my knowledge and apply it in the moment to tell a story to an audience .”
After the run ended , Kozak took a job with Sound Art , a local production company . In 2007 , she did a national tour as a monitor engineer for a dance show that featured a live band ; however , she felt touring wasn ’ t for her at the time and took a job as house engineer for Calgary ’ s MacEwan Hall .
In 2012 , her boyfriend passed away suddenly . After grieving , she found herself in a different place mentally . “ I wanted fewer physical attachments ,” she says candidly .“ I didn ’ t know where I wanted to live , I didn ’ t want possessions , I didn ’ t want to attempt to have a lifestyle that resembled anything permanent for a while , so I approached the boys in [ rock outfit ] Preoccupations – who were called Viet Cong at the time and are longtime friends – about using me as their touring FOH .”
Preoccupations agreed to hire her , and this time , Kozak found herself thriving on the road . She has since worked as FOH for Operators , Holy Ghost !, Maggie Rogers , and Pine Grove . Most recently , she ’ s been filling in as monitor engineer for Big Wreck and The New Pornographers ahead of an upcoming fall tour as FOH for Albert Hammond Jr .
Her favourite piece of gear is her old TAC Scorpion recording console , which she is slowly re-soldering and fixing . In a live setting , she is renowned for her use of guitar pedals as live mix effects . For Preoccupations tours , she always uses a couple of FX chains for vocals and drums , in the hopes of recreating the album ’ s sound . She appreciates the gigs where she has to freedom to be creative with her gear and mixing style .
Speaking on her experience of being a woman in a male dominated industry , she says :“ Being a woman has undoubtedly impacted my experience as a sound engineer , from the patrons at shows approaching the desk to say they haven ’ t seen a girl doing this before , to the men on my own crews treating me like I don ’ t know what I ’ m talking about , to everything in between . I ’ ve been in the business
for 16 years now and I want to be able to say that the experience has changed or evolved in some way but I don ’ t think it actually has . I have always been lucky and had good jobs and supportive peers , but the awkward or downright stressful interactions don ’ t seem to have become any fewer or any farther between . I could go on for a very long time about this but I don ’ t feel like it ’ s news to anyone anymore : there are women in the industry and they don ’ t appreciate your sexist remarks and behavior .”
Her advice to women and non-binary persons looking to get into the field is to find a mentor that treats you with respect , and shadow them . “ Be sure you know your stuff and you will always have your skill and knowledge as your armor even when someone doesn ’ t initially trust that it ’ s there ,” Kozak offers . “ Respond to disrespect with as much confidence as you possibly can . I ’ ve made the mistake of reacting emotionally , passive aggressively , or with sarcasm , and that ’ s often counterproductive . I always say you can ’ t demand respect ; you have to command respect and I do my best to work to that rule , though I certainly forgive myself for the times I have emotionally lost control in these struggles . We ’ re only human and so are the people who are causing us harm . I try my best to be empathetic to why they assume things the way they do and that often helps me figure out the best way to approach them and have a professional interaction .”
Her long-term goals are to keep touring while also working on her own artistic projects . She has recently finished recording and mixing her first solo record , under the name Child Actress . Her album , Milking a Dead Cow , was released on Wyatt Records in May 2017 and can be found wherever you get your music .
Maxime Brunet was introduced to audio at the age of 17 through community radio . She now works as both a club and touring FOH engineer . She developed an introduction to sound class , The DIY Audio Tech Workshop for Women + , which she has taught throughout Ontario .
18 PROFESSIONAL SOUND