Business Spotlight: Full Spectrum Audio – Sound Engineering Expertise
Back in the old days when we used to have live events, a.k.a. 2019, most of us probably took for granted the venue’s sound quality. We were afforded that luxury because entrepreneurs like Eugene “Gino” Henry, owner of local small business Full Spectrum Audio, have worked for years to hone their sound engineering expertise. A DJ for over three decades, Gino has been a sound engineer, with a skillset that enables him to design and control the sound at countless events and venues, for more than 20 years.
If the sound engineering field sounds unfamiliar, you are certainly acquainted with the work. These professionals, also known as audio engineers, mix, reproduce, and manipulate the equalization and electronic effects of sound. Gino’s expertise includes, but is not limited to, sound systems, stage management, sound editing, audio post production, stage lighting, and monitor engineering. This all plays a role in the sound and visuals in the music industry, at live events and in the movie business. Essentially, anyone who has ever been to a concert, professional sporting event, or movie and heard everything clearly, can thank a talented sound engineer like Gino Henry.
Unfortunately, like many STEM industries, sound engineering is not known for its diversity. Gino notes that when he first got started “there was not a lot of minority representation in the business and he “wanted to change that.” Gino has faced a number of challenges, including competition from bigger, wealthier corporate firms, and potential clients devaluing his work by offering him less pay than they offered his white counterparts. While Gino has thrived despite these obstacles, they put Gino and other Black small business owners like him at an economic disadvantage that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 financial downturn. Research has shown that Black small businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and have received limited access to federal funds from the Paycheck Protection Program. As the pandemic has dragged on, small business owners have had to adapt to ever-changing mandates and guidelines about how they are allowed operate; if they are allowed to do so at all. This uncertainty and shift in economic opportunities prompted Gino to seek assistance from the Black Small Business Association of California’s (BSBA) and their innovative Technical Assistance Program (TAP).
According to Gino, his decision to sign up for TAP was two-fold. “I wanted to learn more about marketing and obtaining government contracts,” he explained, “but it was important to me to learn from an entity that was focused on small Black businesses like mine.” As a business owner with over 20 years of experience, Gino hopes to keep his business alive for at least another 20. To do that, he said that it’s “extremely important to keep up with the ways technology and marketing continue to change.” Fortunately, TAP is helping him do just that.
“I love that each class is tailored to specific business needs. I also appreciate the fact that the instructors are knowledgeable and that I am able to get all of my questions answered.” Gino also noted that the programs virtual platform makes attendance to the courses very convenient.
As the vaccines for COVID-19 are slowly making their way into the public sphere, light is beginning to shine at the end of this very long and dark tunnel. Gino Henry said that he plans to use what he’s learned to in TAP to “bounce back prepared and stronger than before.” Hopefully, after more than a year of virtual everything, we will appreciate the behind-the-scenes sound engineering work of professionals like him as we sing along to our favorite song at the first post COVID-19 concert we attend.
For more information about TAP, please contact BSBA at (916) 573 -0677 or info@bsba-ca.org
