Life & Work with Mackenzie Granzow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Granzow.

Hi Mackenzie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started my career of technical engineering when I was 14 years old. Considering the fact that my mom is a classically trained pianist as well as a writer, my siblings are writers and artists in various forms, and my dad was an engineer, the thought of combining art and engineering made sense to me. I found my love of the tech side of production through the theatre department. My director and first influential mentor in the field introduced me to the possible career choice. I was given the freedom to discover what aspect of the technical field resonated with me most. The magic of watching any form of art unfold on stage and knowing I helped design and implement the creation of it had me hooked. During my freshman year of high school, I was certified as the Technical Supervisor through the Board of Education and began working for the school system.

Soon after, I went through a training with the local audio-visual production company, Welsh Sound, and started working with them as well. I was mentored by the owner Jamie Welsh and benefit from that to this day. Through that company, I also met Scott Brooks, who has and continues to share advice about the industry. We now have a studio together that I helped build, which also taught me a lot in the process. During that time, I focused mainly on live music and events throughout West Virginia.

The combination of hard work, luck, and a lot of networking helped me to create many more opportunities. One of those connections was the organization SoundGirls. Finding a community of women in sound opened up a whole world to me. I was lucky enough to connect with Karrie Keyes, the monitor engineer for Pearl Jam, and eventually met her in person during a sound check. She’s a huge influence of mine, and she made one of the careers I dreamed of seem very realistic. She was incredibly encouraging and shared some of her knowledge and wisdom, which was followed up by a heart-to-heart pep talk from Eddie Vedder. That day was a big moment for my career and changed the perspective for my 15-year-old self. Being a successful sound engineer suddenly felt very feasible.

After that, I started to work as a freelance technician throughout the DMV. I then met another incredible mentor of mine, Terrance Brown, aka “T.” He was a nonstop supportive sounding board (pardon the pun) who, even when I wasn’t working for him directly, continuously taught me and encouraged me to be the best version of myself.

Throughout the course of my career so far, I’ve had the pleasure to work on events that I’m proud of, both large and small.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with sexism. For a while, the added factor of typically being the youngest person in the room tended to add extra suspicion about my capabilities. That being said, I enjoy proving people wrong. I’m very grateful for the women before me that paved the way and I hope to see even more women enter the field in the future.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a freelance audio, video, and occasionally lighting engineer with a sprinkle of photography, but my specialty is audio. I think what sets me apart the most is my work ethic and passion. Not only do I want myself to succeed, but I want to help others along the way, which has created a supportive and symbiotic network of technicians and artists.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned so far is to take advantage of any opportunity to learn and better yourself. No one is ever done learning, and everyone has insight to share. Be patient, supportive, and kind in the process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mackgranzow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-granzow-3b414b267