Three-time Emmy Award-winning re-recording mixer Rick Ash (pictured) has joined Widget Post in Los Angeles. Ash, who won his most recent Emmy last year for his work on HBO Films’ Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, arrives from Todd-AO where his credits include more than 100 feature films.
At Widget, Ash will work out of a state-of-the-art mixing theater equipped with a 96-fader Neve Gemini console. His current projects include The Lonely Maiden, an independent film starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy, and The Code, a Mimi Leader film featuring Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas. He recently completed the mix for Bustin’ Down the Door, a documentary about surfing, for director Jeremy Gosch.
“Rick is one of the top talents in Hollywood and we are thrilled to have him join our team,” says Widget CEO Anne-Marie Slack. “He brings a lot of passion and imagination to his work—and shares our deep commitment to the craft of sound.”
Ash is best known for his work in independent films, documentaries and long-form television. His indie credits include Little Miss Sunshine, Running with Scissors and Monster’s Ball. He has a long-standing relationship with HBO Films, where, in addition to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, his projects have included Lackawanna Blues, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Warm Springs and Live from Baghdad. The latter two also brought him Emmy Awards.
Ash got his start while still a teenager, working as a runner for the legendary rock group The Band. He went on to become an engineer for the group and helped to record albums by them as well as other artists, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. He became involved in mixing for television and film through Glen Glenn Sound and joined Todd-AO when it acquired Glen Glenn in 1986.
Ash attributes his move to Widget to his desire to work in a “close and personal relationship” with his clients. “The management here has allowed me to run my stage independently. They are there to support me, while allowing me to do what I do,” Ash says. “I knew that this was a perfect fit.”
Ash says that he sees his role as helping filmmakers tell their stories. “There are many ways to bring characters to life,” he says. “With sound, you can change the development of a character and give them different attitudes and colors—it can also affect the minds of the audience subliminally.”
For more information, visit www.widgetpost.com.
