Malury Imbernon

Welcome and jump in, beautiful people! Today we are with Malury Imbernon and she is a badass! Alone at age 17, she left war-torn Venezuela, came to America and built a bold career as audio engineer, marketing guru, and wife . Check this out and be inspired!

You can find Malury at https://www.heigastudios.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome back to How We Love. I am Robin Lynn, and our guest today is Mallory Timberman, a woman who is amongst the top tier professionals in her many fields. She began as an audio engineer and quickly thrived to become an all-star in the audio world. This isn't the beginning or end of her story. She came here the space of a very young woman all alone, leaving everything and everyone behind and facing enormous challenges. Nonetheless, she has made an extraordinary life for herself. And this is her story. Welcome, Mallory.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

My question be here, Robin.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

So, Mallory, let's you have a very accomplished life. You are happily married, you have a great life, but I don't want to start from where you are now. I want to go back. I want to go back to when you were living in Venezuela and what happened. Okay? Sure. So tell me. The change, what you grew up in Venezuela, and then there was this huge change in what? Was it 1999?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yes, I was around that time. Um I graduated from high school in 1997, and um I knew immediately what I wanted to do, um, go to audio engineer school, uh, which was not popular. It was only one school in the entire country. So um by the time I graduated, um, the political situation was really tough.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

And um what was what was going on?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Uh um we um the president that was at that time created a lot of insecurity. Um there were a lot of um killings, like a lot of my friends um who were not supported, where we were actually shot in the street by their command, by their police.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

And wait a second, are you telling me that people that you knew were actually shot?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Yeah, yeah. I I have friends that were shot. Like we went out on the street in protest. Um, we didn't have anything violent on us, and um the police was starting shooting at us in Plaza Altamira back in during that time. Um I also got robbed in my brother's car like um 8 a.m. Sunday. I was putting gas. And uh they um I have like seven guys who took um my brother's car. See, he was a jeep, it's very um attractive car for like guys. And um the seven guys put a gun in my head, and I just took out and I was like, I want to get out of England.

SPEAKER_01 2:57

Oh my Lord, and and that was that was you're telling me this was not an unusual story. This was pretty common. And that was you had Venezuela was a democracy before that, correct?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Correct, yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

And what was happening? Who was taking it over? What was happening?

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Um, I'll give you more than an example rather than just my personal view. Like, for example, my brother um he voted against the government, and um, everybody who did so, they put a list, they printed out. Yeah, so if you did, you couldn't get a job. Um so it was like very, very hard to um um get a job. Like my husband's um father at that time, he was my boyfriend. He was forced by his work unit to go out of in favor of the government, otherwise he would get fired. So like the freedom of speech was really limited, it was more violent than before, and um the suppression became really, really, really tough. And I just I just didn't see um myself like um with a future there, and and it was very frustrating. So um I talked to my parents, and because the situation was so tough, the two of them were like, go leave right now, I'll support you, like just just leave.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

So what I'm trying to understand because it wasn't communism, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:30

It was not completely, but they disguised it. Um they didn't call it that way, but the way it performed, it was that way.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

So they didn't they they called it something else, but in practical, everyday terms it was communism.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

I see. And was that uh Hugo Chavez, if I remember correctly?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yes, that's when he became president. Everything um changed um day by day, they just went from bad to worse.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah, it sounds like it sounds quite terrifying. And so uh how did your family cope with this? Your parents, the adults?

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Um they they actually took it really well. Um I left. Well, I decided to leave, but just before I left, that was when I had a gun in my head. So they were like just like leave it at me or something. So I I didn't find any kind of resistance uh from their part. How old how old were you when you left? Um 17. Oh my goodness, did you speak English at that time? Sort of kind of, but like not not like uh I it wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't too easy either. It was like in the middle.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

So you left at 17 by yourself?

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Oh my goodness, and where did you come to in the United States?

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Um, I wanted to further my studies in um the visual aspects, so I came here. I went to the Art Institute for Lord.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Where? And you came to Florida?

SPEAKER_00 6:23

To Florida, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

And um I liked it. Um I I did further my studies on media arts and animation. Um, I graduated in um three years, like I didn't take any breakout vacations.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Let me ask you something. Let me ask you something on a personal level. What was that like? Because you I imagine you came from a close family, correct?

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Yeah, my parents were separated, but I did talk to them, both of them, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

You spoke to them, you were able to talk to them.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

What was it lonely?

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Um growing up, yes, it was a little bit lonely. Um, because they they fought a lot, and I I think if you put them together, they still do. So whenever I try to meet them or talk to them, it's always Oh you wait a second, hold on.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Are your parents divorced?

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Uh yeah, they're separated, yes.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

And when did they separate?

SPEAKER_00 7:23

Um, I was in um just getting into high school, like the first year of high school.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

I see. So when okay, so when you left at 17, you were already from a family that had broken up. Yes. Oh my god, girl. You have had a lot of trauma in your life, but I think you you just kind of must have learned how to roll with the punches early on, huh?

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Uh yes, uh, I did. Um I did um really involve myself into the arts. It was like my way to escape, and um I I had a lot of dogs.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

You had what did you say, dog?

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Yeah, I have I had a lot of dogs growing up. I really um enjoy my dogs. I would um literally take them everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

So that was your constant companion?

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah, that was my companion, yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Yes, and that gave you back, it gave you some love back.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Yeah, absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Right, I understand that. And you did you get did you bring a dog from Venezuela? Or did you get it?

SPEAKER_00 8:35

I couldn't. I that was like my biggest um I wanted to, but between being a full-time student and a lot of stuff, I just couldn't.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Um, but I really really Okay, so okay, so you come here and you adapt and you're alone and you enter the university? Yes, you study, and did you have a boyfriend that you left behind?

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Yes, um, my current husband. Um, we went to audio school together. That's how we met.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

To audio school.

unknown 9:09

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

How old were you when you met?

SPEAKER_00 9:13

Um, 17, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

So you met him just as you were leaving?

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Um no, I'm sorry. I met him when I was, I'm sorry, I was 15.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

15, 15. 15. So you've been with one person since you're 15.

unknown 9:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

My gosh, I don't think there are too many around anymore. That that is amazing. All right, so you left him behind too.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

Yes, um, uh, I did, but then he came after. When did when did he come? When I was graduating, um, he came after like three years later. And um I I told him um I I have been researching whether uh taking a job or continuing what I was doing, or maybe moving things back here. And um I saw this warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, and um I did my research on how the music scene was at that time, which was very active. And I talked to him and said, listen, um, we can just move the studio here. I have um, you know, what one I was here, he kept running the studio back at home because we started it together at the garage of my home.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

Oh, you didn't say that you didn't tell me that. So you had started, you had started a company in Venezuela.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yes, at the garage of my home. It's just a garage studio. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

I see. Okay, audio equipment, okay. And you you left that behind. Did he bring the equipment with him?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah, I brought equipment and uh and I brought my husband.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

You bought the equipment, you brought the equipment.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Yes, I brought equipment and um Adrian came along with it, and um um we started over from zero in the warehouse, and we did well.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

And you found it where did you find this warehouse in Port Lauderdale?

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yes, it was in a plantation in that area.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

And what did you do? Explain it to me because I don't really understand what you do, it's very complicated.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Sure, no problem. Um we um we moved the studio also. Uh we we still recorded like live bands. We had a lot of bands. Um at that time, it was not a single era like it is today. Like bands, you would usually go and book a month of studio and stay there and record an album. So it would you you lost me. Explain that again. Like bands will come to the studio for like a month or so, and uh they will record an album like in a month or two. So we um we recorded a lot of bands. Um, I did a lot of album covers as well.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

What do you mean by album covers?

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Uh, you know, for this um uh for the CDs, all the arts.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

How you drew them?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Uh yeah, sometimes uh uh whatever they wanted. Um if they wanted an uh drawing or if they wanted a picture, whatever design they they needed.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

How did you know how to do that?

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Oh, I learned that in the in the um in Fort Lauderdale in the art institute. I I learned all the visual arts.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

Okay, we also did like some music videos. Um so we started expanding beyond music. Um, I remember that I saw that um it was good business to deal with um advertising agencies. So I took a flight to Chicago, New York, and LA to all this conference, um, introduce myself and hey, this is what I do. Like, no shame. And the hardest one was LA because they would give you only 30 seconds to speak.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

30 seconds? Yeah, I know what what did you say in 30 seconds?

SPEAKER_00 13:15

I I I was like a little bit intimidated because it was all the people around me, and we had a raw like of people introducing themselves, so they had a timer, and they said, like, you have 30 seconds, and as soon as 30 seconds hit, then next the other person, just like that. So I just I think I vomit what I did. I don't even recall how I said it. Like, I do this and this and this and this, and um, from those meetings I got um um some business.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Um, some people were you always very outgoing and aggressive?

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Only when it came to business in uh personal life. My husband is um social guy.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

You mean in your personal life you're shy?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yes, I am. My my husband is the opposite, he's very uh friendly, he's the guy that is sociable, that everybody loves and talks to him, and I'm the serious one.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

I that's it, but in business you have no shame, right? I have no shame at all whatsoever. That's that's incredible. How long did it take you to become a citizen?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Uh it took me um around eight, nine years. Um was it difficult? Um in a way, yes, it was expensive. Um we had a um working visa, and uh I keep renewing it until um I was um suitable to apply for citizenship. So when it was um you the requirements at that time was that you needed to have a certain amount of years, we um your taxes needed to be paid and you needed to be like clean. So we fit those requirements, and when we did, we just applied for it and we got it.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

But it took about 10 years, yeah, yeah, about yes. Yeah, okay. And and did you go back and where was your family? They were still in Venezuela, they never left.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Yes, my um, yes, my family was still there. My brother left to Spain on um, I think 2010. Um, but he got back uh recently, like two years ago. No, last year, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

He came well, he got back where to the States with you?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

No, he he went back to Venezuela.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

To Venezuela, okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

And so what would you were you able to go back and forth with or um for a time I did, and when my brother was in Spain, um it was easier for him because my my dad is from Spain, so he got this citizenship like right away. He didn't have any paper problems, and no did my dad, nor did my mom. So um I would talk to them to see each other in Spain because it was cheaper and easier than going back home. So for a period of time, we'd um I visited there, and for other period of time before that, before he moved, I I constantly went back uh home, like you know, typical during Christmas or oh if it was my mother's birth birthday, I would try to go there.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

How did you keep your sanity? I think you told me once that you meditated, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Yes, I do. I've I owe my sanity 100% to that.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Um how do you how do you meditate?

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Um, it's a Chinese practice called Falun Dafo Falangon. Um it's like qigong slow movement exercises.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

You're talking too fast.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

Oh my god. It's um Chinese practice is for free. Um it's called Falun Dafa or Falangon. It's like slow movement exercises and meditation, but it also talks about cultivating the mind. And um it has a free book, it talks about truth compassion.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

But what what what what did the meditation do for you with all the turbulence that was going on outside of your life? Outside, what did the what did the meditation actually do for you?

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Uh I started to um um read the um the book a lot about truth, compassion, and tolerance, and it helped me to quiet my mind, regular my emotions. I um started to become really healthy, like any kind of sickness that I had was gone. What do you mean?

SPEAKER_01 17:48

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Um I used to suffer from like asthma, and um I was a little depressed, I'm not gonna deny it. And um also um my period was very irregular, it would come whenever it wanted to.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

And you're telling me that meditation got rid of your asthma?

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Yes, yes, it did.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

You're kidding me.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

I kid you not, like for real. And um, it helped me um, you know, take um matters things slightly, regular emotions, really calm my mind, um, really learn a lot about forbearance and um a lot of tolerance that I really lacked on. Um, it helps you like think a little bit more with wisdom. And uh for me particularly, it was like as you heal your mind, it's like your body also heals.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Um how long how long did it take you to master this skill?

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Um as I I don't know. I've been doing it for so long. Um, I remember that my husband saw a flyer and he told me you should definitely do this. And uh I gave it a try, and um, I thought that I really liked it and it really helped me, so I kept doing it non-stop after that. Um, so I've been doing this probably I think 2000 was just before 2000.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

Oh, you've been doing it a very long time.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Yes, yeah, it takes billions though. It's not like overnight.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

No, because you because you had so much instability in your life. You know, and and so this helped calm you and give you some stability. But also, I think your marriage must have given you a great deal of stability.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Uh yes, it did. Um what's he what's he like, your husband? He's very funny. He always makes me laugh. Always.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

I always that that to me that's one of the sexiest things that God can do is make you laugh.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

Yeah, sometimes I can be like overthinking, and I just turn around and he just has this like funny face that says something completely out of context that is so funny and ridiculous at the same time, but it just gets me out of my serious zone and it just makes me laugh like every single time I give it to him.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

And where did you get married? Here in the States?

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Yes, we did. Um 2006.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

And your parents were not here?

SPEAKER_00 20:34

They flew in.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Oh, they they were able to fly in. See, I don't know, I don't understand how a country like Venezuela works. I don't know that so you have freedom to fly in and fly out.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Um, yes, for um for a period of time, it was very easy to do, but as time passes, um passed, I'm sorry, it became a little bit more difficult because they started to control the money, how much goes in and out. You needed to ask permission of the government why were you flying, how much you were spending, and all this stuff. So it's it it was a process, but it was still doable.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

What do you mean you had to apply to the government? Explain to me.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Let's say that you wanted to travel somewhere and you needed to ask permission to use your own money, um, like you have to justify your expenses. Like, where are you gonna stay? Why? You needed to have receipts of every single purchase that you made. You were limited in the amount of money that you were able to spend, even if it was your own money and you wanted to expand it. It was like, no, you can only have this much.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

So it was like in other words, you can you can only take a certain amount of money out of the country, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

But it was still doable.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

So, anyhow, you're Parents were at your wedding.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Yes, they both did. Was it?

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Did you did what what did you have a great wedding? Was it a nice wedding? What was it like?

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Yeah, it was really small. It was um small restaurant um near the river, so it had like the rear view. It was very um charming, small, yet like very special. And what did you wear? Uh I got I did get a um, I was gonna wear like a simple dress, but I don't know what happened to my father. He went crazy. He bought me a nice dress. I was like, okay. So um, so I I wore the dress that my dad bought me. Uh I swear I chose a very simple one, but he he he chose a nice dress for me, and he also gave me um um some jewelry, like he was saving for some time. I was like, okay, whatever. So uh I I look nice. It was very simple, but it was very nice.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

So you you married you were wearing white?

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Yes, yes, I did.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

So you look gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Yes, I'll give you the pictures.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Yeah, I'd love to see them. So okay, so then you get married, and then where do you were were you living together with your husband at that time?

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Um, yes, we did.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Yeah. Okay. So then you you have you're starting a business, right?

SPEAKER_00 23:26

Uh yes. Um, we started slow. We put some ads in some local magazines, music magazines, and we had a bench outside. You had a what? A bench, like an advertisement on a bench and a bus bench.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

What did you do? Walk around the street and put up signs?

SPEAKER_00 23:45

Yeah, because the warehouse were a little bit in size, so I had a bench outside saying that we were there.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

You literally did that.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Yeah, I literally did that.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

I had an arrow and everything. An arrow? Yeah. Almost a map, but yes. Um, so it worked. It was traditional marketing, and and at that time it worked.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Do you call that marketing, huh?

SPEAKER_00 24:18

I would say yeah. Um, that's um it worked for me. I don't think it might work for people now, but it worked for me at that time.

SPEAKER_01 24:27

It sounds like nothing was gonna stop you.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

No, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Yeah, yeah. Well, do you do you know where you got that drive?

SPEAKER_00 24:37

Um, yes, my my dad is a businessman, and um I saw him building his business from I lived the experience of him building his business from zero, and he's the same in the sense that um you know, he's an he was an immigrant, he's originally from Spain. Um it was a war time, so he went to my country kind of skipping from war at a little bit a little bit younger age, and he worked his way through in his business. So since very little, I would go to him. Any vacation would have to, you know, go with him and just watch him work. So it was a big influence on me. And so he was he was your role model, yes, and it's funny because he's also very shy socially, um, incredibly shy. Like, if you don't talk to him, he won't talk to you at all. So and you're like that, yes, and but when it came to um doing business, he was completely the opposite. He was like, This is what I want. This is like I just watched I kind of grew up watching him and grew up in in that environment.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

I see, I I get it. So he was your role model. All right, let me ask you something. So so you're here and you're you're putting up signs, and then what happens? How does it start to build? How do you start to get because you have important clients? I mean, you have you have very famous clients, right? So how did it build to that?

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Um, it was a mix of um putting marketing, but it was also a mix of going out and meeting people. Um like uh I mentioned like the agencies were in New York and and LA and Chicago, so I would um see what contact them, see when they have meetings, uh, went up and personally meet them face to face. This is what I do, and everything, and they really, really, really welcome me. I will forever be thankful for that. And they really opened the doors for me. And once you start doing that, like the um word just pressed out um in audiovisual stuff, somehow it works that way by word of mouth. So they started recommending me. Then um on 2012, um we noticed that you know we weren't in Fort Lord, a lot of the major labels and a lot of the work was in Miami, so we decided to move because they would um we would get people from other cities, but we wouldn't get people from Miami, so we were missing that market. Um, so we decided to move. Uh we were lucky enough to have a nice location in downtown. Um it I was really lucky because the location was um at a great price in um in a historic building. So we decided to move and and jumped to be in Miami, and I pretty much did the same. I went out and was like, I'm here, shamelessly promoting myself. No shame about promoting myself at all. So I just knock uh call, email, make appointments. Um, you know, at that time social media started being a thing, so we started having all the social media website and everything around that area worked out. Um, but I would say that most of it came from um networking, going out there and having people to meet you.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Like you're very, you know, you're very lucky in in that you have that kind of um there's a Jewish word for it. It's called chutvah. It means you have no shit as we've been using the word, you're very lucky that you don't have any shame, that you you have nothing holds you back. Most people find an especially women find an inhibition.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Yeah, uh, I'm very lucky. I'm very shy, but in that area, I'm very lucky.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

You you can sell because obviously you can sell, you're not gonna, I don't think you're selling yourself. I think you're selling your the work that you do, and you believe so much in the work that you do. Am I correct?

SPEAKER_00 29:05

Correct, yes.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

Yeah. And so you got some of the top three Latin labels like Sony, Warner, Universal. Can you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_00 29:14

Uh yes. Um they're based uh here in Miami, they're very close by. Um, so we started to network around the area until they start giving us an opportunity to work with the artists, and we did. And once you start working with the Latin market, whenever the US market wanted to do something, they would recommend you as a studio. It is like a word of mouth kind of thing. Um, we also started getting um, I did a lot of work on the be found on the internet, and um, I gotta say, um, a lot of um like ESPN and all these people called me, can you do this kind of work? ESPN. ESPN, yeah. Like I didn't know anyone there. So um they found that it was an internet and they say, can you do this kind of work? I say yes. So they they didn't want to test. Um, most of them who don't know me, they wanted to do a test first. It looks like they have some bad experience or something. It's like, yeah, sure, let's do whatever test you want to do. So we did the test.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Um, I'm not I'm not following. What do you mean you did a test?

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Like, for example, sometimes the talent would be in Miami, uh, an actor, for example.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

An actor. An actor.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Yes, and the producer would be in LA or in London. So we um communicated through the computer to make sure that they hear the session, or the director could direct the talent. And um it takes a um a form to do that. Like you you you need to know how to do it, otherwise it can be messy.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

And um let me see if I understand. So you would tape the artist here, and the producer would be in some some other country, yeah. Right, and then that what you would tape would have to go there to that movie or whatever visual thing it was, correct?

SPEAKER_00 31:18

Yes, they were they were able to ask access the session um online and hear and see what we were doing, and they are able to direct the the actor or the talent um to see exactly what they wanted, the creative director or the movie director. So they're able to access um to our session and make decisions at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

So that's but I imagine it's pretty common now, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:47

Yes, it is. Um not everyone knows how to do it well though.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Really?

SPEAKER_00 31:53

Yeah, it's it's it's not that easy. Um it's more common right now, but it it does take the right setup and the right um circumstances. So for some reason they had some bad experience or something, and they test you first to see if you can actually.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Yeah, okay. So, and you so you've worked for like some major uh you've advertised for Burger King Popeye, correct?

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

So you you made internal videos. Can you explain that? What you did?

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Yes. Um, they have the part of the burger, which is what that's what they said to the public, to the general public. What I did was the internal things that they focused on selling um franchises. So all the internal work of um selling franchises, see how the team works. They had uh these yearly conferences where they um put everybody together and they were encouraged of like, let's uh renew the look. They had a burger contest to see um each continent or each country had like a different burgers and see if they fit in the market. So they um that required like a lot of video and advertising, but it was mostly to people who wanted to buy the franchise. So I I did all that work for them for like three years in a row.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

So you were actually selling the franchise to the people who would be selling the burgers, right?

SPEAKER_00 33:24

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Yeah, I see. Okay, so you had to put what did you have? Do you had to put videos together for that? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Showing the value, the value of buying a franchise.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

Uh yes, and um the videos that I had before were a little bit um boring in their view. So because I had a background in entertainment, I just try to make it really very entertaining. Like um, we have let me ask you.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

So when you make that kind of a video to to sell a franchise to um to people who are gonna buy them, do you use actors? Is it animated? How is it done?

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Um, we depending on each one, some of them are animated, some of them um we did have only a few of them. We had an actor. Um, like they wanted to encourage the people to get a new upgrade. So instead of making a boring bunch of boring um um numbers, I just make a like a side-to-side music video of the experience of going there and seeing, actually seeing and living the difference. But it was like no dialogue.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

No, no, no, no. It's it's go go into a little detail because I'm I'm not understanding.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

Um, so yeah, I'm sorry. Um, so yeah, I just took whatever information they had and try to make it like really, really um entertaining, like um as if it was a trailer or a music video or like something very give me an example. Um they had a border competition and just made it as if it was a movie trailer, and um the results of the reaction of people was really really nice.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

Give me give me specifics. What are what would I have seen?

SPEAKER_00 35:18

Um, you would um they had these uh competitions um between the countries on how fast you can make a burger and how to um make how fast, yeah, yeah, they did and what was the goal?

SPEAKER_01 35:35

I mean, how fast were you supposed to be able to make a burger?

SPEAKER_00 35:38

And I think it was efficiency, efficiency, see, yeah, a lot of efficiency. So um we just made it as a movie trailer, um, and the whole thing was like the thing of a movie, like who is gonna be the fastest, and then a fit chasing uh, you know, like a car speed, like speed or this and that, I would get cuts of the people preparing it, and then evaluations um as with a little bit of those Hollywood um stars and stuff. So I just made it kind of funny and just made it like yeah, just like a movie trailer presenting the whole stuff.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

And in that so I would be seeing people flipping burgers like at rapid, rapid speed. So I'd love to see it. That's great. Yeah, that was terrific. Let's move on from it because you're very successful and you've been working with your husband together. Yeah. You've got this great long-term marriage. How what's your secret?

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Um, I think understanding each other, like I understand.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

Well, everybody says that, but well, how do you actually do that?

SPEAKER_00 36:53

Um, I'll give you an example. Like uh like we well, we do have, we're lucky because we're a very compatible work-wise, like what I'm not good at, he's very good at, and when he's not good at, I'm very good at. So we kind of complement each other so we're not competing with each other. And um I know when there are like a long working hours, uh, I understand that he's working, so I don't uh I know how hard it takes, so I I don't complain, I just support him, and he he does the same otherwise. Um I noticed that a lot of friends that work in the same industry. Um, unfortunately, um I see a lot of them getting divorced, and uh, I could see why. You know, you get the long hours, the schedule is crazy, um, it's entertainment, you know what time you get in, you don't know what time you get out, and it's not on purpose. That's that's just how it is. It's a lifestyle rather than kind of work.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

So a lot of a lot of your friends have gotten divorced.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

Yes, because of the type of lifestyle mostly for them.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

Because you're talking about the stress.

SPEAKER_00 38:06

Yeah, and um like you don't know what time you get home. Like, there was a period of time when my husband was doing a project outside of the studio, he was building um 5020, which is um Sony Studios. He was doing all the acoustic and all the um wiring and all the stuff. So he was out of the office for like two years building that, and I was handling the studio by myself. And of course, I still hire people, I still hire engineers and all the stuff, but it was a lot of on my shoulders to run the studio. And sometimes I would get home like 4, 5, 6, 7 a.m. And when I was getting home, he was getting off to work, so it was like, and and he wouldn't say anything because he knew that that's just the schedule, and I wouldn't say anything because he knew that that was just how it is. So we didn't give each other trouble for that.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

That's amazing because it's a sounds like a recipe for disaster.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Yes, yeah. I I know he's working, he knows that I'm working, he he knows the people that I work with, like he gets I know what you're no, I know what you're telling me.

SPEAKER_01 39:12

What you're telling me is trust.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Yeah, trust. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Yeah, you trusted each other, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Uh that's true. Um, I also um I think it was very influential that when my parents were separating the fought all the time, and I could see what things my mother did that would bother my dad, and vice versa. I could see a lot of things that he did that bothered my mom. So I kind of promised myself like not to do that.

SPEAKER_01 39:44

And um well, like what was what were those things? Can you give me a kind of general idea? Maybe our listeners can learn something.

SPEAKER_00 39:54

It was really complicated. I was a kid, I I knew that like the word fighting all the time.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

Like usually people fight because they criticize one another.

SPEAKER_00 40:03

Yes, exactly. Um like she would um criticize a lot, like the people that he worked with, like the old the being late, the timing, the commitment that it takes to get a client, and um and um the people that he worked with, it was almost a daily fight.

SPEAKER_01 40:23

But but it sounds to me like that the reason that you didn't criticize your husband was not because you had to keep yourself from criticizing him, but was because you actually admired him.

SPEAKER_00 40:33

Yes, I I do admire him. We we I think we both admire each other, yes, and trust each other.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

Yeah, yeah. So you you so it's trust and respect.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

Yeah, and we build this to this thing together, you know, from the garage of my home, and we went through the hustle of moving to another country and we grew together. There were ups and downs, like any business has ups and downs. So it's like you either grow and learn together, or you either fall apart together. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

That's no, I think it's kind of amazing because all of the challenges that you faced would could easily, easily have wrecked a marriage. But somehow the two of you have a this basic trust in one another.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

Uh yes, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 41:28

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's quite a story. So where is your company now? Where where are you now?

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Uh we are in downtown Miami. Uh we moved to this location um 2012. And um it was a hard change. Uh we have big windows, which we have to treat acoustically. Um that took longer than we thought. And um, but we had a lot of advantages, it was worth it. Like a lot of people and a lot of celebrities when they come to Miami, they come close to this area, so the studio is very close to them. Like, um, location-wise makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Yeah, you have a lot of celebrities that you that you record.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:17

They let me ask let me ask you quickly because we're gonna run out of time. See, so you recorded loud, right?

SPEAKER_00 42:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

All right, most people that are listening do not know what that is. Can you tell us uh sure?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Spotify did um um uh series of the history of reggaeton.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

That's number one on Spotify, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 42:43

Yes, it's on Spotify. The Spotify um paid for the production of that, and they had uh Evie Queen um do the hosting of it. So we did a whole show for a month in the studio. We have Evie, um her husband, who's a super nice person, sometimes her daughter.

SPEAKER_01 43:03

Usually Ivy Queen, Ivy Queen.

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Ivy Queen, yes, it was amazing. Um, she had everybody interview, she interviewed different um characters of this uh genre of music. They all came to the studio. We set up the interview like any podcast, and this one in particular was number one on Spotify worldwide for a couple of times.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

And uh she's kind of a feminist, isn't she?

SPEAKER_00 43:32

Yeah, she was really happy um that I was engineering at the beginning because we had so many people coming in. Sometimes I would prefer to um have somebody doing the engineering and I would take care of the flow of people coming in, and now that everything just goes smooth. And um she complained about every engineer until it was me behind the mix. So also, okay, I I get the message now because the people that are in hiring, I usually hire them because I think they're better than me, and they can do better than me. So I'm pretty sure it's not a technical issue for sure. So it was more of uh having a woman behind the um behind the mixer and recording. So I have to hire the guys to actually I have to take two people because it you know, just um getting used to the flow and everything is not the same as taking care of the technical aspect and other part is taking care of the host and everybody's it's actually a lot of work. Sometimes more than being behind the the the than just recording, taking care of people is a whole lot of work.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

Um so yeah, so it's it sounds like everything everything that you have dreamt has come true, hasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 44:55

Yeah, can't complain, can't complain at all. I'm very fortunate in every single aspect of my life, in my marriage, in the mental health, uh with the meditation in my work. Is it is like one cannot exist without the other for me? Like um, if I'm doing well mentally, then I'm doing well well in every aspect of my life. I am like that. Um I um I see some people who are like really um have a lot of problems and can still put up well in in in work and all the stuff. So I'm not like that. I need to have mental health and then I can take the world before that. I just can't um function well. That's that's just how I work.

SPEAKER_01 45:40

I think that's a that's a wonderful way of being. It's a very healthy way of being. At any rate, we're gonna have to stop. I could probably talk to you forever because you're quite you're quite an amazing. Yeah, you're an amazing woman. You're an amazing woman. Um but thank you so much, Mallory.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

Thank you. It's my pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 46:05

And I will be looking forward to whatever you can send me privately, okay?

SPEAKER_00 46:12

Okay, I will, no problem.

SPEAKER_01 46:15

And my best regards to your husband.

SPEAKER_00 46:18

I I will send it to him, no problem. Thank you so much for inviting me, for inviting me. It was really nice talking to you.