We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coy Howell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Coy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
From a very young age I was taught to apply myself wholeheartedly in all that I do. That grew into jobs, paid and volunteer, as a teenager and has fed my work ethic now as a touring engineer and entrepreneur.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Coy Howell, owner and chief engineer of High Pass Productions, is a lifelong musician. As a passionate engineer, Coy prioritizes quality and musicianship in his productions. He graduated from Dark Horse Institute in 2016 where he studied under industry-leading Nashville engineers, and has since kept busy with various freelance and creative work in the Middle Tennessee area doing live sound, studio work, and video projects. He draws daily inspiration from Dan Huff, Joe Carroll, and a variety of industry staples.
Coy has been on staff in various production roles at The River Community Church, Breakthrough Church, and Life Church in Cookeville, TN, and actively tours with We Are Messengers as a Monitor Engineer.
Along with live broadcasting, Coy has engineered many shows, capturing video and audio content for later use in marketing campaigns, social media outreach, and more. He has recorded and mixed for many Christian music bands and local singer-songwriters.
One of the unique offerings High Pass is equipped to offer is gear and services for musical theatre productions. With high end rent-able lavalieres for actors available and a knack for mixing bands and orchestra, Coy has been able to run some very successful broadway-style musicals.
Coy believes that music is a gift from God and that he has been called to participate in and help elevate the music that is in the kingdom of God today. With that mindset, his mission is to “Make today a better yesterday for tomorrow!”
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say being humble enough to learn but confident enough in knowledge and skills obtained without coming across as cocky.
Learning gear inside and out and staying updated with company updates and new models as they come out has helped me be ready for any gig that comes along.
For others starting out, I wold say study diligently in your area of expertise and find a community that supports what you do and pushes you to continually be better.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I think it’s better to be more well rounded and continue to invest in learning other skills related to your main skill.
I draw inspiration from 5 time World Champion Disc Golfer Paul McBeth who says his strategy to success was to become an expert at every area of the sport, not just long distance, etc. like everyone else.
For me as a sound engineer, this point of view pushes me to understand live sound as well as studio, understand enough to operate and install lighting consoles and rigs and video cameras and LED screens. The list goes on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.highpassproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highpasspro/
- Other: email: coy@highpassproductions.com
Image Credits
Olivia Merritt Photography
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