Meet Mike Fitzgerald

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mike Fitzgerald a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mike, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I have always been a pretty optimistic person, I tend to think that comes from my mother. Growing up, and to this day, she tends to focus on the bright side of things and she never dwells on negatives. Similarly, I don’t like to focus on unfortunate outcomes, especially those that are out of my control, and I always try to find a silver lining.

I have learned over time that things tend to work out eventually, one way or another. New challenges bring opportunities to take risks and it’s okay to be wrong sometimes. Mistakes and poor decisions can be the best opportunities for growth. I like to think of everything as a potentially good story to tell one day, especially mini-disasters that you can learn from, those can be particularly memorable.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a production sound mixer for film, television and video, based in Central Florida. I enjoy the wide variety of projects that I have the opportunity to work on which includes commercials, documentaries and a variety of other productions. One of my favorite aspects of my job is the amazing people that I get to know in the process, as well as some unforgettable experiences.

I have been working as a freelance sound mixer for over 14 years, starting out in New York for a decade, and then in Central Florida since early 2021. One major challenge for me in my career was relocating with my family after having established myself as a sound mixer in New York and with no idea of what the market would look like in my new hometown. This risk has been nothing but rewarding and has shown me that things truly do have a way of working themselves out.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that have been most impactful in my journey so far are confidence, a willingness to try new things and get outside of my comfort zone, and a good sense of humor. Without confidence, you can’t earn the trust of others and you will tend to second guess yourself and over analyze things, which can prevent you from making decisions. I think confidence comes from preparation, experience and trusting yourself first – which can be easier to build upon the more you get out of your comfort zone and try new things. The best way that I have found to do all of these things is to maintain a strong sense of humor for when things don’t work out as planned. If you can laugh at your mistakes, it helps you to learn from them, which in turn can make you more confident in your abilities moving forward.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My wife has been the most helpful person in helping me to overcome challenges and to help find the confidence to push myself outside of my comfort zone to pursue new opportunities. She is consistently supportive of the decisions that I make in my career and she has absolutely pushed me to take on jobs that I may have been hesitant to, without her own confidence that they would work out.

Sometimes the idea of what a production might look like on paper can be daunting and she has helped remind me that even if it doesn’t all go smoothly, it can still be a great story to tell. My wife and I tend to make big life decisions spontaneously sometimes, and as a result I find that I am increasingly willing to push myself to become comfortable and calm in any situation, even when that situation involves hiking through the Everglades to find 20-foot pythons on a documentary shoot, or filming in the pits at a racetrack.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://boommikefitz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boommikefitz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoomMikeFitz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-fitzgerald-41700863/