ON SET WITH MARTA MAGDALENA STEPIEN , 2018 ’ S MISS UNIVERSE CANADA
to him almost instantly : “ The most fun was working with actor Brian George ; he was Babu on Seinfeld and Raj ’ s dad on The Big Bang Theory . His wife had written a book called Fear of Frying and they shot a pilot together for a comedic cooking show based on that with us in Windsor . It was the funniest thing in the world . He ’ s just a natural comedian .”
Pivoting to music-based projects next , he recalls having Mike Sleath , the musical director and touring drummer for Shawn Mendes , through the studio to work on a slew of material . “ We had a good time hanging out while he did his thing and he ’ s just an amazing drummer . When he was locked into a groove , you just felt it ,” Riggi enthuses . “ The stories about being on the road with Shawn were always fun to hear over lunch or dinner or whatever .”
On the note of great tour stories , he recalls some sessions with Katy Perry backup vocalist Cherri Black . “ She lives just next door in Detroit and was in here doing backgrounds for a project ,” Riggi explains . “ She was telling a story about touring in the Philippines and seeing a cockroach the size of a fist on the tour bus and I can ’ t stop laughing every time I think of that . The bus driver turned and said , ‘ It ’ s no big deal ,’ but she didn ’ t stay on the bus much longer after that .”
But he adds that Black ’ s musical contributions were even more memorable . “ She was coming up with all these parts for backgrounds , like these incredible fourpart harmonies on the fly . What a level of professionalism . She was just nailing it ! I love working with people at that level whenever we get the chance .”
That said , the wide variety of projects and collaborators coming through his space is just as much of a perk as far as Riggi is concerned . “ It ’ s constantly changing ; it ’ s not like you ’ re putting the same widget on the same automotive part every day ,” he offers . “ Someone ’ s coming in with a rock project , someone ’ s coming in with a pop project , or we may be out doing a multi-camera shoot . It keeps the mind fresh and alive and you can constantly nurture different concepts and ideas and try things out . When you have a bunch of creative people all adding their input and ideas to something , it makes for a very pleasing and enjoyable time .”
He also mentions how humbled he is to be a CARAS delegate and judge for the annual Juno Awards , having participated in no fewer than 15 categories for the 2020 edition .
As for what ’ s coming up on the calendar for Riggi Media International , the list of projects embodies that diversity to a tee . There ’ s a sci-fi feature for which they ’ re handling everything from shooting to audio and video post . “ We have a top-notch colouring suite here ,” Riggi puts in , “ and it ’ s always nice getting to work on something from A to Z .”
There ’ s also a Pink Floyd tribute act going in to cut an album that he ’ ll get to mix in 5.1 surround and also for vinyl . Finally , he mentions some upcoming collaborations with Toronto-based producer Andre Kaden Black . The two met at Toronto ’ s Revolution Recording over the summer . ( Riggi notes that he ’ s known Revolution co-owner and famed mastering engineer João Carvalho since high school , and that Carvalho actually used to record at Riggi Media .) Riggi and Black intend to bring some artists from the GTA down to Windsor to record and are currently getting plans in place .
The more you learn about Riggi Media International ’ s agility and adaptation over the years , the more their slogan of “ When it comes to media ... Yeah , we do that ” rings true . Since opening its doors in 1982 , the studio has seen plenty of technological progress , industry ebb and flow , and now , even a global pandemic , and yet it continues to thrive as a hub of creativity in a very unique market . From stars of the stereo and screen to emerging talents from the southern tip of Ontario and beyond , all have been through Riggi Media International and all have been treated with the same level of service and professionalism while realizing their creative projects – and that ’ s one thing its owner is certain will be consistent for years to come .
Andrew King is the former Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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