His Journey Took Many Turns, From New School for the Arts and Academics Charter School to CRAS to Numerous Career-Path Jobs, But Obbema is Now Living His Dream

Gilbert, Ariz., Jan. 26, 2026 – Ethan Obbema was only five years old when he first began learning to play numerous instruments, so it was only natural that he attend the acclaimed New School for the Arts and Academics (NSAA) charter school. From there, he knew a career in music and production was his life’s path.

Currently, Obbema is a Post Production Manager at Warner Chappell Production Music in Los Angeles with an impressive list of earned credits he has achieved along the way.

“I was instantly inspired by music and film, picking up the drums and cello, and eventually guitar, very early on in elementary school,” explained Obbema, now 28 years old and a native of Tempe, Ariz. “This is what inspired me to further my music education at New School for the Arts and Academics through high school, and which eventually then led me to the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences to develop a future career in the world of music that I love.”

At NSAA, Obbema studied music theory, performance, and musical direction which allowed him to gig on the side and start making money as a band leader and/or sheet writer for corporate gigs. He also began an obsession with guitar pedals and synthesizers at this time, which re-enforced audio/electrical signal flow for him. As a result, after high school, CRAS was the perfect storm and he was hooked instantly. 

Once Obbema started at CRAS, he realized studio engineering for albums was not his interest. However, once he saw all of the avenues possible that CRAS offered and the freedom to come in and experiment outside of class, this got him more interested in what options could be possible for film.

“I was most interested in the Post Production and Game Audio side of things,” Obbema explained. “I really believed I would move into a career focused on ADR recording / editing. As I started classes at CRAS I found that I really loved many of the audio options and I had less of a concern of direct paths and much more interest in learning and experiencing as much as I could.”

CRAS, according to Obbema, was perfect because it let him experiment with concepts and dive into workflows that he developed his own systems for eventually. The ability to book time and take advantage of gear helped him to be prepared to walk into countless rooms and be able to work with whatever tools he had at his disposal.

Obbema graduated CRAS in 2017, and then interned at Mutato Muzika in West Hollywood under composer Mark Mothersbaugh. He then was hired there after his internship as an Assistant Engineer, instantly working on multiple large scale films and TV shows in a very hands-on environment.

“I worked on titles such as Thor: Ragnarok and LEGO: Ninjago as two of my very first big movies,” Obbema said. “So, I got to work directly with Taika Waititi, Chris Miller, and Phil Lord. Since then I have been able to work with some professionals that I couldn’t have dreamed of, such as John Williams, Jack Black, Tony Hawk, Eddie Kramer, Dan Deacon, and worked on projects including The Flash, Venom, Mitchell vs the Machines, Alien: Romulus, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Most recently, I mixed the score for Metal Gear Solid: Δ Snake Eater which was a dream come true!”

Now, as a Post Production Manager at Warner Chappell Production Music, Obbema conceded that it’s been a very indirect path to get there. But, he grew from his initial Assistant Engineer role at Mutato Muzika to Head Engineer as well as working as a Composer / Arranger for the team.

“I then went freelance for a time becoming a regular at a few different studios while as I took up Dolby Atmos early in its growth,” Obbema continued. “I became Head Engineer at Fab Factory Studios for a couple years before more freelance work, and eventually ended up at Warner Chappell Production Music and being outrageously happy and grateful for the role and all the experience I have had to get here.”

So far as his CRAS education, Obbema explained that even the most trying of times can lead to breakthroughs.

“For my 5th cycle project, I maxed out the inputs for the console I was tracking on with a full band when the requirement was only a few live inputs,” he said. “So, I got to learn every channel of that console! After that, consoles didn’t seem nearly as hard and I realized what tools were available to me, which led me to consider analog processing versus in-the-box processing very differently than before.”

As a result, Obbema offered sound advice to current CRAS students. “Make the effort to be prepared and know that what you are doing is correct because you have done the research and asked the questions you needed to know. Keep a good balance as well because everyone works better with clearer heads and if you are prepared, there is nothing to worry about.”

Article original published on RecordingMag.com