“I can unreservedly recommend Mark to anyone looking to construct a recording studio facility.”
I joined Warner/Chappell in November 2016 and was immediately of the opinion we needed to expand our recording studio capacity. At the time we only had one studio which was little more than office adapted for recording. In my previous roles I had enjoyed the provision of excellent recording facilities either within or close to my place of work. I had also seen how other Warner Publishing offices around the world had made use of on-site recording studios. I was in no doubt that construction of studios within our building at Kensington Court would give us a competitive advantage in the market. We would be able to provide our roster of songwriter’s studios that were free to use and be flexible with their availability. We would also have the facility to make master recordings of songs from our catalogue, to demo new artist and songwriters and to film content that we could post online.
I was introduced to Mark Russell and his team by Nick Cullen, Senior Director, International Real Estates and Facilities at Warner Music UK. Mark had been involved in several projects for Warner Music and I had been very impressed with them.
We sat down at the beginning of 2018 to discuss the best way to approach our recording facility needs. Mark was quickly able to appraise the space we had within the basement of our building that we could utilise, and he suggested several options for the provision of recording studios, writing rooms and a lounge/kitchen area. Once we had agreed upon the number of rooms, Mark was able to listen clearly to our ideas about how they should look and feel and responded perfectly to the brief we gave him. He presented a timeline and budget which he was able to fully deliver. At all times during the construction process, Mark was accessible and communicated clearly how the project was progressing.
The finished studios more than exceed my expectations, both in quality, comfort and sound they went beyond my original spec whilst remaining within budget. The studios maximised the use of light and provided a great working space for our artist and songwriters. The success of a recording studio can be measured by the amount it is used and since we opened the studios at the end of summer 2018, they’ve been booked solidly. I can unreservedly recommend Mark to anyone looking to construct a recording studio facility. Indeed several of our writers have approached us about building their own studios, having had such a good experience at our studios. Mark was a pleasure to do deal with from start to finish, nothing was ever too much trouble and he made what can be stressful process seem effortless.
Mike Smith, Managing Director, Warner/Chappell Music