Full Sail Stories

“One of the best days was when Robin Williams came in, and it was Two-Headed Monster and him just speaking a bunch of gibberish,” Chris Sassano says as he recalls a day on set at Sesame Street. “It was pure comedy. It was just Robin Williams having frantic fun with Two-Headed Monster for 10 minutes.”

After 20 years at Sesame Street, seven-time Daytime Emmy winner and Full Sail Recording Arts graduate Chris Sassano loves the unpredictability of his days as a Sound Editor – whatever happens, he knows it’ll be fun. As he looks back on his career, he recognizes how his determination and problem-solving skills propelled him forward and enabled him to carve the career path of his dreams.

Chris became interested in music and sound effects at a young age. In school, he played the saxophone and trumpet and was a member of several bands. When he got older, a DJ friend of his told him about Full Sail University. “I thought, ‘Wow, a college that's a tech school that would go specifically into what I'm interested in,’” Chris reflects. “I liked the vibe. I liked the teachers, every teacher that I had. A lot of memorable ones.”

After graduation, Chris worked a music store called Manny’s Music on Music Row in Manhattan, New York City. One day, a customer came in, who Chris later found out was Dick Maitland, the Director of Sound Effects at Sesame Street. They talked, and Dick offered Chris a job assisting him in post-production sound effects and foley on the show, which Chris gladly accepted.

As new technology emerged, Chris pioneered the team’s transition to digital production, teaching them the Pro Tools recording software he learned at Full Sail. This was a game-changer for sound production at Sesame Street. Chris eventually got promoted to do playback for production, while also continuing to do post-production. His responsibilities include music playback, where he handles the music for music videos. Additionally, he does sound effects playback, for example, thunder for Count Von Count and crash sounds when Super Grover falls from the sky. He’s also in charge of dialogue triggers, producing a dialogue sound file that a puppeteer will perform to.

Chris enjoys the creativity he gets to exercise on the job, and he has a lot of fun with it.

“I wouldn't call it work. I wouldn't call it a job,” Chris says. “I would say the most exciting part [of what I do] is every moment of it really... Being part of an educational show that spans across the world is important to me. Playing back all the fun silly sounds. Getting to make some of the fun silly sounds.”

Some of Chris’ proudest achievements in his career are his seven Daytime Emmys for Live Sound Editing for Sesame Street. “The very first year that I won, it was just a really great feeling,” Chris recalls. “I don't think I was ever working toward winning an Emmy. It just kind of happened. And it was very exciting... And after that, [the Daytime Emmy wins] just kind of continued happening every year in a row. So then I won seven consecutively.”

He feels honored and humbled to have won those Daytime Emmys, but for Chris, it’s not about the accolades. He just loves sound design and working at Sesame Street.

“There's no better place in the world. That's why I'm still there,” he says. “Because the puppeteers are the best people, the crew is the best. And it's a family because everybody's been there for so long.”

Chris is grateful for his experience at Full Sail and the lessons he learned there. To prospective students and soon-to-be grads, Chris shares words of encouragement: “I would say take chances. Get the experience and do what you love. And if you love it enough, you'll find your way.”