8 Sound Effects Producer Success Stories [2024]
Sound effect editors recreate the realistic ambient sounds that films portray. To become a sound effect producer, complete a sound engineering course or a relevant course to earn sound designer skills. Secure an internship to practice and hone your skills.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a sound effects producer:
1. ProductionCrate, LLC ($600K/year)
Chris Kelly, the founder of ProductionCrate, came up with the idea when he started making videos with his roommates in college and realized there was a demand for special effects. He created a website where he could store and share his assets, and it quickly gained traction. After a few weeks, he added sidebar ads and realized that he could turn his passion into a business.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15
Current team size: 4
ProductionCrate, a virtual studio offering royalty-free music, video effects, graphics and sound assets, bootstrapped to $600k/year with over 10 million downloads, and one million users, thanks to loyal customer retention rates of around 80% YoY growth at 120%.
2. Blerp ($240K/year)
Aaron Hsu, the founder of Blerp, came up with the idea for his soundbite-sharing platform after creating a viral Shia Lebouf soundboard app in college. Seeing the potential for a full sound sharing platform, especially in the gaming and streaming community, Hsu focused on integrating Blerp with platforms like Twitch and TikTok, which led to rapid growth and partnerships with over 40,000 streamers generating over $1 million in revenue. With a strong emphasis on customer feedback and product marketing, Blerp has attracted and retained a large, passionate user base.
How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
Current team size: 12
Blerp is a soundbite-sharing platform that works with over 40,000 streamers and has helped them generate over $1M in revenue through sound donations, with over 50,000 active streamers on the platform, thanks to their dedication to product marketing and testing every new feature and product.
So... can you actually make money with a sound effects producer?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Envato Tuts+
Updated daily, discover over 20,750 How-to tutorials. Find videos and online courses to help you learn skills like code, photography, web design and more.
Website traffic: 6.53M/month
So... can you actually make money with a sound effects producer?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Pond5
Search the world's largest video collection plus millions of music tracks, sound effects, motion graphics and images. Over 20,000 new videos added daily. Find the perfect media for your next creative project. Search now.
Where they're located: Columbus, Ohio, USA
Website traffic: 2.1M/month
8. Freesound
Freesound: collaborative database of creative-commons licensed sound for musicians and sound lovers. Have you freed your sound today?
Where they're located: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Website traffic: 2.4M/month
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
