Over the years, Dan Aceda has continually reinvented himself. The architect by training counts musician, music and TV sound producer, advertising jingles composer, and scriptwriter as some of the hats he has worn.
“I started as a musician, specifically a live musician, then jumped to producing soundtracks for soap operas such as Sumu La Penzi, and Softie, the movie, among others. I have also worked in the advertising industry, making jiggles and writing scripts,” says the laid-back and soft-spoken creative.
His latest reinvention – podcast producer- puts him on this list.
Over the last three years, he has fashioned himself as the go-to person for high-quality productions of the digital medium, which has witnessed astounding growth driven by the evolving needs and wants of young listeners.
"I find living in a comfort zone very expensive. I prefer living on the edge."
Dan’s first encounter with podcasts goes way back to 2016 when an acquaintance requested to use his studio to record a podcast. Back then, he didn’t think much of the new medium, but when a friend alerted him to the growing demand for top-quality podcasts, he jumped at the opportunity.
Today, through his firm SemaBox, he has produced over 350 podcasts.
Dan has grown the business from only one employee to seven full-time employees.
“We sometimes hire more people on a short-term basis depending on the workload,” he says.
He likes living on the edge. “I’m always striving to look for the next thing to take us to the next level. I find living in a comfort zone very expensive. I prefer living on the edge,” Dan says.
So what awaits next?
“I’m considering trying my hand at some tech projects, building mobile Applications. I don’t know, maybe that’s where I will combine everything I have learnt so far in the creative space,” he hints.
Sinda Matiko