Voices Rising: September 2026 Samurais of Sound Newsletter
Originally shared in our September 10, 2026 email newsletter. News, release plans, and event details reflect this edition.
Welcome to the September 2026 edition of Voices Rising! 🎙️✨
This month, we’re celebrating the creativity, growth, and real-world experience taking shape across the Samurais of Sound community.
Our state-funded vocational training programs give neurodivergent creatives the opportunity to explore voice acting, music production, and creative media while developing practical skills alongside working industry professionals.
From recording and producing to storytelling, collaboration, and creative career exploration, every participant has the opportunity to discover their strengths, build confidence, and develop skills they can carry into the future.
This month, we’re sharing some exciting updates from our community, highlighting the creative professionals behind our programs, and giving you a look at what’s coming up at Strawberry Hill Studio.
See what we’ve been working on! 🚀
Musical Spotlight: A Weekend On Mars
We’re excited to spotlight Raj Ramayya of Strawberry Hill Music Studio and his latest creative project, A Weekend on Mars!
A Weekend on Mars is Raj’s new narrative-driven concept album, expanding beyond the music into an illustrated novella, audiobook, visual art, and more. The album artwork is by Olivia Cristadoro, helping bring the project’s distinctive world and story to life.
Through the project’s crowdfunding campaign, backers can receive the complete physical album months before its worldwide digital release, along with signed artwork, exclusive merchandise, the illustrated novella, and a limited numbered vinyl edition.
The project represents the kind of multidisciplinary creative work we love developing at Strawberry Hill Music Studio—bringing together music, storytelling, illustration, physical media, and immersive world-building into one larger artistic experience.
We’re proud to be helping Raj bring A Weekend on Mars to life and can’t wait for listeners to experience the full record and the world surrounding it.
A special thank-you to Raj, our very first backer! As it turns out, the first person to support Raj Ramayya’s A Weekend on Mars was another Raj—one Raj supporting another! We’re grateful for that early encouragement and excited to welcome more of you into the world of this project.
Ready to join the journey? Explore the Founder Editions, become a backer, and receive the complete physical album months before its worldwide digital release.
Oscar-Qualifying: Something Pointless
We’re thrilled to share another major update for Something Pointless, the award-winning short film that Strawberry Hill Studio had the opportunity to work on the sound for!
Since our last update, the film has reached an incredible milestone: following its one-week Academy Award-qualifying theatrical run at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, Something Pointless is now eligible to be formally submitted for consideration for the 99th Academy Awards.
The momentum doesn’t stop there. The film’s growing international festival run now includes 55 festivals and 59 publicly confirmed awards and nominations, with screenings and recognition spanning the United States, Canada, the UK, Europe, India, Australia and beyond.
Recent highlights include the Let’s Include Programme Award at the Oscar-accredited Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, four wins at the Roshani International Film Festival, and Best Original Screenplay at the French Duck Film Festival in Paris.
And there’s plenty more ahead. Something Pointless has upcoming appearances at festivals including the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, where it was selected as one of just 10 finalists from more than 225 entries, as well as the Edmonton International Film Festival and San Jose International Short Film Festival, both Academy Award-qualifying festivals.
The film tells a deeply human story about connection, meaning and the impact of seemingly small acts, led by an accomplished cast including Owen Teale, known for Game of Thrones. It has been tremendously rewarding to watch a project we contributed to continue reaching audiences around the world.
Congratulations to the filmmakers, cast and entire production team on this extraordinary run. We’re excited to see where Something Pointless goes next!
Follow the film’s journey and learn more about Something Pointless on IMDb.
Music Production for Anime and Games: From Demos to Clients
Build your industry knowledge, strengthen your portfolio, and expand your creative network with three recently added lessons in our Music Production for Anime and Games course!
Overall Industry Profitability explores the business of composing for media, offering strategic guidance on navigating the forces that shape the industry—from suppliers and buyers to competition, new entrants, substitutes, and government policy.
Creating a Demo examines how video demos can showcase your ability to compose to picture, while exploring the challenge of balancing a viewer’s attention between the visuals and your music. The lesson also introduces cold-calling as a way to make connections with potential clients.
Finding Clients takes a closer look at reaching out to and communicating with prospective clients. Through conference networking, film festivals, production listings, and company listings, you’ll discover practical approaches to building relationships within the creative industry.
Turn Your Interests into Skills with Creative Media
Interested in creating graphics, designing websites, or editing videos? Creative Media at Samurais of Sound helps neurodivergent teens and adults turn those interests into practical skills through structured, hands-on learning.
Alongside our Voice Acting and Music Production tracks, Creative Media offers guided projects in graphic design, web design, and video editing, supported by industry mentorship and community collaboration. Participants develop original graphics, websites, videos, and other portfolio-ready work while exploring employment, freelance opportunities, and creative career pathways.
For participants receiving support through self-determination, regional centers, vocational rehabilitation, or other funding sources, our team works with Independent Facilitators, service coordinators, and support teams to provide program documentation and align training with each participant’s vocational and Individual Program Plan (IPP) goals.
Enrollment is open—and a consultation is the best place to start. Meet with our team to discuss your interests, ask questions about the training and funding process, and explore whether Creative Media is the right fit for you or your participant.
Upcoming Workshops
Creatures and Monsters Voice Over with Karen Strassman
Coming Up Soon: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Bring imaginative characters to life!
Explore the techniques professional voice actors use to create creatures, monsters, and unique character voices. Learn how performance choices, vocal techniques, and creativity combine to build unforgettable characters.
Video Game Battle Chest with Andrea Toyias
Coming Up Soon: Saturday, November 14th, 2026
Level up your voice acting skills!
Dive into the world of video game performance and discover what it takes to create memorable characters for interactive storytelling.
Ukulele Workshop with Feng E
Explore your musical creativity!
Join us for a fun and welcoming workshop where participants can learn new skills, express themselves, and connect through music.
Scoring for Visual Media with Austin David Coffee
Bring Your Stories to Life Through Music!
Join us for an engaging workshop where participants can explore how music shapes film, television, animation, and games. Learn practical techniques for reading a scene, choosing sounds, creating themes, and syncing music to picture.
Make Your First Beat with Xander von Esmarch
Build Your Beat from the Ground Up!
Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop where participants can explore the basics of beat making. Learn about sound selection, rhythm, song structure, and simple production techniques as you create your own original beat.
Thank you for being part of the Strawberry Hill Studio community. We’re excited to continue creating opportunities for participants to explore their talents, build confidence, and discover what’s possible. ✨