We are many, we are a team.
We always show up.
We are a creativehub of music and audio pioneers and composers in Cape Town, servicing the world. We treat our clients with respect and professionalism, which we expect in return. We understand our process is about helping you reach your vision and we don’t let ego get in the way. We craft our work until it’s right for you. We’re equal parts passionate and experienced. We ask questions, a lot of them. We problem-seek to problem-solve our way to a wonderful and sometimes unexpected solution. We always find a way to make it happen.
Our passion and experience has put us in this position.
We remove barriers from the creative process and leave you wondering, how the heck did they do that?
We believe the best way to innovate is to grow our talent. We are always learning from each other and want to grow the talent in our industry, forming a community to set a new standard with every project we touch. We prioritise collaboration both with our Clients, and among our Team. This means that when we work with you, you’ll get familiar with our ‘Made by Many’ approach where we put many of our specialised hands on deck to ensure that whatever we deliver to you will capture your vision and bring your brave ideas to life.
Alex Smillie
Rudy Julius
Kadin Madgwick
Kaitlyn Du Sart
Tyron Woods
Chloe Ellis
Brian little
Max Natrass
Alec Mackay
Kyle Koekemoer
Denys Marcel
Jordan Sterling
Cobus Schutte
Astrid Iverson
Elben Schutte
Keith Kavayi
Andries Smit
Shaun Dale Crawford
Sarah van der Spuy
James Matthes
When Alex isn’t rocking out on the bass for his band ‘Southern Wild’ or mastering the “fancy” studio coffee machine, he’s pouring his heart into our commercial projects. As our newly appointed Commercial Audio Engineer, Alex is all about transforming our clients’ visions into reality with genuine creativity and unwavering precision. With his background in music and post-production engineering, Alex brings an authentic passion and fresh perspective to the world of audio.
Rudy joins our team as an intern through our partnership with Bridges For Music Industry Access Program. Rudy has had a lifelong passion for music since childhood and looks forward to collaborating with professionals who share a passion for sonic storytelling.
Rudy isn’t just a maestro in music though, he’s also a tech wizard extraordinaire. Rumor has it, back in high school, he coded a virus on his school’s computers just for kicks. Watch out, world, we’ve got a musical maestro with a mischievous tech side in our midst.
Kadin is a self-professed classical music nerd who is currently in the studio’s Internship Program. Passionate about composing, he loves bending the boundaries of orchestral music by combining it with different genres and sounds to create cinematic soundscapes. He is also the studio’s resident violinist and enjoys jamming to many different styles of music, from Bach to U2, as well as recording live music for our composers. An obsessed birder, when Kadin is not at the studio you can find him scanning the skies with his binoculars at obscure locations like the sewerage works (no, really!)
Meet Kaitlyn, our maestro of multitasking and organizational excellence. From orchestrating Middle Eastern extravaganzas during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to seamlessly coordinating studio operations, Kaitlyn blends her global experiences into a vibrant symphony. As our Studio Administration Coordinator in our creativehub, Kaitlyn applies administrative finesse to the passion of the team.
Tyron’s hunger for music and creation knows no
bounds, the journey of how he joined us is a
whole story in itself, including the tale of how he survived the venomous fangs of a mamba to get
here from his home town in Durban. Having worked on SAMA winning albums and with international stars and music supervisors, he brings a wealth of ideas and knowledge in many genres and styles of music alongside his kind, friendly and playful nature to our hub of
composers in Cape Town.
Chloe, the Commercial Producer at Pressure Cooker Studios joins forces with Astrid in our Production department wrangling our team in our Sacred Space. Amidst deadlines and challenges, she maintains a commitment to delivering excellence while orchestrating the creative team with finesse and ensuring everyone feels safe and supported. While navigating the demands of her role, she finds solace in studying the stars and immersing herself in the magical narratives of Harry Potter.
Entrepreneur, businessman, former Creative and now Pressure Cooker Studio’s own GM; Brian is the driving force behind keeping our creativehub mission-focused while still producing excellent work. He’s done his time as a Creative Director inspiring music driven experiential campaigns. He co-founded the Rocking the Daisies Music Festival and even led the team who executes AfrikaBurn, the worlds largest Burning Man regional gathering. Oh and never one to waste a good crisis, it’s worth mentioning that he completed his MBA during Covid Lockdown.
Max is currently in the Pressure Cooker Internship program while he completes his studies in Music Composition and Jazz Saxophone at UCT. He has a love for all things media, especially making them sound good. His passion for music brought him to our Pressure Cooker team while still studying, which we love, because we are all about getting involved early. He currently cuts his teeth on live music projects at the studio and is honing his skills daily on his journey to become one of the best composers in Cape Town.
Literally a tech mastermind, there is no problem Alec won’t solve when it comes to the ins and outs of Pressure Cooker. When he’s not in the studio doing dialog edits and Sound Design you’ll find him in his laboratory making sure the studio is running smoothly. He has a love for building instruments and makes sure there is always something new and fun for the team to play with, from his own sampled Steinway Grand to his filing cabinet at home. Seeking that new sound is high on his list of priorities.
Kyle knows what our clients want when it comes to audio and how to deliver it, no matter the odds. His goal is to focus his skills on storytelling, by becoming the most creative mix engineer on the continent, bringing his technical know-how and collaborative spirit to our team every day. His naughty school boy energy makes every client session a fun and enjoyable experience even when the pressure is on (which is always). On the weekend, you’ll find him klapping the dirt roads of the Western Cape on his Yamaha with fellow moto-heads, and enjoying a pasteis de nata at Vadas in Stellenbosch.
Denys brings an infectiously warm and welcoming energy to the studio, and that’s not only because of his fantastic barista skills. He is a genuinely great person to be around and when he’s not busy designing sounds for the latest and greatest network shows he’s bringing his collaborative energy to the studio, jamming on the piano or helping push our sound and processes to the next level. You’ll rarely find him without a smile on his face.
Composer, Sound Designer, Videographer and seriously good blagger on the phone, Jordan is a man of many talents. He brings a uniquely Sound design approach to his Music Composition. You’ll never be able to understand what every instrument is in his compositions. His passion for making instruments and designing out-of-this-world sounds has cemented his place in our team of ‘The Many’, where he samples pretty much anything he can get his hands on (even the studio dustbin) and makes it sound rad.
Even though Cobus is based on the other side of the planet he is very much an integral part of our team and culture. Not only is he an exceptional composer, but he has played the key role in putting together Pressure, our Library Music resource. Cobus never misses a meeting and is always up for tackling anything no matter the creative challenge, proving that our core value of collaboration can cross borders. He is a recording and mixing mastermind and plays guitar so well, we sometimes have to ask him to tone it down. If he’s not recording “real” instruments he’s sampling his kitchen teacups to give us something new and fresh to throw in the mix on our next creative adventure.
Astrid oversees everything, keeps everyone in check at the studio, maintains a fantastic relationship with our Clients, and somehow she still manages to keep our studio plants alive and thriving.
She is the heart and soul of the studio and when the pressure is on she makes sure we always deliver. When the pressure is off you’ll find her sitting on the beach (in the shade) reading scripts.
A real rock n’ roller shredding his way through the lekker jols of Pretoria, one meeting was all it took to get him to pack his bags and join the Pressure Cooker team in CPT. He’s literally a born and bred musician, growing up in a family of seriously talented musos. He loves to sing, hates out of tune birthday songs and brings the heart to every project he sets his mind to. Behind closed doors you’ll find him playing games in his spare time but don’t let that fool you, this guy will keep you out past your bedtime.
Keith brings the spice everyday to Pressure Cooker with his infectious smile and easy going attitude. He was the original intern of the studio all the way back in 2016 when we didn’t know what to do with interns. Somehow he survived the icy booth we stored him in for and has grown into a leader at the studio and is cultivating a fertile culture for pioneers out of Africa to grow. When he’s not writing tasty beats or designing killer sounds you’ll find him away for an adventurous weekend outdoors with his friends.
If Pressure Cooker were a machine (which it is) Andries would be the engine. Our first of the many, joining the team back in 2014 where he added his insane orchestral programming skills and introduced the GETMO approach to getting things done no matter how tough the brief. Originally a metal super star drummer in his band Mind Assault he now takes things a little easier and enjoys the lighter, fluffier side of life writing ear worming melodies on a daily basis. After hours bring the whiskey, wine and cigars and you’ll have a best friend for life.
Orchestrator and Composer Shaun has spent more time studying music than we have been in business. This is why he is a true asset to the studio. He brings his wealth of knowledge and can do attitude to every project he touches. He de code’s our compositions when they need to be put to paper so performers can understand what is in our heads and make them real. If he’s not sweating away in his studios he’s flying around the world, bumping shoulders with celebs while enjoying a refreshing Pinot.
Although Sarah may not be making noise in the studio, she is making a big impact elsewhere as the new addition to our team. As a skilled digital marketer, she showcases our work online through various social media platforms. While she may feel intimidated by the office coffee machine, she fearlessly embraces the life of a digital native and is dedicated to presenting our brand in the best possible light
Pressure Cooker Creative Executive Officer goes by the name Jamie. He’s a self proclaimed creative entrepreneur. When he’s not in the Studio writing music or formulating how to enhance and grow the business, you’ll find him on his Vespa going between Yoga classes and Paloma’s at his local favourite, Blondie (where the staff know him by name).
