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Throughout high school, Eli Akselrod, B.M. ’24 was a music enthusiast who wanted to make a career in music production. Then came time to choose a college major.

“As much as I enjoy playing music, I wanted to be behind the board,” she said, which is how she came to �������� to enroll in the Division of Humanities and The Arts’ four-year (B.M.) degree with a major in sonic arts. “I wanted to do audio engineering and the Sonic Arts Center was the perfect place to do it.”

“This is a pre-professional program,” explained Paul Kozol, the Center’s founding director. “It gives students a well-rounded education in production and post production.” Half of the Center’s classes are taught in audio post-production and half in music production, he said.

The program also offers students a chance to intern with professionals in the field. Akselrod seized such an opportunity when she answered a posting on Indeed.com to help to manage projects for multiple award-winning sound designer and sound effects editor Eric Di Stefano’s company, White Noise Post Productions, Inc.

“I brought Eli on in the summer of 2022, during a crazy busy stretch when I needed an assistant to help manage several projects,” he said. “Out of hundreds of résumés, hers stood out right away. She was studying audio post [production], had been composing music on her own, and showed real initiative with personal and student projects. More than that, she clearly had a passion for sound and film, a drive to learn, and the kind of genuine personality you need when working closely with directors, producers, and editors.”

That experience prompted a shift in Akelsrod’s ambitions. Rather than produce music, she found herself drawn to sound engineering. “What is this?” she recalled asking herself. “It’s really cool.”

Working for Di Stefano was a sink-or-swim situation, as Akselrod was assigned tasks that involved workflows, digital audio workstations, plug-ins, and troubleshooting. “She picked up fast,” said Di Stefano. “Soon she was cutting dialogue, editing effects, and mixing in 5.1. Together we worked on high-profile projects for HBO, Netflix, and Adult Swim, including the Emmy-nominated sound for HBO’s 100 Foot Wave.”

Akselrod’s work as a sound effects editor on that show led her to be a member of the team that was nominated for a 2025 Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program category. Though the 100 Foot Wave sound design team did not win, the show itself won the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

“Even though she’s no longer my assistant, I still hire her often as a freelance sound editor,” said Di Stefano, who has high praise for his disciple. “She’s developed a sharp ear and brought fresh perspective to my own work. After 15 years in the industry, it’s easy to fall into habits, but working with Eli pushed me to take more risks and think outside the box with sound design.”

Akselrod continues to work on documentaries, film, sports and television commercials as she builds her roster of clients. “I want to keep doing what I’m doing,” she said.