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Eagle Point native wins 'E.R.' Emmy
Damon Cohoon, 32, poses for a photo after winning an Emmy for his crew's sound editing work on an episode of "E.R." Next to him is his girlfriend, Dulce Capadocia, a dancer and choreographer. By MEG LANDERS Damon Cohoon was destined for Hollywood. "I really had no interest in anything but film and television," says the 32-year-old assistant sound editor at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif. It was this obsession that helped the 1987 Eagle Point High School graduate win an Emmy for his crew's recent sound editing work on an episode of "E.R." While the Emmys primetime ceremony, rescheduled twice, is to be telecast at 8 tonight, its Creative Arts Ceremony for behind-the-scenes technicians took place Sept. 8. Cohoon's parents, Virginia and Don Cohoon of White City, always knew their son would do well. "This young man was bound and determined since the time he was 7," says his mother. His interest in film production began when the first "Star Wars" film came out, she says. "He's sincere in what he does and people pick up on that," says his father. It was through a writing class offered at what was then Southern Oregon State College, taught by the late director Larry Lansburgh, that Cohoon found inspiration. "(Lansburgh) was a real person who had accomplished something," says Cohoon in a telephone interview from Pasadena, Calif. "He made it seem possible." Cohoon says he left the Rogue Valley right after graduating from EPHS to pursue the film business and worked at several odd jobs before he became a courier, delivering scripts and sound reels. His break came when he was 19. "I worked myself into kind of an internship on the movie 'Hook,' " he says. "My first screen credit was 'Batman Returns.' " Since then, he's worked on 15 films, the most recent being "Mystery, Alaska." He was nominated for Golden Reel Awards by the Motion Picture Sound Editors for three of his films. Cohoon is working regularly on several television shows, including "E.R.," "The West Wing," "Third Watch," "Smallville," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Thieves" and "Gilmore Girls." Sound editing, he explains, can range from inserting background noises such as ringing phones, or removing a noise such as a creaky camera dolly. "My job is to make the sound appear as if it's happening in real time, which it's not," says Cohoon. Cohoon says that he's seen changes in the industry in just the short time he's been involved. "When I first came in, it was all on film. Now it's all on digital," he says. "Crews have been cut in half if not smaller. I feel fortunate just to be working in my chosen field." At this point, he says, he's keeping his plans simple. "I'm being grateful doing what I'm doing." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com. |
