The Audiobook Club with John York

Episode: The Team Behind: The Legend of Valentine | 2026 SOVAS Voice Arts Nominee
Release Date: November 27, 2025
Featuring:

• John York (Host)
• Sheldon Collins (Author, Co-Director)
• Becky Parker Geist (Co-Director, Producer, Pro Audio Voices/Amplify Audiobooks)
• Daryl Bolissek (Audio Engineer, Sound Designer)
• Steven Endelman (Grammy-nominated Composer)

Episode Overview

This special episode celebrates the acclaimed audiobook The Legend of Valentine, written by Sheldon Collins and nominated for four SOVAS Voice Arts Awards. Host John York interviews the core creative team—author and co-director Sheldon Collins, co-director/producer Becky Parker Geist, audio engineer Daryl Bolissek, and composer Steven Endelman—to provide a rare behind-the-scenes look into the artistry, technical process, and collaborative spirit that distinguishes this production. The conversation dives into the project’s origins, creative breakthroughs, unique technical challenges, and the deeper themes driving the story.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gathering the Team & Project Genesis

[01:27] Sheldon Collins:

• Becky Parker Geist’s production company Pro Audio Voices was selected for its “awesome collaboration” potential and willingness to empower Collins as co-director.
• 14 months of intensive work began with a shared commitment to elevate the project beyond ordinary expectations.
• The team expanded to include Grammy-nominated composer Steven Endelman (via a serendipitous introduction by a mutual friend) and sound designer/audio engineer Daryl Bolissek (sourced by Becky).

[03:20] Sheldon Collins:

“It was really serendipitous…We would make a great team, and in fact, we have made a great team. It’s been absolutely incredible working with Steven.”

2. Production Philosophy & Initial Reactions

[05:05] Becky Parker Geist:

• Upon initial manuscript review, Becky “felt like, yes, we’re in alignment. Yes, this is an exciting project.”
• She notes the almost immediate realization of both the scale and the high bar for quality, saying the team “went past that initial deadline really because of the commitment to quality, really making it the very, very best that it can be.”
• Full-cast experience and familiarity with film and audio drama were vital assets from the start.

3. Composing for Audio & the Role of Original Music

[07:29] Steven Endelman:

• Steven admits he underestimated the scope—“It’s massive. It’s ridiculous. Anybody in their right mind would have said no immediately. But Sheldon has a...charming manner about him. So you wanted to get involved…”
• The music’s orchestral feel was created mostly with keyboards/synths due to budget and time constraints.
• “There is such a lot of music…though Daryl has contributed a large portion…There’s a lot of music that I wrote, but it was mainly themes that could be adapted and changed as the story developed.”

4. The Sound Design Roadmap

[10:48] Daryl Bolissek:

• “The true roadmap started with Becky submitting ideas for, ‘Hey, how does this sound here?’… I would just listen to the narrator and try to immerse myself in the descriptive writing that Sheldon did, where it’s so descriptive that you can paint these pictures in your mind.”
• Daryl focused on making the audiobook “extremely immersive and very, very vivid,” through coordination of music and complex soundscapes.

[12:59] Sheldon Collins:

• The process, unusual for audiobooks, began with months of sound design (“four months just banging out the sound design portion of this”) before music became layered in.
• “We needed somebody with Steven’s talent and skill to really elevate this to a whole other level…”

5. Collaboration & Workflow

[17:42] Daryl Bolissek:

“[Steven’s music] added the emotional quality that the book needed...It needed that emotional touch of real music with real thought.”
[18:03] Steven Endelman:

• Gives credit to his young Guildhall School of Music mentees, who contributed orchestration—underscoring the “communal effort” and intense speed of the process.

“It’s rare for the community to be quite this in sync. But that says a lot to Sheldon and his…most organized person I’ve worked with in a long time.”

6. Organization & Project Management

[23:33] Sheldon Collins:

• “Being organized with an 11 and a half hour production is how I keep my sanity…We need spreadsheets, need to figure out what’s happening where, who’s on what, where.”
• Mentions the critical support of project manager Jerry Lee, especially during pre-production and casting.
  [27:54] Daryl Bolissek:
• Describes the technical intensity: “Some chapters have upwards of 100 tracks...the file for this audiobook is right around 100 gigabytes of music files, which is a lot.”

7. Technical Challenges

[29:26] Daryl Bolissek:

• Biggest recurring challenge: different voice actors using different equipment.

“Trying to get those as close as you can is the challenge…and it’s daunting. You need them all sounding like they’re in the same area; otherwise it’ll throw your ears and your brain will throw you way off.”

[31:09] Daryl Bolissek:

• Traces his audio engineering roots to dissatisfaction with other engineers as a band member:“The only way to get the mixes the way I wanted them…was to do it myself, period, end of story.”

8. Artistic Philosophy: Immersion, Perspective, and Detail

[33:03] Becky Parker Geist:

• Listening equipment matters:

“You absolutely want to listen with stereo, either headphones, earbuds, something…you really need the stereo. It will change the experience.”

[36:20] Steven Endelman:

“I’m amazed...that we actually got it done at the prescribed time...there could have been massive more problems. Massive...because we were moving a lot of data. It was moving fast.”

[38:00] Sheldon Collins:

• Celebrates the rapid and fruitful musical collaboration with Steven, aiming for “a musical theme that would carry through the entire piece that followed the love story.”

9. Building Epic Audio: Mixing, “Camera” Perspective, and Authenticity

[46:36] Daryl Bolissek:

• For sound design, immersion began with “headphones and my eyes closed...the point of all of the sound design is to paint the picture.”
• Collaboration “dialed it in to be good”; perspective was aligned with constant input from Sheldon about “where we are” in a scene.

[51:33] Becky Parker Geist:

• Highlights the importance of director’s film background: “Sheldon has that perspective of understanding where the shot is… what is the perspective? What are we seeing?”
  [51:41] Sheldon Collins and Becky Parker Geist:
• Care taken to ensure authenticity—even to the behavior of horses in battle scenes, down to specific sound cues.

10. The Importance of Amplify Audiobooks

[53:34] Becky Parker Geist:

• On why the Legend of Valentine launched exclusively via Amplify Audiobooks:

“When you purchase an audiobook, for example, on Audible versus on Amplify, the amount that the author receives is going to be about three or four times the amount… Also, [Amplify] is building in community features—soon, listeners will communicate directly with Sheldon, Daryl, the actors, and me.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Steven Endelman [07:33]:

  “I didn’t realize what a lunatic I would be for taking this on because it’s massive. It’s ridiculous. Anybody in their right mind would have said no immediately. But Sheldon has… a charming manner about him.”

• Daryl Bolissek [10:48]:

  “Between the narrator’s descriptions of the scenes and then the sound effects and the music, it becomes extremely immersive and very, very vivid, as a picture in front of you would be.”

• Becky Parker Geist [15:55]:

  “You have moments, a scene that evolves in very unique ways…You’re not gonna find a piece of music that’s gonna fit all of that…to have Stephen on board and just creating such a masterful music that really carries these moments…such a relief and a delight.”

• Steven Endelman [18:03]:

  “Guildhall is number one in the UK and number three in the world now in terms of music students… They were so excited to be a part of this because this is a completely new experience for them.”

• Daryl Bolissek [27:54]:

  “The file for this particular audiobook is right around 100 gigabytes of music files… It’s probably a half a mile long of folders and files.”

• Steven Endelman [36:20]:

  “The thing I’m really amazed is that we actually got it done…there could have been massive more problems. Massive…”

• Sheldon Collins [46:36]:

  “It helps in terms of guiding the sound…the artistry is that he’s [Daryl] hearing these ravens come in, these birds, or it’s a river or this, the sound of the trees that I…that’s where it just builds on top of each other.”

• Becky Parker Geist [51:41]:

  “In the battle scene, what sound is the horse making in the moment?...if you’re not familiar with horse behavior, then, you know, it’s easy to miss. So…even these kinds of little details…they just add so much.”

Thematic Takeaways: What Do They Hope the Audience Feels?

[55:44] Daryl Bolissek:

“Love is the answer…The world needs more love. The book was written in tribute to the Legend of Valentine and Valentine’s Day, which is about love...the overall theme of the book is about love, and I would want [the audience] to take away…that love is the answer.”

[57:20] Becky Parker Geist:

“I hope that they take away…the knowledge and the feeling that persevering and sticking to what you know is most important in your life, that when you persevere…somehow it’s all going to work out.”

[58:04] Sheldon Collins:

“It is all about love. That’s always been my goal in writing…and now directing it…it is a story at the end of the day, rooted very much in love, overcoming adversity, community, all these big themes, finding faith…there’s some really strong messages about love and faith.”

Important Timestamps

• 00:03 — Introduction, SOVAS Awards context, Team intros
• 01:27 — Team formation, project history
• 04:42 — Becky on first impressions and collaboration
• 07:29 — Steven’s approach to composing for audiobooks
• 10:48 — Daryl explains sound design process
• 15:55 — Becky & team on the necessity of bespoke music cues
• 18:03 — Steven acknowledges behind-the-scenes contributors
• 23:33 — Sheldon & Becky discuss planning and production management
• 27:54 — Daryl discusses technical scale and file management
• 29:26 — Technical challenges: varying audio sources
• 33:03 — The importance of listening equipment
• 36:20 — Steven marvels at the project’s completion
• 38:00 — Sheldon on collaboration in music & creative direction
• 46:36 — Daryl’s approach to immersive, cinematic soundscapes
• 51:33 — Filmic perspective in audio: horses, battle scenes, and authenticity
• 53:34 — Becky on Amplify audiobooks and supporting authors
• 55:44 — Final round: Each team member’s desired audience takeaway

Conclusion

The Legend of Valentine audiobook, as discussed in this episode, represents a high-water mark for collaborative audio storytelling—melding meticulous sound design, an original orchestral score, and rigorous attention to narrative immersion. The creative team’s warmth and camaraderie shine throughout, unified by a shared commitment to love, perseverance, and artistic integrity.

For listeners and creators alike, this episode offers a blueprint for pushing the boundaries of what audiobooks can achieve—on both a technical and emotional level.