AUDIO ACADEMY | Jerimiah Busniak on Creative Tension & Building Tools That Save Producers Time

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If you’ve spent any time in Australian radio, there’s a good chance you’ve heard something Jerimiah has touched.

From regional WA radio through to some of the country’s biggest breakfast and drive shows, Jeza has built a career around creating audio that grabs attention and tells stories. Today, he’s also building tools that are helping audio producers save hours every week.

We sat down with him to talk about these tools, his experience in audio production, creating great commercials, and breaking creative rules. It was a great chat!

How It All Began

Growing up in Carnarvon, WA, Jezza went to the local radio station and simply showed them he was keen.

“I literally knocked on the front door of a radio station, and they let me have a go,” he says.

That opportunity led to a breakfast radio role in his hometown before moving through SCA stations in Perth and Bunbury.

In 2010, he moved to Melbourne, working on some of Australia’s biggest radio shows, including Matt & Jo, Fifi & Dave, Fifi, Fev & Nick, and Carrie & Tommy.

Along the way, he shifted from on-air roles into audio production, imaging, creative direction, and team leadership.

What’s One Small Thing That Makes Audio Sound Better?

For Jeza, it all comes back to storytelling, and more specifically:

Building tension and breaking tension.

Whether it’s a promo, commercial, podcast, or radio segment, he believes audio works best when it takes listeners on a journey.

“Most comedy works that way too,” he explains.

Create anticipation. Make listeners wonder what’s coming next. Then release that tension. Sometimes that’s through a punchline, music, or a carefully timed pause.

Can Great Production Rescue a Bad Script?

Jeza says the best producers he’s worked with don’t try to fix bad scripts in post-production. They fix them before production starts. If a script is overwritten, lacks a clear hook, or is too long, the solution is to first collaborate with the writer to improve it.

“If at all possible, the best producers always take it back and have a conversation with the writer,” he says.

But sometimes deadlines are tight, or the script is locked, and you simply have to make the best of what’s in front of you. That’s where production technique becomes important.

Jeza says music is often the most powerful tool available. He recommends:

• Choosing a strong music bed
• Editing dialogue rhythmically
• Using musical downbeats strategically
• Letting key words land with impact

These subtle choices can completely change how a commercial or promo feels.

Do You Ever Break The Rules?

“Absolutely.” In fact, Jeza thinks breaking rules is important. But only after you’ve learned them first.

“You’ve got to follow the rules most of the time before breaking them works,” he says.

One of his favourite examples? Silence, and removing expected elements.

For example, if every promo starts with music, maybe this one doesn’t. If every station promo ends the same way, maybe one ends differently.

The goal isn’t being different for the sake of it. It’s creating surprise, because surprise creates attention. And in today’s attention economy, that’s incredibly valuable.

Tell Us About AudioSnag. What Is It, And Why Did You Build It?

After leaving the Carrie & Tommy show, Jeza found himself reflecting on how much time audio producers spend doing repetitive admin. Tasks like:

• APRA reporting
• Replay creation
• Podcast assembly from show content
• Music tracking

They’re important, but they’re not why most people got into audio. So he started building tools to automate these tasks. The result became AudioSnag, a growing collection of tools designed specifically for audio producers and radio teams.

What Problems Is AudioSnag Solving?

Each AudioSnag tool solves a real-world production problem.

ReportSnag

Automates music reporting and helps simplify APRA-related admin using session data and AI-assisted file recognition.

GrabSnag

Allows producers to quickly trim and prepare audio grabs without needing a full DAW setup.

PodSnag

Speeds up the process of turning radio shows into podcasts by organising breaks, removing unnecessary content, and helping producers build episodes faster.

ReplaySnag

A tool currently in development designed to automate overnight replay creation for radio networks.

The common theme? Saving producers time.

“I’m just trying to solve problems I used to have when I was working on shows,” Jeza says.

Audio Tools Every Audio Producer Should Be Using

When asked what every audio producer should have in their toolkit, Jeza immediately mentioned one classic: Serato Pitch ‘n Time. Despite the alternatives, he believes it remains the gold standard for time compression and pitch shifting.

For producers working with music, he also recommends Scaler, a composition tool that helps identify keys, chords, and musical progressions.

A Piece Of Audio He’s Still Proud Of

One project that still stands out for Jeza is a Roadwise road safety campaign he created alongside longtime friend and copywriter Josh Langley. The campaign won an ACRA and remains one of the pieces of audio he’s most proud of.

What made it special wasn’t flashy production. It was the combination of:

• Strong writing
• Great voice casting
• Subtle sound design
• Creative collaboration

Sadly, Josh passed away in 2024 after a battle with brain cancer, making the campaign even more meaningful today. “It’s one I listen to a lot,” Jeza says.

Listen to our full chat with Jezza here.