Bad Animals® History
What began in 1979 as Steve Lawson Productions—a modest eight-track analog recording studio—has evolved into the award-winning creative sound design company known today as Bad Animals®.
A pivotal chapter began in 1990, when Seattle natives and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart joined Steve Lawson as owners. Together, they expanded the company’s vision beyond audio production into music recording, establishing the internationally renowned Studio X, which quickly became one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier recording studios. The company was rebranded as Bad Animals®.
In 1999, Bad Animals® entered a new era when staff engineers and national Emmy-winning sound team Mike McAuliffe, Tom McGurk, and Dave Howe, along with Pacific Northwest entrepreneur Charlie Nordstrom, acquired the company. Their focus returned to the core strengths of creative audio production and postproduction—voice casting, recording, sound design, original music composition, and sound mixing for film, television, streaming, gaming, and corporate messaging.
In 2018, ownership transitioned to Mike McAuliffe and Tom McGurk, coinciding with the company’s move to its current home in the Victory Studios Production Building.
Today, nearly three decades after its transformation into Bad Animals®, the company has earned a reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading audio studios. Backed by a long list of industry awards and a passion for innovation, the team continues to collaborate with storytellers, filmmakers, brands, and game developers, bringing creative visions to life with exceptional sound.