Jeff Warren: A Life in Sound, Vision, and Storytelling
April 22, 2025 by Daniel Castaneda
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker
When Jeff Warren got involved in the Houston music scene as a teenager, he had no clue where his path would lead. Now, nearly thirty years later, his initial interest in the local music scene propelled him on a journey across the country and the world, where he refined his skills and mastered his craft, ultimately leading him to produce content for the Chickasaw Nation.
Warren began his journey as a self-taught sound engineer. He was a teenager in Houston and many of his friends were in local bands. Although Warren wasn’t a musician, he immersed himself in the technical side of the industry, assisting with sound and producing for local bands. After managing three bands, putting on shows in whatever spots he could find, and managing a club that held about 500 people, Warren decided to take an internship at a ministry in Tyler, Texas where he ran sound for youth conventions that were a mix of rock concerts and preaching, filling arenas of 30,000 people. It was a big change from putting on shows in parking lots and small clubs, but Warren loved the new challenge. After completing his internship, Warren received a job offer as Media Director from a megachurch in Tyler. It was here that Warren really had a chance to spread his wings. Each of the church’s multiple ministries incorporated a multimedia component. He built a production studio for the church and produced videos for every department in the church. He had decided that this was what he wanted to do with his life, so he was planning on moving to Florida to study at a technical school, focusing on audio engineering. However, when an opportunity presented itself, plans changed.
A Christian singer was on tour and one of her stops was Warren’s church in Tyler. Sam Cruz, the tour’s sound engineer, was beyond impressed with everything that Warren had done, but also with his hunger to learn new things. He advised Warren to skip school and start working immediately. Warren had already gained more knowledge than a classroom could offer, equipping him with the real-world experience needed for the industry. Cruz handed Warren his boss’s card and urged him to call the next day. Warren made the call, and within hours, he received flight details for Philadelphia. After nine months of flying back and forth from Texas to Pennsylvania, Warren moved in with Cruz in Philadelphia, marking another major shift in his life.
Warren ran sound for some of the biggest names in the industry. He worked with Alisha Keys, Lenny Kravitz, and Lyle Lovett, just to name a few. One of Warren’s most memorable experiences was running sound for James Brown’s second-to-last show, just six weeks before the legendary performer passed away. Brown performed for over three hours, nonstop. He performed on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum before a crowd of approximately 800,000 people. Warren had certainly come a long way from his days in Houston with an audience of 500.
After about a decade, though, Warren made the decision to move to Oklahoma. After his dad’s second wife passed away and his father’s health declined, Warren decided to move closer to him. His father had moved in with family in Meeker, and Warren felt a need to be closer to him. In the beginning he was flying back and forth on a regular basis. Warren fondly remembered Meeker from his childhood, where his traditional Ponca/Osage family held a summer dance there each year. Over time, Warren realized he needed to be with his father. He moved in with him and took a job at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, now the Paycom Center. He started there the year before the Thunder came to Oklahoma City and this is where he started learning more about video production. During his time there, he worked with the Thunder, the arena football team, the Yard Dawgz, and the minor league hockey team, the Oklahoma City Barons, for which Warren was promoted to production manager. Alongside his other responsibilities, Warren worked Thunder home games for their first seven seasons and handled production for concerts and expos.
After moving to Ada with his now ex-wife, Warren worked at Murray State College while searching for a local opportunity. However, this is when another new opportunity arose. In 2017, Monster Jam reached out to Warren, leading him to go on the road with them, having the opportunity to do audio and video production for shows in arenas across the United States, as well as Canada and Mexico City. Warren completed three tours with Monster Jam and spent the off-season contracting with the Chickasaw Nation, running sound for Riverwind, Winstar, the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival, and the Artesian Arts Festival. His last tour with Monster Jam took him to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where they were a part of a massive five-day car and automobile show that was three times the size of Disney World. This experience led to another opportunity when the Professional Bull Riders recruited Warren as their broadcast engineer, a role he held for two years.
Despite his worldwide adventures in broadcasting and production, ever since Warren moved to Ada, he had been interested in working with the Chickasaw Nation. Warren supported their mission and felt deeply about preserving First American culture, but his frequent travel made the timing difficult. However, five years ago, the stars aligned, and he was able to join their social media team, bringing over twenty years’ worth of knowledge and experience with him. Because he stays up on the newest technology, he has been integral in helping expand the capabilities of their social media coverage, especially when it comes to live streaming events, which requires a proficiency in audio and video engineering, as well as an eye for direction and narrative.
Warren’s journey has taken him far from Houston’s mid-90s music scene. Warren has traveled to nearly every major city in the lower 48 states and can likely recommend the best place to eat in each one. Despite working with major industry figures, Warren finds the most joy in learning and sharing his knowledge with others. Throughout his journey, Warren has both learned from others and shared his own expertise. Warren says, “The next chapter in my life is giving back to the community. The next generation wants to learn how I do what I do and I will teach them everything I know.”
Written by
Daniel Castaneda
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