
Clare Marie Nemanich

Los Angeles-Based Sound Designer
& Radio Personality
My earliest memory of pure terror was waiting for the shocking horn blats in “No Pasaran” on Joe Jackson’s Will Power. My first cassette tape was “Sounds of a Babbling Brook.” I’ve always been attuned to and fascinated by sound’s ability to evoke and heighten the full spectrum of emotions and experiences.
I grew up playing flute and oboe, reading and telling stories, and making art late at night with my mom. I earned a BA in Literature (with a focus on Medieval Studies), and had brief lives as a metal jewelry artist and body piercer, before finding a career in talk radio with my father, trucking radio legend Dave Nemo. Since 2007, I’ve been programming RadioNemo's shows on SiriusXM and exercising my skills in research, writing, and interviewing to bring news, information, and entertainment to North America's professional truck drivers.
My father has always believed that radio, at its best, is theater of the mind. I grew up seeing him experiment with overnight broadcasts to create a unique, funny, unconventional, and perhaps even transgressive space on the airwaves.
In 2011, my horizons expanded when my boss dropped a copy of Sony Sound Forge Studio 10 and a microphone in my lap. They wanted me to do voiceover, maybe add some sound effects. Suddenly, I could manipulate sonic elements to create what I heard in my head. A lifelong fan of old-time radio dramas, disruptive humor, and classic television, I quickly developed my own take on theater of the mind. Short radio featurettes led to radio commercials led to the stage. First came collaboration on one-man shows and burlesque, and then full ensemble productions.
Through trial, error, and a lot of experimentation, I’ve honed my skills as a sound designer, voiceover artist, and radio personality. I’ve had the opportunity to build worlds with and for others. I’ve been recognized with awards. I’ve begun studying piano, theory, and composition. Most importantly, I’ve learned that I’m my best self when my creative and collaborative muscles are engaged.
When I’m not absorbed with sound, music, and radio, I’m gardening, playing board and video games, riding bikes along the levee, enjoying spooky podcasts and audiobooks, birdwatching, or snuggling my many pets.

