The graduate navigating two very different worlds - music and media forensics

Brian Sheil

Graduate: MSc Audio and Video Forensics

Brian Sheil, navigates two different career path simultaneously. Not only has he represented Ireland as a Eurovision Judge, his music and audio expertise have led to him becoming a voting member for the Grammys.

One side of his career has him working around artists and studios while the other is research, investigations and technology orientated. He never forced himself to choose one over the other though.

Here he explains what his career highlight has been so far and what's next when it comes to music and media forensics.

You studied your MSc here at LJMU, why did you choose the university? 

I chose LJMU because it offered something very unique that immediately stood out to me and actually it was something that I was looking to study for years - the opportunity to study Audio and Video Forensics. Coming from a music and audio background, I found the idea of applying audio skills to investigations and forensic work fascinating. It felt like a chance to build on what I already loved while opening a completely different door professionally. I wanted to challenge myself and move into an area that was very specialised, and LJMU seemed like the right place to do that.

What has been your career highlight so far?

Representing Ireland as a Eurovision judge was definitely one of them. Growing up in Ireland, Eurovision is almost part of the furniture. Everyone watches it, everyone has strong opinions, and for one week every year everyone suddenly becomes a music expert. So being involved professionally felt surreal and like a strange full-circle moment. 

Becoming a Grammy Voting Member was another huge milestone. The Grammys always felt like this distant world that you watched on TV growing up, and then suddenly I found myself at Grammy Week surrounded by people whose work had been part of the soundtrack to my life for years. I remember having one of those moments where I had to remind myself that I wasn’t just watching it happen anymore - I was actually part of it. Attending the Awards itself was incredible too, sitting there watching the winners being announced and quietly realising I’d predicted about 70% of them correctly!  

On a completely different side of my career, attending INTERPOL’s 9th Digital Forensic Expert Group during my time as a Master’s student was also an amazing experience. Being in a room with experts from around the world and seeing the real-world application of media and forensic technologies was fascinating and gave me a much broader perspective.

And then graduating with distinction in my MSc the following year felt equally rewarding. It represented stepping into something completely new, challenging myself, and proving to myself that taking an unconventional path was worth it.

Have you had any moments where you were at a crossroads and thought you might go down one route but then went down another?

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I was actually heading down the Air Traffic Control route. But my pull towards music slowly took over, and at that stage it became pretty clear where I was going to end up. 

I’m probably a bit less black and white about things now than I was back then. 

I spent around 15 years working in theatre before deciding to pack up and head to Los Angeles for a while, right in the middle of my Master’s too, which, looking back, was a fairly dicey decision. In truth, on paper it probably looked like a slightly chaotic thing to do: leaving something familiar and stable to throw myself into complete uncertainty. 

But my gut was flashing green at me pretty strongly at the time, like it was just the right moment to go.

There was a lot happening in my life then, and I had this feeling that if I didn’t do it, I’d always be wondering what if? I think regret scared me more than risk did.

Around the same time, I was also trying to figure out where I fitted professionally. I assumed I’d stay completely within music and continue down that path, but then forensic audio and research appeared out of nowhere and completely blindsided me. 

Now I somehow seem to exist in two very different worlds - music and media forensics. One has me around artists and studios, the other has me around research, investigations and technology. They probably shouldn’t make sense together, but somehow they do, and I’m glad I never forced myself into choosing one over the other. 

Was there a pivotal person, or moment that changed the course of your direction or your career?

I think a pivotal moment was realising that people (and careers) are rarely what they first appear to be. 

When you work in music, the arts and business in general for long enough, you meet all kinds of people and you start reading situations differently. You begin noticing what’s genuine, what’s surface-level, and what’s happening underneath what people choose to present to the world. Moving through different environments and experiences sharpened that instinct over time. 

Strangely enough, discovering forensic audio connected with that side of me too. A lot of it is about listening closely, paying attention to detail and looking beyond what’s immediately obvious. It made me realise that the skills I’d built weren’t just technical, they were also about understanding people and understanding stories.

I think it also changed the way I approach uncertainty. In music, research and life in general, you rarely start with all the information sitting in front of you. I’ve learned not to rush to force certainty where it doesn’t exist. Instead, I naturally start looking for patterns, small details and the things that don’t quite fit. Over time I realised good decisions aren’t always about having every answer; sometimes they’re about paying attention, staying objective and being comfortable operating in the unknown for a while.

That shifted something for me: it made me realise careers don’t always move in straight lines, and sometimes things that seem completely unrelated quietly come together and shape where you end up. 

Looking back, do you have a moment or point in your life that you felt you were in the right place at the right time? 

Whenever I hear the phrase “right place, right time”, my mind immediately goes back to when I was about 15 years old and on holidays with my parents. Myself and my Ma rescued a middle aged Spanish swimmer. We were out on a little rented pedal boat when I spotted a man way out at sea. At first something just looked off. I remember seeing him repeatedly going under the water and coming back up again, and I realised he was in serious trouble.

We started pedalling like crazy towards him as fast as we could. I remember extending this old worn-out rope from the boat and lowering the small ladder at the back so he could grab on. He was completely exhausted. I’ll never forget the look on his face when we got him. I will never forget the vomiting either, mind you. 

The strange part was there was a lifeguard a good distance away who had watched the whole thing happen. If we hadn’t happened to be there at that exact moment, I genuinely think the outcome could have been very different. 

It probably taught me something early on: sometimes “right place, right time” isn’t about career opportunities or success, sometimes it’s simply about paying attention. 

But career-wise, looking back, starting my MSc at LJMU feels like one of those moments. 

I was actually finishing my thesis during the LA fires at the time, which added a slightly surreal layer to the whole thing. I got out just days before things really escalated - the fires came within a few miles of where I was based. A lot of the writing ended up happening on those 11hr long-haul flights back and forth across the Atlantic, which was its own strange kind of workspace. It wasn’t exactly the calm, linear academic experience you imagine. Even my Viva Voce ended up happening at 3am, which still makes me laugh looking back. 

At the time, I thought I was simply learning something new and challenging myself. I had no idea it would go on to potential research publications, opening up further opportunities in media forensics, and completely shift how I thought about my future. 

I think that’s the funny thing about “right place, right time” moments - they rarely feel significant while you’re in them. You usually only realise it afterwards.

What’s next for you?

In truth, and probably for the first time in a long time, I don’t have everything completely mapped out. But I’m excited to keep moving in the direction I’m already heading, deepening my experience in media and forensics while staying open for unexpected opportunities, people and experiences which tend to appear when you least expect them.

The last few years have taught me a lot about patience, resilience and timing. There’s a phrase I love: “Hurry up and wait.” I can relate! You spend months pushing, building, showing up and putting things into motion… and then suddenly something happens out of nowhere which changes everything.

Right now I’m continuing to grow both sides of my career. On one side, I’m mixing and mastering records and continuing to build relationships in music internationally. On the other, I’m developing work within the forensic space and building and developing relationships there too. 

More than anything, I’m excited about the people I haven’t met yet. Looking back, a lot of the biggest opportunities in my life didn’t come from a plan - they came from conversations, unexpected introductions and being around good people at the right time. So I’m looking forward to seeing where the next few years take me.