Sebastian Krys has been around music for as long as he can remember – in the house, in the car – his life had a constant soundtrack while he was growing up in Bueno Aires, Argentina. Music would eventually come to the foreground for Sebastian, inspiring him to enroll in the Recording Arts program at Full Sail, and later build an award-winning career as an engineer and producer in the pop and Latin markets. Sebastian’s work has been much more than just a profession, as he’s been able to express himself through the music of the industry’s top artists, and create a body of work that has reached millions of people across different cultures.

“I don’t really think of Latin pop or Latin rock as genres. It’s pop or rock; the language doesn’t really define the genre,” he says. “Good music is good music, and what music gives you is comfort and really makes you think and challenges you. I’ve heard it described as ‘a song can come on and change the shape of a room.’”

There’s a devout honesty when Sebastian speaks about his craft – whether it’s a song he helped produce, or what’s currently inspiring him on his iPod. You can trace the beginning of that reverence back to his father, who began feeding him a steady diet of classic albums at an early age. To Sebastian and his siblings, the “classics” didn’t apply to literature or the theater, it meant defining rock albums by the Who, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin.

“I remember my dad making my brother and I sit down and listen to Tommy by the Who from top to bottom,” he says. “Anybody who knows that record, it’s a double album, and at five years old I gotta sit through the world’s first rock opera. I also knew when I was young that John Bonham was the greatest drummer in the world, and that the Beatles were the Beatles, because my dad made sure I knew it.”

His education both at home and in school have given him a unique perspective throughout his career, which has included a lengthy stay as engineer at Crescent Moon Studios in Miami (owned by Latin music icons Emilio and Gloria Estefan), as well as a successful run as a freelance producer and engineer. Looking back at his credit list, you’ll see a string of radio hits from such artists as Marc Anthony, Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas, Ricky Martin, and Will Smith. His innovative work as a producer and engineer has also been honored numerous times at the Latin GRAMMY®s, with a dozen individual awards, including 2007 Producer of the Year.

“It’s surprising to me that I’ve been put in this position where I get an award for this work that I’ve done,” he says. “I was never one of those guys who always got 100 percent on tests. After a while, it’s become kind of embarrassing for me.”

After a lifetime immersed in music, Sebastian continues to find new inspiration in the creative possibilities of the industry and its artists. This includes focusing on his own companies, Arju Productions and Rebeleon Entertainment, where he’s producing music and helping to develop the careers of up-and-coming talent. Whatever role he’s applied himself to, there’s a constant drive to deepen his knowledge of recording, and as much reward as he gets from the projects themselves, he gives equal credence to the mentors he’s met along the way who have helped shape his ability to do what he loves.

“The thing about any kind of success is anyone who thinks success is their own is living in a dream world,” he says. “My success is a tribute to everyone who taught me. From my parents to my brother and sister to my wife to people that I work with. It’s not mine. I’m a part of it, but a lot of things have to go right for you to be able to do what you want to do in your life.”