Eric Justen: The Sound Mixer Behind Breaking Bad

Introduction

Eric Justen was an American re-recording mixer best known for his work on Breaking Bad. He mixed sound for the AMC drama from its pilot through its fifth and last season.

That work earned him three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations. He also worked on projects such as The Fast and the Furious, The Good Wife, Pretty Little Liars, Elementary, Psych, and Queen Sugar.

His career stayed mostly behind the camera. His work, though, reached millions.

Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Full name	Eric L. Justen
Profession	Re-recording mixer
Born	August 25, 1972
Birthplace	Woodstock, Illinois, United States
Education	Columbia College Chicago
Degree	BA, 1998
Known for	Sound mixing on Breaking Bad
Emmy nominations	Three
Major employer	Warner Bros.
Wife	Cassandra Suarez
Marriage date	May 21, 2016
Last television project	Queen Sugar
Died	August 11, 2016
Age at death	43

Who Was Eric Justen?

Eric Justen worked in film and television sound.

More specifically, he was a re-recording mixer. This job happens during post-production. Dialogue, music, background sound, effects, and other audio tracks need to work together. A mixer helps create that finished soundtrack.

Basically, viewers hear the result.

They rarely see the person.

Justen became closely linked with Breaking Bad because he worked on the series from the beginning. He stayed with it through the full five-season run, including its well-known series finale, “Felina.”

His professional credits stretched far beyond one show.

Public records connected him with more than 100 film and television productions during his career.

Early Life and Education

Eric L. Justen was born on August 25, 1972, in Woodstock, Illinois.

His parents were Rick and Mary Justen. He also had a brother named Marc.

He attended McHenry High School and graduated in 1990.

Sound later became his career path.

Justen studied at Columbia College Chicago, where he received practical experience working with audio and film projects. Columbia identifies him as a 1998 graduate.

One teacher became especially important early on.

Justen credited instructor Diego Trejo with giving him opportunities to mix student films. That work gave him hands-on practice before Hollywood became his full-time workplace.

It was real training. Fast, practical, useful.

How His Professional Career Started

Justen’s professional screen credits began around 1999.

The Television Academy identifies Happy, Texas as an early credited project.

Film work followed.

He later worked in recording or sound roles connected with productions including:

• The Fast and the Furious
• Donnie Darko
• Waking Up in Reno
• London
• 10th & Wolf
• You Kill Me
• Super

He also worked across television movies and series.

The workload grew steadily.

During a later interview with Columbia College Chicago, Justen talked about the less glamorous side of trying to build a career in entertainment. During the Hollywood writers’ strike, he spent about eight months working in construction.

Then sound work picked up again.

He kept going.

Working at Warner Bros.

Justen eventually became a post-production re-recording mixer at Warner Bros.

Public records say he spent roughly nine years working there.

That period covered much of the television work for which he became best known.

His credits included:

• The Shield
• Psych
• Numb3rs
• The Good Wife
• Fringe
• Hart of Dixie
• Unforgettable
• Suburgatory
• Pretty Little Liars
• The Mysteries of Laura
• Elementary

Then there was Breaking Bad.

That became the standout credit.

Eric Justen and Breaking Bad

Justen worked on all five seasons of Breaking Bad, starting with the pilot.

That matters.

He was part of the sound team while the series grew from a new AMC drama into one of television’s best-known shows.

Sound was a big part of its style.

Scenes could be quiet. Sometimes extremely quiet.

Instead of filling every moment with music, the production often allowed environmental sounds, effects, dialogue, and silence to carry tension.

Justen liked that approach.

In his Columbia interview, he explained that Breaking Bad gave the sound team room to build scenes because music was not constantly covering the soundtrack.

He described good sound as something viewers could feel.

That tells you a lot about his approach.

Three Primetime Emmy Nominations

Justen received three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Breaking Bad.

2012 — “Face Off”

His first nomination came for the season-four episode “Face Off.”

He shared the sound-mixing nomination with colleagues including Jeffrey Perkins and Darryl L. Frank.

2013 — “Dead Freight”

Another nomination came one year later.

This time it was for “Dead Freight,” an episode from the show’s fifth season.

2014 — “Felina”

His third nomination came for “Felina,” the series finale.

So the record is clear.

Justen was a three-time Emmy nominee.

He should not be described as an Emmy winner.

Golden Reel Recognition

Justen did earn major industry recognition outside the Emmys.

He was part of the sound team connected with the Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Breaking Bad episode “Felina.”

His work on the finale also received recognition from the Cinema Audio Society.

This gives a clearer picture of his professional standing.

His work was being noticed by people inside the sound industry, not only by general television audiences.

Other Major Film and Television Work

Breaking Bad gets most of the attention, but Justen’s career was much broader.

His television credits included popular network and cable productions. Pretty Little Liars became another continuing job.

In a 2015 interview, he said he was working on that series at the time.

His film work stretched back further.

One early project he discussed was The Fast and the Furious, released in 2001.

He also named Act of Valor alongside Breaking Bad when talking about work that made him especially proud.

Different projects needed different sound choices.

That was the job.

What a Re-Recording Mixer Actually Does

The title can sound confusing.

Here is the simple version.

A production records many separate pieces of audio. Actors speak. Music gets added. Cars move. Doors close. Rooms have background noise. Sound effects create details that may never have existed during filming.

Those elements need to become one finished soundtrack.

The re-recording mixer handles that final mixing stage.

Levels are changed.

Sounds are moved.

Some parts become louder. Others disappear.

Dialogue has to stay understandable while music and effects still feel natural.

Justen once compared the mixing console to an instrument. That makes sense. Hundreds of small choices can change how a scene feels.

Viewers may never notice those choices directly.

That is often the point.

Personal Life

Justen married Cassandra Suarez on May 21, 2016, in Maui, Hawaii.

The marriage took place only a few months before his death.

Reliable public records also identify his parents, Rick and Mary, and his brother Marc.

There is no need to add internet speculation beyond those documented details.

Queen Sugar and His Last Work

Near the end of his career, Justen worked on Queen Sugar, the television drama created by Ava DuVernay for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

The series became his last documented television project.

It premiered in September 2016.

Sadly, Justen did not live to see that period of the show’s run.

Eric Justen’s Death

Eric Justen died on August 11, 2016.

He was 43.

The Television Academy reports that he died from a heart attack.

Family information said he died at Los Angeles International Airport while travelling to attend his grandmother’s 100th birthday celebration.

He had married Cassandra Suarez less than three months earlier.

His death came while he was still actively working in television sound.

His Place in Breaking Bad’s History

Actors naturally receive most of the public attention surrounding a television series.

Sound teams work differently.

Their names sit in the credits.

Yet their choices affect almost every scene.

Justen worked on Breaking Bad from the pilot through “Felina.” His three Emmy nominations give a measurable record of that work, while his Golden Reel recognition shows how his peers viewed the show’s sound.

He also built credits across dozens of other productions.

The numbers tell part of the story.

More than 100 projects. Three Emmy nominations. Five seasons of Breaking Bad. Roughly nine years at Warner Bros.

A lot happened behind that mixing desk.

Verified Interesting Facts About Eric Justen

• He worked on Breaking Bad from its pilot through its last season.
• He received Emmy nominations in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
• His nominated episodes were “Face Off,” “Dead Freight,” and “Felina.”
• He studied sound at Columbia College Chicago.
• He graduated from McHenry High School in 1990.
• He worked in construction for around eight months during a Hollywood writers’ strike.
• He named Breaking Bad and Act of Valor among the projects that made him proudest.
• His credits included more than 100 film and television productions.
• He spent roughly nine years working at Warner Bros.
• Queen Sugar was his last documented television project.

Final Thought

Eric Justen built his reputation through sound rather than screen time.

His strongest professional connection remains Breaking Bad. He worked across its full run and received three straight Emmy nominations during the show’s later years.

But one series does not tell the whole story.

He spent years mixing television and film projects, worked at Warner Bros., contributed to more than 100 productions, and stayed active until shortly before his death in 2016.

For viewers searching his name, that is the main answer: Eric Justen was the accomplished re-recording mixer behind the sound of Breaking Bad and many other major television and film productions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Eric Justen?

Eric Justen was an American film and television re-recording mixer. He is best known for working on all five seasons of Breaking Bad.

What did Eric Justen do on Breaking Bad?

He worked as a re-recording mixer. His job involved combining dialogue, sound effects, music, and other audio into the finished soundtrack.

Did Eric Justen win an Emmy?

No. He received three Primetime Emmy nominations for Breaking Bad, in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Which Breaking Bad episodes earned him Emmy nominations?

The nominated episodes were “Face Off,” “Dead Freight,” and “Felina.”

Where did Eric Justen study?

He studied sound at Columbia College Chicago and is identified by the college as a 1998 graduate.

Was Eric Justen married?

Yes. He married Cassandra Suarez on May 21, 2016, in Maui, Hawaii.

When did Eric Justen die?

He died on August 11, 2016, at age 43.

What caused Eric Justen’s death?

The Television Academy reports that he died from a heart attack.

What was Eric Justen’s last television project?

His last documented television project was Queen Sugar.

Hypenews