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Here are the job opportunities (or as we like to call them, Grind Opps) from this week's show.
06/13/16
GRIND OPP #1
Position:
Live Sound Engineer
Industry: Recording
Location: Chicago, IL
Description
Aquarium seeks live sound engineer for on-going summer concert series, “Jazzin’ At The Shedd.”
06/13/16
GRIND OPP #2
Position:
Videographer
Industry: Film
Location: Honolulu, HI
Description
Independent media company needs videographer to record audition drops for a competitive show pilot.
06/13/16
GRIND OPP #3
Position:
TV Studio Tech
Industry: Film
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Description
Utah’s #1 News Station seeks studio tech for floor directing, signal-flow management and running teleprompter.
06/13/16
GRIND OPP #4
Position:
Camera Operator
Industry: Film
Location: Cedar Park, TX
Description
Community Center seeks camera operator fo live events including high school basketball, baseball and football.
06/13/16
GRIND OPP #5
Position:
Production Assistant
Industry: Film
Location: Miami, FL
Description
Marketing company is looking for P.A.’s to support North American campaign. Must have valid driver’s license.
Transcript
What’s up, you all? Welcome to Connected. This is show or episode 16. For those of you that are just tuning in, this is something that we do every Monday at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
So you know, we’re at show 16 man, so we’ve been on quite a journey. We’ve had some great things happen. As a matter of fact, I want to take this time to shout out a person who actually sent in a great resume who is out looking to do a career switch. So that person man, shout out to Curtis King for just really taking the time to perfect and hone in on his resume. So I would just wanna make sure we shouted you out today.
Another thing, we got a new email. All right, so I wanna give that to you right now. So for those of you that are…I’m noticing our Q and A, you guys want to send me music, you want to send information. Here’s the website where you can do that, or email address where you can do that. And that email is [email protected]. So if there’s anything that comes up in our Q and A, and you wanna send questions or you wanna send music or you want to send a resume, that’s the email you want to shoot it to.
All right, another thing, today we’ve got a bunch of grind ops that are in the field of film. So all of my recording connection, film connections that are big on those particular categories when it comes to film, make sure that you take all the crucial info down on these grind opps that I give you guys.
All right, man, so I’m excited. Today is Monday. Today is the day where we get the week started. Today is the day where we kind of execute the grind layout for the week, so I’m happy to be here with you guys.
Just some quick news. Tomorrow I’ll be in rehearsals for the BET experience. I’ll be jamming on the 24th with Usher so make sure you guys tune in for that and check it out. For those of you that have been sticking around, you know with my rehearsal days can be very long, traveling and stuff. Stuff I look forward to. You know that’s what I signed up for.
Also, to get your Q and A questions ready now, so by the time I get to that part of the show, you’re ready to go.
All right, so, for those of you that are just tuning in for the first time, welcome to Connected. You can also track our day-to-day movement on our social media, which is IZCONNECTED on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. All right? IZCONECTED. So make sure that you lock that in.
All right, so we’re going to get off into our grind opps of the day. And as you know, like I said, make sure you have your pen, pad, your notebook, whatever it is you need to take down this crucial information, because it is important. And stay through the show with me, because towards the end of the show, you’re going to see a link on the right side of the screen that will be the only way for you to apply for these jobs. All right? So when you see that link pop up, that’s where you want to be, so click on that when you see it, so you can get access to these grind opps.
All right! First one of the day is in the field of recording. This is live sound engineer. Aquarium seeks live sound engineer for an ongoing summer concert series, Jazzin’ At the Shedd. That’s the name of the jazz fest, Jazzin’ At the Shedd, that’s cool. And this is in Chicago, Illinois. That actually sounds like [inaudible 00:03:46] gig right there. Here are some of the details for that particular grind opp. Live sound engineer, audio engineer will be responsible for set up, tear down, line check, as well as communication between the administration department and bands. One year of live sound experience required. Ideal for graduates that want to get a feel of what it’s like to engineer multiple bands within the same event. Summer concert season will be from June 22 to September 4. So, that’s roughly three or four months of consistent job.
One of these things, as you get into audio, you’re going to see terminology that lends itself to audio engineering. The reason why they obviously want you to have experience is because you want to know what a line check is. A line check is when you go through each line, signal path and make sure you’re not running into any humps, problems, bad cables, bad direct boxes. And you’ll be responsible for set up and tear down which is the more physical aspect of this particular grind opp. You’re breaking stuff down, you’re loading up, you’re loading in. But the cool thing is that it’s a summer gig. It’s one year of live sound experience required. I know a tons of you all at the recording connection, film connection, have some great experience, so this could be really great for you guys.
And for those of you that want to get a feel as to what it’s like to engineer multiple bands at the same event, this is for you. So the great thing about dealing with multiple bands is everyone’s sound changes per show. So you might have one band that’s five line inputs, and you might have another band that’s just two. EQ is different. Processing is different. Those are the kind of stuff, things you want to really be on your game with. So that is grind opp number one.
Moving on to grind opp number two. Stay with me. This is in the field of film. Videographer. Independent media company needs videographer to record audition drops for a competitive show pilot. Honolulu, Hawaii. Man, I’m taking this grind opp. Shoot, I want to be in Honolulu too. Candidate must be able to work in fast-paced environment with network executives. Candidate must have flexible scheduling from June 19 to July 1. Candidates must be able to work independently and upload the drops within hours of shooting. Flexible to travel is a major advantage for the candidate. Media company will be shooting in Miami, mid to late July. As we are starting to develop the real crucial details of these grind opps, these are…They are coming in a way that’s letting you know, right off the gate, where it is you need to be. Fast, effective, efficient, organized, structured, on time, prompt and ready to go.
I think we had a grind opp last week that required you got to have a cool sense of humor. And in these particular jobs, you’ll find that it’s really how well you can get along with other folks and really have a good time in doing what you love. But execute it. This one is saying, “fast-paced environment with network executives.” You’ve got to understand what that pressure is when you’re around the decision makers when you’re doing your job. It can get a little intense, but it’s only going to make you great at what you’re doing. And you’ve got to be flexible, because they are looking at June 19 to July 1, and towards the end of July, you’ll be in Miami. And you must be able to work independently and upload the drops within hours of the shooting. So that tells me you have to on your game, be able to put something together and present it. So those are key, key details for this particular grind up. Again that’s in the field of videography.
Moving on to the next grind opp. This is in the field of film, again. I told you I was going to have a whole lot of film opportunities for you guys. TV studio tech. Part time. Utah’s number one news station seeks studio tech for floor directing, signal flow management, and running teleprompter. This is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Let me give you more details on that one. Entry level for [inaudible 00:08:20] engineers that are interested in the broadcasting industry. No broadcasting experience is necessary. All right, so that’s an easy knock down. Candidate must be able to communicate and interact in a professional, calm manner. I mean, that’s standard on any job, right? Depending on the needs of the newsroom, candidate must be able to work flexible hours including holidays.
Now, whoever is out there in Utah who wants to take advantage of this gig, this is like…this is a cool breeze type of gig. This is where you get there and you do what you’re supposed to do. It doesn’t seem like it’s too intense. But you can get in there and hopefully allow them to see that you have the potential to be a long term employee there. So, you know, no broadcasting experience is necessary. You just got to be able to communicate and interact in a professional manner. And one of the things that I always stress on this show is presentation, how you present yourself, how you talk to folks, how you interact with your coworkers. It’s all key as to being in a place where you can really get in there and execute within your environment. And depending on the needs of the news room, you must be able to work with flexible hours, including holidays. Some folks don’t like to give up their holidays, but when you’re doing what you love, when you’re in the field of something that pertains to your particular career, you make yourself available no matter what. That’s rule number one.
Moving on to grind opp number four. Grind opp number four is in the field of film again. Camera operator. Community center seeks camera operator for live events including high school basketball, baseball and football. Cedar Point, Texas. Shout out to my dog in the back. He’s holding down the fort for me. Here we go. Not too many details. Very simple. One year of camera experience is required. Candidate must be able to stand up to six hours without a break. Work schedule will include evenings, weekdays and holidays. Okay, so although the details are simple on this particular grind opp, they’re asking for your time, including evenings, weekends and holidays. Candidate must be able to stand up to six hours without a break. So your endurance got to be up to par. One year of camera experience is required. This is a grind opp, to me, that is really really great for all our recording and film connection students. You at least have a year of experience already and you understand the work flow, the work demand, so this could be really great for you guys.
Moving on to our last grind opp of the day. This is in the field of film, again. Production assistant. Marketing company is looking for a PA to support North American campaign. Must have valid driver’s license. And this is in a fun city, Miami, Florida. If you don’t have your driver’s license by now, I don’t know what to tell you. So here we go. I’m going to send you these details for this last grind opp and they are…position is from June 29 to July 1. Candidate will assist set up, tear down, run errands, and will be driving to various locations to pick up materials. Film and television experience is a plus, as they are looking to fill a long term position. Okay, the key word, “long term position.” Comfortable working in a fast-paced, team environment. Ideal position for graduates that want to build resume experience while getting paid 20 an hour.
You know guys, I mean, this is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll set up, tear down, run errands, driving to various locations. You gotta have some film and television experience. You know, it’s a plus. And they are looking for a long term position, 20 bucks an hour. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, team environment. Fast-paced, I like to look at all these grind opps that we present here on IZ Connected that everything is fast-paced. Everything has pressure. Everything is intense. Everything has a deadline. Those are the components you want to be able to get really familiar with and very comfortable because it’s going to allow you to operate and function at a really, really incredible pace. And those type of characteristics in the work environment allow the decision makers to say, “Wow, this cat, this cat can really go in and deliver.” Being prompt. Being on time. First one to show up, last one to leave.
Those are the fundamentals of presentation and work ethic that I grew up having to embrace. I just want to make sure I stress that to you guys with the grind opps that we do bring to you. That is our last grind opp of the day. We had a whole lot of film opportunities, so I want to make sure that the recording connections, the film connection students partake in some of those opportunities, because I know we got a huge, huge number of cast that are in the field of film at the recording connection.
All right, so my favorite part of the day is Q and A. This is the time where I get to actually talk to you guys kind of one-on-one, take care of some questions, give you some answers. Shout out to my dog, holding it down for me again.
All right, first question. [inaudible 00:14:00] What up. “How can I get my beats hard” or they spelled hard as heard, “How can I get my beats heard by major artists?” Nowadays, like I said, you can put your beats. There are so many platforms. There’s, you know, there’s Spotify. There’s Sound Cloud. There’s Facebook. Great platforms for you to showcase your music, man. I’m sure through our connections, there’s been some ways we can help push. Definitely take advantage of the email address that I gave you guys at the top of the show. That’s where you can send whatever questions, content you have. And we’ll see what we can do.
“Next show, I’m looking for anything in NY.” You know man, I know. I always say, because our home base is in Los Angeles, California, but we have jobs that’s expand from LA to New York. So it’s just a matter of tuning in. Stay with us every Monday, because we get job opps everywhere, from LA to New York. So hopefully you catch us on the next one.
Anika Taylor: “How can I search for opportunities in my area, Philadelphia?” Well, you can always do your searching outside of the show. We’ve had a couple of Philly opportunities throughout our show. Again, keep in mind that we are on show 16. Through those shows, we’ve definitely had some Philadelphia opportunities so, like I said, it’s just a matter of staying connected. Meet me up here every Monday 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, and hopefully we’ll have something for you again. So stay tuned, all right?
Next question. “What’s the email?” The email…here we go guys. It’s [email protected]. Make sure you send anything you have you want to get to us, send it there.
Lesley, “Is there a certain time of year in the TV/film industry that is best for composers to find open positions, from full time roles to placement opps? Pilot seasons?” Not really. They come. The thing is to kind of have your finger on the pulse and you ear in those career opportunities, because they come. There’s no really set schedule. They come throughout the year. This particular show, we’ve just happened to have a whole lot of film opps. But we’ve had them throughout the weeks. So you know, just stay on it, all right?
From my man, Devon, “What’s the number one advice you would give to anyone aspiring to be the best music maker they can be?” That’s a great question. I would say, man, most importantly…I tell this to a lot of folks, especially the young folks who are diving into the field of music is you gotta know your history, know who came and did it before you, Know the greats. Know your library of music. That’s what makes you better. As a creator, when you know your stuff, you have things you can pull from for your creativity whether it’s melody, whether it’s beats, whether it’s keys. You know, you’re only able to pull from the information that you have. So the more information that you have in music is what ultimately allows you to get to a place of greatness as a songwriter, musician and producer.
Shedona [SP] Young, “What’s the best way to get experience when you are starting out as an audio engineer?” The best way, I would say, you know, find whatever venues have the most traffic in your area and try to engage and meet and talk to some of these live engineers. You know, some of them are a little stiff, I’m gonna tell you, some of them are a little stiff. But try to converse with them and pick their brain and maybe you can come hang out with them for a day on a day that they are doing an event. And that’s kind of how you wanna see what it is that’s going on in the world of live sound. Especially in your area, man, just find a couple spots. I don’t care if it’s a dive bar. Talk to some folks. Get some information. That’s the best way to kind of get your foot in the door in that particular area as a live sound engineer or an audio engineer.
Next question. Dwight. “Can you elaborate a little about how you feel about education versus experience?” I think education is the backbone of your application, of how you apply the information that you do have. But experience is in real time, you know? There’s only a little that you can actually learn from the books. You can learn the fundamentals, but how you apply those in a real setting is completely different. Experience is undeniable, but even with experience, you’ve got to have some type of education, whether it was through traditional or not. Education comes through experience. They kind of work hand-in-hand, man. I would never say experience outweighs education. They work hand-in-hand.
Next question. Rosie. “Do you have any opportunities in Nashville?” Last week we had a couple. Weeks prior, we had a couple. Nashville does come up all the time here on my show, Rosie. So definitely stay connected, like I said. We’re here every Monday at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. And I’m sure we’ll have something for you soon.
Also to Dwight, just a quick note. That’s what I love about the Recording Connection because it combines experience with education. We put you with a real mentor that takes you through that process of being in something in real time. That’s something to look for if you want to dive into a little more about what we do here at the Recording Connection, feel free. www.recordingconnection.com and you can definitely kind of get insight on everything we offer.
Let’s see. I want to make sure that I don’t leave anybody out. This is from Nigel. “Would you recommend getting ProTool certified on top of an advance audio engineering completion certificate? Many student employees have that on top of their resume, and I’m worried mine will look less desirable.” I definitely think you should list the recording platforms that you do have experience in. I’m not going to say that you necessarily need a certificate because I know guys that don’t have one that are amazing. They play ProTools like it’s an instrument. So I would say, definitely list the different recording softwares that you are familiar with and have experience. That could also help you out if you don’t have a certificate.
Let’s see what else we’ve got. Brandon. Brandon Davis. “First, I just want to say thank you. You have such an awesome show. Where do I look for film PA work in Atlanta?” That’s another one. We’ve had a couple of opportunities come up for Atlanta, so like I said, man, it’s just a matter of staying connected. Follow me on Instagram, follow me on Facebook. It’s IZCONNECTED. And I’ll update you guys as to what’s up ahead for shows coming up because we’ll most likely catch you in Atlanta, if not next week, the week after. Guys, just stay with me. grind opps are anywhere in between Atlanta to New York to Miami to Nashville to Texas to Chicago, Detroit. So it’s just a matter of you tuning in, all right? Here. Every week.
Next question, let’s see. Anika Taylor, back to you. “Do these jobs require degrees and certifications?” Not really. They just require a bit of experience and know-how. The rest is up to you. Let’s see here. I like it.
We’ve got quite a few questions today. I like that. Let me take a couple more. “How important is a mentor for advancement?” Well, you know, Dwight, I think a mentor is most important and effective because they’ve been down the road already. They have acquired all the information that has brought them to a point of being able to mentor someone. So the great thing is that it’s key because, as somebody who is being mentored, you get to extract all of that information. You get kind of a front row seat as to what the environment looks like. So it’s extremely important for advancement. Is it the only way? No. But I know if I’m getting ready to dive into something, man, I want to talk to the people that are actually doing it. And I think that’s really the main benefit of having a mentor. You know, even for me, you know, I think through my journey of music, 25 years, it’s much great for me that I get to share this information with you all. And to me, that’s where you get opportunity and application and execution, together, all in one. That’s kind of how you got to move these days.
Let’s see. I think that’s about it for the Q and A, guys. I know the link is up for you guys where you could actually apply for these jobs. So make sure you click on that link and put all your information in. And also, again, I want to shout out Curtis King because he sent in a really, really cool resume. So like i said, these grind opps, these opportunities, applications, make sure you have your resumes together because resumes are pretty much a reflection of you on paper. And it allows the employer to look at the experience and everything you’ve been able to do and decide whether or not you’re a right fit for this job. We also talked about a follow up letter on letterhead stating why you think you are right for this job and why they should hire you. That’s something we got to be key on to folks is the follow up, because without the follow up, none of this works. None of it makes sense. So I just want to make sure that you guys are aware of the fundamentals and the important things that need to happen.
I got one question that I just saw popped up, Rosie, what’s up? “Agree with what you just said. Been in the business 25 years plus. Also still mentoring and networking, it’s a big key in the entertainment business.” Absolutely, Rosie.
I just want to thank you guys for tuning in. We had a lot of Q and A today. We had a lot of signups. So I want to shout out all you guys who are willing to be here, willing to give of your time, and willing to just obtain information. I hope, through my show, we can continue on providing information, real opportunities and things that make sense for where you want to go when it comes to your career. All right?
I couldn’t do this without my squad. Shout out to Mike. Shout out to Brian. Shout out to Howie who constantly help me put this together so I can come to you every Monday and rock with you guys. Catch me here next Monday. You best believe we will be bringing you more grind opps. And until then, man, have a great week. Remember, execute, follow up, do all the things you need to do. Be hungry. Go get it. Nobody’s going to bring it to you on a platter. And take what’s yours. I’ll catch you again. Peace. IZ. I’m out.
Previous Episodes of Connected
- Electronic musicians, DJs and beat-makers
- Runners and assistants
- Filmmakers
- Broadcasters
- Aspiring show hosts and more
- Get job tips on all the best jobs and career opportunities
- Get mentored and find out how to get and keep the best gigs in the music and film industry
- Get to know your favorite artists
- Hear industry success and horror stories from the legends inside the business
- Find out real tips to get hired at your dream job
- Connect!
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