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Here are the job opportunities (or as we like to call them, Grind Opps) from this week's show.
07/11/16
GRIND OPP #1
Position:
Live Sound Engineer
Industry: Recording
Location: New Orleans, LA
Description
Hotel looking for live sound engineer for venue operations and artist communications.
07/11/16
GRIND OPP #2
Position:
Media Editor
Industry: Film
Location: Brea, CA
Description
Non-profit (foster children) seeks media editor to edit both audio and video.
07/11/16
GRIND OPP #3
Position:
Audio Engineer and Instructor
Industry: Recording
Location: Midlothian, VA
Description
Kid’s after school program needs an audio engineer to work as part-time instructor.
07/11/16
GRIND OPP #4
Position:
Podcast Editor
Industry: Recording
Location: Chicago, IL
Description
Podcast personality seeks audio editor to edit, add clips ensure audio quality & upload shows to server.
07/11/16
GRIND OPP #5
Position:
Streaming Media Video Producer
Industry: Film
Location: San Franciso, CA
Description
Business Communication company wants a video producer to create engaging on-site content for their customers.
Transcript
What’s up, y’all? Welcome to Connected, I’m your host DJ IZ. Now check it out, I know, I’m like 3 minutes late, but I wanted to take a little time to celebrate today’s show with my team so we were just chopping it up and getting our little celebration in because today is our show of 100 grind ops that we’ve been able to bring to you through Connected. So that’s a huge milestone for us, so I wanted to make sure that I got to talk to my team about it and just get our quick celebration in before we went live today. So I had to take two minutes or three minutes to just get my joy in. So check it out, for those of you who are just tuning in, like I said, today is our 100th grind op job opportunities that we’ve been able to bring to you guys, all right? And this show is pretty much self-explanatory, the show is called Connected, and that’s pretty much, it’s self-explanatory, right? We take film, music, live engineering, broadcasting, culinary. Most of the things that are creative and we kind of just fuse you with opportunities that best suit your skills in the workplace. And the goal is to, obviously, not just connect you, but the goal here is, man, to get you hired and get you working and get you paid for your labor and your services. And to teach you how to stay hired in these places, and how to elevate and grow within the infrastructure of business.
So that’s pretty much the gist of our show, for those of you first day tuning in. This is something we do every Monday at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. We’ve been rocking, I wanna say since March, so today is episode 20, huge milestone for us. Also, be sure to follow us on your Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, our social media handle is Connected, so check it out. That is a great way for you to track our day-to-day movement. I tell folks all the time, people wanna know what my day-to-day looks like traveling, in the studio, what the demand is, what the pressure is, and that’s a great way to get an idea of what it is I do here. And like I say, you might catch me LA, New York, Miami, anywhere between LA, overseas. But it’s just some great insight for you guys to see what it looks like in my world so you know that I’m not just hustling you guys, I’m actually in the field on my grind.
So without any further ado, we’re about to get into to these grind ops, and again, this is a show where we are at 100 job opportunities that we have brought to y’all, so get your pen and your pad because I’m gonna kick off a lot of information today. We got a lot of details, a lot of notes for you guys to jot down. Also, get your Q&A ready so by the time I get out of these grind ops I could just get to these questions and give you as much information as I possibly can, so get your Q&A ready. Also, we got some exciting things coming up for the show Connected, might see some new faces, a couple of really great guests and interviews for you all, so I’m very excited about that. I can’t let the cat out of the hat too much, but I just wanna let you know we got some new, exciting things coming your way on our show here, Connected.
All right, so first grind op of the day, we’re moving into the field of recording. This is live sound engineering, hotel looking for live sound engineer for a venue, operations in artist communications. And this is in NOLA, New Orleans, all right, Louisiana, here we go. These details are sound engineer, responsibilities would include maintenance of in-house system, set up and break down gear, liaison between hotel and bands, and will report to and work directly with cultural engineering production manager. All right? Time management is a must for this position, candidate must have a positive attitude, a true love for music, a desire to give musicians and the audience the best experience possible. Treating artists with the utmost respect is central to this position.
Now, what’s great about this, it’s pretty much outlined for you. As you can tell, these details pretty much lay this out to someone who’s very social, who knows how to talk to folks, and is very, very structured as far as when it comes to time and being on point, making sure that things are together, having structure. You’ll be a liaison between the hotel and bands so you gotta know a bit of business language and how to talk to folks in those environments, all right, whole different posture. You’ll report to and work directly with the cultural engineering production manager so you gotta know how to work with folks, all right?
What’s cool is a lot of people that I’ve worked with in these particular environments don’t really deal with the hotel or anything on the business side, they pretty much just deal only with the artist. So this is…it’s a bit much to think about because a lot of times, like I said, these gigs, you’re just dealing with the managers, making sure the backline is all smooth, and sound checks. So it’s pretty much the environment with the artist. Here you’ll be dealing with the hotel, you’ll be a liaison, you’ll be dealing with the cultural engineering production manager so you gotta be a people person. That’s huge. Okay? Being a people person, knowing how to talk to folks. I’ve run into a slew of engineers who are rude as hell, who don’t wanna be told what to try, “Try putting this on the drums, can you kind of…vocals kind of,” so it’s always just a great thing in business just to be a humble, good person who knows how to talk to people. You’d be surprised how much more you’re able to get done. All right? And I’m just keeping it 100 with you. I know with me and the venue, man, I don’t wanna deal with people that ain’t trying hear me, I wanna deal with people who are willing to work with me. I have a particular thing, I like the way my music to be heard, I like the way…my performance to be experienced, and it’s about working together, all right?
So I hope you got the notes on that one, we’re moving off to grind op number two. Grind op number two is in the field of film, media editor. All right, nonprofit Foster Children seeks media editor to edit both audio and video. This is in Brea, California. All right, cool, my hometown. So I hope all my Recording Connection students are tuned in today because this is something that you can possibly partake in, get in there and execute and over-perform. All right, details of this gig are a nonprofit organization that improves the lives of foster children in America, it’s seeking a media editor that will assist the creative director in editing video material, and support their production needs. Ideal candidate must have a strong desire to help children in foster care. Candidate will be working on editing both audio and video, experience with Pro Tools and Adobe Premiere is a must. This is a part-time position, at least 3 days a week, 20 to 24 hours, $14 per hour.
All right now, man, I wanna say this might be the first grind op we’ve gotten that actually has a number attached to it, $14 an hour, that’s pretty dope. And what I like about this particular grind op is it’s coming from a good place, and I’ve always been a magnet for things that have opportunities attached to it that lend itself to the giveback, helping out kids for a great cause. That’s the stuff you wanna do along the way of your journey. I call it community service because we’re all required to do it, to help. I look at the principle of what I’m able to do here for you guys every Monday and the reality is that at some point in my career somebody did the exact same thing for me and my brother which has got us to a place where I’m able to come back, share my experiences, share my information, and help you. Help you guys think of different opportunities and ways to make things happen for your passion.
So I like that about this particular grind op, just your strong desire to help children in foster care. It’s straight up, we’re looking for somebody who has that component piece to them, all right? It’s a nonprofit organization, all right, and the great thing is it’s for a great cause. They improve the lives of foster children in America so that’s just good energy, that environment is always just cool. And it’s a part-time position at least three days a week, so it’s not too strenuous. Twenty to 24 hours, that’s a lot of hours, I’m not sure if that’s the 20 to 24 hours spread out through the interim of 3 days or it’s 20 hours a day. You never know. I work 16 hours a day so you just never know, but it’s 14 bucks an hour. That’s real time, that’s real life. All right? So, make sure…especially it’s in Brea, California, so make sure…all our Recording Connection students definitely take a dab into that one, all right?
Moving on the next grind op, this is in the field of recording, audio engineer and instructor. Kids’ after-school program needs an audio engineer to work as part-time instructor. This is in Midlothian, VA…all right, I’m sorry, I ain’t never seen that city before but. Again, this is another grind op that just has a positive thread to it. Great cause, what more to think about or say? Audio engineer will teach basic Pro Tools and music sequencing, audio engineer will be responsible for coordinating setup, breakdown and recording of birthday parties, live events, and many concerts. Candidate must be able to communicate efficiently and manage time schedules for different age groups. Candidate will have to pass a background check. Now, for those of you who haven’t done things in schools or anything, they definitely do a background check on everybody, which is great, definitely can’t have any lunatics floating around campuses. You must be able to communicate efficiently and manage time schedules for different age groups.
Now, throughout the course of my show one of the things I’ve been stressing is structure, promptness, organization, these are all the fundamentals of a great presentation. Being on time, being the last one to leave, being the first one to get there, making sure everybody has their details, their information, making sure you know how to organize groups, work groups, put things together. And you will see this time and time again popping up in these details, right? Must be able to manage time schedules for different age groups, so important, so crucial. A lot of what you’re able to get done within your day comes from structure, being able to execute, and being able to keep your day in front of you and not let it get behind you, and that comes with just being on-point.
You’d be surprised how many people just can’t manage their time and I don’t care if it’s traffic, it’s always something, but the thing is, when you prep and you plan out your day, you do whatever you gotta do to make sure you’re able to execute and be there. So you’ll be teaching Pro Tools and music sequencing to the kids, you’ll also be coordinating the setup, breakdown, and recording of birthday parties, live events, and many concerts. So it sounds very active, so you definitely wanna be able to know your way, your ins-and-outs on this thing. Audio engineering and instructor, so you’ll be instructing people, so that’s a very detailed, technical type of gig. So you definitely wanna make sure you’re able to get in there and over-perform. That’s another thing that I stress throughout the shows is being able to over-perform in these jobs and not under-performing because when you under-perform you don’t last long and you will be fired.
All right, moving on to the next grind op of the day, this is in the field of recording. Podcast editor: podcast personality seeks audio editor to edit, ad clips, ensure audio quality, and upload shows to server. This is in Chicago, Illinois. Let me break down some of those details. Candidate must have at least one year experience with Pro Tools, I know all of my Recording Connection students got that on lock. Candidate must have good time management and able to handle a lot of tasks at once. Candidates must understand the basics of websites and internet. Again, here we go with time management, okay? You’ll see it pop up on half of my grind ops every Monday, time management, structure. Key point, guys, that’s a key point and key factor. You’ll have at least one year experience with Pro Tools. I always say to my audiences it’s always good to know an array of software programs, especially if you’re an engineer, or if even on the film side. Pro Tools, Ableton, Logic, Reason, all those things, Adobe, all that stuff, Final Cut Pro. Know them all so that when you get into these environments you can find there’s no downtime.
I’ve been in studios where I’ve worked with folks who are great at one particular software program and they slow me down, and as a songwriter, as a producer, as a creator, you know that when those ideas come you wanna be able to cut them and record them right then and there, you don’t wanna have any lag time. It’s almost like when you have an Apple computer and you get that spinning wheel when you’re trying to do something. Ooh, you could just…man, you could punch a hole in the wall. That’s how crazy it gets. So you definitely wanna know an array of things, guys, it’s only beneficial to you guys and it allows you to…you’d be surprised how many opportunities can come up just from somebody noticing that you know an array of things, okay? Also, candidate must understand the basics of websites, so you might be putting websites together, you might be dabbling in that role. So that’s a bit technical so you definitely wanna make sure your chops are up on those particular things. And being able to translate what it is…what their ideas are, being able to bring those to life from a look standpoint is very, very key, and I say that because if you’re gonna create a website for somebody, you gotta know how to take in their ideas, their creativity, and bringing it to life, all right?
Moving on to our final grind op of the day, this is in the field of film for all my Recording Connection students. Streaming media video producer: business communications company wants a video producer to create engaging on-site content for their customers. This is located in San Francisco, California…Wassup Bay, Bay Area? Streaming video producer, San Francisco, California. Candidate will be in charge of the production of live events, manage a production team, and traveling throughout the U.S. for live customer events. Candidate must be passionate about technology, learning, and client satisfaction. Candidate must have at least one to two years of experience in film editing. Experience working with corporations is a big plus, okay?
So check it out. It’s a pretty big role, you’ll be in charge of live events, managing the production time, or a team, which is the same thing, team, time, you’ll be handling it all, and traveling throughout the U.S. for live customers. Now, this sounds fun because you’re on the go, you’re obviously gonna be working with a lot of people, putting people together, and you’ll be doing the production of live events. Now, that’s a very sparse environment, setup, breakdown, the whole nine…and you gotta be passionate about technology which means they’re looking for you to know your stuff, okay? Learning and client satisfaction, so the thing is when you present things in a client setting, you just wanna make sure they’re happy, you wanna make sure they feel like they’re getting exactly what it is they want. You gotta at least have one to two years of experience in film editing, I know we got that covered. And experience working with corporations is a big plus.
And that’s kind of where your resume comes in handy, for those of you who have been able to put one together throughout the show as we’ve been trying to help you guys understand what a resume needs to look like and what it shouldn’t look like. So that’s a big plus for those of you who had the benefit and experience of working with the corporations. It’s a different language, and like I said, one of the things I try to open you guys up to here on my show is just the presentation. The posture in these environments is very different, it’s very, very professional, okay, from how you walk in that door, your attitude. Those are the things that people in these environments can spot a mile away. So, definitely a plus there if you’ve had the benefit of working with a corporation, okay?
Guys, that is my 5th grind op of the day, but it is our 100th grind op that we have been able to bring to you through Connected. Like I said, it’s a huge milestone for us. Shout-out to my team who’s been able to consistently deliver and come through and make this happen for you guys. Moving on to my favorite part of the show, is my Q&A. All right, so I get to ask, or not even ask, but I get to answer your guys’ questions that you all ask, all right? So we’re gonna move off to the first question of the day, actually this isn’t the question, but this is from a viewer of ours, Dwight, who I’ve seen here a couple times. He says, “Very solid personal info, IZ.” Shout-out to Dwight for tuning in today, man, much respect. I definitely hope you continue to join us every Monday here, all right?
Next question. Had a question from Manolo who wants to see you working on some beats. Tell him we’re going to be upgrading the show in a few…okay, yeah, absolutely. So check it out, Manolo, I’m gonna show you how I get down eventually. I don’t know if you can see, but I’m gonna show you how I get down, okay. How I get down is right here. This is where I’ve been able to make numerous records, a slew of records actually, a slew of hits. In real time this is how I get down. My MPC 3000, my turntable, my crates, and that’s all I need. I tell folks all the time, man, all I need is an outlet. All I need is electrical outlet and I can get busy. So we’ll definitely feature something for you on the show, all right?
Next question, “Like the vibe of the show, always informative.” Aw, man, appreciate that, Dwight. This next question is from Desiree, “I’m finding that being a freelance engineer really makes you your own boss in a way, and recently I feel like I may have made a mistake. What tips do you have in regards to dealing with your own affairs and basically being your own boss?” I don’t know what your mistake was, but let me just say this. The thing with being your own boss and dealing with people, the most important thing you wanna do in any business relationship or any business transaction is make sure that everybody has clarity as to what the expectations are and how they’re going to be executed. The one thing with being your own boss is you have to be on point prior to dealing with anybody. What you don’t wanna do is give people the idea or assumption that this is your first rodeo and you don’t know what you’re doing.
So with being your own boss, that’s something you work towards, that’s something you get to the point where you got all your bases covered and you can operate in that fashion. Because what you don’t wanna do is you don’t want to make crucial mistakes that get in the way of you possibly having consistent business opportunities coming your way. It’s very important to be prepped and ready to assume that role before you jump into those waters. Being your own boss, that can be anybody, but the thing is when you’re doing business and there’s transactions and people paying and you’re working, and all those things, you just wanna make sure everybody has clarity on what it is that you’re doing. Expectations, how I’m being paid, what days…That’s another thing that comes into play with being a boss is structure, organization. Those are the key elements to being your own boss, okay? So I hope I’m able to help you out with your question there, Desiree, all right? And also, being your own boss means you need to have some way to sell and get business. That’s another thing. Because you can be the boss of nothing and you ain’t get nothing done, so definitely wanna make sure you have a way to sell and get business, that’s crucial.
Let’s see, another question here. Tell us…So I was having a conversation last weekend, I was in a room with an artist and a couple people and they wanted to know what the workload is in an artist role like in Usher. And I told them being with Usher has really allowed me to see a work ethic outside of my own work ethic because I consider myself to pretty much…I grind, I work, I work, I work, but because I love it. And being with Usher allowed me to see his work ethic in a way that keeps me motivated. I look at a guy who doesn’t sleep much, always trying to perfect his craft. Whether it’s meetings, conference calls, he’s always on the go, he’s always on the grind. And I look at his regiment for being able to dance and sing and stay in pitch. I tell him, I say…He gets on that treadmill and runs for hours and sings. That’s how he’s able to do that. And when you’re an artist and you’re looking for remedies or tips or things that’ll help you progress and grow as an artist, if you’re a singer and a dancer, you wanna get on a treadmill and sing, because I’ve seen it in real time. And if the greats are doing it, man, chances are you should probably try it too because it’ll make you better.
So just a little point I wanted to throw out there to any artist that might be joining me today who sing and just wanna know what the work ethic looks like at a level of an artist like Usher, all right? Thank you too, Desiree, I appreciate you joining me today, shout-out to you. Let’s see, any other questions? Bear with me guys, I’m about to start scrolling. Well, guys, it looks like that’s a wrap. Also, too, something to keep in mind is that what’s been coming up a lot for me is people say, “Well, what’s your day like? How do you plan your day out? How do you get the most out of your day?” And that’s a constant evolving practice. And I say that because as much as you like to keep your day very, very structured and very, very on point, things do come up and you gotta maneuver and you gotta make adjustments. But at least if you get your day in a space that allows you to be extremely productive and you’re able to execute everything you wanna do, you’ll find that you’re able to get a lot more done. And you can actually engage in the opportunities in a way that allows you to just not be all over the place, but to just execute.
And for me, it’s something that I’ve had to learn over the years, but I like to get up, have my tea, eat some oatmeal. And I get up around 7, 7:30 a.m., and get on my emails, get on my texts, get on my phone calls so that around 1:00 I’ve done most of that kind of work to where I can get in a space like this and be creative and create music, where I’m great at, where I’m best at. I like to say I’ve been able to do a lot in business, but I know, at the end of the day, my priority, my number one is my music because music has created the conversations for everything I’ve been able to dabble in and deal in outside of music. Music has been the foundation and music has sparked those conversations. So for those of you, whether it’s in film, engineering, broadcasting, live sound, you’ll find that as you start to put your day together, by the end of the day you’ll look at and be…you’ll look at your day and say, “Man, I got a lot done.” And because you got a lot done you got this person reaching out to you, you got this opportunity over here going down, you got all these other things that were able to come out of you just really getting in there and tackling your day in a way that allows you to be effective. All right, so I just wanna leave that with you guys.
Again, man, shout-out to my squad, shout-out to the Recording Connection, today is our 100th grind op that we’ve been able to bring to you. That’s a great milestone for us and I’m proud, that’s why I’mma keep mentioning it. But we couldn’t do this if we didn’t have you guys viewing us and joining us every Monday, so hat off to you guys as well for taking the time to come here, and just all for your time, all right? Sobisha [SP], catch us here every Monday, 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Again, we got some great new things coming up for you guys with our show, we got guests, you might see a co-host, I don’t wanna say too much, but it’s about to get really, really fresh and exciting for you guys. And that’s really what Connected is about, it’s about evolving and just being right here where we can just converse and share information. All right, I will catch you on the next one. Until then, be on your grind, don’t let the week get away from you. [inaudible 00:28:58] Tuesday through Sunday to get it done. All right [inaudible 00:29:04] on the next one.
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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