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Here are the job opportunities (or as we like to call them, Grind Opps) from this week's show.
08/22/16
GRIND OPP #1
Position:
Live Audio Engineer
Industry: Recording
Location: Charlotte, NC
Description
Live music venue seeking FOH audio engineer for weekly acts.
08/22/16
GRIND OPP #2
Position:
Radio Assistant Producer
Industry: Radio
Location: Denver, CO
Description
XM radio station seeking assistant producer for weekly shows.
08/22/16
GRIND OPP #3
Position:
Cinematographer / Editor
Industry: Film
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Description
Web-based marketing Company looking to create promo videos for online marketing and web series.
08/22/16
GRIND OPP #4
Position:
Audio Engineer
Industry: Recording
Location: Austin, TX
Description
Independent studio looking for Audio Engineer for writing sessions for indie labels.
08/22/16
GRIND OPP #5
Position:
Post Production Editor
Industry: Film
Location: Atlanta, GA
Description
Production house seeking an editor for a pilot show. NDA required.
Transcript
Iz: What’s up you all? Welcome to Connected. I’m your host, DJ Iz. I got my lovely host, Cloie. Cloie, say what’s up, girl.
Cloie: What’s up, Iz? Happy Monday.
Iz: Happy Monday. You know, today we’re on show 26 and so we’re getting up there in our numbers. But first, before we go any further, I wanna talk about this weekend, Cloie, because we had a special event that me and you were a part of which was the Pensado Awards. Shout to Dave Pensado who’s doing it big and happy to be a part of that.
But I got to see Cloie in a whole another light this weekend. You know, you were all just looking fly, fresh, you know, and I guess you were sipping on some wine. So you were feeling really good.
Cloie: Oh, well.
Iz: Tell us about your experience. I mean it was cool for me. I got to present an award but tell me what you had going on.
Cloie: I mean you know what it was. Yes, I love my wine. That’s no secret. But it’s just such a fine event. The energy of the crowd. I love meeting the people and it’s super inspiring because it’s like “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you guys are the people that actually make everything happen.” And so it’s a night where you get to get celebrated and the love and the joy is just overwhelming in the most amazing way.
Iz: It was definitely.
Cloie: I got to play dress up.
Iz: You got to put a dress on. I mean you were looking fresh as heck. But I think, you know…
Cloie: You were on your bowtie.
Iz: Overall, it was good. You know, we got to hang out with our family from the Recording Connection. It was just good energy. The environment was very rock kinda oriented but it was cool. I mean I got to see a couple of colleagues that I’ve known for years and it was just good to kinda just to see those faces again and kinda just recap. But I just wanted to tell, you know, I wanted… you know, I wanted to talk about a little on the show today because you were doing your thing and I was happy to see you in that moment having a good time. I believe we took a couple of cool pics, right?
Cloie: We did. Check it out. Check it out. Definitely on our Facebook page. We’re gonna post some on our social media, too, which is…with our social media, Iz?
Iz: I mean hit them off with our social media info. Where can they catch us at?
Cloie: Guys, it’s so simple, word “Izconnected”.
Iz: I mean, across the board, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. So definitely, you know, I always tell them, Cloie, that’s a good way to track our day-to-day movement and also we’re just talking about this past weekend with the Pensado Awards. So, you’ll see all kind of lovely pics. I’m sure you’re gonna get a thousands likes on yours because, you know, I mean you were just doing your thing. You know, I’ll probably get…
Cloie: Oh, well. Iz, I definitely appreciate that. Guys, he was adorable. Nobody can rock a bow tie like Iz can rock a bow tie. Even when he’s frozen which is adorable.
Iz: Anyways, back to the show, we have some really cool exciting things going on. We got something really cool coming up that we’re gonna talk about and bring you guys.
So without any further ado, Cloie, we want them to get their notepads, their pens.
Cloie: Get your mojo.
Iz: Get your mojo. Whatever you need to take down information because, you know, for those of you who are just tuning in for the first time, what we like to do here at Connected is not just mentor or not just educate but we kinda like to bring opportunities to the table as well. So, you know, we wanna offer you a full spectrum type of platform that allows everything to connect kinda like what this show is about. So we’re gonna get up into our grind ops which are really our job opportunities that we bring, we’ve been bringing since day one. I mean I think we’re at…
Cloie: What?
Iz: I think we’re at 130 jobs now, Cloie, can you believe that?
Cloie: Should I try to do the math while you introduce this for grind op? I could.
Iz: I’m gonna let you do the math. Yeah, I’m gonna jump off into this grind op but yeah definitely do the math on them. Make sure I’m correct.
So first up to bat, we are in the field of live audio engineer. This is in Charlotte, NC. So know your abbreviations because I abbreviate all my states, all right? NC. So I keep it simple, man. I’m just a simple kind of cat. So here we go, guys. This is a grind op again in the live audio engineering field. This is live music venue seeking Front of House engineer for weekly acts. Now anytime you see FOH, that’s Front of House. All right?
Cloie: Front of House.
Iz: So keep that in mind. Candidate will be responsible for live bands, computer playback, recording and back up of show production files. As you know, will be responsible for regular production departments to facilitate sound production needs during technical rehearsals and during the run of the show. Candidate must have knowledge of basic theatrical directions and terms. You gotta know your lingo. Engineer must be able to work evenings and weekends as needed.
I like that last detail with “must be available to work evenings and weekends,” because I’m gonna tell you this weekend, I was sure enough didn’t wanna get in my car and drive to LA, but you know what?
Cloie: But you did.
Iz: But I did and I knew…you know, I was looking forward to seeing Cloie because I knew Cloie was gonna be in all her glory so I wanted to see that, so I got in my whip and I rolled, I rolled. I came, I came.
Cloie: I mean you came in here, you looked pretty, and he brought pretty with him.
Iz: Yes, I brought my lady. So let’s dive into this. This is a very detailed kinda grind op. I mean, you know, one of the things I have experienced in just working with different Front of House guys is you never know what you’re gonna get, Cloie. You might get a dude who’s anal, you might get a dude who is super cool, you might get a dude who can take in ideas and how you like the sound. But I think, you know, anybody who’s aspiring to be a Front of House engineer, I think you should always come from a place of being humble, willing to listen, and really knowing how to know how to talk the artist because one of the things in Front of House, you’re gonna be dealing with artists all the time.
And you never know what kind of artist you’re gonna be dealing with. You might be dealing with somebody who is a jerk. You might be dealing with an artist who is just super cool like, “Hey, man, you know, I was wondering if you could…can I get a little more of this? Can I…?” And I think just being able to be neutral in this particular job setting is kind of, to me, what allows the job to kinda get done in a cool way and you’re able to build relationships. You never know.
You might do so good and well by artists, that artist wants to get your info at the end of the night.
Cloie: True.
Iz: Like, you know, “I need you to travel with me. I need you to come do my sound.” Those are the things I always stress because, Cloie, I’ve met an array of live Front of House engineers.
Cloie: I can’t even imagine.
Iz: I’m gonna tell you, 9 times out of 10, they wanna get in and get out. They don’t wanna hear anything you got to say, they kinda wanna hit the preset button on you and give you the sound they give to everybody. So I think that’s a good thing, especially, for our Recording Connection students that are working in the field in real time. I’m sure they’re absorbing as much information as they can on that side. But, you know, like I said, in these kinds of things, you wanna be a people person. You wanna be cool and you wanna love what you’re doing.
Cloie: Yes, yes.
Iz: Another detail on this is you’ll be responsible for working with production departments to facilitate sound productions. So again, you’ll be working with other people.
Cloie: And learn how to [inaudible 00:08:11], so many hats.
Iz: Yes, wearing lots of hats, definitely. But, you know, you’ll be doing technical rehearsals during the run of the show and I think, too, we always say it’s so important to know your gear, right? I mean that’s what we’ve been stressing on the show, Cloie. You got to know your gear so when you get into these venues and you look at something that might be foreign to you and actually you’re kinda like, you’re slowing down the workflow because you gotta get on YouTube and go to a video that tells you how to get through on this piece of equipment. You wanna do your homework.
Cloie: Right. It includes on your homework, yes.
Iz: You gotta do your homework ahead of time. And really, at the end of the day, if you’re an engineer, be an engineer, know your craft. You know, know what’s out there. Know what folks are working on. Know your latest technology. Know your latest plug ins. Know all of that stuff. You gotta…
Cloie: And do your research, too, on the people that you’re gonna be working with. Be proactive in that regard. Because you do research on the people, that’s also got to be a clue in as to what you may encounter and if not, you know?
Iz: Yeah, exactly. And I’m looking at another key thing in this particular detail is computer playback. For those of you that don’t know what computer playback is, I’m gonna break it down really quick. So let’s say an artist shows up with a band, but they got backgrounds, they got horns, and they can’t really facilitate that with actual people, so they use computer playback to actually play those sounds during the show and that can be either digital performer or another software program called ProTools. So you definitely have to be experienced in regards to what computer playback is. That can be a really, really intense gig and you gotta have…most of the time, the playback guys I’ve met, they have their own set up. They got their own rigs and those rigs run anywhere from 50 to 90K. That’s how intense it gets.
Cloie: What?
Iz: Yeah, you definitely gotta know your ins and outs on that one and you’ll be dealing with show production files, the back-ups. You know, backing everything up, storing everything, so you gotta be, like you said, Cloie, you’re gonna be wearing a whole lot of hats.
Cloie: And organized.
Iz: Yeah, and we always talk about not under performing, right?
Cloie: Over.
Iz: You gotta get in there and kick ass is what you gotta do at the end of the day.
Cloie: The most confident.
Iz: So, that is our first grind op. Again, that’s live audio engineer in Charlotte.
So Cloie, before we get into this next grind op, we have something really cool going on today with our show, we have a guest, Cloie.
Cloie: We got what?
Iz: We got a special guest that we get to talk about that has been able to land a gig in real time through the Recording Connection process through the mentoring process and who is able to get out there and make it happen. I’m gonna let you introduce her, Cloie. Let’s introduce our wonderful guest today.
Cloie: Guys, if you’re wondering who is this lovely blonde face that we keep cutting to, I am so happy to introduce, this is Alexa Copper, guys, who is just back from Finland.
Iz: Say what’s up you all, say what’s up. Let’s give her a round of applause. Now I wanna highlight something about Alexa Cooper. She’s definitely been able to get out there and make something happen and create opportunity for herself who’s doing lighting for ASAP Rocky, which is a huge name in the game. We’re happy to have you, Alexa.
Cloie: So happy.
Iz: And I wanna hear your story. We wanna hear your story on how you were able to get out there, make it happen, and what’s your process was? From the Recording Connection process, the mentoring process and how beneficial that information was to you in getting in this road, in this environment, and make it something happen. Talk to us, man.
Cloie: Love it.
Alexa: Yeah, it was massive. The Recording Connection’s play as far as like where I’ve been able to get today. I was living in Florida and I met guy who owned a studio in Vancouver and he invited me to come check it out and I was like, “Okay, why not?” You may as well try to go for it and then he was in the program and told me about the program and I was like, “You know what? That sounds really awesome. I’ll give it a try it,” and I got into the Recording Connection, did it. And in the studio, I met so many amazing connections and through one connection that I met there is the one who mentioned this job of doing live events and doing sounds for live events or doing lighting, doing video, and so it was through that connection in the studio that I got my job. And it was through a chance connection in Florida that I found the studio that does RRF.
Iz: Nice.
Alexa: And I think my process through it is to always, always ask questions.
Iz: Nice.
Alexa: It’s effective. And it’s easy to go in and like…yeah, sorry what?
Iz: No, no. Go ahead.
Cloie: Yeah, because your rise has been like, you’re like a media rise, yeah?
Alexa: Yeah, kind of.
Cloie: Don’t be modest, girl. Put it out there. People wanna hear.
Iz: You know what’s really cool, Alexa? A lot of times, we get people to ask us does it happen a certain way? Like is it about networking? Is it about your skill? Is it about, you know, all these other things? And I like to say it’s really about everything because you could only take advantage of these opportunities really at the end of the day if you know what you’re doing. Like you can meet whoever, you can get lucky, you can get plugged in, but at the end of the day, you have to be able to perform, right? You got to be able to get in there and do something that applies to your lane and your job. And, you know, when you come across guys like ASAP Rocky, that’s prime time.
Cloie: I mean…
Iz: You get in there and you got to be able to function. You got to be able to keep things moving and you got to be great at what it is you’re doing and to me that just comes with being a student, having a love for it, and really knowing it. You know, one of the things that’s interesting to me, too, is I know that, you know, this particular field is really male-dominant driven. Are there any challenges that you run into in that environment because you might be the only female or there’s not a whole lot of you that are doing what you’re doing? I mean what are some of the challenges that you face?
Alexa: Some of the challenges I’d say, since I am put in a position of leadership, I’m the crew chief for lighting for ASAP Rocky, sometimes every now and then there’s guys who don’t wanna listen to a girl and they kinda like to act like they know everything and it’s like, you know what? You may be really good at what you do but I’m the one who’s here, who knows exactly what we need to do for this show, so you need to listen to me.
And so I’ve had to take a position of like being very blunt with people and having to be like, “Nope, this is how it is and this is what you’re gonna do, and if you’re not, give me the next guy.”
Iz: Nice.
Cloie: Okay, wait, I’ll gonna follow up to that then. Have you found that when that happens, do you get that backlash that we as women can still often get? That, “Oh my gosh. She’s a bitch. She’s this,” when that’s not true at all. Does that ever happen or has that happened?
Alexa: Not really, for me. I think more so of like, “Oh, she is serious.” Sometimes you have to prove yourself a little bit more as a woman but like as soon as I do where I get to that point, they’re like, “Okay, she’s cool.” [inaudible 00:15:58] snap and realize.
Cloie: Let’s let this one change. Let’s [inaudible 00:16:02]. Well, what advice do you have for job seekers, Alexa?
Alexa: As a girl?
Cloie: Well, no. Well, yes and but also just as a human being and creature in this world.
Alexa: As a human, for job seekers, well, to touch though on the job you guys were just talking about, of doing Front of House live sound, what I would personally do if I didn’t know what they did or like the sound board that they’re using, something that you could do is go find out what they’re using. What board? What equipment? And then go learn about that equipment, like Iz, you were saying but you can go somewhere that actually has the board and sit down with it and be like, “Okay, these are what the buttons mean,” and get the feel for it and put that extra effort to learn what it is they’re trying to have you do.
Iz: Right and that’s dope because, you know, of the things we always talk about here, Alexa, is being a student of what you love, being a student of your craft, and what I found is when you work with people or even myself, you know, being a student in your craft means that you do the homework, you get as much information as you possibly can so that when you do get this opportunity you show up and you knock it out of the park.
And I think, you know, even looking at your story, Alexa, it’s like, you know, being in an environment and just so happen to meet somebody and somebody recognizes something about you and giving you a shot is…you know, you can’t really…that just doesn’t strategically happen, that’s just something that…
Cloie: No, it’s not a coincidence?
Iz: Yeah, right? It’s not a coincidence. I think in the process of perfecting what it is you do, you run into opportunities like that and then you find yourself doing lighting, being a decision maker, and working with other people. And that’s another thing I wanted to touch on is we talk about just the different dynamics of people, right? Like for instance, you said because you are a woman, sometimes people kinda wanna take it a step further as to chain of command or listening to you and just knowing the dynamics of people and how to deal with people, a woman in your position, I’m sure that’s tested all the time but I still think, you know, like you said, sometimes you gotta be firm with folks, you know? And then some folks, you gotta be cool with and you gotta be humble. You gotta still be able to listen.
And knowing when to switch those gear is just crucial. And I can tell just by what you’ve said like you know how to switch those gears like when it’s time to put the foot down, this is what it is, fellas. If not, send me the next guy. You know, and really, that’s just how it goes and, you know, when I look at just what you’ve been able to do with your journey right now, I can tell where you’re at mentally like. You’re a sharp one, you know what I’m saying? You’re a sharp one.
Cloie: For sure.
Iz: You definitely were mentored very well.
Cloie: I’m gonna jump for just one second. I’m gonna jump in.
Iz: Go ahead, Cloie, jump in.
Cloie: Because I want to talk about that we touched on and you’re like, “Oh, well, yeah.” Okay, modesty aside, yes, let’s all be humble and wonderful and now let’s celebrate you. Let’s talk about this crazy rise, like you have excelled in such a short amount of time. How did you do that? And how could somebody else do that?
Alexa: Well, I think a lot of the elements that you guys were just talking about is knowing how to switch those dynamics. When it’s time to put your foot down, do it. When it’s time to be completely humble and learn something new, do it. Look for those opportunities because going in, there’s so much to know in whatever field you’re going in. If you wanna do live sound, if you wanna do lights, if you wanna perform, anything, there’s always more to learn. You don’t know it all so you need to be able to be willing to learn it. And even me in a position of crew chief, I don’t know the name of half the lights that I’m working with, so I have to constantly be learning and like I have all the latest apps on my phone that has all the information about the lights and like you just have to be willing to put that extra step forward.
It’s kinda like in the school, like if you’re not gonna be proactive, you’re not gonna learn much. You can sit there and like do the stuff online, you can do that. But if you’re not trying to get better, you’re not gonna get better. But if you are trying, you are gonna get better. And that’s something like for me I’m constantly, constantly trying to get better, constantly trying to find new opportunities, constantly trying to network like even in the way I got this job was through a conversation I had in Vancouver with somebody like out of the blue. He was just like, “Who are you? What do you do?” And I’m like, “I do this. I’m moving to LA.” He’s like, “Well, I work with ASAP Rocky. We’re gonna give you a job. Will you come down here?” I was like, “All right. Sounds good.”
Iz: Nice.
Alexa: So it’s just like being willing to connect with people, being willing to learn, and wanting to learn.
Iz: Nice. That’s dope. One thing…
Cloie: I have one more question. A follow-up from that, real quick. Because we all have it as artists, we’re all like these feeling feeling beings and every so often, you know, like, especially when you’re just starting out, the seed of doubt can be real, right?
Alexa: Oh, yeah.
Cloie: So how do you conquer that committee when it tries to come in and sabotage your glory?
Alexa: That’s actually a very natural brain response when you’re growing, when you’re about to like break through a threshold and like do something beyond your comfort zone and become better, it’s so natural for that to come in. So I think one way that I’ve trained myself is when that happens, I recognize that, “Okay, this is me, about to do better than I’ve ever done.” And so be able to be like, “Okay, thanks for letting me know.” You change that signal from telling you to like give up to that signal being like “Okay, I’m going in the right direction.”
Cloie: Yes.
Iz: Nice.
Alexa: So it just resets the way you think about that response pattern.
Cloie: Try to fight, yeah.
Iz: Got it. Well, Alexa, thank you so much. I hope you’ll be able to sit with us through the show.
Cloie: Because we didn’t even talk about Finland. We didn’t talk about Finland. She just got back yesterday from Finland. She’s gonna tell us a curse word.
Iz: Yeah, that’s what I was gonna say. We wanna know some curse words from Finland but we’re gonna move off into our next grind op but I just wanna say, Alexa, that it was a pleasure having you and, you know, your story, your journey is very inspiring to us as well and to our viewers. I think it’s important for them to see somebody who is just like them, who is out there in the field, looking for opportunity, understands work ethic, and what’s required to sacrifice and really just being able to be a student of your craft and what you love. And I think you’re a prime example of that and we’re happy to have you on our show today and thank you for making the time.
Alexa: Thank you so much for having me.
Iz: Absolutely. Now, if you want, you can hang with us. You know, we’re happy to have you hanging and just kinda chill out.
Cloie: We’d love to have you.
Iz: You know, you might actually have some comments on this next grind op.
Alexa: All right. Okay.
Iz: So if you can, sit tight with us. So we’re gonna move off into grind op number two.
Cloie: Number two.
Iz: Cloie, I’m gonna let you take this one. Go for it.
Cloie: I’m gonna take that. [inaudible 00:23:08] grind op number two. It is for a radio assistant producer in Denver, Colorado. Shout out to Denver. It is an XM radio station seeking an assistant producer for weekly shows. The candidate will assist in developing topic outlines for invited guests, basic audio production, preferably ProTools, deadline oriented, comfortable with organizational tasks, and it’s an ideal opportunity for radio graduate or an audio person that’s comfortable with working in a fast paced environment under strict deadlines.
I’m just gonna stress the word “deadline” has been said twice now.
Iz: Already, huh?
Cloie: It’s been said twice and there’s so many detailed points here, right?
Iz: Yeah, exactly. I was just gonna say that. I think this grind op is definitely a great opportunity for our Recording Connection students as well. You know, I mean they are looking for, you know, a radio graduate, audio that is comfortable working in a fast paced environment. I know our students are around that every day through their mentorships. I mean were you through that kind of with your mentor, Alexa? Just being in the field and kinda just learning on a day-to-day and being in that environment?
Alexa: Yeah, like learning every day from my mentor? Absolutely.
Iz: See, there you go, guys.
Alexa: I was pretty…yeah.
Cloie: You were pretty what?
Alexa: I was pretty fortunate, like my mentor, I’m sure everyone in the program is awesome. Maybe I’m biased because he was my mentor, but I think he was super awesome on it. He could do things so quickly and it’s like if you don’t ask questions and like get in there and try to learn, it just flies by so quick. So there’s always opportunities to learn.
Iz: Well, I mean, I’m just gonna go ahead and brag. That’s how the Recording Connection does it. I mean I don’t any other…
Cloie: I mean…
Iz: I don’t know any other institution doing it like the Recording Connection straight up and I’ve been around all of them. So shout out to the Recording Connection again, because I think this is a great opportunity for our students…
Cloie: To bring goodness into the world.
Iz: Yeah.
Cloie: Oh, man.
Iz: One of the things, especially, in this grind op is very detailed. Like I said, you know, preferably ProTools, you know…
Cloie: Yes.
Iz: For those of you who are very comfortable with, you know, your digital performer or, you know, what is it? I mean able to [inaudible 00:25:40] now, reasons, they’re asking for ProTools, so you definitely wanna know…
Cloie: Branch out. Get out.
Iz: You wanna know ProTools in this particular grind op.
Cloie: And also, I wanna go back to the whole deadline thing very quick. Deadline. Deadline. Strict deadline. That is a person, yes, you are not just an organized person, the most organized person. The person that goes above and beyond to be organized not just for yourself but you also have a mind to other people’s schedules, especially, when you have to collaborate. Deadline is not something to be played with. It is not something to be taken lightly, right? It’s not like being late in LA where everybody is just like, “Oh, but five minutes is on time.” No, no. If deadline was at four, it’s 4:01, you’re late.
Iz: Right and that’s, you know…
Alexa: Can I just have a little some of that?
Iz: Go for it.
Cloie: Yes.
Alexa: In my industry that I work with the live events, if you’re not at least 15 minutes early and before everything needs to happen, you’re late. There’s a time, things need to be ready before that in case something goes wrong between that, you need to be ready and on top of it.
Cloie: Are you all listening? Are you listening to her?
Iz: And here’s another one. If you’re 20 minutes late in my world, you’re done. You’re out of here. And that’s just how it goes. You know, another thing to it, this ground op, Cloie, it’s very technical but yet it’s very creative. So, you know how we’ve been talking about like some of these ground ops require two sides of you, they require the very technical and structured part of you and then they also require the creative. Now, what a lot of people don’t realize is, and what I’ve come to experience is really only one of these components really exist in people because either you’re incredibly creative and talented but you’re not structured, you’re not prompt, you’re not on time. Or you’re super structured, probably, on time but you ain’t creative.
Cloie: Rigid as the day is long.
Iz: In this particular, you know, grind op with being radio assistant producer, you know, they’re asking produce weekly shows, developing topics, outlines for invited guests.
Cloie: So it sounds like they want your input for sure which is lovely.
Iz: They definitely want your input but you’re also dealing with guests. So, you know, you gotta be a people’s person. You gotta be, you know, you got to know how to get the conversation cracking. You gotta emote energy and just cool and just [inaudible 00:28:08]. Nine times out of ten, people either possess one or the other. So in this grind op, you wanna possess both. If you wanna be structured, on point, but you wanna be creative.
Cloie: It’s as if no one to let your hair down.
Iz: Right, right. So with that being said, I hope you took all those wonderful notes down. By the way, get your questions ready. We got three more grind ops to cover, so get your questions in now because when we hit this Q&A, we wanna be able to answer all your guys’ questions. We even want Alexa to take on some questions. So if you guys might have some questions for her.
Alexa: Please do.
Cloie: And, of course, you can find us on social media, izconnected.
Iz: Absolutely. There you go. Moving on to grind op number three. This is in the field of cinematography and editor, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’m gonna just say the whole state instead of saying FL, Florida. This is a web based marketing company looking to create promo videos for online marketing and web series. Candidate will have creative freedom in the development of the project. Strong communication skills and leadership experience preferred. That’s a huge one. Candidate must have a reel displaying promotional material.
Now, you’ll be surprised how many folks are actually cinematographers and editors and don’t have a sizzle reel.
Cloie: That doesn’t make any sense.
Iz: It doesn’t make any sense. So what you wanna do is make sure you have a reel for this opportunity. And like I said, a reel is something that you can show that is a dynamic piece about you and what it does is it eliminates you from having to talk about yourself.
Cloie: Thank you.
Iz: We always say you can show them better than you could tell them.
Cloie: It is your visual calling card is what it is.
Iz: It’s your visual calling card and, you know, I can look at someone’s sizzle reel and tell whether or not they’re dope or whack straight up. You know, from your cuts, to your edits, to your splice, to your angles, to everything like…those are the things you wanna highlight in your sizzle reel, so you definitely wanna have one for this grind op.
Cloie: And also, can I point out for this one that the fact that they say, “Candidate will have creative freedom in the development of the project.” That’s huge.
Iz: That’s super huge. That’s super huge.
Cloie: Freedom is one of the most terrifying things to folks in this world. That means that you gotta be your own boss and your own judge and jury, right?
Iz: Absolutely. Another thing, too, I wanna highlight strong communicational skills because a lot of folks struggle with how they communicate, especially in the working environment and leadership experience. You know, the thing, too, with leadership, leadership is only felt when you have confidence because you have to have the confidence to be a leader. You got to give people the impression that you really know what you’re talking about. And you have to, you know, when you’re in a leadership role, you’re dealing with various people and you gotta know how to really promote and encourage teamwork, team strategies, allow people to get their ideas out, and then you gotta know how to put it all together. You know, you got to know how to assemble in a leadership role. And that all comes…
Cloie: I wanna throw this to Alexa, too, because I mean, Alexa, you, how do you implement that? How do you lead from love as opposed to, you know? Tell me, how do you inspire people in a way that makes them want to follow and listen to you?
Alexa: I think a big starting place is to really know what you’re talking about.
Iz: Yes, yes.
Alexa: Figure out your responsibilities. Know what you need to be doing. Know [inaudible 00:31:39] doing and also I like to recognize people’s strengths instead of seeing like somebody can’t do this. It’s like, “Okay, they aren’t good at this. Where will they be good?” And like, just kinda figuring out who’s good at what at put them somewhere where it’s gonna help them thrive instead of somewhere like you know they can’t do math very well, why are you having them do math?
Iz: And you know… yeah, that leads itself to, like I said, knowing how to assemble the team. Being able to point out what people are great at in a way that it doesn’t make people uncomfortable as well because you can’t ever be like, “You know what? You’re great on burgers. Get off from fries.”
Cloie: “Please, your fries suck. All of them cold in the middle. Suck.”
Iz: You gotta know how to address people, too. So I think that’s key. In any leadership role, you got to really know how to deal with folks, you know how to talk to, and know how to read a room, and you’ll deal with sensitive people, you’ll deal with people who would take things personal and you just gotta know how to talk past that.
Go ahead, Cloie. You look like…You put the finger up on me. Go ahead. Go ahead. I know you got something.
Cloie: And also, a big part of being a leader is I think is the ability to offer constructive criticism but from an inspiring place and in the business world, they do that thing called the “sandwich compliment”, right, where you lead with the strength, you put what could be better in the middle like the meat or for vegetarian, perhaps the tofurky, and on the other side of it, you end it with a compliment, right? And that also, leading from a place of love. That’s it. That’s my mic.
Iz: You know, Cloie? Thank you, now we’re hungry. Now we’re hungry, Cloie.
Cloie: Hungry for success.
Iz: Also, too, guys, don’t forget you can email us, okay? Cloie, hit them off with that email address in case, you know, they wanna send stuff to us, resumes, reels, I mean whatever they got. I want them to know where they can send it to us.
Cloie: Demos. Guys, so you can send it to us at [email protected], that’s it.
Iz: There you go.
Cloie: connected@rr…
Iz: Oh, the robot’s coming out in her. All right. Moving off to grind op number four. This is in the field of audio engineering and this is in Austin, Texas. Again, you know, Cloie, we had a person a couple of shows ago who’s like, “Are you gonna have any job ops in Texas?” So I hope they’re tuning in today because…well, we got one.
Cloie: You know? All my ex is.
Iz: All right. Again, this is in audio engineering. Independent studio looking for an audio engineer for writing sessions for indie labels. Audio engineer will be responsible for recording, burning discs, upload audio for A&Rs;. There will be live engineering opportunities available as well. Live engineering experience is a plus but not required. I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s required because as an engineer, you should know both sides of the spectrum. Candidate must have at least one year of studio experience, ideal for externs.
And this is another grind op that I think is great for our Recording Connection students. I like to pride ourselves in putting people in a real time environment kinda like Alexa. Alexa was in a real time environment.
Cloie: Sure enough.
Iz: And, you know, got to see what it’s like in real time and get experience and just learn in the room. So that’s definitely something that could be great for our students. I mean, you know, I like to stress that, you know, they said live engineering wasn’t required but I think with any engineer, you wanna know both sides of the spectrum because that’s what you do, you’re an engineer.
Cloie: Sure, because how awful would it be for them to be like, “Hey, by the way, so we got to do this live today, or blah, blah, blah.” And you’re like, “Oh, but that’s not what it said…I don’t do that. That’s not what I do.”
Iz: Right, right. And you’ll be, you know… some of these details, like I mentioned, are recording, burning discs, and uploading audio for A&Rs;. So you’ll be dealing with, you know, label personnel like in A&R who puts a project together, who reaches out to the studios, the engineers, the producers. So you’ll be dealing with them. So you gotta know just that language and then how to deal with those folks. Also, too, you know, you’ll be writing sessions for indie labels so you’ll be working with folks that, you know, are putting rooms together, so you wanna be up to speed on various rooms in Texas, Austin, Texas. You wanna know what these studios are working with so you can get in there and fly. As simple as that.
Cloie: Can we…I have one question on this point, it makes me think. Alexa, so with recording, we just talked about real world, real time environment, all that sort of stuff. Did attending Recording Connection inside a real recording studio atmosphere, did that prepare you at all for the business and how it works, and how did that play a part?
Alexa: Definitely. I think a big part of like, as far as learning in the studio, learning about signal flow is incredibly important for like whether it’s live or whether it’s in the studio and so learning how all that works and how like all the cables, like communicate with each other, and all of that, yeah, absolutely. And the environment in general because, like you guys were saying, you meet a whole bunch of different kinds of people from all over the spectrum, so you gotta kinda learn how to meet them and be able to communicate in a way that they understand and that you can understand them because everybody, essentially, speaks a different language. We all speak differently and so you gotta learn how to be able to like understand people.
Iz: No doubt.
Alexa: And so in the studio, yeah. I just met, you know, people come in, they record hip-hop, there will be people in there, singing opera, there will be people in there doing indie stuff. It’s like different kinds of people, speak differently and are differently, so you just gotta know how to be able to vibe with everybody.
Iz: You gotta know how to navigate, you gotta know how to navigate. So, we’re gonna move off into our last grind op of the day. This is our last one, guys. This is in the field of post-production, editor in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia.
Cloie: Guys, it’s popping in Atlanta right now. I mean Recording Connection, Film Connection, you all pay attention because Atlanta is just like popping up with opportunities. Go ahead.
Iz: Here we go. They’re seeking an editor for a pilot show, NDA is required. Cloie, go ahead and break down an NDA again. We did last week. We wanna break it down again this week. Go for it.
Cloie: And maybe do it every week, lest we forget. An NDA is a non-disclosure agreement. It is something that you sign stating that you can’t talk about it or you could get sued, you probably will lose your job, and that also applies to social media. I’m gonna say it again. It also applies to social media.
Iz: Yep, so don’t get caught slipping. Don’t get caught chatting and talking.
Cloie: Facebook doesn’t need to know that bad.
Iz: Yeah, keep it private.
Alexa: And if you’re not sure, if you’re not sure, ask. Ask the people. Be like, “Is it okay for me to post a picture? Is it okay for me to post this status?” And maybe it is but if you don’t know, like you could be crossing the line you don’t wanna cross.
Iz: Yeah, so NDA does not mean “No Dogs Allowed”.
Cloie: No.
Iz: Those are the wrong words. So also, too, candidate will join an experienced team to edit and out together the show. So it will be working with team players, you’ll be dealing with a team. Candidate must be able to adapt to specific workflow and be able to work independently under strict deadlines. I like the word “workflow”.
Alexa, in your environment, what is workflow look like for you?
Alexa: Oh, my gosh. Workflow.
Cloie: I love that question, Iz.
Alexa: That depends on where I am. Workflow for me, Iz, can get extremely hectic because we’re working with very strict deadlines. You know, like we show up, we’ve got half an hour or how much for set change to get everything set up and ready and Rocky is standing right there, ready to go on and perform. So it’s like, if you’re not doing your job and you’re not there and done and ready by the time he’s ready, that is not okay. So workflow can be pretty intense at times and then once it’s set, once it’s good, you just chill and it’s all good.
It’s kinda like it fluctuates. Sometimes there will be so much to do all at once and so much to think about and then there’s nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the show. So workflow for me is constantly changing.
Iz: You know what, today I wanna do, Cloie, instead of jumping to our Q&A, I think, you know, we can hit Alexa with questions. I mean, you know, she’s a guest that, obviously, you know, we have folks looking at and watching and I’m sure they got questions that they wanna ask, but I think we can kind of focus on a couple of things. You know, we also talk about the sacrifice and the demand that some of these career paths come with. What has been some of those sacrifices for you, Alexa, as far as, you know, the commitment, the time, the days you might be gone on holidays, weekends?
Cloie: Sure.
Iz: I mean what are some of those things you’ve had to encounter as far as just the sacrifice and just the workload?
Alexa: Well, the first one that comes to mind is sleep. I have to sacrifice quite a lot of sleep. Like in Finland, I was there, they asked me to come two days before I had to fly out and so I had to get ready and I was working those two days, too, so I had to speed up and not sleep a whole lot. I fly out. I have to stay up all night with the lighting designer until seven in the morning, making sure that [inaudible 00:41:34]. And then I have to be back at 8:30 in the morning, do a couple of things, go back at 11:00, sleep for a few hours, come back. I didn’t sleep for two nights while I was in Finland.
Iz: See? I mean, you know, just what you said, Alexa, that’s so important for our viewers to understand because a lot of times, we’re not dealing with banker’s hours. We’re not…
Cloie: No.
Iz: It an’t eight to five…
Cloie: Eight hours is a luxury. Please.
Iz: Yeah, it’s a luxury. And, you know, I think for them to hear someone like you really speak on that and talk about it kinda let’s them know like, “Okay, man, when I apply for these opportunities, man, there’s a lot I have to factor in and keep in mind” because, you know, a lot of times, it ain’t gonna be your perfect scenario. It ain’t gonna be, you know, five days out of the week, weekends off.
Cloie: No.
Iz: It’s a lot of dedication that is required from you and sacrifice, you know, and just hearing you say that, you know, I mean going to sleep at 7:00 a.m., you know, it’s like, man, is that grave? Are those graveyard hours? No, that’s like a 14, 16 hour day.
Cloie: With the time change.
Alexa: Yeah. It’s like, someone’s like “I work 40 hours a week,” and I’m like, “Oh, I remember my first part time job.”
Iz: Exactly, exactly.
Cloie: Wait, wait. I wanna go back to what she said about the questions and like asking, asking questions, right? Of course, there are always people that are gonna take it to the extreme in terms of question. There has got to be, what would you say is the line between asking the right amount of question and then transitioning into pain in the ass-dom?
Alexa: You mean like when you’re asking the people you’re working with?
Cloie: Yeah, like if you don’t know something. Yes, ask questions up until what point? At what point is it just enough?
Alexa: I think that can also be different. It depends on who you’re working with because some people are like more than happy to answer any and every question you may have and usually they’ll make that very clear. They’ll be like, “Anything you have, you let me know.” And then if there’s anything that you can figure out on your own, if you can Google it, if you can like go figure it out, do it. If there’s not time and you need to ask, do it. I don’t think there’s a clear line in particular because everybody is different as far as like what they think is a pain in the ass. I think if it’s something that you can figure it out, do your work. Do your own homework. Figure it out.
Cloie: So lead first with being proactive, follow up with a question, if all else fails.
Alexa: Yeah, totally. Well, in my [inaudible 00:44:07], too, like when you’re coming in, you don’t know much about it, it’s actually better to ask too many questions than not enough because you’re dealing with things where like every single day, somebody’s life is basically in your hands. Like there, you’re holding these massive lights above a stage where if they fall on somebody, they’re heavy, someone could lose their life. So if you’re dealing with stuff in that, you need to make damn sure that you’re doing it right. So questions are really important in that instance. So, yeah. I don’t know where that line is but I say ask the questions. If someone gets annoyed, they’ll let you know. They’ll be like, “Okay, man, hold on.”
Cloie: Give me like five.
Iz: Alexa, I wanna ask you one last question before we sign out here. For someone who is looking and aspiring to do exactly what it is you do and, you know, lighting for, you know, a name such as a ASAP Rocky or anybody at that level, what are some of the challenges or what we might say, you know, road blocks that you’ve had to encounter and also work around?
Cloie: Sure, cool. Work around.
Alexa: Road blocks. Work around. Well, for me, like it’s been pretty like a meteor. I’ve been kinda like shot straight into it, so I haven’t had many but it’s also…like I almost had an opportunity to tour with Gwen Stefani and I had to like be okay with the fact that it filled up really quickly and I didn’t get. So that’s like being proactive and like working really hard but then knowing that you’re not gonna get every opportunity but still striving for it.
Cloie: Sure.
Iz: Nice.
Alexa: And so trying your best and doing everything you can because road blocks, they’re not stopping you, they’re just repositioning you.
Cloie: It’s like what you were saying earlier.
Alexa: [inaudible 00:46:05] get. Yeah, and like now I’m probably gonna go on tour with Dillon Francis here soon and that’s the nice thing about my company is they do all the major tours, like everyone. You name it, they do it pretty much. But it’s knowing that through that, you need to work your ass off to be given those opportunities because they’re not gonna send just anybody on a tour with Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift, her team knows what they’re doing. We have [inaudible 00:46:33] and not taking it personally.
Cloie: Yes, yes. We talk about that a lot like separating what it is like your own you know what versus somebody else’s and not letting feelings getting involved or get involved because it’s just business.
Alexa: Exactly. We’ll have moments where the crew we’re like at each others’ necks because of a huge deadline but then afterward, we just laugh it off. We’re like, “Whew, we did it. Great.” Don’t take it personally. You had to do what you had to do in that moment and if you don’t get a job, it’s not a personal thing, there is probably just somebody who knew more than you or could do. Or they saw it in somebody else. Doesn’t mean you don’t have it, don’t take it personally.
Iz: Yeah, and that’s the thing, too. You know, one of the things I like to say is, for all of us, you never stop learning whether if somebody has a better way or you have a better way. You never stop learning and I’ve been in those environments where the whole team, it’s hectic, people got frustrations. We’re all pushing for the same…
Cloie: Emotions are running high.
Iz: Yeah, we’re all pushing for the same thing and when you’re dealing with artists at the end of the day, it’s all about their presentation and you can never compromise the presentation with your own personal feelings about something and you just gotta get in there and execute and that’s what it’s about at the end of the day, you have to execute.
So with that, guys, I wanna thank you, again, Alexa, for joining us today and hanging out for the entire show. Thank you for joining us.
Cloie: She did.
Iz: 48 minutes of your time. Also, too, guys, another thing that’s super important, obviously, with these grind ops is where you apply for the job, all right? So you wanna make sure you apply for the jobs at www.rrfedu.com at Connected, all right? That’s the only place you can get these opportunities and gigs, all right? And, obviously, through our show that me and Cloie come and do for you every Monday.
Cloie: One hundred percent. Wait, Alexa, if we wanna find out more about you, where can we find you like on social media or anything like that?
Alexa: Social media. I’m most active on Instagram and I post a lot.
Iz: Do it for the ‘gram, do it for the ‘gram.
Alexa: Do it for the ‘gram. My name on Instagram is flowmotion_sound, FlowMotion’s account.
Iz: I like that. I like FlowMotion. That’s dope.
Cloie: [inaudible 00:48:52] cellphone right now.
Iz: Right on. Well, guys, shout out to our Connected team, Mike, Howie, Brian that strategically make this happen every Monday for us. We couldn’t do it without you, guys. Tune in with us next week as we are here every Monday. Don’t forget to catch us on our social media as well at IzConnected all across the platforms, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. And have a great week. Get out there and grind. Cloie, anything you want to send them off with before we close out?
Cloie: I think I did the math right. I hope I did. I think it’s 130 job ops, does that sound right, 130?
Iz: There you go. Yeah, we’re at 130 job ops. Let me know when you find out somebody that’s doing it like what we’re doing.
Cloie: I mean…I mean. It’s been a pleasure, guys.
Iz: Yeah, absolutely. On that note, man, thank you, guys, for tuning in. Alexa, keep up the great work, girl. We’re proud of you. Keep doing your thing and we’ll catch you here next week on Connected. Peace, Iz is out.
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