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Here are the job opportunities (or as we like to call them, Grind Opps) from this week's show.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #1
Position:
Videographer
Industry: Film
Location: Boston, MA
Description
Massachusetts production company needs Videographer immediately.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #2
Position:
Assistant Editor
Industry: Film
Location: Dallas, TX
Description
Web based multimedia company seeks Assistant editor.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #3
Position:
House Live Audio Engineer
Industry: Recording
Location: Hyannis, MA
Description
Live venue in Massachusetts seeks FOH engineer for concerts and events.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #4
Position:
Board Operator
Industry: Radio
Location: Atlanta, GA
Description
Top Atlanta radio station requires board operator.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #5
Position:
On Air Sports Talent
Industry: Radio
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Description
Create and deliver Sports and Entertainment segments for Pittsburgh Radio Station.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #6
Position:
Production Assistant
Industry: Radio
Location: Hartford, CT
Description
Connecticut station seeks Production Assistant to bring life behind the scenes.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #7
Position:
Production Coordinator
Industry: Film
Location: New York, NY
Description
This position will deal directly with all members of the Creative Services Department and provide support and production assistance to producers and Creative personnel.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #8
Position:
Live Sound Engineer for Church
Industry: Recording
Location: Durham, NC
Description
Christ Central Church in Durham is seeking an experienced Sound Engineer to run front of house sound on regular basis.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #9
Position:
Audio Assistant
Industry: Recording
Location: Queens, NY
Description
Cutting edge production company seeks Audio Assistant to aid their Television production team.
03/27/17
GRIND OPP #10
Position:
Prep Cook
Industry: Culinary
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Description
Santa Monica restaurant looking for a talented prep cook to join the team.
Transcript
DJ IZ: You know what I’m saying? You been there and, to me, that symbolizes a lot because it’s like very few…folks always like to say, “Oh, man. I love doing this. And I love doing that. And this is what I’m about.” But when you look at their track record, they kinda love it. You know what I’m saying? They sometimes love it. You know what I mean? And that’s…
Chloe: When it’s good to them.
DJ IZ: When it’s good to them. And that was the difference for me for anybody who’s looking to pursue these particular careers and, you know, you say you’re aspiring this, like, you know, I’m gonna look at all that. You know? As a dude to put somebody through, I’m gonna look at it, I’m gonna question, you know, their hunger and their appetite to really do this. You know what I’m saying? And you been on the go, you been on the grind, man, and, you know, I hope at some point after the show you can celebrate and send us some footage of you actually celebrating.
Chloe: Love it.
Katz: Maybe not after this show because I gotta go over to somebody else’s house, a producer’s house, and edit, but disclosure.
Can’t say. But, yeah, yeah.
Chloe: NDA.
Katz: NDA. Yeah, I signed that NDA and I was like, “Oh, I can’t brag about it?”
DJ IZ: Right.
Katz: So, but, yeah.
DJ IZ: And, you know, another thing too, so I think from all the way to the beginning of what Show One was, right? I was kinda like the introduction of Connected and at that time, Chloe, we were at five jobs.
Chloe: Wait. And today we are at 400. Check it social media. If you can’t count, look at the graphic.
DJ IZ: Yeah. And speaking of social media, that’s when we’re talking the lineage of the show, now I’ve been told we have a lot of viewers every Monday.
Chloe: Which is great. Thank you for tuning in.
DJ IZ: So what I wanna do, since we’re at the top of the show, I wanna challenge you all who are viewing us right now, I wanna challenge you guys to get on your social media and follow us at IZCONNECTED. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
Chloe: Whatever your preferred method.
DJ IZ: Because at the end of the show when Chloe goes to give you these details again, I’m gonna look and I’m gonna go, “Okay, we went from 200 to…”
Chloe: What are we at right this moment? What [inaudible 00:01:54]
DJ IZ: Log that in, Chloe.
Katz: Challenge.
DJ IZ: See where we are right now but, you know, because I’ve been told we got a lot of viewers with us every Monday and if you’re out there on your computer, you’re tuning in on the podcast or the Google Play, man, be proactive.
Katz: The gauntlet has been thrown.
Chloe: It has.
DJ IZ: It’s been thrown.
Chloe: Look. I think we should give him a courtesy 10 seconds right now.
DJ IZ: We can do that. Because I’m gonna tell you, my man Katz, he been following us since day one.
Chloe: Yeah.
Katz: Day one.
DJ IZ: Following us since day one.
Katz: Yeah, because honestly, 400 jobs, that’s awesome. I love things that starts…that ends in zero.
DJ IZ: We started at zero, bro.
Katz: Yeah. And I love anything that ends in zeros. It’s all right.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:02:28] remember that?
DJ IZ: Look at that amazing graphic. Look at that amazing…400 jobs. Man, who’s doing that.
Katz: Four hundred.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:02:33] yellow.
DJ IZ: Who’s doing that?
Chloe: Ten seconds. Ready, set, and go.
DJ IZ: Go. Chloe, what was our number? On social?
Chloe: I don’t do math.
DJ IZ: No, I’m just saying [inaudible 00:02:45].
Chloe: On Instagram, I got 270.
DJ IZ: Two seventy on Instagram.
Chloe: By the end of the show…
DJ IZ: So by the time we get to the end of the show, folks, don’t play us. Don’t play us. Come on, man. We’re handing out opportunities.
Katz: Yeah. And that’s what so great about CONNECTED. This is the reason why I started watching you guys from the beginning, only because this is silver platter. Like, I come from a world where if I’m looking for a job, I gotta go on craigslist or something like that.
DJ IZ: Man, I’m outta here. You take over. You tell them, man.
Katz: No. There’s a lot of sketchiness that’s going on out there and, you know, and pro bonos and, “Oh, we’ll pay you once it sells.” Yeah. “Once we get picked up, then we’ll pay you.”
Chloe: Distribution.
Katz: Distribution. And it doesn’t happen like that. Like, this show right here is basically silver platter. This is the stuff that you guys cannot get, like, on a craigslist. And that’s why I was on it from day one because…
DJ IZ: You were, man.
Chloe: We weren’t even on Mandy [SP]. You couldn’t get on Mandy. You can’t get it on…
Katz: I need work.
DJ IZ: Yeah. And it’s like, you know, this is something that I always remind folks, Katz, like this is stuff we do in real time. You know what I’m saying? We got a real team here. We got Howie, Leah, Mike, Brian, Jimmy. Like, this is a real team behind what we do, man. This ain’t like vaporware, man. This ain’t like we rolled outta bed and said, “All right. Let’s come together and do a show, I guess.”
Chloe: Right now over me.
DJ IZ: This is well calculated, guys. This is well calculated. So if you’re on your Google Play or your podcast or you’re on your computer and you’re logged in…
Chloe: Or watching the live stream.
DJ IZ: Come one.
Chloe: Check that you can…oh, because Q&A is coming up soon so make sure that you are…the chat button’s in the up right-hand corner.
DJ IZ: Yeah. And get your questions ready for Katz because some of you guys wanna have a better understanding or idea of what he actually did, what was his game plan, what was in his mind as far as the creativity, how did he wanna pitch his hunger? And, you know, those are key things you can extract from my man. And you know what? I’m gonna let you do this first Grind Opp. So, you know, we have this thing.
Katz: I’m honored.
DJ IZ: Right. So we have this thing before we get into the Grind Opp, Chloe, tell him.
Chloe: Guys, great. Awesome. You’re gonna get your pencils, you’re gonna get your pens, you’re gonna get your like a boss cup.
DJ IZ: Some of them ain’t bosses yet so gotta keep him humble. Go ahead.
Chloe: Then I’m gonna turn the logo around. You’re gonna get your regular cup.
Katz: Fake it til you make it.
Chloe: And you’re gonna take notes. Bring a great attitude. We’re here for Monday movements, some love, and some jobs. Let’s make a move. First Grind Opp please.
Katz: First Grind Opp, we’re looking for software video editor. [inaudible 00:05:16] you’re looking for an experienced assistant. This is for an assistant engineer for North Hollywood area studios. Must have knowledge of professional sports, experience with Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut, and will be blasting content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms.
DJ IZ: There you go. And again, that’s in Nashville, Tennessee.
Chloe: It sure is.
DJ IZ: You see how my man just got in there and knocked it out.
Chloe: He did.
Katz: [crosstalk 00:05:46] with a little bias into it too.
DJ IZ: No, man. I hear you, man. So let me ask you this, so, you know, I know Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere is something you use all the time.
Katz: I use all the time on the regular. So, I mean, I don’t wanna like promote anything right now.
DJ IZ: No. Man, this is real shit.
Katz: Okay, cool.
DJ IZ: We’re talking about real gear here.
Katz: Let me…hold on. Let me get my…
DJ IZ: All right. Yeah, put your knee up, man.
Katz: So basically, so this is it. When Final Cut Pro came out, it was Final Cut 7, right? Everybody was on it. That was industry standard.
DJ IZ: And I heard they changed the game, huh?
Katz: They changed the game to Final Cut X, which is 10, which is just like a iMovie. The industry hated it.
DJ IZ: I heard.
Katz: And everybody jumped ship to Premiere. So that’s why [inaudible 00:06:29] because Premiere wasn’t even up there. It was Avid and Final Cut. That was the main two. But since Final Cut went to 10, everybody jumped ship to Premiere. And so now Premiere and Avid is now the standard. So when they say Premiere and Final Cut, it’s, I mean, it’s good because Final Cut has a lot of graphics and everything that you can use that’s really quick, which is great. It’s good to know both platforms but you need to know your ISH [SP] in Premiere. That is industry standard, if you don’t have Avid.
DJ IZ: Right. So let me ask you this. Now, how important is it for a dude that does what you do to know just an array of different software programs? Do you ever come in…do you ever get some work that comes to you and you’re like, “Okay. I’m gotta use something different” or anything? How often does that happen?
Katz: Actually, it’s not that I get work. It’s when I send work out. So it’s, you know, being a freelancer, I do my work and then I send it out and if I send it in the wrong format, which is Final Cut, and they’re like, “What is this? We can’t use this.” Then it’s like, “Oh, I need to switch. I need to use Premiere.” And they say, “Send it in this format.” Unless, like if you’re sending sound out, it has to be OMF format or AF format. Final Cut can’t do that.
Chloe: Damn Final Cut.
Katz: And you need to know that. If they say, “Send it in this format,” then you need to know, like, okay. Final Cut can’t do that. Premiere can. I need to go on Premiere and do this. So it’s really good to know. First of all, it’s really good to know industry standard. If you don’t know Final Cut…
DJ IZ: There you go. Industry standard.
Katz: Industry standard, at least.
DJ IZ: Yeah. Because, you know, that’s a thing that a lot of our viewers just kinda wanna know what even industry standard means. You know what I’m saying? Like, you know, what are the guys of the guys using? And, you know, what do I need to be up to speed on? And just those things you said. I mean, it’s attention to detail a lot too.
Chloe: Mm-hmm. And I think there’s a fair amount of trial and error. Trial and error beforehand too.
DJ IZ: Right.
Chloe: Finding their way. Because you get that information…you need to know how to transfer or, you know, you’re trying to do that on the fly.
Katz: And you can’t do that when there’s money involved.
Chloe: When there’s a bunny involved?
Katz: When there’s money involved.
Chloe: When there’s…no, you can’t.
Katz: Do that on your own…
Chloe: Time.
Katz: …projects.
DJ IZ: Yeah. You can’t…and that’s another key thing, which is something I don’t think we’ve really talked about but the fact that learning on somebody’s dime is never a good thing.
Chloe: No.
DJ IZ: Never a good thing. You don’t wanna learn on nobody’s dime. If you wanna learn on a dime, man, it should be your time. And at the cost of nobody else because, you know, you only get one time, cats. Like you only got one time to put that video together for us, to look at and to critique.
Chloe: Guys.
DJ IZ: You only had one chance.
Chloe: I just need to say…
DJ IZ: One shot.
Chloe: In the words of the famous musical “Hamilton”, I’m not giving away my shot. I am just like my country. I’m young. This is [inaudible 00:09:16] I am not throwing away my shot. That’s the important thing here.
Katz: That’s the takeaway.
DJ IZ: I agree.
Chloe: That’s the takeaway. “Hamilton”. Go see it.
DJ IZ: “Hamilton”.
Chloe: Oh. But you can’t get tickets.
DJ IZ: Don’t give away your shot. Don’t give away your shot. And again, guys, that Grind Opp was in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re gonna move on to Grind Opp number two.
Chloe: Get your questions in.
DJ IZ: Get your questions in. Grind Opp number two of the day is in the Philadelphia…oh, production assistant. Standford, Connecticut. Top TV talk show needs experienced PA. Book and act as liaison with guests who will appear on the show, assist the production team in all stages of production. Please have at least six months of experience in a television or a film production company. Bam.
Chloe: I love it when they say right off of the bat you need to have this amount of experience, like time-wise.
DJ IZ: Right. Because sometimes we don’t get that.
Chloe: I’m good.
DJ IZ: Sometimes we don’t get details where they want you to have experience. And we’ve seen that happen…
Chloe: Lots of times.
DJ IZ: …a bunch of times on this show. How fun is it to be an assistant? How fun has that looked to you guys when you see assistants running around [inaudible 00:10:16]?
Katz: I’ve been assistance.
Chloe: He’s assistance here right now.
DJ IZ: Tell me that [inaudible 00:10:21], man.
Katz: Yeah. I’ve been…I’m still doing PA work. I’ve been doing PA work for a while. And once again, you can’t learn on their dime because they’ll tell me to go get something and I don’t know it, they [inaudible 00:10:33]. You get that look like, “Why did we even hire you?” And so, you know, you’re like, “Yeah, I’ll go ahead and get that. Yeah.” And what is that?
DJ IZ: You faking [inaudible 00:10:43].
Katz: Yeah. I’ll do that and say…because they want experience. They don’t want to do that because they probably have a tight knit team that’s on their own project and they’re probably so focused on their own thing, they can’t tell you what it is. You have to [inaudible 00:10:57].
DJ IZ: Let me ask you this because you’ve done it so much. How many times do you find yourself doing stuff that really shouldn’t be part of the job? Like groceries.
Chloe: The gopher stuff.
DJ IZ: Yeah.
Chloe: Be real talk now.
DJ IZ: [inaudible 00:11:13]
Katz: Hey, man, I’m gonna drop some names too.
Chloe: CONNECTED. [inaudible 00:11:17] famous.
Katz: So I was a PA for William Shatner. It was 455 Productions and he has a documentary on Netflix. And so I was doing PA work for that. I’m setting up lights and actually I was learning, setting up lights and cameras, [inaudible 00:11:34] camera. Setting up lights and whatever, and I get William Shatner’s assistant, “Hey, can you got to a Starbucks and this is our list.” And this is specific order. “They need to put this in first before they put this in.” And I’m in the middle of lights and they’re about to run. And so I have the director, like, “Finish with those lights.” And then I have William Shatner’s assistant, “Hey, man, go get the coffee.” So I’m like, “This ain’t even my job to go get the coffee.”
Chloe: So what did you do? What did you do?
Katz: Went and got the coffee. I mean, that’s the producer’s assistant. It’s like, “Sorry, I gotta go get this.”
Chloe: Keep the client happy.
Katz: Keep the client happy. That’s…I went and got that coffee though. And they did not even drink it.
Chloe: Of course not. Why would you do that?
Katz: Welcome to the industry.
DJ IZ: I’m realizing, like, we got great energy here, guys.
Chloe: We do.
DJ IZ: We definitely need to do this again. This is fun. You know, [inaudible 00:12:28]. And that’s a great thing. When you talk to a dude who’s, you know, climbing the ladder still because Katz is still climbing his ladder.
Chloe: Sure. And sometimes a rung will break.
Katz: Having [inaudible 00:12:36].
DJ IZ: You get to hear incredible stories like these. You know what I’m saying? There’s a lot of viewers that wanna hear from a cat like him, his perspective. You know what I’m saying? You know, my man’s willing to say names. You know.
Katz: [inaudible 00:12:50].
DJ IZ: That’s what it’s about.
Katz: I have no fear.
DJ IZ: No fear. So he went and got this highly detailistic coffee.
Katz: And then they didn’t even drink it.
Chloe: And you were mad as bleep.
Katz: Yeah, because I missed the setup.
DJ IZ: Oh, man.
Chloe: Wait. Before we do move into our next thing, we should probably shout out where we are because we didn’t even talk about it. Shout out to Abstract LA.
DJ IZ: Shout out to Abstract LA Studios.
Katz: It’s my first time here.
DJ IZ: Of course, we come to you live from LA. And, you know, just to kind of give you an inside on my man’s gear. You know what I’m saying? Because people in my world always wanna know does the studio got whack gear? Does it got road gear? Can we show the studio again and not me. Thank you. So what we have here is Abstract Studios. Shout out to my man Doug. This is his beautiful place that he allows us to shoot in every week. Just to name a couple things. His computer is up to date. Most people, you know, always kinda say, “I got Pro Tools,” but they got like Pro Tools version 2. He’s got the latest Pro Tools. He’s got Neve, Neve Dynamics Package. He’s got the 88R-Style EQs. Logic as well. Ableton. Manley Reference microphone, Flea microphones, U47, which is a great mic. AKG 414XLS. Yamaha Sub-kick. He’s got, I mean, he’s got it decked out. I mean, you know, reach out to my man Doug at Abstract Studios. If you ever wanna come and just create music and, you know, cut some vocals, what have you, it’s a great atmosphere. I love the art on the walls. You know, and it’s just a cool vibe. Look at my man dialing a move back there. I mean, just the vibe is right.
Katz: Jimi Hendrix [inaudible 00:14:30].
Chloe: Right.
DJ IZ: You know what I’m saying?
Chloe: Amy Winehouse.
DJ IZ: Jimi Hendrix. And I think too for creators, I mean, there are the kinda environments we love to create in. So shout out to my man.
Chloe: Good energy.
DJ IZ: Thank you for letting us hang in your house so often.
Chloe: And drink your coffee.
DJ IZ: Yeah. So, what do we have next, Chloe? Oh, we have the newsletter, which, by the way, I’m gonna introduce it because it’s featuring my lovely co-host, Miss Chloe. Let’s show it. Look at you. Look at that. Special feature, okay? So that is our newsletter and we are featuring, like I just said, the lovely co-host of CONNECTED, Miss Chloe.
Chloe: Thank you.
DJ IZ: Chloe, you have so much going on. What you got going on? You got an audition after the show.
Chloe: I do.
DJ IZ: Talk about it.
Chloe: Well, I can’t talk about it but…
DJ IZ: Well, I mean, come on. Give us a little something.
Chloe: I can say that it involves singing, which is always fun. And then I will start shooting very soon on a private called External Living, which I also can’t talk about. Lots of NDAs.
DJ IZ: Geez.
Chloe: I know, right? This world is so shh.
DJ IZ: It’s so secretive.
Chloe: Except for the stuff that’s already floating out there. But, yeah, no. It’s been a busy week. I closed two projects, a show at [inaudible 00:15:42] and then a show that I was in.
DJ IZ: Nice.
Chloe: Yeah.
DJ IZ: You’re doing it.
Chloe: I’m making it happen.
DJ IZ: And you’re doing it well.
Chloe: Doing it and doing it and doing it well. We’re doing it and doing it. Yeah, so that’s my Monday. That’s my Monday movement.
DJ IZ: That’s dope, Chloe.
Chloe: What about you?
DJ IZ: I’m here, honey.
Chloe: I know. That’s right.
DJ IZ: Today is the day and, you know, there’s a lot going on when we’re here.
Chloe: It is. Hello.
DJ IZ: That’s where my focus is. And with that being said, honey, we’re gonna move into Grind Opp number three.
Chloe: Hit it.
DJ IZ: [inaudible 00:16:16] This is afternoon on-air talent in San Francisco, California. Popular San Francisco alternative rock station is in need for talent for afternoon drive. Assist program director in creating content and operate studio equipment. Interview guests. Must submit air check if interested. Okay?
Chloe: Mm-kay?
DJ IZ: Now, I love the Bay so anything to me in the Bay that’s going on is fun. Look at Chloe here. Who you texting?
Chloe: I’m working. I’m on the [inaudible 00:16:48].
DJ IZ: I was just kidding. I’m just kidding. So, you know, one of the things with on-air jobs, whether you’re behind the mic, or having…I know a lot of people that have liked…would like to jump into radio as the actual…
Chloe: Talent.
DJ IZ: Yeah. On-air personality. And I always say, you know, in that road you gotta have a decent voice. You gotta have a personality. You gotta be outgoing. And I think those things lead into that eventually when you’re doing, when you’re assisting from a program director or radio director.
Katz: You learn how to not have dead air.
DJ IZ: Yeah. Learn how to not have dead air. And then also too, you know, because it’s alternative rock, you know, you gotta make sure you know your music. You gotta know that [inaudible 00:17:31] that demographic, what that language is, what the culture’s like. So you can get in there and, you know, keep people’s attention.
Chloe: And dominate, yes. Because, you know, you figure, like, you’ve got people in their cars in traffic and whatever the circumstances are, you’re trying to take their mind off of it, give them a little piece of happy or a little…you know. You are a transmitter of joy, basically.
DJ IZ: Yes, transmitter.
Chloe: If you will. And we do. So it’s a very specific person that can do, and not everybody can do it.
DJ IZ: Yeah, not everybody can do it. And what’s great too is that, you know, there are certain jobs we get where you definitely wanna have experience.
Chloe: Yeah.
DJ IZ: And some, you know, you just can get in there and just kinda be molded.
Chloe: Exactly.
DJ IZ: But this one, you definitely…and it’s something they point out. You know, you wanna send in at least some type of resume that reflects experience in this world. Okay? So, again, that’s in San Francisco, California. Before we move into Grind Opp number four, we have another success story.
Chloe: We sure do. Shout out to our recording connection grab that…look at that. That’s Ian Schebel from Vegas.
Katz: Like a boss.
Chloe: Viva Las Vegas. So he landed his own weekend radio show and a full-time job screening jobs and helping to produce for David and Mahoney Morning Show on CBS Radio. And the affiliate is X-107.5. He externd with the radio personality, Ransom Garcia. And to learn more about Ian, you can check out our weekly newsletter, which will come out a little bit later today. That’s gonna be at rrfedu.com/connected/weekly-report. You didn’t even need the graphic.
DJ IZ: Look it. Ooh whee.
Chloe: Did I get it right, though?
DJ IZ: You got it.
Katz: Double check that [inaudible 00:19:19].
DJ IZ: You know, [inaudible 00:19:19] I think that’s awesome to be able to just highlight, you know, our successors and students that are doing well. And it’s cool because we just got done talking about…
Chloe: About a radio job.
DJ IZ: And so to see him pop up in that be his career path, that’s great. And, you know, anyone can get out there and make thing happen. You just a little bit of direction and focus and, you know.
Chloe: And a whole lot of drive.
DJ IZ: And a whole lot of drive.
Chloe: Lot of hunger.
DJ IZ: Mmm, hunger.
Chloe: Well.
DJ IZ: So, Chloe, I’m gonna let you have this fourth Grind Opp of the day. We’re moving fast.
Chloe: We are.
DJ IZ: And with ambition.
Chloe: I love it.
DJ IZ: Chloe, take it down.
Chloe: Great.
DJ IZ: Lotta California jobs.
Chloe: Listen. Love it, right? We’re the Golden State?
Katz: Yeah.
Chloe: We are the Golden. Oh, great.
Katz: Eureka.
Chloe: For the gold. So this is for an audio engineer coming to you out of Oakland, California. Top Oakland studio in search of audio engineer. Must live in the Bay area. Job is set up and tear down equipment for recording sessions, record and mix audio tracks, knowledge of Pro Tools a must. Again, that’s coming to you out of Oakland, California.
DJ IZ: California.
Katz: And Pro Tools, industry standard.
DJ IZ: Industry standard. See, Katz, I love you, man. [crosstalk 00:20:35] Chime in on that.
Katz: No Logic.
DJ IZ: No Logic.
Katz: It’s all Pro in this.
DJ IZ: You know, and those are the thing I always talk about with engineers is, you know, because we get engineers that are great at one software platform and don’t know the other.
Chloe: It’s true.
DJ IZ: It’s so important to be, you know, to wear a lot of hats and be a master of all of them.
Chloe: Master of your craft.
DJ IZ: You know, because that’s how it is.
Katz: Know your craft.
DJ IZ: Know your craft. And I think for our engineers who are viewing, I mean, those details are…you guys already know that language already. But just something we wanted to stress was, you know, Pro Tools. Make sure that you can fly on that. You’d be surprised. I always laugh because engineers are at a point now where they play the keyboard like a real keyboard, like an instrument. You know what I’m saying? The shortcuts? And I’m sure…right? [inaudible 00:21:27] Quick at it. [inaudible 00:21:29] Like, they play it like an instrument now. That’s how you can tell who’s fast and who’s not because the dude who ain’t fast, he’s like, okay.
Chloe: Hunt and peck.
DJ IZ: Shift. And you’re looking at him as a creator like, “Dude you’re taking…I already lost the idea.”
Katz: Not on their dime.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:21:46]
DJ IZ:: You can do that at home.
Katz: Do that at home.
DJ IZ: And you know what’s great is you can actually go to YouTube and, like, learn all these things really quick.
Chloe: Guys, YouTube.
DJ IZ: YouTube is like the modern day…
Chloe: Everything.
DJ IZ: Everything.
Katz: Yeah, right?
Chloe: Encyclopedia Britannica.
DJ IZ: Encyclopedia.
Chloe: With moving pictures.
Katz: YouTube got me a lot of jobs.
DJ IZ: And dudes who are really doing it, like, for instance, great time to bring this up.
Chloe: Hit it.
DJ IZ: One of my mixers at the crib, my favorite, was like loose. And I was like, [inaudible 00:22:14]. Yeah. How am I gonna get to this? Where are the screws? So I was like, hold on. I’ll go to YouTube. And dude has like the exact description, like, how to tighten your fader on such and such product. So I go and I’m like I’m watching him and I’m doing it right then and there.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:22:31] you fixed it.
DJ IZ: I fixed it.
Katz: Yeah. Now you can charge people to fix theirs.
DJ IZ: Now I’m repairer. You know what I’m saying? I can repair now. That’s where the world has shifted.
Chloe: Here’s my one thing I will say about the Google and the YouTube videos. This is my one complaint, if I may be allowed to gripe.
DJ IZ: Go ahead.
Chloe: For a moment. I love an instructional video because I’m a hands on. I need to…or a visual learner. But sometimes, you know, you have to, like, read it. I don’t need the clever band right at the top. I don’t need your delightful intro. I don’t need to get the voice. I actually just need step one, do this, step two.
DJ IZ: Thank you.
Chloe: I don’t need a lead-in. I don’t need a preamble.
DJ IZ: Right?
Chloe: Let’s just get to it.
DJ IZ: I don’t need a story.
Chloe: I don’t need a story.
DJ IZ: I don’t need what your cat did. I need, you know, I gotta, like, fast forward three minutes in.
Chloe: To get to…
DJ IZ: Yeah, to get to the meat.
Chloe: Pass the anecdote, as in pass it away. I don’t need it. I just need to know. I’m in action mode now and now I’ve lost it because I’m an Aquarius and I lose focus.
DJ IZ: Well, a lot of them aren’t professionals. They just happen to be able to do it and be able to take the time to say, “Okay, this is how we’re doing it, guys.”
Katz: Respect to them.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:23:38]
Katz: Respect to those that actually will take the time to do that for us. But I mean, come on.
Chloe: I know. And that’s probably more of a testament to us and, like, our short attention spans but I feel like if I’m in the moment where I’m taking it upon itself to look something up on how to fix it on YouTube, I’m already at like a seven.
Katz: You’re already there.
DJ IZ: You’re already [inaudible 00:23:59].
Chloe: It’s just…
Katz: Already there.
Chloe: Need it to happen.
Katz: And being creative people, once we start getting our creative flow, our juices, we don’t want nothing to interrupt us.
Chloe: No.
Katz: And since I watch the show a lot, I know what it is when you are in this thing and people walk in and out of the door. Yeah, [inaudible 00:24:15] our flow. And I’m like, if you’re ever in the studio, I would never walk in that door. I tell you what I’m not gonna do.
Chloe: I don’t care if there’s a fire. I don’t care if somebody’s melting, if there’s acid being thrown, I just won’t do it.
Katz: Yeah. You cannot distract an artist.
Chloe: The genius, no.
Katz: The artist in their flow. And then watching those videos, it’s like, man, I mean, you just ruined it for me. I don’t even want to do it now.
Chloe: Because, see, and the other thing is…I’m sorry, we digressed. The other thing is like now watching and listening to your story now, I’ve thought about something else. So now instead of staying in my creative track, I now need to go and Google something else. And it’s like if you give a mouse a cookie. It’s just that’s what happens.
Katz: One more.
Chloe: Sorry. Now you know me.
Katz: Yeah, so sorry.
Chloe: Where were we going?
DJ IZ: [inaudible 00:24:54] reel you guys in. Here we go. I gotcha.
Chloe: It’s a fun day.
DJ IZ: So, another thing that I’m glad you’re here for is because we’ve had our CONNECTED app for a couple months now. And, you know, we got a chance to kinda briefly talk about your experience with it prior to the show. You know, I always…we like to stress, you know, to our viewers to get involved with this app, to use it more often. And, you know, I kinda just wanna hear what you like about it. I know you mentioned the fact that it knows slang, like dope. But what are some of the things you’ve been able to do with the app? [crosstalk 00:25:29]
Katz: My experience with it is it will…it asks me what my rates are and what do I have more experience with, and it’ll keep that in mind. So I guess if whatever they’re looking for meets the criterias that I have, it will message me and let me know we have this and this for you. I haven’t got anything yet maybe because my thing is so specific. But from my experience of being on the app and talking to it, it talks back, which is great. You know, it uses language that we use today.
Chloe: Vernacular, modern day vernacular.
Katz: Yeah, modern day vernacular. They don’t use, you know, \$10 words. I don’t need a thesaurus to find out, like, what they talking about. It’s great.
DJ IZ: So the app is like, “Hey, homie. Dog, check this out. There’s another film do next to you down the street, homie.”
Katz: No, but…and I love the quick response. You [inaudible 00:26:33] it sends you back and it asks questions and, yeah, it’s snappy. I like that. I like it.
DJ IZ: And that’s great to hear just from a user end, you know, perspective because I think it’s important for other creators to really take part in this app because it’s really a great hub and platform for youth, like yourself, to put your work out there, you know, as far as what you do and your price and your fee and get work going for yourself.
Katz: And just so it’s such a blessing that they come to me.
Chloe: Yes.
Katz: Like, I’m not…I don’t have to constantly…I mean, I don’t miss. They throw it out there for us, which is great.
DJ IZ: So, guys, get proactive with this IZCONNECTED app, all right, because it’s…
Chloe: I just came up with a song.
DJ IZ: You got a song?
Chloe: If you’re hustling and you know it, use the app. If you’re hustling and you know it, use the app. If you’re hustling and you know it, then your bank will surely show it, if you’re hustling and you know it, use the app.
DJ IZ: Uh. Chloe, I love you.
Chloe: I love you too, Iz.
DJ IZ: We’re a match made in heaven.
Chloe: Right?
DJ IZ: Grind Opp number five of the day, folks.
Chloe: Wait, but before we go there, though.
DJ IZ: What?
Chloe: Talk about your video.
DJ IZ: My video?
Chloe: The School of Hard Knocks.
Katz: Oh.
DJ IZ: Oh, I didn’t know it was…
Katz: Another lesson.
Chloe: It’s all about lessons. It’s all about…just kidding. You were right. I was wrong. You know what…
Katz: The School of Hard Knocks.
Chloe: Later. Iz was right. I was wrong.
Katz: The School of Hard Knocks. Listen.
Chloe: I’ve embarrassed myself.
DJ IZ: All right. It’s okay. You know, you’re at CONNECTED. We’re just having a good time.
Chloe: Always.
DJ IZ: On that note, Chloe, don’t ever do that.
Chloe: I won’t.
DJ IZ: You know what I’m saying?
Chloe: I messed up the [inaudible 00:28:12].
Katz: Welcome to live.
DJ IZ: Grind Opp number five of the day is in the field of production coordinator, Hollywood, California. Here we go. Hollywood production company seeks production coordinator for fast-paced studio. Coordinate with producer to ensure all tasks are covered. Meet with editors to get them any elements they may need, graphics, VO, VF effects, etc. Coordinate with music department to pool or help with any requests. Anything you see unique in this, Katz?
Katz: Yeah.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:28:50]
Katz: Oh, because, once again, the PA work I did at the Oscars one year and the person that is the coordinator and I just looked at the clipboard of everything that she has to make sure is on time. Because she went to the PA group and was like, “Okay. We need this, this, and this. Let me know if you need anything.” And then she left and went to the sound guys and was like, “Okay. Make sure that you guys got everything and we need to make sure that time happens at this time.” And troubleshoot. If something can’t happen, she has to rearrange scheduling and timing and talking to so many different people on their levels and everything. I was like, I can’t do it.
Chloe: That’s a lot.
DJ IZ: It’s intense.
Katz: It’s intense. Being a coordinator is intense.
DJ IZ: Yeah, especially in those environments where everything is governed by time. Right? Minutes, on-air minutes. Like, it’s serious.
Chloe: Because then you get into, like, penalties or commercial breaks and all like that don’t go [inaudible 00:29:48].
DJ IZ: Especially companies that have paid for their commercial time.
Chloe: Paid air time.
Katz: Oh, man.
Chloe: Listen.
Katz: Yeah. So you gotta be well organized and pay attention to detail and then troubleshoot on the fly.
Chloe: Absolutely. Well, I mean, shout out to this year’s Oscars. We were talking about it last week with our contest and the reveal and all. And just I can’t even imagine the production coordinator for this year’s Oscars snafu among, you know, other things.
Katz: Yeah, I saw that. I saw that and I know the team. So I was looking at the credits to see exactly who was in charge of that. I’m like, “Mmm. Oops.” I’m like, yeah.
DJ IZ: I heard they got fired.
Chloe: I’m sure they did.
DJ IZ: I heard they got fired.
Katz: Yes.
Chloe: They might be watching CONNECTED right now. Shout out to them.
Katz: Trying to get more work.
Chloe: [inaudible 00:30:42]
Katz: Trying to get new work. Yeah. That was a very big mishap. But they cleaned it up.
Chloe: They did.
Katz: Yeah, they did. But still. But the coordinator.
Chloe: And La La Land was gracious in losing in that moment.
Katz: Were they?
DJ IZ: There was a couple folks that weren’t.
Chloe: They had also won a bunch of other awards. They were…well.
DJ IZ: Dude was like, “I know we lost but thanks to…” That was pretty ill. Wow.
Katz: That was, “Hey, we up here.”
DJ IZ: I’m gonna say these thank yous anyway.
Chloe: Because I started. Anyway.
DJ IZ: Anyway, well, guys, that is Grind Opp number five of the day. Now, don’t get into you. We’ve got five additional, which we’ll tell you a little bit more about.
Chloe: In a minute.
DJ IZ: Chloe, Imma let you do what you…
Chloe: What I was gonna do.
DJ IZ: What you were gonna do. Go ahead.
Chloe: When I jumped the gun before. Okay. So this week in our installation of School of Hard Knocks, we were talking about why mentors are such great teachers because bottom line is if you wanna be rich, you don’t hang around poor people. And they say if you wanna learn job skills, don’t hang around classmates. Hang around the people with the knowledge. And this is what Iz is talking about this week so I feel like can we roll tape? Yeah?
Video: One of the reasons why we get such great support from our mentors is that they’ve been through this process to some degree too, you know. Wanting to do something they love, wanting to be around folks that they can learn from, wanting to be in the studio, wanting to be on a film set, wanting to be in a radio broadcasting room. You know, we’ve all been there and we’re not doing things so basic and institutionally driven. It’s really about the experience and I think that’s why we get the support we do from our mentors. And they know truly at the end of the day this is the one process that really works because you’re able to weed out the certain things that won’t necessarily fall off the tree, you know. Somebody that’s serious, somebody that’s not serious. But this truly is the engaging process that they’ve been through, that I’ve been through. And I think, you know, when you get an opportunity to be a part of something that’s disruptive and nontraditional, it’s exciting. I know, I think that’s where the excitement and the inspiration and the support comes from.
Chloe: That’s good stuff.
DJ IZ: Yeah. I mean, I always like I love our little School of Hard Knocks.
Chloe: It’s real.
DJ IZ: It’s always good stuff. And again, shout out to Doug here at Abstract Studios because we shot that in the beautiful control room, which was…it was probably one of the longest interviews I’ve ever done.
Chloe: Was it?
DJ IZ: But it was cool. It was fun.
Katz: How long was the interview?
DJ IZ: Man, I don’t know. It was long.
Chloe: There’s also been several. There’s been more than one.
DJ IZ: Yeah, but it’s good because, like, when it’s stripped down like that, you just get questions that you just get to really…man, I don’t care who I offend. Imma answer then honestly.
Chloe: He’s real talk.
DJ IZ: Real talk.
Katz: Gotta love that editor though.
DJ IZ: Yeah.
Katz: Three hours of Iz.
DJ IZ: Right? Shout out to Lonnie too because Lonnie was one of the cats that hooked those vidoes up. Also, too, we have our additional five Grind Opps. Chloe, [inaudible 00:34:03] tell them about real quick.
Chloe: We do. Right. So we got Grind Opp six, we got radio talent or an on-air sports talent. That’s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We’ve got a job in film as a production coordinator in New York, New York. Start spreading that news. For also in recording we’ve got live sound engineer for church in Durham, North Carolina. In recording, we’ve got a production assistant in Queens, New York. And in culinary, we’ve got a prep cook in Santa Monica. Another Cali job, yes. And you can find all of those on our website at rrfedu.com/connected/latest.
DJ IZ: Bam.
Chloe: That’s 10 jobs.
DJ IZ: There you have it.
Chloe: So that was 400.
DJ IZ: That’s 400. We’re at 400. So next week, we’re gonna be at 410.
Chloe: We will. And then it’ll be easier to count.
DJ IZ: Yeah. We’re moving fast. So, being that we got my man, Katz, in the house today, we also have some questions that people are shooting at us right now. [inaudible 00:34:54] right here, man.
Katz: Oh, wow.
DJ IZ: Chloe, which one are you…which one you wanna hit first?
Chloe: I got Jamar from Watkinsville, Georgia. He wants to know, “How much self-teaching do you do before applying to Film Connection? Any big learning experiences for people down here who wanna get started but have zero dough?”
Katz: Well, I started since, well, college, high college. So, about 16, 17 years.
DJ IZ: Say that again.
Katz: Sixteen, 17 years.
Chloe: Cross your heart.
Katz: Yeah. And I’m here. It’s a struggle. A lot of self-taught. The thing is, like, doing your own projects, you do learn, you know, what to do and what not to do when no one’s watching. And now that you move up to this, to a certain level and there’s something that you don’t know, it’s all learning curve. Like, example, I never had a sound mixer for my short films because I used to do everything myself. And so when I actually had a sound mixer, I send the sound stuff to him and he’s like, “Dude, I can’t read this.” He’s like, “You’re not formatting it properly. Nothing you’re doing is what we’re used to. It’s not industry standard.” He’s like, “You need to Google it. Like, you need to YouTube how to actually send out professional things.” And that was a hard struggle because he looked at me like I wasn’t a professional. And so but luckily, I Googled it. But luckily, like, all the experience that I had filming on my own dime brought me to at least that point where it’s a minor fix here and there that they can do. But years, man. Like, years. And books, tutorials. That’s what it takes.
DJ IZ: And that’s great, man, because that’s like, you know, I say it in a different way. I usually say, “Be a student of your craft.” And everything you just described is being a student in your craft. That’s what a student does. You know what I mean? You do your due diligence and you make it happen.
Katz: And the best thing is I love this quote no matter how cliche is it. If you love what you’re doing, you don’t have to work a day in your life.
Chloe: That’s true.
Katz: Those 17 years did go by fast because I absolutely loved it. I loved the editing and the learning and the creative process and the directing of it. You love it, you would do it anyway. Like, you would go home and do it and then you’ll learn that way because it’s fun.
DJ IZ: No, that’s true. I always say even for me, like, if nobody ever wrote me a check to do music, I’d play it anyway because I love it that much. You know what I’m saying? Like, I’ll let the house go before I let my instrument go. You know, like, straight up.
Katz: Real talk.
Chloe: Real talk.
Katz: Be homeless with a [inaudible 00:37:38].
Chloe: Wait. So there’s a follow-up then. The perfect segue is Paul…I’m sorry, Lucas from St. Paul, Minnesota, wants to know, says, “Hi, Katz. Are you gonna make a movie? And if so, what’s it about?”
Katz: I’m in the process of making two. I wrote two scripts. One of them is a vampire superhero, almost like a Blade with a Christiany sort of feel to it. And the other one is a murder mystery in a cabin. One cabin. Somebody died and people are trying to figure out who killed the person.
Chloe: Like Clue?
Katz: It’s kind of like Clue but the people, like you, like the audience knows who’s the killers are, like, right off the bat and now you’re like, “Are they gonna get away with it? Are they not gonna get away with it? Do they know that they’re the killers?” Like…
Chloe: So it’s like Clue mixed with “Hateful Eight” kind of.
Katz: And I was…yeah.
Chloe: I love it.
Katz: And I was really inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, which the movie’s called “Rope”, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope”. And it’s like that.
DJ IZ: That’s dope, man.
Katz: Really good. Yeah, a film student. I love history of film. I study it. But, yeah, those are my two. And I start shooting hopefully this year. Like, I just got the script.
DJ IZ: Is there a slot for a beautiful black girl?
Chloe: Oh. Iz, I’ve gotta give you 10%.
DJ IZ: Because, you know, they die first.
Chloe: We do.
Katz: Wow.
DJ IZ: I’m just kidding. [inaudible 00:39:03] I’m a huge scary movie dude. I love scary movies.
Katz: True.
DJ IZ: But we die first.
Chloe: It’s true.
Katz: Except Taye Diggs. He survived in one.
DJ IZ: [inaudible 00:39:12] two of us in them.
Chloe: Well, you would [inaudible 00:39:14].
DJ IZ: Well, I’m usually like the dude who’s like in the restaurant cooking when you guys come in. Nothing ever happens to me. I’m like really [inaudible 00:39:25].
Katz: But, yeah, I got two coming out hopefully in a couple years. But right now actually I’m doing a web series. It’s called “Hot Asian Girl”. I’m dropping a trailer at the end of March. I’m dropping a trailer. So look for that. And a web series. So it’s gonna be good.
DJ IZ: That’s dope, man. Man.
Chloe: Making stuff happen.
DJ IZ: Please keep connected into what everything what you’re doing because if we can highlight some of your work…
Katz: Definitely.
DJ IZ: …we love to do that.
Katz: Oh, most def, most def.
DJ IZ: We got another question, actually for me from Johnny from Franklin, Tennessee. “Hey, Iz. Do you have any recommendations on good studio monitors for under \$500?”
Chloe: That’s a good practical question.
DJ IZ: Yeah. It is. You know, for me, it’s hard with studio monitors because it’s so hard to find a pair that not only sound good but won’t blow. You know what I’m saying? Like, Chloe. So, you know, I really don’t know because I’ve had my monitors for so long because I’m, like, married to them. I mean, JVL has a couple. Any studio you go to, you always gonna see NS-10 speakers, Yamaha NS-10s. Those are a little pricey. But, you know, I would say go to, like, Guitar Center or Sam Ash. go to a place where you can just kinda A and B a bunch of monitors and find what you like and what you think will handle your sound the best because it’s different with everybody. Studio monitors is tricky. But that’s my best advice to you.
Katz: How about the one with the yellow? I’m a film guy.
Chloe: Go by color. [inaudible 00:40:54] color and composition. I respect.
DJ IZ: Greg from Sacramento, California. “So I’m gonna be DJing for the opening act for Too Short in Marino, Nevada, next month. If my goal is to be DJ my own EDM music, is it smart to be DJing in the hip hop field also?” You know, there’s two ways to skin that cat. I mean, if you want the work, it makes all the sense in the world. However, you have to be up to speed on those genres. I know most EDM guys don’t spin hip hop. So if they get in a hip hop environment, they’re lost. So I would say if you choose to do that gig, just make sure you’re familiar with the culture and you’re up to date as far as what records are hot right now to keep please, you know, moving in that type of room.
Chloe: And read the room.
DJ IZ: Because most, you know, for me, just what I’ve been able to experience from the last couple of years since technology has shifted to DJ culture, I don’t really look at EDM DJs as DJs. You know. I look at EDM DJs as cats who have a playlist and they play records.
Chloe: Interesting.
DJ IZ: That’s how…just based off of the skill set and the cloth that DJing originally came from, there’s actual craftsmanship. You know, I can have a song list on my iPhone and get an auxiliary cable and just play songs. Ending? Okay. I’m gonna play the next one. I mean, that’s where technology has taken the culture.
Katz: Is there art in that? Or are you losing the art?
DJ IZ: I think there’s a bit of art in it from a sense of being able to look at a crowd and knowing how to play the right music.
Chloe: That’s [inaudible 00:42:38] was talking about.
DJ IZ: Right? There’s an art in that. From a technical aspect, from a craftsmanship, from something you have to practice and become great at, you know, it’s not hard to be an EDM DJ. Now, to actually match tempos manually and have your delays and the craftiness, the craftsmanship that goes into playing an a capella and then finding a dope instrumental, syncing them up in real-time, that takes skill.
Katz: That’s sound mixing.
DJ IZ: That takes a lot of skill. You know, so the culture’s changed a bit. Technology has been beneficial but also has been a detriment [inaudible 00:43:20]. You know, I always like to tell people, you know, whatever it is you choose to jump in, if it’s EDM or hip hop, just be great at it. Be dope at it.
Chloe: Dominate.
DJ IZ: You know what I’m saying?
Chloe: Well, so then love it.
DJ IZ: It’s a lot…yeah. And the thing, you know, EDM DJs were starting to take kind of a backlash because a lot of them were faking. Like you see a lot of DJs behind doing this and they’re touching knobs and you don’t hear nothing change. As a DJ, when they touch a knob…
Chloe: Something happens.
DJ IZ: …something happens. You know, there’s a lot of EDM DJs, like they would…I’d be at the shows with them and they tell the camera crew, no cameras on his hands. No cameras on his hands.
Katz: Makes sense.
DJ IZ:: Yeah. It’s like…yeah. So, you know, you don’t wanna be faking the funk because when it comes down to it and you really gotta stretch, you gotta be able to go. So faking the funk.
Katz: Love it.
Chloe: I feel like I’ve seen Oz behind the curtain a little bit.
DJ IZ: Absolutely.
Chloe: Hearing that story.
DJ IZ: Absolutely.
Chloe: I do.
Katz: Just put a Pandora, like you’re [inaudible 00:44:18] the crowd.
DJ IZ: Next question.
Chloe: We have a question from Shawn Miller, location unknown. “I’m very ambitious. How do I best channel it?” Well, Shawn Miller. We need a little bit more information.
DJ IZ: Yeah, we need a little bit more, son.
Katz: Yeah, ambitious about what?
Chloe: That’s great.
Katz: But you channel it by staying focused on the thing that you’re ambitious about. It’s about music, stay focused on learning the instruments and learning everything. Michael Jackson, who I love, and I watched the “This Is It” documentary and I noticed that when he’s there, he’s hearing everything. He can pinpoint you’re off. And no one else could hear it. It’s because he stayed focused and he knows every single instrument.
DJ IZ: He doesn’t miss a beat.
Katz: Doesn’t miss a beat. Prince knows how to play every single instrument. So if you’re passionate about music, learn music. You can everything else that goes along with that but that’s how you channel it. You channel it on the one thing that you’re focused on.
DJ IZ: Words from the man himself.
Katz: Motivation.
DJ IZ: We got a question from Isaac Williams came in via e-mail, location unknown. Okay. “I’m 16 but I already have a home studio I’m building. I need help and direction.” Building a home studio is…there’s so many different levels of it. There’s like, okay, I gotta a bedroom. Let me put some egg crate on the wall, we put some speakers in, I got a studio. Or there’s the slip side of that, which is, you know, let me make these walls with a four-inch gap in between, create air space, float the floor. So there’s two extremes. So I would say because you’re 16, I’m guessing you’re probably just converting a room, putting some foam up, and I would suggest, I mean, easy information that you should grab, go to YouTube.
Katz: Get rid of your bed.
Chloe: You don’t need it. You can sleep when you’re dead.
Katz: Exactly. Get rid of your bed.
DJ IZ: So this is another question that can go your way, Katz. Matthew from Wichita, Kansas. “If I want to direct film, should I start out learning how to produce and then try to get hired as a producer? Or would I get locked into being on the production side after that?
Katz: No. Wait. To make it short, no. You wanna learn to be a director, right? Correct?
DJ IZ: “If I want to direct films, should I start out learning how to produce?
Katz: No. That is the wrong thing to do because that is too completely different worlds. A lot of producers don’t know squat about directing. The best way to learn how to direct is to edit. Start editing because the editor is the one that actually tells the story. The director has his vision on how it goes but as an editor, you can switch it to be a horror, a comedy, a drama. You set the tone. And being an editor, you recognize tone and you recognize shots and angles, and you recognize what to do, what not to do, what you like, what you don’t like. So when you actually in the director’s chair, you could be like, “Well, my editor may do this, this, and this so I need to angle it to make sure that I tell my story so the editor knows exactly what I want.” So, editing. That’s the best route to take when you wanna be a director.
Chloe: Dig it. We have Key Belle from Greensboro, North Carolina. Says, “I want to be a chef. Keep hearing you guys affiliated with a culinary school. Is that Le Cordon Bleu? Please tell me where to go and find out more. Thanks.” Not Le Cordon Bleu.
DJ IZ: No. It’s CASA Schools, which we can have…let’s actually give him the link. Shoot him the link so we have our folks get in touch with him, so kind of, you know, guide him on the…there you go. Bam. CASA Schools.
Katz: And then once you go, bring some samples here.
Chloe: This is all I’m saying. I feel like it needs to be [inaudible 00:48:09] active experience between our mouths and CASA Schools testing things. I’ll be a guinea pig at that table.
Katz: Yeah. Bring it here. Like, we’ll make sure it’s up to snuff.
DJ IZ: I have a personal question for Katz.
Chloe: Hit it.
Katz: Sir?
DJ IZ: This is coming in from Iz from…
Katz: From Iz, from where? Where’s from…from the unknown.
Chloe: Location unknown.
Katz: My bad.
DJ IZ: I’m a Cali boy. That’s all you need to know. Help me understand what a day looks like for you? How do you manage your day to get the most out of it?
Katz: Well, honestly, I don’t know if everybody else can relate to this but I’m doing about three or four projects at the same time. So in the mornings, I wake up 8, 9-ish, turn the computer on. That’s the first thing I do. Before I even brush my teeth, the computer is on. I like to hear the “dong”. Like everything’s up and running. Then I go fix myself up, do what I gotta do, come back and I organize if it’s a quick cut, a quick edit, like the “Hot Asian Girl”, quick edit, quick fix things here and there with lighting and whatever. And then there’s the documentary I’m doing. That’s long. So I make sure I get the quick things out of the way, which should take a few hours, and then I get right into the longer, bigger projects, which sometimes I’m 10, 11 hours. I forget to eat a lot of times.
DJ IZ: That happens to me a lot too, bro. That’s when the creativity’s going, [inaudible 00:49:35].
Katz: Yeah.
Chloe: You’re fed. You’re full. You have all the sustenance you need.
DJ IZ: So now let me ask you this because this is a huge part of it too. Do you have any responsibilities? Do you have any kids? Do you have anything that…I’m just saying. There’s a lot of people who want to get to it, but by the time they’re done at their regular job, there’s the kids, then it’s like, okay, let me apply some time to it. Be that this is what you do, right?
Katz: This is what I do.
DJ IZ: What are some of the…no, I’m not gonna as you what your responsibilities are. [inaudible 00:50:05] But how do you manage that?
Chloe: Like a life.
DJ IZ: Your life, yeah.
Katz: How I manage my life with it? It’s irritating. I mean, that’s just, to be honest with you because I lucked out because when I went to college, I couldn’t afford to stay in college so I had to move back in with my parents. Sad, I know.
DJ IZ: No, that’s part of the journey.
Chloe: It is what it is.
Katz: And I have responsibilities at the house. And so, you know, I’m editing, my dad comes in. “Hey.” He needs blah blah blah. And it’s like, okay. So I save everything and then I leave, hurry up, do whatever I gotta do, and when I’m tired and I’m coming back, it’s art. It’s being creative. Puts me right back in there. So, for people, because I know my friends have kids. I don’t. My friends have kids and they have…
Chloe: Kids happen sometimes.
Katz: …a job and regular life and they wait until the kids are asleep. They work in the middle of the night. And it was like once the juices is going. But honestly, if nothing is coming out, if I’m not feeling creative, I take a break. I take a break. I zone out. Depending on what time it is, I’ll go get a beer or two.
DJ IZ: My man.
Katz: Just to put me…
DJ IZ: Gotta live a little, right?
Katz: Yeah. I mean, just to put me in that, like, okay. I probably be creative now. If not, I go to sleep.
Chloe: Yeah. Because nothing, look, nothing will rejuvenate you like sleep sometimes.
Katz: I sleep, yeah.
Chloe: When you’ve had that block or that whatever. You know what I’m saying?
Katz: Yeah. The creative block. Yeah, creative block.
Chloe: I’m staying in bed.
Katz: Yeah, man. Sometimes I just go in the refrigerator and open it up for no reason.
Chloe: Of course.
Katz: [inaudible 00:51:40]
Chloe: Then you close it.
Katz: Then you close it.
Chloe: And then you open it back up again, think something [inaudible 00:51:43].
Katz: Magically will appear. And when I get creative block, that’s, you know, [inaudible 00:51:49] that’s my every day. You sleep for two hours, you wake up, do it all over again.
DJ IZ: Yeah. Sounds like my day too.
Chloe: We got a question from Michelle from Salt Lake City, Utah. “Why do some artists add the smallest things into their tracks like stuff you wouldn’t hear unless you really, really pay attention? I’m thinking of a Stone Roses song and a Radiohead song. The Stone Roses song has an offbeat rattle or something but you really have to listen to hear it.”
DJ IZ: You know, I think for me, because I’ve been asked that question too, you know, it’s just kinda how we paint and some of the colors we choose to use. I think everyone has an ear that they…something that they hear that they favor, you know, whether it’s putting those ambient things or whatever. And it’s really just…yeah, it’s just really that’s how we tap into, like, the atmospheric stuff outside of the traditional instrumentation.
Chloe: So like texture.
DJ IZ: Yeah, texture. Exactly. Perfect word.
Katz: And now someone who loves music, you know, you put in Michael Jackson’s album “Invincible” and you listen to it, like, with some good earphones and you listen. It’s like, “What’s that? Is that Brandy’s voice just going, ‘ah’? Like, that’s Brandy.” Like you won’t pay attention to that but when you hear it, it’s like a surprise. Like, “Oh, my God. That’s something I never heard before.”
Chloe: I love it. I love it. Question for you, Iz. Ross from Cedar Grove, New Jersey. “What’s the best way to record two singers with really different voices? They’re singing in unison. This is a project for my church. Trying to learn Pro Tools. On eight-track before that. Thanks, man. Great show.”
DJ IZ: Cool, man. Thank you. Thank you. Glad you love it, bro. Let me see. You know, it’s a good question. Sometimes you have two singers that have completely different tones so there’s ways you can try to put them both in their own isolated booth to get whatever it is you’re looking to get out of these two voices singing together. And, you know, another way you can go about it, you can put them on the same mic and if one is overpowering, you put that one, and you stand that one a little further back. The one with the softer voice is usually right up on the mic. So it really depends what you’re going for, you know, in that environment. But like I said, if you have somebody who’s got a lot more, you know, strength on their vocals, then you place them further back or you put them in their own isolated booth with a mic. And you can try switching up the mics to get the sound you’re looking for. But those are usually the most common two ways you go about trying to get that perfect blend of two different voices. You either gotta separate them or put them on different mics.
Chloe: Like a vocal cat fight.
DJ IZ: Yeah.
Chloe: We have Howard from…this is our last question. Howard from Topeka, Kansas. “I just inherited an old analog console from my uncle. I’ve always been interested in recording. Play guitar, bass drums. Got an API 1608 with 32 channels. Where do I start? Do you have classes for this?”
DJ IZ: Wow. To hear a dude say he’s got an API 1608, that’s like an amazing vintage sounding board. Like, that thing sounds great.
Katz: Gold.
DJ IZ: So the fact that you just kinda have this, I mean, is pretty cool. You know, with those kinda things, it’s very tricky, man, because the dudes who come from that school and work on those things, they’re like tucked away in these little like pockets within Philly and California. It’s like those kinda dudes. So I’m not sure how much information you would be able to find on YouTube for that particular gear and its usage and application. But, you know, he says, “Do we have classes for this?” We might. We might. I think we… because we have a lot of mentors who have serious lineage in the game so, yes, we do. We do have somebody that you can work with. So is there a link we can put on the screen for somebody that we can kinda just, you know, at least help start the conversation, maybe a mentor or somebody who’s familiar with this particular gear?
Chloe: And also maybe to shout that question out specifically to CONNECTED at rrfedu.com, which is where people…where you send your stuff to us. But that could also be a way to help direct that. Because there’s somebody.
DJ IZ: Man, I wish you…I actually…Howard, I wish you were in California because I’d be hunting you down right now like, “Dude, let’s work. I need to get on that console.”
Chloe: I love it.
DJ IZ: So there you go, bro. That link right there, reach out to us and we’ll definitely get somebody who can assist and help you with what you’re doing. Mario from Highland Park, California. “Everyone keeps saying recording studios are dinosaurs. Thoughts?” Yes, they are. “Also, what’s the best way to decide between being a producer and being an audio engineer?” Also there are different kinds of audio engineers, right? You know, being a producer and an engineer are completely two separate roles.
Chloe: That’s what we were just saying to for [inaudible 00:56:58].
DJ IZ: Engineering, you know, I mean, I can see how they can somewhat be from a creative aspect, meaning the engineer can creatively put his input into a record. A producer can then do the same. But two different applications. The reason why I say studios are becoming dinosaurs is because everybody’s studio now is in their laptop. So with the laptop, you know, set your mic up, get a little something like this, this little baffle, and do what you do.
Chloe: I love that, though.
DJ IZ: Whereas, you know, studios are very costly. Still to this day. I mean, you know, to find a good studio that you’re not getting buzzes through the [inaudible 00:57:39] to get a real studio, I mean, it’s \$600, \$700 a day for a 12-hour blackout.
Chloe: Even that’s conservative, I feel. That’s a conservative estimate.
DJ IZ: That’s a conservative feel but, you know, when you think about it, you get into a studio, you got a huge console, right? And it’s only being used for a volume knob now. People ain’t…
Chloe: It’s the most expensive volume knob.
DJ IZ: No, because people ain’t even really going through the console anymore. They’re going through their laptop and on Pro Tools.
Katz: The laptop on top of the console.
DJ IZ: Yeah, exactly. So, you know, it kills me because I’ve worked at some of these, like, real renowned studios out there but it’s like why are you…you’ve got to change your experience. Why are you still charging that when you know cats can literally roll out of bed and move their bed to the side, move a couch, and [inaudible 00:58:25].
Katz: Like I have.
DJ IZ: You know what I’m saying?
Katz: I do roll out of bed.
DJ IZ: You know, just even for the studio industry to start really thinking about it because, for one, people don’t have that kind of money anymore. That money ain’t flowing around for people to say, “Guys, we saved up. Let’s go record our album.” It’s like, “No, man. We’re gonna record in my garage. I got the computer. We’re good.”
Chloe: Absolutely. Especially because…and also I imagine it also has to do with how music is being consumed nowadays, that that’s a big game changer for the distribution of the funds anyway.
DJ IZ: Yeah, absolute.
Katz: And be good because everybody can do that. Everybody will do that.
DJ IZ: Yeah. So just to finish out his question, he said, “What’s the best way to decide between being a producer and being an audio engineer?” I would say first and foremost figure out what you love the most. If you love being a producer, apply all your attention to that. If you love being an engineer, apply your attention to that. Don’t serve two masters because it just doesn’t work like that. And, you know, that’s the best advice I can give you. Figure out which one you love and go for it.
Katz: Do the other one as a hobby.
DJ IZ: Exactly.
Katz: Because someone [inaudible 00:59:31].
DJ IZ: Focus on it.
Chloe: I know that’s right.
DJ IZ: Well, man, that is our questions for the day.
Katz: What?
DJ IZ: Katz, thank you for hanging out with us, man. Let’s take a [inaudible 00:59:39].
Chloe: I’ll take a picture. [inaudible 00:59:40] so cute. Oh, boys. Yay.
DJ IZ: Shout out to Patrice. I just wanna let you know [inaudible 00:59:46] took care of your brother.
Katz: [inaudible 00:59:50]
DJ IZ: So we wanna do a follow-up with him.
Chloe: We do. We wanna know.
DJ IZ: Because we wanna know how your goal and your strategy for applying your 10-K.
Katz: Okay, okay.
DJ IZ: We don’t wanna see you in Vegas. We don’t wanna see you [inaudible 01:00:00] in Miami like 10-K, you know.
Katz: Oh, man.
DJ IZ: I think it’s important for our viewers to kinda just, you know…
Chloe: Be able to track.
DJ IZ: …understand your road map.
Katz: Okay. Yes. [inaudible 01:00:12] have a film budget. No.
DJ IZ: Obviously, you’re gonna get in there and start learning right away.
Katz: Definitely.
DJ IZ: [inaudible 01:00:18] with a mentor.
Katz: So, if you go on Facebook, I have a Facebook page separate dedicated to my journey. I’m gonna either do a live video or I’m gonna do an actual edit video when I have the time to do it. So it’s not necessarily like my day-to-day journal. It’s gonna be a more of what I learned today. This is what I learned and this is what not to do.
Chloe: What I learnt.
Katz: What I learnt. And, yeah, hop on Facebook. It’s on there.
DJ IZ: Okay. Sounds good.
Chloe: And if people…to find more about you, where can we find you on social media?
Katz: Social media outlets, it’s KatzCarter, K-A-T-Z Carter, one word, at and that’s everywhere. That’s Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, MySpace, Friendster.
DJ IZ: Tinder? No, just kidding. I was just kidding.
Katz: Actually, no. That’s a different name.
DJ IZ: That’s [inaudible 01:01:13].
Katz: That’s Dark Chocolate.
Chloe: [inaudible 01:01:18].
Katz: That’s Black Coffee.
DJ IZ: We had so much with you. We’re here with Katz here today. Thank you for coming, man. We love having you.
Katz: Thanks for having me. Man, I love it. I love it.
DJ IZ: Absolutely. Now, Chloe, our verdict is in. You remember what we did at the top of the show.
Chloe: We did.
DJ IZ: Go ahead.
Chloe: Y’all don’t follow directions.
DJ IZ: They don’t follow directions.
Chloe: Now granted, I’m only looking on one outlet but I’m not seeing that anything has changed on the Instagram. And I’m a little disappointed.
DJ IZ: Viewers, listen, viewers. I challenge you guys because we need you to step up to the plate now. Viewers who are watching…
Katz: Who are viewing.
DJ IZ: …get on social media and start following us.
Chloe: Because you’re already on your phone.
DJ IZ: Okay? So you can start experiencing the full spectrum of what CONNECTED is, all right? Just don’t limit yourself to just a Monday. Open this week up so you can see our daily movement and what we’re doing. You can send us messages, however, DM, whatever.
Chloe: Don’t be lazy.
DJ IZ: Come on. Get proactive. It is CONNECTED across the board.
Chloe: Don’t be lazy.
DJ IZ: Okay? and start using the CONNECTED app. You know, my man gave a perfect scenario of how he uses it.
Chloe: Testimonial.
DJ IZ: And testimonial. So Chloe, with that being said, I wanna let you hit them with the graphics.
Chloe: Got it. Hit them with it. Thank you. Social media at ISCONNECTED. E-mail, [email protected]. This is where you wanna send in your samples, your demos, where you can direct communication with us. To sign up, check out rrfedu.com/connected. For our messenger app, that’s our Facebook app we were just talking about, again, rrfedu.com/connected/app. Second slide, please? To apply for the jobs you can visit rrfedu.com/connected/latest. that’s where you’re gonna find our five additional Grind Opps that we didn’t talk about on the show. For our resources, be sure to check out our Vault, rrfedu.com/connected/vault. And, of course, there is our newsletter which is rrfedu.com/weekly-report. The end.
DJ IZ: Bam.
Katz: Mic drop.
DJ IZ: And on that note, shout out to the CONNECTED team, Mike, Howie, Leah, Brian.
Chloe: Jimmy.
DJ IZ: Michael, Jimmy, Jay. We don’t do this alone, although we like to think we do but. No.
Katz: It looks so easy.
DJ IZ: It takes a team. And shout out to, again, my man, Katz, who’s sitting left side of me because he’s been here since show one.
Katz: Show one just trying to find a job.
DJ IZ: You can see where he’s gone.
Katz: Trying to find work.
DJ IZ: Trying to find work. You don’t have an excuse, all right? So let’s keep it moving. We look forward to seeing you next week and we’ll be coming to you live from [inaudible 01:03:55] next week. Peace.
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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