Lft to Rt: Ashley Battle with Jerome Benton, Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam, of "The Original 7ven", IPR Director of Career Services Norbert Kreuzer, Christian Groves

Though I didn’t know Ashley as a student, I’ve had the pleasure of watching her work at BMA Network filming an interview with renowned producers Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, along with their fellow band mate Jerome Benton (all currently of The Original 7ven – formerly known as The Time). Not too shabby for a media arts professional who’s only recently received her degree.

Ashley understands the importance of networking, never saying no to an opportunity, and being relentless in the pursuit of her craft. Though her name may not be on your radar yet, I suspect it will be soon. Along with IPR, I am proud to present you with Ashley’s story.

BIO

Ashley grew up just outside Chicago. The youngest of three siblings, Ashley’s passion for music and technology was obvious from a very young age. Whether making music, building a “machine” for an unknown purpose, or declaring herself a “mad scientist”, as a child, Ashley was always combining “elements” in creative ways. “My family called me a little “MacGyver” because I could fix anything or make anything. For Christmas I always wanted instruments or techie things, I was never into the girly stuff.”

In high school Ashley took band, radio, and television electives. By age 17 music making was a top priority and she began using Fruity Loops DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software to create her own tracks. By graduation she’d decided on a Bachelor’s degree with a traditional college; her goal was to study music education.

Admittedly, traditional college was an odd fit for Ashley; though she was musically creative, the academic side of music wasn’t a top priority for her. “I couldn’t read music, I was the kid in band who memorized all my music. I played snare drum so it was pretty easy to memorize my parts.” As Ashley realized a degree in music education wasn’t for her, she decided to leave her program and pursue her true love.

Back home, Ashley began building and piecing together a studio in her basement. For Christmas or birthdays she asked for Guitar Center gift cards to spend on gear. “I told my family I didn’t care if the cards were only five dollars, it didn’t matter. Within two years I’d gathered approximately five thousand dollars’ worth of equipment.”

From MPC’s to Pro Tools to all types of MIDI keyboards, alongside a pretty decent mic., Ashley taught herself how to use the equipment. She’d record local artists from around the city to make a few dollars, but always knew she wanted to study recording and production at a professional level.

After researching several schools, in 2009 Ashley discovered IPR. Before this point she’d struggled to find the right educational fit or an internship that might teach her what she needed, but nothing seemed to offer what she was looking for. “When I went to IPR I felt at home and everything went so smoothly. Yes, it was a challenge – definitely not a walk in the park - but I knew I had found where I needed to be.”

Ashley’s hidden passion for film also took root at IPR. She found video post-production offered as an IPR capstone, and studied the art of audio for film and television as well. “Now I’m seeking a second degree in film, and I’m currently working at BMA Networks. I still love music production, but I can use both my film making and audio skills together to one day make something great. Post production and film are in the same family and people always tell me that it’s a good thing I’m doing both.”

Ashley’s combined skill set makes her a valuable media powerhouse, and IPR is proud to have played a role in helping her learn the skills for success.

What would IPR students and instructors say they remember most about you?

Honestly I was very quiet and kept a low profile, but I always had people complementing me on my hard work. I remember I had an internship at a local studio in town my 2nd quarter. I remember Kevin Bowe telling me that with my kind of determination I will go far. I kept looking for work outside of school; it didn’t matter if my skillset was fully developed. What mattered was landing the gig – no matter if I knew what I was doing or not.

Were there any big projects you undertook in your production or engineering capstone that laid the ground work for some of the things you’re doing now?

All of my engineering and post production classes taught me something. Some things I use all the time like file management or rules about levels and the way things sound. I will say I’ve learned a lot and sometimes I run into things that I didn’t understand during school that make sense to me on the job now. Then I say to myself “oh I remember this from class”.

Ashley Battle @ BMA Network working hard

Out of all your instructors who would you say worked most closely with you and had a special interest in your success?

Honestly I don’t know who I would say. I know taking the intro to video class with Amanda Kirchner opened my eyes to another world . She was very helpful and always told students she knew were interested when opportunities became available to work on projects. One of those projects is where I met Pete Rhodes which is who I work for now at BMA.

How do you feel your IPR education prepared you for the industry?

The biggest thing for me was most of the instructors were honest about “the business” and that it isn’t easy. IPR students work on projects together and separately, and all the instructors are working in the industry outside the school; it’s a great networking opportunity, but it also pushes you to work hard and learn your craft well. Sometimes you could even do something that might get you recognized by all your peers in the school. But once you hit the real world, you are competing with so many other people. I feel that most instructors were honest about the industry and tried to prepare us by giving us an honest look at what to expect.

What do you think it means to be successful in this industry? What advice would you offer to students who are either just getting ready to graduate or who are wondering how to find their place in this industry?

Being successful to me is doing what you love every day, being happy doing it, and making a living – Not being famous! My goal is to be recognized one day for my work and making a good living off what I do.

Ashley Battle on the WCCO set.

Since ours is often considered a male dominated industry, do you feel that being a woman in the industry offers you unique challenges that your male counterparts don’t face? Explain.

Oh Yes! Either people doubt me or they like the fact that I am a female. I feel some people are more comfortable working with males, especially other males. I don’t let it bother me anymore, I actually like it because I stand out; I am a woman of color so I create diversity.

What types of engineering work have you done since graduation?

I’ve worked mostly for TV, not much with music. I am actually looking to get back into the studio and do more audio engineering work.

Do you have experience with audio and video editing?

As of right now 90 percent of my work is video work and that includes editing videos.

How important do you think attitude is when it comes to success in the media arts?

Very important! With any job you should have a positive attitude. Your attitude reflects other people and your work. If you have a bad attitude people will see that, and working in the business of media or entertainment there’s no room for bad attitudes because you will be known as a tough person to work with. And, because of this, if you are just starting out you will find it hard to find people to work with.

What one trait/ability/skill do you feel has helped you more than any other to be successful in this industry so far?

Keeping an open mind with a willingness to work hard sometimes for very little compensation. I do a lot of free work to prove myself, and it pays off in other ways. I’m also willing to work on any type of project, no matter how silly it might seem. For example, I’d say yes if someone asked me to film their kid’s birthday party or record their four year old singing the alphabet. At this point I feel like this is where I am breaking into the industry. I am never too good for the smallest jobs. There are some things I won’t do for moral reasons or time, but I feel like I can learn from every experience until I get to a point where I am calling the shots or making enough money to not have to worry about finding work.

Lft to Rt: Ashley Battle with Jerome Benton, Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam, of "The Original 7ven", IPR Director of Career Services Norbert Kreuzer, and IPR Campus Communications, Christian Groves

Today at WCCO, BMA Networks IPR graduate Ashley Battle gave Norbert and I a chance to meet Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Jerome Benton of “The Original 7ven”while she filmed the BMA interview. Prior to this, WCCO’s Angela Davis invterviewed Jam, Lewis, and Benton for a live WCCO broadcast.

We’re super excited about what Ashley has been doing since graduation. Special thanks to BMA Director Pete Rhodes, and Operations Manager Kimberly Bedell Rhodes for inviting Norbert Kreuzer and myself to be a part of watching Ashley at work. Check back soon for more on Ashley in a graduate success story.

For me, there was never a question if Zack was a good match for IPR. Finding success in the media industries is something that can take an insane work ethic: one which I credited to Zack before his Minneapolis arrival. It was a long road getting Zack’s admissions paperwork completed because he was always working, and connecting with him by phone was a tough thing. He and a friend were running a painting business in 2009 as Zack was saving and preparing for college. This was just one of the reasons he didn’t start IPR until almost a year after we’d first met. As his Admissions Representative it made me want him here even more. I knew he was going places, and I was happy to take a tiny ounce of credit for his IPR connection.

Even before Zack was a student at IPR, I knew there was something special about him. When I told him to look for every opportunity, and to be thinking about jobs from day one, he listened. He didn’t blow me off with attitude, but seemed grateful that I was “coaching” him. It came as no surprise to me that those who made the biggest impact on him here, his instructors, offered him the same consistent message.

During a short visit this week Zack dropped by a class where he too passed on a message. As he recounted the experience, he had a huge grin on his face and said, “Scooter told me my first day of class, if I was ever offered work I didn’t know how to do, to never say no. And I have never forgotten that”. He went on to explain that he has used that philosophy persistently now that he’s working in the industry. He’s discovered that his credo matches that of those who taught him; to his credit, he’s learned his lessons well.

Zack is now a graduate and an industry professional that I’m honored to write about. It’s been a joy getting to know him and watching him map out his place in the industry. I hope you enjoy his story.

Zack Perl

BIO

Zack Perl, born in New York and raised in New Jersey, always found ways to be involved with the industry. While in high school he co-developed a local entertainment company (Mirror Image Entertainment) handling event coordination and promotion. Throughout his time in New Jersey, Zack has contributed to several startup entertainment companies, as well as his own, while utilizing his creative abilities with local businesses.  Shortly after high school Zack attended the Institute of Production & Recording where he studied music production, graphic design and photography. After returning to New York, he moved to Los Angeles, to help develop 4HM Talent Management, the managing division of 4Horsemen Films. His responsibilities include roles of Artist Representative and Head Graphic Designer at 4 Horsemen Films, the umbrella company to 4HM Talent. Zack currently represents 16 actors, 2 models and 1 musician while overseeing all visual branding and marketing aspects of both the production and management divisions of 4 Horsemen Films.

What would IPR students and instructors say they remember most about you?

Students knew I always was involved and engaged with class but couldn’t help but crack jokes. Once the class clown always the class clown, but I could back it all up with my work. You could ask any student in any of my labs from production to post, I always went all out with every project. As for my instructors, I don’t think there was a teacher that didn’t know my name after my first day in their class.

Hard at work in Studio 4

Were there any big projects you undertook in your production or engineering capstone that laid the groundwork for some of the things you’re doing now?

My production capstone was definitely my best experience here at IPR. Well worth the wait. Not because of any particular project but because of the overall message the class gave us, as well as the content and the way we were given the freedom to complete projects. I learned that there are no boundaries, ceilings, skies or walls. You can take this industry as far as you want to.

Out of all your instructors who would you say worked most closely with you and had a special interest in your success?

That’s a hard one. I definitely learned a lot from Andrew Lucas and Nick Bochek although I would say overall Kevin Bowe was my greatest mentor. The guy was on a whole other level and showed me exactly how to get there. Kevin made it clear from day one what it takes to become successful, how to do it and most of all that it’s possible to love what you do. He is definitely someone who cares about your personal success and was one of the few people who told me to pursue LA. And it paid off.

How do you feel your IPR education prepared you for the industry?

IPR encourages and provides a wide range of classes to take. Photography, Graphic Design etc… Not just music based classes. A lot of students resist these classes thinking it’s a waste because it’s not what they came to do, but when you graduate you’d be surprised at how much it will benefit any position you land in the music industry. I took advantage of that and it made me well rounded. Gave me the ability to be a threat in the industry and above all put me ahead of the game. IPR gave me a bag of tricks that no one else had. I was called to interview for a graphic design position at suburban noise records, one of the top indie labels in LA, and during my interview I sold them on my experience in not only video editing but music production. I ended up passing on it for another job though.

Peace and Turntables.

What types of things did you have to wait for industry experience to learn?

Dealing with people and problem solving. IPR teaches you just about every way to avoid problems in the industry, but, no matter what, you will encounter them. You got to remember people will see you as a strong asset to any company if you cannot only problem solve, but also problem solve creatively in a way that will put you ahead. Think of every problem as an opportunity to get ahead and show off, and I guarantee you can pull off just about anything. Chicks dig problem solvers. For real.

What do you think it means to be successful in this industry? What advice would you offer to students who are either just getting ready to graduate or who are wondering how to find their place in this industry?

I believe if you love what you do and you can pay your bills, it’s definitely a base for success. I stand by that completely. For someone like myself who has this entrepreneurial need in my blood, I’m not throwing the success title on my life until I’ve created a product or service that can change lives as well as develop several innovative business’s ranging from clothing design to creative development. Using the profits I would like the ability to invest in innovative ideas that can change the world for the better. The day I’m on the cover of Forbes with the title reading, the man who changed the word…. I’ll say ok… I’m almost successful.

As for students getting ready to graduate, I promise, if you don’t spend every day of the week networking and looking for a job, you won’t find one. Don’t just email your resume and say “why didn’t they call me for a job?” They won’t call you. You need to market yourself and network every single day. Don’t sleep in and play video games half the day and wonder why you’re not an engineer at your favorite indie label. I woke up 5:30am returning emails and researching companies for months from the day I graduated to the day I landed my dream job. Loose the bad habits fast. Remember this… when you were hanging out or watching television, someone else was out networking and getting a referral that got them that interview the following day. No one is going to just give you a job. If they were, you wouldn’t be in school right now.

Do you have experience with audio and video editing?

I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity by Nick Bochek (previous principles of design teacher) to co-edit the Bare Naked Ladies last music video “You Run Away.” Talk about a resume builder. Kevin Bowe’s capstone alone turned my resume from a piece of paper into a playboy spread featuring the hottest girl in the world to the eye of an audio engineer looking to hire. I learned all of my Audio and Video editing abilities from IPR and have used them to my advantage both personally and professionally outside of class. No one really realizes how many different companies and industries are looking for video editors as well as audio editors especially outside the studio.

Zack in Master Mix

How important do you think attitude is when it comes to success?

Attitude is everything. It’s the reason you were hired, and they were fired. Have attitude but don’t catch an attitude. People want to be working with people who are genuinely interested and committed to what they are doing and can get the job done. Not someone who sees his or her job as a chore looking to get it over with. People see through that bull (ship) in a second.

What one trait/ability/skill do you feel has helped you more than any other to be successful in this industry so far?

The ability to be personable. To not only be comfortable in any given situation, but also to embrace it and take control of it. You’re competing with thousands of others who have the exact same thing on their resume. The only thing you got going for you that’s going to set you ahead of the game is your ability to network, branch out, and make people aware of what you can do.  Donald Trump once said, “If you don’t tell people about your successes… chances are they don’t know about it.” Learn to talk to everyone and love it. Every night you stay home and every day you don’t go out you’re missing opportunities. No one’s getting hired playing Xbox until 4pm on a mother (freaking) Tuesday.

I respected Louis’ work ethic so much that I began to seek him out on tours; he gave a “no holds barred” review and Q & A to any parent or student who had questions, and he was always working his best material to make it better. Through Louis, parents and students would consistently catch a glimpse of the real deal. It’s hard to ignore somebody with so much creative passion for his craft.

It’s clear from Louis’ graduate success story that he is deliberately expanding his skillset daily. And this is what it takes to make something of oneself in the audio world: hard work, a willingness to adapt, and the ability to research and learn when the classroom is no longer an option. Louis gets all this and more.

His positivity and hard work impacted and impressed me from the moment I met him, and Louis’ story below continues to emphasize the discipline and consistency through which he is making his way in this crazy, competitive, industry. I hope you find his story inspiring.

Christian Groves

Bio:

Louis Byrd was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  Byrd, what most people call him, has always been into art and creating things; music, specifically, has always been his passion. Byrd attended Visual performing arts schools from elementary through high school.

Byrd attended the University of Missouri- Columbia, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Math.  While in college he consistently pursued music and honed his production and songwriting skills. Upon graduating from MU, Byrd decided to attend the Institute of Production and Recording and pursue his lifelong passion of music.

Since graduating IPR, in the winter of 2010, Byrd ventured out to start his own company: The Nest: Multimedia Super-Vision.  Within a short 7 month span Byrd’s company has worked with clientele from Audi, Tomorrows Business Leaders, North Carolina’s Triangle Transit, Dream Studio, LLC, The AZCJ Foundation, and local clientele from Kansas City including artists and small businesses. Byrd has worked in both graphic design and video production, and in licensing original music compositions.

Byrd’s personal goal for 2012 is to continue building on his current success with The Nest: MS; he expects to establish a team of multi-media professionals, and to continue to create cool and unique content.

What would IPR students and instructors say they remember about you?

I was always in the studios!!! I believe that’s what they will remember.  No matter what time it was, outside class, I was always rocking out in one of those studios! LOL

Were there any big projects you undertook in your production or engineering capstone that laid the ground work for some of the things you’re doing now?

Hmmm… I would have to say it was my final capstone with “the man”: Kevin Bowe! Kevin is all things awesome, and I learned so much about the psychological warfare that takes place in the studio setting when working with artist.  I also learned the importance of budgeting and time management. Now that I am running my own business the tips he taught really come in handy!

Out of all your instructors who would you say worked most closely with you and had a special interest in your success?

That’s a really tough one for me!  This is hard cause everyone was cool in their own way, but if I had to be picky… it was Kevin Bowe.  The way that we think about production and song writing it’s as if we are kindred spirits LOL! I think he felt the same way LOL! But in all seriousness, K. Bowe was always there with some good advice about the biz and was willing to lend a hand when he could!

How do you feel your IPR education prepared you for the industry?

I think my experience in general at IPR prepared me for the industry. Before I started at IPR my only focus was on music: working with artists and getting my songs out there.  Granted, this is still a focal point in my life, but IPR opened my eyes to other avenues to make a living being a creative.  Things such as post production, graphic design, video production, and licensing were not on my mind pre IPR…now that’s pretty much all I think about! IPR changed my mindset as far as goals for myself.

Also having access to super expensive  equipment and facilities taught me a lot as well.  I feel confident that I can waltz in any studio and create some beautiful madness!

What types of things did you have to wait for industry experience to learn?

Hmmm… dealing with actual companies.  I learned that working with business entities is often more difficult and more disorganized than working with individual clients LOL! So, I’m learning to deal with confused business cleints that honestly don’t know what they want, but know they want something “cool” and “different”, and at the same time they want it to look like Joe Shmoe’s from up the street. It’s a little difficult at times…but I’m learning the rules of the game.

What do you think it means to be successful in this industry? What advice would you offer to students who are either just getting ready to graduate or who are wondering how to find their place in this industry?

Success to me means always putting your best foot forward and striving for more! You have to define your own sense of success and you can’t measure yourself against another person’s success! With that being said, my advice to new graduates or just anybody in general is to find your purpose. Find out what makes you happy and JUST DO IT! Planning is great, having ideas is great as well, but if you don’t execute your plans and ideas they mean absolutely nothing!

If you start your journey from the heart, everything else will fall into place. The thing is you just have to DO!

What types of engineering work have you done?

Engineering work…  I have worked on recording music with friends, voice over mixing, and I have fixed a buddy of mine’s studio monitor (poor M-Audio…sorry I’m biased).  But, I am, by far, a better producer than an engineer! Editor’s Note: since Louis is also a  trained Electrical Engineer, his definition is going to include electrical repair work as well.

Do you have experience with audio and video editing?

Yes. Audio and video editing have become my jewels! Audio for video is I pretty much all I do now! Video work is starting to really pick up; it seems that multimedia is becoming a common source of entertainment.

How important do you think attitude is when it comes to success in the audio world?

Simple…attitude is everything!

Of course when working in a people centric field such as Audio…you have to have a way to work with people.  Humility is key! Respect is a big one for me! And confidence is very important…but being cocky is not sexy! You have to have the right attitude to be able to lead, follow, compromise, and execute a project.

What one trait/ability/skill do you feel has helped you more than any other to be successful in this industry so far?

As of right now I would say it’s my ability to think strategically! I am fortunate to be one of those people that can truly utilize both sides of my brain… I’m very creative yet, at the same time, I’m also very logical and analytical.

A lot of artist are scattered brained… shoot, I would say a lot of people in general are LOL! So to be able to look at the big picture and break it down to a point wear things can get accomplished is great! This has been able to help me help others!

What are you doing now?

I have started my own multimedia company called The Nest: multimedia Super-Vision, which is a combination of two companies: 1) Compliment Productions, which does all the fun creative stuff such as music, graphic design, video work, and consulting, and 2) HummingByrd Creative Gear, which handles the nerdy electronics stuff such as designing audio gear and doing maintenance.

My goal is to become a Multimedia powerhouse… a one stop shop so to speak. The Nest: MS is still in the process of becoming that powerhouse, but in the past 7 months I have been blessed with several great opportunities.  If interested in learning more get at me!!!!

Links:

http://thenestms.com

Twitter: @Byrdflew

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG!!!!

Posted By Christian Groves

On Sunday, August 28 and Monday, August 29 IPR will be at the Minnesota State Fair from 9am – 9pm. There will be prizes give aways for students and alumni who are stopping by (alumni will get a free t-shirt).  Our booth is in the Education Building, and part of the MSB/Globe University stand. Click HERE for a map of the Fair. The Education Building is at X20-22 Cosgrove St.

We hope to see you all there!

Bio

My interest in audio started when I was in the 5th grade. I really wanted to get a guitar, so my parents bought me a Squire Stratocaster for my birthday. I took some lessons and played in some “bands” for the next couple of years. I had already been playing the trumpet in grade school band, but I wanted to quit. I believe that playing the guitar truly sparked my musical interest and I decided to keep playing the trumpet despite the geek status that came along with it.

Throughout middle school and high school I would jam with my friends in garages and bedrooms. I also played the trumpet in my high school marching band. After high school I wasn’t quite sure exactly what I wanted to pursue as a career. I knew I loved music, so my first idea was music education. I went to a local community college for a year while I was deciding on what I wanted to do. My friend since the fourth grade, Tyler Gottschalk, was attending IPR. I was sitting at a computer at my community college and was chatting with Tyler on Facebook. I asked him how things were going in Minnesota and how he liked IPR. He had nothing but great things to say about it, so I decided to look into it a little more. I was a little hesitant at first. Being from central Illinois, Minneapolis is quite a ways away from home, but I decided to visit the school.

During my first visit I was completely amazed. Spending the last eight years of my life in a small town in the middle of a cornfield, where instead of music, farming is the predominant way of life, I felt like I was in heaven. I knew immediately that this place was for me. I originally went to IPR with the hopes of working as an audio engineer in a recording studio. Music was everything to me, so my heart was set on it. After one or two quarters at IPR, I started to think otherwise. Once I started learning about post production I felt like it suited me more than music, which was a real surprise to me. My favorite part about post production was the freedom of creativity in sound design. I’ve always loved art and considered myself an artist, but I can hardly draw a stick figure. Sound design was my new medium to express my artistic creativity.

While I was going to school, my girlfriend was working in Minneapolis for a company that makes apparel and merchandise for various sports teams and organizations. Just a few weeks prior to my graduation she was offered a job at their headquarters in Indianapolis. She moved to Indianapolis three weeks before I finished school so that she could start her job. I immediately started looking at employment opportunities in the area for my career field. I felt like jobs would be scarce because Indianapolis isn’t quite the music and media hub that Minneapolis is. One of my main focuses was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I knew that the Indianapolis 500 is a huge event that is broadcasted internationally, so I figured that they would have some sort of job in my career field.

Soon after moving to Indianapolis in March of 2010, via a coworker of my girlfriend, I was put into contact with Dave Dusick, who works with live audio at the Speedway. Through exchanging emails I told him what I went to school for and expressed an interest in anything he may need help with. It wasn’t until winter that I received a phone call from him for my first job. I worked a couple smaller events, setting up speakers and microphones, before being offered the job at the Indianapolis 500. Around February of this year we started to talk about the Indianapolis 500 and was officially offered the job in April. The Indianapolis 500 is a huge deal in the area to say the least. There are festivities going on at the track nearly every day starting early in May, lasting through race day on Memorial Day. The drivers have about two weeks of practice at the track, all of which is open to the public, so this was the bulk of my work prior to the race. I’m the main board operator on the weekdays and the assistant on the weekends. Most of my time spent at the track I was working alone in the audio booth, forcing me to quickly learn the system and build confidence in myself. Most of the audio I control is the track announcers, music, interview audio, and general audio broadcasted over the whole track. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest and highest capacity sporting facility in the world, so there was also a lot of prep work to make sure that the speakers and sound system worked efficiently and sounded good throughout the track. Race day is obviously the busiest day for audio for the month. In the booth we control the audio for all of the pre-race ceremonies, including interviews, driver introduction, the National Anthem, and many other pre-race ceremonies, as well as all of the post-race audio. Teamwork and communication between everyone involved is crucial to ensure everything runs flawlessly.

I had no idea that my career would lead me to this point when I started school at IPR in October of 2008. I went to school with a specific career in mind, only to fall in love with another audio career field that I had never even considered before. Upon graduating I was introduced to yet another career field that I have enjoyed every minute of. Though it is very hard work, I have never once considered what I do to be “work” in the sense of what most people consider work to be. I’m looking forward to doing more live audio in the upcoming NASCAR race, the Brickyard 400. IPR has prepared me in more ways than I can even describe to be successful in what I do.

What would IPR students and instructors say they remember about you?
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I think that they would say I am very driven and I take everything I do seriously whether it’s scoring music to a commercial or designing sound for spaceship doors for “Wall-E” in my capstone.

Were there any big projects you undertook in your production or engineering capstone that laid the groundwork for some of the things you’re doing now?
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In my capstone our final project was a group effort to re-create the audio for a segment of the movie “Wall-E.” Though this isn’t live audio like I’m doing now, many aspects of this project helped me with what I do now. Since the project was a group effort we each had our own main focus. My main job was to create the sound for the doors on the spaceship. While at first this seemed like a pretty simple task, I quickly realized that there are many different parts to one sound in a movie. For one door I may have 6-8 different sounds just for it to open. Once I had all of the sounds I wanted my job was only half way over. I then had to mix the audio at the right level so that the final outcome was believable and pleasant to listen to. I can relate this to what I do in live audio at the Speedway. While I may not have as many tracks of audio during an event as I do in a post-production session, I still have many factors to consider while doing my job. For example, I may be working during an Indianapolis 500 practice session. The track announcers will be commentating on the event and giving live updates on speeds, times, etc. throughout the whole event while the cars are on the track. I can only control the audio level of the announcers, but I still have to take the sound of the cars going by and the number of people at the event into consideration just as if they are a part of my mix so that I may achieve a desirable sound for the announcers. Also, when controlling the audio for interviews, no one speaks at the same level or with the same tone, so I am constantly adjusting my levels based on who is talking into the microphone, while considering track noise.

Out of all your instructors who would you say worked most closely with you and had a special interest in your success?

I worked most closely with Bob Jenkins and Mike Brown. I had both of them in my final capstone, so naturally I spent a lot of time working with them. Besides the time spent, the class size was very small, so I was able to get any one-on-one time that I needed. I was also able to talk to them outside of class about projects.

How do you feel your IPR education prepared you for the industry?
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IPR prepared me for the industry in multiple ways. Through my schooling I was exposed to many types of audio work, from studio recording to scoring music to sound design. This put me in the mindset that there is a lot more to audio than the average person may expect. I was prepared to take on any job that was offered to me out of school with the confidence to succeed. Besides the actual school work, I was around faculty who have worked in many areas of the audio world. Going from a class with an instructor who has spent many years producing records to another with an instructor who does audio work at sporting events really provides me with knowledge and advice that I use every time I’m in the audio booth.

What types of things did you have to wait for industry experience to learn?
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How to handle a truly live gig. Being in the Post Production capstone, nothing was live and basically everything I did was non-destructive. In post-production, there is a certain amount of room for error as long as you catch it and fix it by the deadline. Coming out of school I had no idea I would be working in a live setting. During events at the Speedway everything is happening really fast and right now. It’s easy to make an honest mistake, but if you do, everyone will hear it; so you have to be very focused on what you are doing, which is multiple things a lot of the time.

What do you think it means to be successful in this industry? What advice would you offer to students who are either just getting ready to graduate or who are wondering how to find their place in this industry?
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My biggest piece of advice would be to keep an open mind and never, ever say no. Again, with post-production being my capstone at IPR, I had no idea that I would be working in live audio; especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When I was first offered the job, while I was very excited, I was also nervous. The whole idea was very intimidating. It would have been easy for me to say “Well this isn’t what I went to school for, so I can’t do it.” Despite my nerves I took the job with confidence in myself. I kept an open mind to a new experience and I didn’t say no. I was very honest with my superiors and coworkers, telling them that this is my first experience in live audio, but I showed that I had confidence in what I can do, which I believe made them confident in allowing me to work with them.

What types of engineering work have you done?
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I run the live audio at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I am the main board operator during events on the weekdays and the assistant during events on the weekends. My job is to control the audio for track announcers, track interviews, music, Q & A sessions, press conferences, and other various audio related material. I also have to send a feed of specific pieces of audio to the crew that broadcasts over the internet.

Do you have experience with audio and video editing?
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All of my audio and video editing experience is from my education as I took classes in both. I haven’t worked in those areas outside of school because my job is in live sound. Live sound isn’t what I thought I would be doing after school, but it just happened to work out that way and I’ve had a great time thus far doing it.

How important do you think attitude is when it comes to success in the audio world?

Attitude is EVERYTHING in the audio world. People who have worked in this field for a long time know how important it is to hire the right person. My boss knows a lot of people who have the skill set to do this job, and have more experience than me, but he told me that they don’t all have the right attitude. He has delt with too many people who believe that they know better than everyone else what should and shouldn’t be done. The important thing is to know your roll. If someone asks you to do something a certain way, then they have a good reason for it. You will get a lot further and make more people happy in this world by doing things the way they are asked to be done. The occasional suggestion to the right person won’t do any harm, but again, know your roll.

What one trait/ability/skill do you feel has helped you more than any other to be successful in this industry so far?

My confidence has helped me to be successful more than anything. It is crucial to be confident in yourself without being cocky. I was a bit intimidated by the whole idea of this job since the events are so large, but I knew that even though I had never worked in live audio, I would be able to successfully do the job. In live audio everything happens so fast that if you don’t have confidence in yourself you will be left behind, and if you are slower than the action happening at the event then crucial pieces of audio will be unheard.

Every occupation is important – even if you feel like sweeping the floors or making the coffee is beneath you. Newsflash! It’s not. The best leaders often lead by example, and even leaders will sweep and make coffee when necessary, so what’s the real problem?

Everyone wants a job where they matter, and everybody wants to make a living doing what they’re best at. This is a tough thing for creatives because most of us don’t start out doing exactly what we’d like. We desire to do great things and we have to have room to be who we are at work… the whole “square peg, round hole” thing works least of all with us. So, how do we survive while making our way to where we’d really like to be?

Well, first off, there’s no “easy button” to make it happen. Attitude, personal choice and freedom are scary, and most of you probably have come to realize this, but the great thing about the education you’ve gotten at IPR is that you’re prepared. You need to believe this about yourself. Because you’ve chosen a very competitive field to get into, you’ve also chosen one of the very best colleges to prepare you. You may be competing with a lot of other candidates for positions at post houses, recording studios, record labels, Ad Agencies, etc… but you’re ready. You’ve made good decisions so far. The question is, will you take responsibility for your post IPR life, and take advantage of your positive attitude, your personal choices and your freedom? Scary stuff I know, but you’re ready, believe it.

If you need some motivation and encouragement, I’d like to draw your attention to some of the Graduate Success Stories posted to the IPR Alumni Blog (Alex, Grant, Josh, Michael) . Here are a few “announcements” talking about some of the things other graduates are doing as well (Lisa, Kyle). There may only be a few currently posted, but I’ve asked a lot of graduates to take part in these, and you’d be very surprised how huge your IPR network of graduated professionals is. There are graduates working all over the U.S. (some internationally) – if you’re not one of them, contact Career Services. There are so many great things on the Horizon for you, but you’ve got to continue making good choices. Complaining about not having a job yet is not a good choice; get busy and do something about it.

At this point in your history it’s time to take a look at who you are, and where you’d like to be. If at first you thought getting an education was going to be the easy answer, hopefully now you’ve learned differently. It’s rare that IPR graduates walk into a dream job immediately after graduation, but it does happen. And, it happens for those who are prepared, who know they’re ready, and who practice that way of thinking about themselves daily.

One of the biggest mistakes I see creatives make is they often believe there are great industry jobs out there, but, psychologically, they want to assume that those jobs will only be for other people. You’ll do yourself a favor by realizing you too will connect with a job that is a great fit! I’ve personally learned that I can’t look to my circumstances to give me clear information about where my life is headed. If you look around you and say to yourself “I’ll never move forward” or “I’ll never be successful”, you won’t be. But, if you’re honest with yourself, that your current circumstances aren’t breathing life into your dream, then you’ve got a call to action, a choice. Because, if you just lay down and stop fighting, you never will achieve what you’d hoped. Don’t think negative! When you do, you put yourself in the psychological place to fail… Negative self-talk can cause us to believe things about ourselves that simply aren’t true. And you owe it to yourself to give yourself every fighting chance you can. Use your freedom to fuel your positive attitude, so you can continue to make good choices for your career.

Here’s something else to chew on… have you ever considered where you are professionally, at this very moment, is only temporary? Look, I’m just as bad as anyone else at forgetting that, God willing, I have a lot of years of career left, and I really don’t know where I will be further down the road. I never expected to have such an awesome job, and, believe me, I’ve paid my dues. But I know, without question, my life and skillset are in a constant upward motion, because I choose for them to be. You too can choose this.

Look, you’re one of the many people that make IPR such an amazing place for the rest of us. We have a sincere interest in your success, and you will get where you want to be. It won’t be exactly what you thought; it will be better!

You may land in a place that is infinitely better than even you could’ve imagined, and it may be a bunny trail away from your original dream job, but it will fit you better. There’s a funny thing that happens to us as we step into the professional music world; we discover a lot about ourselves and most of us find we have a passion for things we didn’t even know were there for us until the point of entry. If you’re like me, and you’ve got to do something you’re passionate about, something that matters, then be positive as you consider your current circumstances. Just because you can’t see the future doesn’t mean you’re required to be miserable in the now. Stop being a modern stereotype; you don’t have to have instant gratification all the time. Live like these are the first steps on your amazing journey, and lean on your network to help you land in the best place for you. You will surprise yourself!

Happy 4th of July,

Sincerely – Christian