New Beginnings Flyer
This panel brought various years of experience in the major cities of Los Angeles and New York, each graduate with their own field and perspective. Each person reflected on how their experience and diversity of learning information has benefitted them in their time beyond school. In New York Chad, Frank, and Chance all emphasized the variety of work that they had taken on in order to be afloat as they got their feet under them. The range of information they pulled from is intrinsic with the broad curriculum of the school: going through personal recording, mastering, live sound in theater, and AV work throughout a week in order to have income.
In the subject of expenses we heard a variety of housing costs from $900-$1900 for both NYC and LA. This isn't a shockingly expensive amount, but factoring in deposits, transport, self-care, and food calls for a high level of budgeting. General advice included not bringing a car to New York, not moving terribly far from your job, learning all public modes of transportation well, and finding good roommates and mentors you can rely on.
The process of finding work appeared different between the two cities, the experience of the LA grads seems a lot more fixed, one studio and location is the center for their progression. Whereas the graduates in New York were involved in a seemingly wider variety of work. Regardless though the emphasis remained on keeping an open mind, developing skills in all aspects of audio, and being intentional about detail and effort in everything.
A significant amount of the meeting followed that train of thought with some warnings; echoing about, don't limit yourself by your passions in audio. If you're not willing to be personal, use the internet to reach out to people, and connect with people it will be difficult to find work. On networking it was also suggested to network with everyone, not only audio people. Everyone knows someone and by networking with everyone you come across you increase your odds of your name being connected with a job opportunity.
All in all the outlook was positive and the focus was on being communicative and hard-working. It was an amazing discussion!
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