Author: Nate Sparks

Meeting Topic: Careers in Audio: What’s your connection? (Winter 2023)

Moderator Name: Jay Dill

Speaker Name: Eric French, WOSU; Eric Brown, American Sound & Electronics; Lesley Ann Fogle, AES Columbus Section Chair

Meeting Location: virtual (Zoom)

The second joint meeting of the Indiana and Columbus, OH sections began with a round of introductions from our panelists. Eric French is a senior broadcast technician and engineer at WOSU, which encompasses multiple radio stations, as well as TV broadcasting. Eric Brown is the general manager of American Sound’s Indianapolis office, managing a team implementing a variety of audio, video, and other technical solutions for a wide range of projects. Lesley Ann Fogle rounded out the panel to lend her expertise as the internship coordinator at Capital University’s music technology program.

The panel began by discussing the internship programs at both entities. For American Sound’s internship program, the focus is on getting interns into the field ASAP. This provides context for the complexity of projects, as well what goes into a successful project; understanding the overlap between skillsets and interdependence of different departments is critical to a smooth project.

WOSU’s intern program tends to draw heavily from higher education institutions, word of mouth, and even the armed forces. Interns tend to arrive with either musical or computer engineering backgrounds, and find homes in departments closely related to their background. Most interns are started with hands-on tasks that illustrate attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines; this provides an important gauge of an intern’s capabilities to move on to broadcast-critical tasks.

The panelists agreed that willingness to learn and apply existing skills in new ways are critical characteristics of a successful intern. In both programs, interns may find themselves outside of their areas of knowledge, so a teachable disposition and a desire to learn are important. On the job training is available in both cases. Diligence and reliability were also highlighted as key skills. Eric French also noted that trying new things can often lead interns to reorient their careers to different areas of the industry with which they had no prior experience. The panel also highlighted an understanding that the work isn’t always glamourous, but everyone does what it takes to keep projects moving and the station on the air.

Discussion then moved to obtaining and internship or job. The key word from all was “persistence”; keep calling, keep networking, and make connections through industry organizations like the AES. Also important is researching your potential employer to understand what they do and how your skills overlap with that entity.

The discussion concluded with Q&A with the panel.

Written By: Brett Leonard

Meeting Topic: Careers in Audio: What’s your connection?

Moderator Name: Jay Dill

Speaker Name: Ted Chandler, Markey’s Rental & Staging; Lesley Ann Fogle, AES Columbus Section Chair; Paul Kavicky, Columbus Association for the Performing Arts

Meeting Location: virtual (Zoom)

Summary

This joint virtual meeting of the Indiana and Columbus, OH sections began with introductions from the diverse group of panelist. Paul Kavicky serves as the head of audio-video production at Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), where he serves as department head for audio at show sites where audio is produced internally. Ted Chandler worked his way through the hierarchy of Markey’s, ranging from driver to on-site audio technician, and most recently as Training and Development Manager. In addition to her work in location sound and audio post production, Lesley Ann Fogle also serves as adjunct faculty at Capital University’s music technology program where she coordinates student internship experiences.

The discussion began with Markey’s internship program, which focuses on immediate hands-on application of audio skills, but quickly expands to other trades such as video and lighting. CAPA’s internship program typically places participants at a smaller (500-seat) theatre where production is handled in-house. Both allow interns to learn the intangibles of work pacing and inter-department coordination. Certain audio skills are assumed, but an intern shines through a strong work ethic, contentiousness, people skills, and a focus on accomplishing the task at hand. For Markey’s having a secondary knowledge in staging, lighting, video, or others can also be a huge asset. All agreed that applying knowledge to new situations and troubleshooting were also important.

Preparation for an internship is critical, as well. Leslie starts students by conducting research about companies before reaching out about an internship. Persistence and proper self-presentation are key components, as well. A well-formed resume and cover letter showing effort are important, and presenting a professional image with appropriate dress and punctuality is critical. For Paul, applicants may be brought on for a single gig to showcase both hard and soft skills.

An intern’s duties vary, as well. For both CAPA and Markey’s, interns not only focus on their production specialty, but will also expand in their range of experience to other disciplines. Hands-on work begins on day one with the expectation that interns both work and observe, and may quickly find themselves serving a role within a production, given the right attitude and skillset.

The session concluded questions from the audience. Questions touched on topics such as unpaid internships, opportunities for military veterans and less client-facing roles within the industry, and ways to make yourself stand out on the job.

Written By: Brett Leonard