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Issue #77

Weekly Newsletter

by L. Swift and Jeff McQ

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Student Successes


When RRFC gets you learning on the job, you not only get to master the hands-on skills you need, you can also form the lasting relationships that help you forge ahead in your career! Read below about a Recording Connection graduate whose former mentor is sending him paid gigs as he establishes himself in the music scene!

Student Successes
 

Recording Connection graduate Devin Zorn: getting established in the Dallas music scene

    Talking with Recording Connection graduate Devin Zorn, it’s apparent that he doesn’t just love audio—he loves music. In fact, as he tells it, the love of music is what made him want to be an audio engineer in the first place.   “I was in the sixth or seventh grade,” he says, “and I had just gotten into Led Zeppelin. Everybody always wants to, ‘Oh, man, I want to be a rock star.’ I quickly realized when I first started playing the guitar—man, I suck. That goes out the window. But I was watching VH1 Classic one day and Classic Albums comes on, they’re going over how they recorded U2’s ‘The Joshua Tree.’ I’m sitting there listening to Brian Eno and Daniel Anwar talk, and I’m seeing him push these faders around…[I was] like, ‘Oh, I could do that. I can’t be the rock star, but I will make the rock star’s music for them.’”  
RC Mentor Rick Rooney (left) with apprentice Devin Zorn

RC Mentor Rick Rooney (left) with apprentice Devin Zorn

When Devin found his way to the Recording Connection for training, he already had a grasp of some of the basics, so when he was placed with music industry veteran Rick Rooney at January Sound in Dallas, TX, he remembers that his “hands-on training” translated to more of a “hands-off” approach from Rick.   “I did a lot of growing with this program with Rick at that studio,” Devin says. “He kind of was laughing as we were going along, ‘Man, I don’t to have to teach you anything. You just have to go on,’… It’s like, ‘Rick, tell me,’ and he was like, ‘Figure it out yourself.’ And then I’d figure it out myself and [say], ‘Why didn’t you just tell me?’ ‘Well, you figured it out yourself and you did it better than I could have told you.’”   Beyond learning the gear and the software, Devin also recalls learning the importance of studio etiquette with Rick in the studio. “A big part of it was me learning to get along in the studio environment,” he says. “Learning when to shut up whenever you’re not the person in charge of the session, and things like that. Playing in the sand box with the other kids well, and not kicking sand in their face, stuff like that.”   Now graduated from the program, Devin is finding plenty of opportunities to establish himself in the thriving Dallas music scene. He continues to work with his mentor, Rick, currently taking on freelance projects in the studio with an eye to come on staff when an opportunity arises. He’s also had the opportunity to work the All-Star Jam at the Dallas International Guitar Show, where he got to meet and connect with some of the most notable guitarists in the business, including Ted Nugent guitarist Derek St. Holmes and Robert Plant guitarist Innes Sibun.  
Control Room in January Sound

Control Room in January Sound

As for the music he loves—Devin has immersed himself in it. While his background is rock, he’s working on a wide range of different musical projects, most recently a live-in-the-studio tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan by blues band Tommy Katona & Texas Flood. He’s also working on projects with Kayla Reeves (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and Lance Lopez (Two Wolf), as well as projects with his own band The Q, which he describes as a unique blend of EDM and hard rock (“if Pink Floyd made a dance album,” he says).   All the while, Devin is developing his own signature style in audio engineering as he works to make the rock stars sound as good as possible—and even with his own band, he’s very particular about some of the EDM elements, and has some strong feelings about the use of pre-done samples.   “I want it to sound kind of more analog with my own twist,” he says. “If I’m going to sample, I really want to go in and rent out a drum from my local shop…and kind of mess with the tuning and things like that and record it with different mics and sample that to make my own sample.”   Meanwhile, as Devin continues to shape his career, he loves the fact that he can show up at January Sound at any time. He particularly enjoys seeing the reaction of other Recording Connection students as they get started with their training. “Whenever these new students are coming in and I’m hanging out and saying hi to Rick,” he says, “they look at me and are like, ‘Wow, he really knows what he’s doing, and he went through this program. That’s going to be awesome. I’m going through this program.’”   Check out some of Devin’s work in the Apprentice Media section below!    

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Apprentices in Action
Shot from 'Love My 419'

Shot from ‘Love My 419’

Film Connection apprentice Mikhail Tot recently appeared on local TV show Love My 419 in Toledo, OH to promote his film Cleveland Allegories, a dark comedy revolving around four characters whose lives intertwine through a series of small events leading to big changes in their lives. The film premiered at the Cedar Lee Theatre to a sold out crowd! Congrats Mikhail!   
R&B Band Daemine Lowe Trio

R&B Band Daemine Lowe Trio

Kuron Tyus, Recording Connection apprentice in Las Vegas, NV, recently did live sound for R&B band Daemine Lowe Trio! He also recently booked two of his own sessions at Camel Hump Studios, where he apprentices. “My mentors are awesome,” says Kuron. “I’m still in awe that I make money doing this.”   
FC Apprentice Daren Frease

FC Apprentice Daren Frease

Film Connection apprentice Daren Frease (Austin, TX) is getting his hands dirty with Adobe Premiere Pro, editing the visuals from multiple cameras, selecting shots, and learning to get the sound synced-up perfectly with a trick his mentor showed him.   

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Mentor News
FC Mentor Mark Leisher

FC Mentor Mark Leisher

When it comes to experience in professional filmmaking, Film Connection mentor Mark Leisher has a few stories to tell. A competitive snowboarder in Utah and Colorado in his earlier years, Mark decided to jump into filmmaking after going on a trip with Warren Miller Films. He wound up filming extreme sports, doing camera work for several X-Games and ESPN, and even accomplishing some rather dangerous shots filming kayaking and other outdoor sports.   “I have some experience with climbing and rappelling and rigging,” he says, “so, wherever we could set up a different shot that nobody else was getting…In Minnesota, we actually did a lead line string out of a cable across a 70-foot waterfall, and we’re shooting over top of the guys going down the waterfall. If I would have dipped into the water, fell out of that, that would have probably been the end of me.”   Mark’s adventurous spirit and willingness to take risks took an entrepreneurial turn when he decided to go into business for himself. “I think the guys that were hiring me were making all the money,” he says. “I just sort of realized that hey, maybe I could put my attention into starting my own company one day instead of doing all this crazy stuff and not getting compensated a lot for it.”   Mark Leisher ProductionsThat idea led to the forming of Mark Leisher Productions, which is now a leading full-service video production, web design and digital marketing company in Bethesda, MD, servicing major clients such as Red Bull, Hitachi, Under Armour and others. Never one to shy away from the cutting edge, his was among the first companies to go digital and HD, and to accommodate his large number of location assignments, he invested in a mobile studio. One of his more notable recent assignments? “I did a documentary for the 50-year anniversary of the Beach Boys,” he says. “I was on tour with them for three and a half months.”   Mark’s experience in film and video, especially in running his own successful production company, gives him a particular understanding of embracing risk to do what you love. “I have had three businesses and none of them have failed,” says Mark. “I only got bored and wanted to do something else…Taking action and not being scared to fall or fail—this has been the hardest quality for me when it comes to being an entrepreneur. I don’t ever look forward to or expect failure, but it is part of the deal.”   As a Film Connection mentor, Mark imparts that same drive, passion and entrepreneurial spirit into his students, immersing them in hands-on instruction along the way. “How could a race car driver ever be competitive if he/she never got behind the wheel of a race car?” he says. “Teaching real world situations is the most valuable teaching opportunity that anybody can have. I feel most young people run off to college just for the college experience. They know beforehand that the first year or more will be a wash, and forgiving for their parents. I feel this is a big waste of time, money and resources. I learned early that a ‘trade’ was more important than a piece of paper with a degree.”  
FC Apprentice Madison Dan

FC Apprentice Madison Dan

Naturally, Mark is impressed when his apprentices demonstrate the same go-getter attitude that helped him achieve his own success. One recent example he mentions is Film apprentice Madison Dan. “Madi was engaged right from the get-go,” he says. “Madi was open to learning all aspects of production and post. She was also willing to show up on sets and participate in any capacity we required…By the end of our curriculum, now she has her own company. She started her own business. I think she’s getting work. So, I think Madi is a great success story. She’s only 18 years old.”   Today, even with his current work load, Mark is still pushing boundaries and taking risks, keeping up with the latest technology, and even adding to his own skills as a filmmaker. His most recent effort: training to be a drone pilot, so he can film using drones.   “The production value is incredibly lifted,” he says. “The aerials and the ability to fly these things in tight spaces, that’s what I’m trying to master right now and not be dangerous, and learn etiquette. You’ve got to learn etiquette…I don’t want to just be the go-to drone guy, [but] I want to add it into our services.”   Mark Leisher’s success as a filmmaker is hard-won, a result of years of consistent hard work, investment and risk—but he’s also evidence that the payoff is well worth it. As a Film Connection mentor, Mark seeks to impart that same solid work ethic to his students. He doesn’t candy-coat the work or the risks. His advice: “Be ready to take your lumps and bumps” and “Stay away from ego. Nobody wants it in a collaborative situation.” At the same time, he stresses the rewards for consistency and staying the course. “If you’re good at it, work begets work,” he says.    

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Apprentice Media
   

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