I volunteered to work at The Indie Summer event held on August 8, 2010 in The Audubon Park district at Park Ave CD’s and Stardust Video & Coffee in Winter Park, FL. For the public, doors opened at 12pm noon and tickets were $8. There were a total of 7 stages with 70 bands throughout the day. Originally, when I had volunteered for this event, I was given the job of a “loader” for all the equipment needed for the 7 stages. However, with my undergraduate degree of Recording Arts from Full Sail, I informed Mike (the event leader) that I was comfortable working with and around audio equipment, though my freelance experience was strictly studio work and not live sound. Mike thanked me for letting him know and told me to arrive at 9:30am, though he did not give me any indication I may have another job other than loading.
From the time I arrived at 9:30am to about 12-noon, I assisted in the setup of 2 stages until the sky turned gray and the clouds finally opened up in a torrential downpour. For over an hour, the staff and myself included, drenched our only clothes we brought for the day, running around like headless chickens trying to protect and cover 7 stages worth of expensive audio equipment. Rumors were passing along the radios and through the staff that the event might be cancelled all together. So just as I was planning an early exit strategy to go home and chalk up the day as a loss, my site leader’s radio went off and was asking if there was a “Chris Matorch” around. Somewhat confused, I asked if they meant Chris Majocha? Sure enough, they were not only looking for me, but they were now placing me as the head Live Sound Engineer inside their “Big Daddy’s” stage location from 1pm-11pm, a job I only got a taste of in classes at school, but never actually did professionally in front of a large crowd and for over 10 different bands, all with completely different sounds.
My attribute of high efficiency from month 1, were Vision, People, and Attitude. My vision was shown through informing Mike that even though this was a volunteer effort for which I was not being compensated for; I possessed more talent and experience than simply being a loader of equipment. If I was going to be there all day, I would like to get some experience assisting in some way with Live Sound. However, I was completely beside myself when told I was in charge of one of the venues without prior experience. The attribute of being good with people certainly paid off when I was given such a large responsibility. Just from loading in the morning with the staff, I introduced myself, talked to many people and was finding out who was in charge of what. With only 15-minute intermissions between each act on my stage, when bands needed equipment that I did not have at my site, I was quickly able to find whom I needed to talk to and whom could get things done for each problem that arose throughout the night. Had I not networked earlier in the day, I would have been extremely inefficient. I believe my most noticeable attribute was my attitude however, because even though I was only a volunteer, very nervous to publicly run Live Sound for the very first time and was expecting to leave early, I held myself accountable for the skills I had offered and said I could deliver on and I did my job with integrity.
The attributes from month 1, where I said I needed improvement, were Problem Solving, Creating Positive Change, and Influence. From the first band to the last band, problem solving was essential. I switched out blown speakers (blown before I arrived) and broken microphones, acquired additional microphone stands, cables, extension cords and lighting, and that’s only to name only a few of the many issues I had to solve throughout the night. Creating positive change resulted from my professional demeanor and efficiency while running Live Sound. Especially after the washout thunderstorm, the day’s events were in chaos. There was a lack of organization, direction, and qualified audio engineers. At the end of the evening, I apologized to Mike for all the extra equipment I needed throughout the day to accommodate the needs of the different bands. He replied rather by thanking me and telling me I had not reason to apologize, that I was simply doing my job with inadequate resources, and that my stage was hands down one of the smoothest running events all day for which he felt comfortable not having to constantly watch over. In other words, in the midst of chaos, I had apparently reduced the stress level of the event leader, and positively changed the attitude of the event to a much calmer and more professional atmosphere. I had not even considered my role as being influential until the last band was breaking down there set, when much to my surprise, a handful of members from the audience specifically approached me to let me know how good of a job I had done. I was told that they were regulars and never heard music sound that good inside Big Daddy’s before, especially with having 10 different acts to deal with. After humbly thanking them, I was also asked by one of the Big Daddy bartenders who I worked for, because he had been looking for a professional company with good training. When I told him I didn’t work for anyone, he still gave me his card and told me he would love to work for me if I ever needed assistance.
Through this event, I not only gained valuable experience in relation to my undergraduate degree, but I was humbled at my own efforts and attitude and how many compliments I received after my very first Live Sound experience. I walked into an unfamiliar position nervously, and walked out appearing professionally experienced and with a heightened sense of confidence and ability. Making it through uncharted territories, having achieved more success than ever thought possible is a feeling that gives one confidence to approach and conquer even more unfamiliar endeavors that lie ahead.
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