or call (800) 755-7597

Issue #277

Weekly Newsletter

by Liya Swift

X
Student Successes
 

Recording Connection graduate Phillip Dickson Jr. Amplifies
His Knowhow & Lands Post as Staff Engineer!

  

Recording Connection grad Phillip Dickson Jr. at Infinite Recording Studios

Recording Connection grad Phillip Dickson Jr. enrolled in Recording Connection’s 6–9-month Audio Engineering & Music Production Program once he’d decided being self-taught would take him only so far. Since that time, Phillip has grown as a beatmaker and producer, and even landed the post of staff engineer at Infinite Recording Studios, the very same Boston studio where he trained.   Read on to learn more about Phillip’s journey and to get his advice on how to make the most of one’s time in the program.   Where you were at in life when you found Recording Connection?   “I was looking for something to do with my music after high school because I knew I wanted to do some professional music production…. I had people that really liked my music, but the recording part was the problem because I didn’t know how to record… I was just figuring it out on my own, trying to learn the music, trying to engineer, produce as well as record.”   How many hours, overall, do you think you spent not on actively making music but on trying to figure things out?   “10,000 hours.” FYI, we’ve got more with Phillip in our Straight Talk video below!   So, you reached out to Recording Connection and went to interview with mentor Steve Catizone at Infinite Recording Studios in Boston. Tell us about that.   “I came in thinking it was going to be intimidating, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, will he like my music? Oh, this is a professional guy. I’m not a professional,’ … but it was… literally the opposite…. I came in [and] he was like, ‘All right. Let’s get into it. Let me hear your music.’ And then we dived into [it]… and we started a conversation about what I wanted to do with the music.”   Your dad went with you. What was that like? Did he ask questions or just observe?   “It was a mix of both. He would ask questions, you know, parental questions… to get more information. But then he would sit back and really watch what’s going on and see how I’m acting… to see if I really wanted it, and it’s something I really wanted.”   What are some of the biggest or most helpful things Steve has taught you?   “We sat down going from lesson one, what is sound and all that, like, I didn’t even really know what sound was!… That even blew my mind…. So, now, I think about sound differently when I’m producing…. He explained… a lot of things from how I would deal with artists, clients, to how I would sidekick to the 808 and engineering questions. So, [there’s] a lot of information that he helped me with. …   As far as engineering, Recording Connection, they taught me everything from the input of the mic to EQ’ing, mastering the finished products, everything. And there’s a lot to go through. There’s a lot…. I can do a lot more than I thought I could have [before]. A lot more.”   When it came down to getting the right sound, was being able to learn straight from a pro helpful?   “With a pro…. he can show you different ways of getting that sound without telling you directly, ‘You need to do it this way,’ versus learning it on your own and testing and testing and testing… It’s good help.”   You’re now officially part of the team at Infinite Recording Studios. How did you feel when you got brought on as staff engineer?   “When I was brought on at Infinite, I felt accomplished, motivated, and prepared. I had worked very hard in my studies and my craft for a long time.”   Along with your work at Infinite, you’ve also been producing an up-and-coming artist.   “Her name is Shine Red Diamond [@shinereddiamond on Instagram]. I met her through a studio owner and my business partner…. We’re basically helping each other become each other’s best. So, everything production-wise, she can get from me, and everything from an artist, I can get from her. And we are working on… two mixtapes and an album. The album is pretty much… done and the mixtapes are on [the] way.”   How does it feel to be a working pro?   “I feel much more knowledgeable and confident. I gained a lot of real in-the-studio experience. Working in real time where anything can go wrong, teaches me many ways to fix many problems that I run into before, during, and after a session.”   What’s your advice to current and future Recording Connection students? How can they make the most of the program while they’re in it?   “When you are taking the Recording Connection’s classes, do take them very seriously because it’s a lot of information to know…. If I had this information [before] Boom! It would have been a lot easier. A lot easier… and not a lot of time wasted. Just figuring out the ‘simple stuff’ that I learned here is crazy. It’s really crazy.”   Learn more about Recording Connection, for Audio Engineering & Music Production, Beat Making, EDM, Live Sound, Music Business, DJing, and more!  
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Student Successes
 

Already a Pro, Radio Connection grad Alondra Nuñez
Gears Up for the Road Ahead!

  

Radio Connection graduate Alondra Nuñez

Meet recent Radio Connection grad Alondra Nuñez. When Alondra made the decision to invest in building her radio broadcasting knowledge and skills, she was already on the air at three radio stations and on Telemundo’s show, De Todo un Poco. Despite her nearly overnight success, Alondra didn’t rest on her laurels. Instead, she made the choice to get real-world education and insight that will serve her well in the journey ahead.   So, Alondra, what led you to Radio Connection in the first place?   “I started working for radio before I got into Radio Connection. It all started because I was actually a vlogger on YouTube and… on Instagram as well…. I do have a big following, and they actually found me, like the radio station actually found me and they were like, ‘Hey, like, we would love for you to come on air and be part of… Telemundo.’…   And then once I was working there… I realized that I really loved radio and TV… [and] that I wanted to get better at what I do, so that’s when I hit up Radio Connection.” Learn more about Alondra’s journey and where you can hear her in our Straight Talk video below!   Wow, that’s super impressive! Did you always know that being in radio and television was what you wanted to do?   “No, I didn’t at all…. I just kind of started doing videos but I never even thought much of them. I really just did it because I genuinely loved it and they just came so natural, and I ended up in radio…. I’ve always been into motivational speaking, and I was always that weird girl that was always like, ‘You know what? You need to shine your light and you have to be happy.’… I always wanted to… [be] that girl that instead of being on Snapchat taking pictures with their friends, I wanted to be that person to be like, ‘Hey, have a good day, okay? You know, have a beautiful day.’”   You were matched with Craig Larson, Chief Operating Officer of Gow Media. What was it like training with Craig?   “[He] has been an angel…. A lot of people in the industry, they won’t teach you what they know because it’s a very competitive industry…. and that’s when… [I] got into this world of learning and just me being able to talk to somebody that understands and will give me all the feedback that I need and all the new radio stuff that I didn’t know about…. He has taught me so much and I thank him a lot.”   What do you feel is the most important thing Craig helped you with?   “Craig made sure to let me know the importance of formatting and the way that the station actually measures your ratings, and I thought that was very important because, I was just saying things without really realizing the importance of the times and how it could really affect the audience and my ratings as well. It’s very important, and I thank Craig for that.”   What are your plans and goals going forward?   “I want to pursue the motivational speaking [and]… I… want to have like a morning show that can get people up and to just be motivated and go out and do what they have to do and make their money…. But, I mean, the possibilities are limitless, so I’m open for any cool stuff.”   What’s your advice to people who want to have their own YouTube channel but fear is holding them back?   “It might sound cliche, but life is too short…. I feel like everybody is able to do radio if they just get themselves out there and believe in themselves…. Just turn on the camera, and even though you might… feel a little weird… you get used to it because you start thinking about the people that are really listening to you and you realize that you do make an impact.”   What’s your advice to Radio Connection students? How can they make the most of the program while they’re in it?   “Staying consistent and committed…. If you’re consistent and if you’re committed to your dreams, anything can happen because Craig and everybody that’s involved with Radio Connection make(s) sure that they’re doing their part…. Even Alex [Solis], the [Academic Facilitator] that teaches me… Studio One and how to use the mic, he’s always making sure that I’m good. They’re always checking up on me, emailing, calling. They make sure that I’m set for everything that I need to keep learning.”   Learn more about Radio Connection, for broadcasting, podcasting, sports announcing, and more!  
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or call (800) 755-7597

Student Successes
 

Film Connection grad Saif Zwainati Finds His “In”
& Gets Going on Festival Short and Feature Film!

  

Film Connection graduate Saif Zwainati

  By the time Saif Zwainati enrolled in Film Connection, he’d already completed a number of smaller film projects and commercials and thought he knew just about everything there was to know about film. Once he started training with Film Connection mentor, producer/screenwriter Richard Brandes (Who Took My Daughter, Penny Dreadful), Saif became keenly aware of just how much he didn’t know. Now, armed with knowhow, insight, and connections, Saif has got his foot in the door at a production company, has completed pre-production on his short film, and is co-writing a historical feature film he plans on directing.   We recently connected with the busy filmmaker and got the lowdown on all of it!   It takes courage to admit not knowing something. When you started Film Connection you thought you understood the whole colossal feat of making a movie. Then you discovered otherwise.   “I was working in my country as a filmmaker for five years. I thought I know everything, yeah. I thought I know everything about directing but when I came to America and when I start study, everything changed…. And when I get into Film Connection, my view… changed. I didn’t know anything because I didn’t know the pre-production, I didn’t know how to write the script… but now I have more experience.” Watch our interview with Saif in our Straight Talk video below!   What do you consider to be the biggest thing Richard taught you?   “Actually, the biggest thing, it’s everything…. I finished the program and Richard helped me to work with production company and I hold my dream now.”   Richard connected you with a production company that shoots ten features every year. Despite the connection, you had to prove your worth. Now, you’ve been asked to do another film with them. What, in your opinion, did you do right?   “I worked with the BG, the background. I did everything correct… and the director, every single day he said, ‘I want Saif. Go with the BG. Move the BG, like that, like that.’… And I did everything correct and the company liked me. They saw I can work. I can make something. They said, ‘Okay, can you come next time…?’ I said, ‘Okay, this is my dream. I want to come.’… Now this is my second movie. I’m going to go.”   You’re also gearing up to do your own short film.   “I raised, like, $50,000 by myself and I’m going to make this movie in a different country… And I did all the pre-production…. And this movie, this short movie, it’s going to be my first movie as a director and I’m going to keep making [a] movie every two months or three months…. No problem for me because I want to be director…. I’m going to go into Cannes Festival with my short movie…. This is my goal, for now.”   And what’s the feature film you’re developing?   “I have a historical story. It’s a true story. And I have the investor for this story. It’s a company in my country. And they want to make this story. I was work with them before and they know I am studying with Film Connection. They know I am working now with the production company and they asked me, ‘Saif, we want to make this story with Hollywood. Can we do that?’ I said, ‘Okay, we can do that.’ … I spoke with Richard. I spoke with another producer and I told him we have the historical story and I have the investor. …   Now we’re writing… the script…. Me and four people from my country because it’s an Arabic story. And they know everything about the history for this story.”   When it comes to filmmaking, do you feel like now you know how to go from A all the way to Z, from development to post?   “Yeah, I know everything because [of] the program.”   We hear your mother has been very supportive of your filmmaking goals. How does she feel about your learning and experiences in Film Connection?   “She’s so happy now because she sees me. I am making my dream real. And she helped me a lot. Until now she helped me, day after day, and all the time she says, ‘Oh, please, Saif, go, keep going, keep going, keep going…. Just keep going and make your dream real.’ And she’s so happy now.”   Learn more about Film Connection for film production & editing, cinematography, and more!  
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