Not Quite Educational...

[punktech]

so...here's the story:
due to personal reason i'm leaving school this semester and i am going to start working. i hope to have some sort of job at least lined up, if not beginning, in the next 3 weeks. i want to be a lighting tech on a concert tour. i will take any job related to lighting (ie on small shows, i'm fine with being both a carp and a lighting b*tch). i'm very good at: hang and focus, basic repair and maintenance, troubleshooting (with manual in hand usually), and all other basic skills. i'm fairly good at: board operation, followspots, and working with moving lights (i can troubleshoot and i am learning how to repair small problems). i'm a good climber, very little in the fear of heights department (i have a healthy respect for falling though). i'm a quick learner too, i actually enjoy reading manuals is probably why. and i hope that you can see i'm passionate about this from what i've written here and on other posts.

so now for the questions:
a.) are there any entry-level openings that you know about? if yes, please message me the pertinent info (website, address, any info you have about the company or people)
b.) what is the industry looking like as a whole now? economically speaking, is it possible for me to get a good, interesting job (preferably in the concert industry) right now?
c.) what is Art Search (sp?) and how do i get a password?
d.) what sites are there out there on the 'tubes for me to peruse for jobs? are there any that cater to the concert industry?
e.) what trade magazines or the like have classifieds? is there a publication that is strictly job listings?
f.) what advice do you have for someone making the big leap from college to the real world, and concert touring?

thank you guys! any help will be appreciated. right now i'm looking for openings, and while i've found a few, i know i need to find a lot more to up my chances of getting a good job. i will keep you guys posted on how it goes, and will probably have more questions.

peace
~punktech (aka Meghan)

 

[icewolf08]

a.) are there any entry-level openings that you know about? if yes, please message me the pertinent info (website, address, any info you have about the company or people)

Look up FELD entertainment, they are big with the touring shows. Don't know if they are hiring now though.

b.) what is the industry looking like as a whole now? economically speaking, is it possible for me to get a good, interesting job (preferably in the concert industry) right now?

It is hard to say, a lot of companies are not hiring right now, but you just have to look.

c.) what is Art Search (sp?) and how do i get a password?

ArtSearch is a website sponsored by TCG. You can get a password by googling "Artsearch Password", or ask the career office ot your school if they have one as many schools do.

d.) what sites are there out there on the 'tubes for me to peruse for jobs? are there any that cater to the concert industry?

Try Backstagejobs.com

 

[dvsDave]

Start by reading this: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/collaborative-articles/9123-getting-job-industry.html

 

[derekleffew]

a) No company: PRG, Upstaging, Ed&Teds, Epic, et cetera, is going to put a person out on the road that they don't know, unless the candidate comes highly recommended by at least two independent sources.
b) Now is neither better nor worse than any other time. Summer tours are ramping up, or will be soon. Perhaps a shop job until the season gets further underway.
c) ArtSEARCH is an online and printed job listing service. A six-month, online-only subsription is $40. Highly unlikely you'll find a touring Rock show lighting technician position listed.
d) Roadie.net, backstagejobs.com.
e) See "c".
f) See the collaborative article: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/collaborative-articles/9123-getting-job-industry.html, and this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/6384-i-want-lighting-designer.html.

 

[gafftaper]

Odds are VERY slim that you can get a job touring right now. If you want to tour you probably need to get yourself out of "middle of nowhere, MA" and into the big city. NY, Chicago, Vegas, or LA would be great bets but any big city will be better than wear you are now. Get a job with a company that does gigs.

When I was a high school teacher one of my students called down to this nearby production company and asked if she could interview the guy for a senior project. Within a month she was running lights and sound for raves held at his studio. By the time summer hit she was running sound at the county fair and other small out door concert gigs. A couple years later she was working gigs all over town several nights a week as well as setting up and putting away rental gear. Eventually she went out for a couple months on a has been band's casino tour. I haven't heard from her in years but that is the kind of start that leads to being able to do big concert tours. It's also a story that is possible for you to copy... in the right city. You better like Top Ramen because you will be very poor four a while.

 

[ruinexplorer]

I second Feld entertainment. While I never worked for them, many successful touring techs that I know got their start there.

The other good places to look for work are with cruise ships, theme parks, and road houses. You will gain great experience.

Of course I'm sure the collaborative articles have covered this (it's been a while since I perused them).

Most http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/collaborative-articles/7856-industry-periodicals.html have classified ads in them, but one of the best bets is to look in your phone book locally and start making calls to staging companies. Ambition is rewarded. If you wait for a job to be listed, you will be competing with a lot more people. If you contact companies that have yet to post a job, you may have first dibs. Obviously, large companies usually have hiring practices where they only accept applications for open positions, so you will have to wait for those. The only way to find out is to start calling.

 

[NickJones]

I'm in Australia, and we have ALIA (Australian Lighting Industry Association) and they have a list of going jobs. There is sure to be an equivalent for wherever you are.
Have a look,
They don't advertise much touring on ALIA, but there are lots of positions for venue techs.
ruinexplorer's ideas of working in theme parks is one I hadn't really thought about. Being a tech on a Cruise Ship, that could be really good fun....
Nick

 

[TheatreImage]

getting a job in the shop is a great way to start... you can work on and learn the gear that company uses and get familiar with there practices... then be on the look out for road staff positions...

there is also the circus...