In this article Damian Kearns presents the experiences of three young audio professionals who have had to navigate those difficult first steps into the industry.

Having trouble finding work during the pandemic? Are you young and eager but feeling like finding work is harder than ever? In this article, we hear from young adults who’ve recently entered the workforce. What worked for them? Can it work for you? 

8 years ago, I was downsized and had to figure out how to enter a workforce I hadn’t had to compete in for nearly 16 years. I had a wealth of experience, work history and credits under my belt, as well as a broad network of connections. In other words, I’m not someone who can relate to starting up in this industry as a young person in the 2020’s. 

Good thing for me, I know a number of people who are young and have had to look for work. I thought I’d let them write for this article and then sum things up afterwards. 

Levi, In His Own Words

As a newcomer to the film and TV industry just two years ago, the methods used for job hunting were vast. Initially, I reached out to colleagues and mentors from previous internships or shadowing opportunities to see if they needed new talent in their work environments. But, of course due to COVID-19 around this time it was difficult for a lot of companies to hire new people because it had been the case for a lot of them that they had to let people go. This led to experimenting with another job searching method which was to cold call/email local production companies in the Toronto area. This involved browsing various job sites and company websites to find contact info on the people that would be interested in my skill set or be able to pass it on. Emailing was the bulk of the communication between these companies as a lot of them were working remotely at the time. This also meant that I wasn’t able to go into their offices and put a face to the name, which might have helped my case. The final job searching method I resorted to was Facebook groups. The “I need a producer / fixer / crew - Canada Edition” group was extremely encouraging because it proved an easier way to get professionals’ contact information compared to the last method. I had my breakthrough on this Facebook group, which led to my first multi-national TV show contract as a Sound Assistant.

Overall, graduating out of University in the height of a global outbreak made finding a job extremely different than before. I kept myself motivated by developing my portfolio website, audio reel, and resume/CV to present to potential employers. This seemed to pay off in the long run and encourage people starting out to do the same.”

I’ve known Levi for a number of years. A family friend of his approached me on his behalf when Levi was still in high school. Levi came and shadowed me on the job for a few days, was always respectful and attentive, chose his questions well and remained silent until there was a break in the action. I’m pleased that I have been able to mentor him along the way. His attitude has always impressed me and he’s always kept up our friendship. 

Gwen, In Her Own Words

I met Damian when I attended OIART - an audio engineering school in London, ON. After giving a talk, I approached Damian for a critique on a project that I was working on during my semester.  

Although I've stepped away from the industry and am now exploring the world of e-commerce, my gender or heritage didn’t really have an impact on my job search. 

These factors don’t get in the way of what it is that I’m trying to pursue, nor are they the reason why I opted for the fields that called to me. That was it - they just called to me and I followed suit. 

What deeply matters to me are that my goals align with my core values, challenge my way of thinking, and give me a sense of purpose.

I met Gwen when she was still at recording school, as she mentioned. Gwen was with me when we were building my studio and helped out a lot that first year of operation. Her interests in audio didn’t quite align with my workload so she moved on, eventually changing her career path. Her personal charm and willingness to heed advice gave me the impression that she would do well at whatever she decided to pursue. 

Ben, In His Own Words

When I was looking for work in production, I decided it would be best if I talked to a lot of people. I think networking is integral to finding work in any field — whether it is an actual position or finding future work with a returning partner. Throughout school, I was in a class with a lot of students who excelled at multiple things. While I believed I was one of those people, the same people typically picked the same people to work with, not because they were best friends but because they knew they could rely on that person. So when I first tried to break into the ‘real world’, I decided to contact almost every contact I had made throughout my time at university. A lot of people in audio (and media in general) are good at multiple things so building a resume/CV of impressive work and maintaining strong connections goes a long way when finding work. It took a lot of work and a lot of emailing but through a friend, I was able to find a new contact who had multiple years in the industry. I did not get a job straight away but after contacting her multiple times, she gave my information to my current boss. He needed help at the time and due to my skills and experience, I knew that I could help. I am only a few months into my current job but it has gone very well and I am learning a lot. During my job search, I recognized that a job that refined my skills would be what is best for me and my employer. In audio, you need to continue to refine your aural palette, and getting more experience through different types of projects is integral to moving forward.

I was working with a producer on a recent project with a friend who was looking for work. She emailed me to ask if I might consider hiring Ben? Timing, as we know, is everything. Ben’s name came across my desk at the perfect moment. What’s more, he presented well. He emailed me straight away, showed up promptly for our first meeting and came in with a healthy attitude. After four months working for me, his skills have blossomed and his credit list is starting to form. He’s never once been late and I like to start right at 9 a.m. I’m very proud to have him with me on all my projects and am grateful to our mutual contact for proffering his services. 

Damian, In His Own Words

Things are different for established people, looking for work. When I was downsized 9 years ago, I had a career with a long track record, contacts and multiple skills that had been developed over 18 years of work experience. That doesn’t mean I didn’t face difficulties, they were just different difficulties to my friends featured in this article. Mindful of my hard-earned advantages, I’ve always tried to help people into this business and some of them have written for this article.

The Takeaways

There are a few points we can glean from what everyone has been saying

1.  Developing a contact means actively engaging with the person and displaying not just enthusiasm, but aptitude, willingness to learn and being personable. If your ambition is to join a creative team, you’ve got to present as the sort of person people will want to spend long, hard hours with. 

2. Leave no stone unturned. As much as the internet can help you blitz a thousand places in a matter of hours, there are opportunities everywhere and some of them require little more than a phone call, an email or a personal visit.

3. Keep your studies up to date. My friends all came to me with skills and all of them kept up with the latest trends and audio technology. This site is an excellent place to learn but whatever we post here should be part of a broader education based around reading manuals and experimentation. 

4. Try to think of places to look for work that aren’t obvious. This is how I got my job at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and also how Ben came to work for me.

A Request To Other Freelancers

The pandemic has really altered my priorities. I’m no longer content to just throw around a few words of advice or write an email on someone’s behalf. I know people out there have had the rug pulled out from under them, in terms of how the workforce has radically changed during Covid. There aren’t as many traditional audio gigs up for grabs right now but we’ve got young talent eager to start. Some of us can help fill that void. 

What I’ve done in hiring Ben, is to provide an opportunity for him to keep learning and practising and growing. If those of us who have the means to employ new talent were to do so in a part-time, full-time, or freelance capacity, we’d be setting ourselves up for future success and growth, on every level. The time Ben saves me by helping out on my projects is time I devote to my work here for Production Expert. For this, I am truly grateful.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels