ProSoundWeb Community
Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => Lighting Forum => Topic started by: kurt honey on May 20, 2013, 03:08:01 PM
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Ive been working full-time in the live event industry in the UK for over 10 years mainly working for the same company, but gone freelance this year and looking for extra means of finding work.
If anyone is a crewspace member could you pls send an invite to [email protected]
Know this isn t in the spirit of crewspace (or content for this forum) but none of my contacts are members, this would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Kurt
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Know this isn t in the spirit of crewspace (or content for this forum)
It also violates the posting rules of these forums.
Please go to your profile and change the "Name" field to your real first and last name as required by the posting rules displayed in the header at the top of the section, and in the Site Rules and Suggestions (http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/board,36.0.html) in the Forum Announcements section, and on the registration page when you registered.
Mac
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Just seeking the co-operation from fellow industry professionals - is that too much to ask?
Ive been working full-time in the live event industry in the UK for over 10 years mainly working for the same company, but gone freelance this year and looking for extra means of finding work.
If anyone is a crewspace member could you pls send an invite to [email protected]
Know this isn t in the spirit of crewspace (or content for this forum) but none of my contacts are members, this would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Kurt
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Just seeking the co-operation from fellow industry professionals - is that too much to ask?
This is from a friend of mine. He started out doing bullshit local production. Now he's touring some pretty big shows. This is really the only way to get anywhere in this biz. It sucks. A lot! Unfortunately for the few of us that do it, we just suck it up and keep going.
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This is from a friend of mine. He started out doing bullshit local production. Now he's touring some pretty big shows. This is really the only way to get anywhere in this biz. It sucks. A lot! Unfortunately for the few of us that do it, we just suck it up and keep going.
Liked o yeah this ain't FB
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This is from a friend of mine. He started out doing bullshit local production. Now he's touring some pretty big shows. This is really the only way to get anywhere in this biz. It sucks. A lot! Unfortunately for the few of us that do it, we just suck it up and keep going.
its the truth...it can take years to get in, or sometimes you may get lucky and pick up something quick. regardless, YOU have to do the hard yards before anyone will respect you as an LD. i have worked with incomings who are complete hacks, and incomings that are amazing, but most of the time not at all. i respect everyone and their workings, and i don't question what they want me to do. but you can tell the ones that a new, and those that are straight out of a school or training. and its all in their attitude.
kurt to think that we owe you something because you are on some website and because you can't find enough work cos you decided to go freelance, and then ask us for our contacts to contact you or us to contact you. not to mention then having a crack at us when we don't answer a post pertaining to this, personally i find somewhat offensive. i can safely say now that i have been in this industry for 15 years, i have made some great contacts through my shows that i do. im happy to share these but with other people and LD's that i know, but not over a forum/web space where i don't know the people here personally.
you need to make your name yourself, and i suggest doing so yourself. Tim was spot on when he said, you need to do the hard yard yourself.
you don't do the big bands straight up, and there is a reason for it.
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My second post about "seeking co-operation" was a bit flippant and obviously came across badly.
Working in this industry is a labour of love for me, I don t do it for the money or for the kudos, but because I love it and that's where I want to be now and in the future
My understanding of crewspace is a forum where production companies in need of crew advertise jobs. A place where these jobs are given to professionals on their individual merits, experience and ability to do the job. My request was not asking people directly for their individual contacts, stealing other peoples work or queue jumping to work "the big bands" something I have no desire to do this, just happy to be working.
It was a simple request from myself for the extra means to earn a quid and provide for my family.
I have done "my time" and will continue to do so, hopefully learning form others but not patronized by them.
......Oh and thanks to the LD that did posted me the link, without the lecture.
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My second post about "seeking co-operation" was a bit flippant and obviously came across badly.
Working in this industry is a labour of love for me, I don t do it for the money or for the kudos, but because I love it and that's where I want to be now and in the future
My understanding of crewspace is a forum where production companies in need of crew advertise jobs. A place where these jobs are given to professionals on their individual merits, experience and ability to do the job. My request was not asking people directly for their individual contacts, stealing other peoples work or queue jumping to work "the big bands" something I have no desire to do this, just happy to be working.
It was a simple request from myself for the extra means to earn a quid and provide for my family.
I have done "my time" and will continue to do so, hopefully learning form others but not patronized by them.
......Oh and thanks to the LD that did posted me the link, without the lecture.
your understanding of crewspace is a bit incomplete. yes, members network to get work. but it's also a social networking space. that's precisely why it is by invitation only. it's supposed to be like hanging our at someone's house party, not like the nightclub down the street that will let in anyone with spending money. honesty, i don't understand how you could have been working in the live event business for 10 years and yet no one you know personally is a crewspace member or might know a crewspace member. makes me wonder just what kind of events you've been doing.
anyway, i'm sure you're a hard worker. and i'm sure you're serious about doing well in this business. but this thread on a prominent professional forum did not do you any favors. i hope for you sake that who you are in real life bears little resemblance to what you portray here.
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This is from a friend of mine. He started out doing bullshit local production. Now he's touring some pretty big shows. This is really the only way to get anywhere in this biz. It sucks. A lot! Unfortunately for the few of us that do it, we just suck it up and keep going.
I had a sound engineer who worked for me for probably six years. He started out running the sound board while I ran lights. Day 1, he was the FOH engineer (the only experience he'd had at that point was running a small board at a local open mic night). Fast-forward five years. He's still running FOH for me (and doing a not-so-bad job of it, I might point out). A manager from the local Fox Theater here in Riverside stopped by a gig I was doing one night and asked me if I'd like to do sound at the Fox. I turned it down because my day job wouldn't allow me to do such work (and I'm perfectly happy in this business doing strictly local/regional stuff), but I turned him on to a couple of my sound engineers, including the guy that started with me.
Now the Fox does a whole lot of National B acts (e.g., Pat Benatar, , lots of major plays and musicals, and the occasional A act (e.g., Sheryl Crow). This was a tremendous opportunity for the guy. I few months later I asked him "how's it going at the Fox?" He replied
"Well, I quit. They had me moving props and rolling cables. I wanted to run FOH."
I was a bit flabbergasted. I told him:
"Dude, this is the way it works in this industry: you go to work for a local company rolling cables and work you way up to FOH. Then you move on to a regional company and start all over again rolling cables and work your way up to FOH. Then you move on to a national company and start rolling cables and work you way up to FOH. That's called 'paying your dues' and that's the way this business works."
He replied "Well, I was hoping God would provide me a shortcut."
To which I replied:
"He did. You started out at FOH at a local company. You had an opportunity to skip over the regional sound company and start working with national acts. I can name a dozen people who would kill for the opportunity (and shortcut) that you've had. And you walked away from it."
There are only two ways to really "make it" in this industry. Suck it up and pay the dues (while working for next to nothing I might point out). Or you can as I've done -- get a really good paying day job and start your own sound (or lighting) company. I don't recommend the last option unless you *really* love the business, though. I've been at it for about 10 years now and I'm still working for the massive pile of gear in my garage. I'd like to say it's all paid off (and has paid for itself), but I just bought a whole bunch of new lighting gear, truss, etc., so I'm back to working for equipment for a year or two...
To the OP: the best advice I can give you is to get work with more than one company. I have a relatively high turnover with my employees because I'm constantly urging them to expand their experiences and work for other companies (of course, the fact that I only hire part-timers has a lot to do with the turnover, too). If you expand your network, you'll probably meet some people who are on crewspace. Join a union. I'm not a union man myself, but if you want to do stagecraft work, being in a union is one of the best ways to get gigs.
Cheers,
Randy Hyde
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I think we need an American Idol or The Voice for FOH engineers. I wish it were not true but most guys I see who worked their way up have way less talent than a lot of others who quit or decided on another path. Overall this is too bad as at least half the life shows I see, regardless of size, have way too little talent at FOH. I don't care if my heart surgeon knows how to drive an ambulance, sweep floors and clean bedpans.
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your understanding of crewspace is a bit incomplete. (snip) honestly, i don't understand how you could have been working in the live event business for 10 years and yet no one you know personally is a crewspace member or might know a crewspace member. makes me wonder just what kind of events you've been doing.
On that same note, http://public.crewspace.com/preview/cs-application.php?cs_=www shows a manner by which you can request an invitation from Crewspace directly. Did you try that route? It does appear to require three references; people who know you in the pro community. So, if you didn't put in three references (whether it be because you don't know enough different people, or the ones you do know wouldn't give you a positive referral) then working to expand your current network of contacts would seem to be advisable.
Ray
Ray