Corey Lozneanu Began with a Formal Audio Education at The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, and is Now an A1 and A2 with Lombard, Illinois-based Program Productions
April 11, 2023 – If you work hard, have a strong desire to be the best you can be in a specific field, and are a person others want to work with, dreams do come true.
Just ask 24-year-old Chicago-native Corey Lozneanu. He knew he wanted to work in sports broadcasting. Now, he’s an A1 and A2 with Lombard, Illinois-based Program Productions.
“I started volunteering in the audio video department at my church when I was 14-years-old, and by 16 I was gaining more and more responsibilities,” explained Lozneanu. “I also started working in video, and by age 18 I was working almost every service, and even teaching new people the basics of audio and how to use the sound board.”
By age 22, Lozneanu had decided to get a formal audio education and prepare for a career in the field. More specifically, sports broadcasting.
And that’s where Tempe/Gilbert, Arizona-based Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) entered his life and paved the way to the industry he knew he wanted to make his career.
“Growing up in Illinois, I would visit the Phoenix area because I had friends and family there,” said Lozneanu. “One of my friends worked in live sound at a church in the area and I would see him sharing on social media about it. We were hanging out one day and I had a chance to talk to him about CRAS and his career. I asked him for some info, and I then went and took a tour of the school.”
Lozneanu, a 2022 CRAS graduate, didn’t know where he would work after he finished at CRAS. However, once he began his education there he knew that he wanted to work in sports broadcasting.
“CRAS took my very basic audio knowledge from my days at the church and taught me the fundamentals and all aspects of audio, which gave me a great foundation to continue to learn and build upon,” Lozneanu continued. “I really enjoyed networking and talking to people in my time at CRAS. They introduced me to a former A1 in sports broadcasting and I was able to get a position as a runner and utility worker out of school. I still work for this company over a year later.”
When Lozneanu started his internship at Program Productions, he was working just a few days a month in a position unrelated to audio as a utility worker and a runner for a few months.
“I knew it was a great way to get my foot in the door,” Lozneanu explained. “When I would go to work I would ask to watch the A1’s and A2’s at work while they would make patches and mix. After a few months, I was given the opportunity to become an A2 for the first time. I did my best and continued to learn. Now I am regularly scheduled to A1 and A2 for games in the city.”
As an A1 and A2, Lozneanu makes executive decisions for the events he works. As the A1, he chooses which microphone to use, where it goes, how it gets routed and how it sounds, and is also responsible to mix the event as well as handle communications between the crew. As the A2, he follows the A1 and they work together to make sure everything is in its correct position and working correctly, and troubleshoot when necessary.
“Corey is passionate, ambitious and hard-working,” said Stephanie B, one of Lozneanu’s managers. “He is well equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in his career, and uses them daily to accomplish his goals.”
In just a year’s time, Lozneanu has worked with every top level professional sports team in Chicago, including the NFL’s Chicago Bears, NBA’s Chicago Bulls, MLB’s Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. He also works with colleges including DePaul University, Northwestern University, and Loyola University. He’s also traveled outside Illinois and worked with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, NHL’s St. Louis Blues, and several NCAA universities.
Lozneanu has also worked with TV networks such as FOX, CBS, NBC, Big Ten Network, and others, plus streaming services including Apple TV, YouTube TV, and Amazon Prime Video.
Lozneanu added that working these games that he has had the chance to meet a lot of great people and celebrities.
“It is always cool to pass by a popular player and say hello,” Lozneanu said. “I have done live interviews with players and I’ve had the opportunity to exchange a few words with them, such as Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Durant, and James Harden. Even celebrities such as Adam Sandler will come in the back and say ‘hi’ and introduce themselves to the crew. A lot of cool people come to these games.”
Lozneanu concluded, reminiscing that “CRAS talks about being a ‘good hang’. I have noticed that in our industry, if you are a good person and people like working with you, you will be given more work. I also cannot stress enough how important it is to start networking and getting your name out there as soon as you can in your career. I have had many opportunities come up because of a conversation I had with someone that left a good impression. Networking is your best friend.”
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About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.
CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.
The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.
For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to info@cras.edu.
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