The Student Services Department of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences Recently Traveled to the Greater Los Angeles Area and Met with Leading Pro Audio Recording Studio Managers on Behalf of its Students for Future Internships and Employment
Gilbert, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2022 – Education, work ethic, and connections are the keys to success in this business. Recently, the Student Services Department of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu) traveled to southern California on behalf of its current and future students.
“We sent members of our staff to the greater Los Angeles area for the purpose of visiting studios and companies that CRAS has had long standing relationships with, and additionally open up new doors for up and coming students and graduates,” explained Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “These visits help place our students in their mandatory internships prior to graduation, and then open potential graduate job placement opportunities. All of this helps our current and future students get a leg up when positioning themselves near or after graduation in some of the industry’s best available pro audio environments.”
During the visit, CRAS staff met with personnel from Touring Video, VSI TV, Evergreen Studios, Outloud Audio, Little Big Room, Transported Audio, TV Pro Gear, Record Plant, Paramount Recording, APG, Sound Factory, East West, Shangri La, Studio Malibu, Internet Money, Remote Control Productions, The Village, and The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood.
“Some of the managers we had never met in person, even though we have had long lasting relationships with them,” said Rachel Ludeman, CRAS Employment Coordinator. “So, to put a face to the name has a huge impact. We always see it as incredibly beneficial to create a deeper connection with managers rather than just a phone call or an email exchange. Additionally, it shows care and genuine interest when the managers see that CRAS makes an extra effort to come out to LA to visit their facilities and shake hands.”
Getting a better idea of how their business runs, what kind of staff they need, and an overall feel for the culture of the company is a massive key in CRAS better placing students in the right facilities. CRAS additionally got to see its graduates working in the field at some of the biggest studios in L.A.
“We held a CRAS graduate meet up night, where more than 30 of our graduates came out to connect with us and network with each other, and so the overall trip outcome was immense and successful on many levels,” Ludeman added.
“CRAS was the first school we started working with when we opened up in Los Angeles,” said Cameell Hanna, manager of Sound Factory. “For the better part of 10 years now, all our key staff roles have been filled by CRAS students we’ve met through the mentor program and invested in. Last year, one of those students, Roberto Moreno (2017 CRAS graduate), was the assistant on albums that received multiple GRAMMY awards and 17 nominations. Reconnecting with the CRAS team on their last visit and seeing some familiar faces who have been in this with us since the beginning was a great moment.”
Added Greg Ruoff, production studios manager at TV Pro Gear, “As an alumnus of CRAS myself, I’ve confidently been hiring fellow CRAS graduates for more than 14 years fully knowing they’ll bring the very best to the table. When the need arises, my very first call is to the great team of intern and career coordinators at CRAS who always seem to find just the right person for me. Most recently I got to spend some time with Rachel, Becky (Fimbres) and the others while touring them of the brand new facilities we’re building here in Los Angeles. It’s always a pleasure. I can’t wait to meet some of the newest graduates and help them get going with their careers.”
Candace Stewart, studio manager at East West, said, “CRAS grads are the best! Because the people who work at CRAS, starting with their administrator Kirt Hamm, and Rachel Ludeman, and Becky Fimbres, actually care about the students. Not just during their time at CRAS but once they have graduated, and long afterwards. They take the time to come out and see the facilities where their graduates will be placed, meet the studio managers, spend time with us, and get to know what it is that we need from any potential candidate. I trust them to send me the very best.”
Mark Holden (He/Him/His), Owner/Producer/Chief Engineer of The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, concluded, “We first became aware of CRAS in late 2019 through our now supervising engineer, Charles Carroll, who was accepted as an intern, subsequently hired, and quickly climbed the ranks to be our number 1 engineer. Since then, we’ve had several interns and employees from CRAS who’ve all demonstrated very high technical proficiency right out of school. Their conceptual understanding of signal flow mixed with their Pro Tools proficiency is a combo rarely seen in recent graduates from other institutions. We had the great pleasure of hosting Rachel and her CRAS team for a tour this summer and it helped our team meld for unmatched professional recruiting. We’re very happy with all of our interactions with CRAS.”
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences 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 Ultimate, 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 [email protected].
About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s premier institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.
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