Their Story
Not only does learning as an extern give you access to other professionals in the industry, but as Recording Connection student Orlando Gomez found out, it can also get you in the door of a ground-floor opportunity with an up-and-coming studio.
When Orlando enrolled in the Recording Connection, his primary purpose was to get hired—so much so that from the moment he started his externing at Beacon Hill Recording Studio in El Paso, TX, he thought of it as a job.
Beacon Hill, as it turns out, was a fairly new studio in the El Paso area, just trying to build its reputation—but the people working there were certainly not novices. The studio was staffed with engineers who had worked with major players like John Legend, Shakira, Sting and others. By externing there, Orlando was definitely in good company—particularly with his mentor, Alfredo Gonzalez.
During his externship/externship, not only did Orlando learn the ins and outs of engineering and producing, but he also got to help out with some session work with key like Latin Christian artists Evan Craft and Marcela Gandara. And because he was “in the door” at the beginning stages, he was there to participate in the landmark moment when Beacon Hill landed its first major label client—namely, hip-hop icon B.o.B.!
Orlando’s work ethic paid off as well. By treating his externship/externship like a job, he literally worked his way into one. Today, he’s a full-time staff engineer at Beacon Hill, playing an integral role at a growing recording studio with a promising future.
“I love being at Beacon Hill…I love all the people there,” he says. “I just feel we have a good chance of being a really great production company.”
