Pace
University students took a trip to NBC Studios at the famous 30 Rockefeller
Center in New York City to see a live taping of the Meredith Vieira Show
earlier this month, but there was only room for 15 students. One student
expressed her enthusiasm of this opportunity to see what goes on behind the
scenes with the production crew.
“I thought
the event was just an overall amazing experience,” Mayra Maradiaga, junior and
communications major at Pace University said. “You could tell that everyone
loved working there and really cared about the audience being comfortable and
having a good time.”
Maradiaga
and other students were able to experience this live taping because of Melanie
J LaRosa, who just started teaching at Pace University in the fall. She is
currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Media, Communications, and
Visual Arts Department on the Pleasantville campus. However, she’s taught
college for ten years prior to accepting this position. LaRosa was able to make
this trip available to students through one of the show producers who invited
groups of students to attend the show.
“The show is
relatively new and it is common for producers to invite student audiences to
live tapings,” LaRosa said. “Sometimes they do it as a way to build audiences
for new shows, but they also do it to involve media students in an engaging way
in the show.”
When LaRosa
received the initial email inviting students, the producers mentioned that they
were willing to meet with students and would accept resumes for
internships.
“This is
important for Pace — to constantly seek and build relationships with producers
and companies for internships,” LaRosa said. “We liked that the producers
offered that immediately and felt it would be a good opportunity for students
to attend this show, since it is new and they will be hiring their
team.”
She
recognized the potential of the event, knowing that it could eventually lead to
something for students who plan on going into the field. Although La Rosa is a
teacher, she knows all about the business, which is why she immediately
responded to the email and set up the event.
“I actually
was on the other side of this job for two years before I came to Pace,” LaRosa
said. “I organized college events for a journalist who had a weekly radio show
on NPR and a series on PBS, and she loved having events with students because
it allowed her to get out of the studio, where she spent nearly all of her
time, and connect live with audiences.”
And Meredith
Vieira did just that. Once the show was over, Vieira approached students by
shaking their hands, socializing with them, and even taking pictures.
LaRosa was
aware of the opportunities and intentionally targeted media students so that
they could experience firsthand a live taping of a nationally broadcasted,
network television show.
“We were
there for two and a half hours for what will be an hour long show with
commercial breaks,” LaRosa said. “There is nothing quite like seeing the level
of coordination among producers and crew, the technology and cameras used in a
live studio show, how the host interacts with producers and the audience, and
how they organize audiences for good on-camera energy.”
They
certainly exhibited that energy because students expressed nothing but
enthusiasm after the show.
“I thought
the energy was really great,” Maradiaga said. “Knowing that they cared so much
about their jobs made the experience so much better.”
LaRosa was
concerned overall with students paying careful attention to each person on set
who was already working in the field that they wanted to pursue.
“No
matter what role a student sees for her or himself on that set — host,
producer, camera person, — it is important to have the experience of seeing
this while you are a student, so you can learn more about the area that
interests you.”
“Some of the
benefits for me were just seeing the behind the scenes action that goes into
filming something like this,” Maradiaga said. “As someone who wants to go into
the production field, I really enjoyed and appreciated seeing how everything
works. It just made me even more excited for one day being able to go into this
field.”
Although it
was her last semester at Pace University, Olivia Brooks, a Journalism major who
graduated this fall took advantage of the trip as well.
“For me it
was never really about the show, although it was done by a master of her
craft,” Brooks said. “But I was more awestruck by the production team, whom
without there would be no lights, camera, and action.”
Students
expressed nothing but appreciation for the trip organized by La Rosa.“I think
she was an amazing event coordinator,” Maradiaga said. “I feel that if I had
any questions about the production process I was seeing, I would be able to ask
her about it."
The episode
is set to air on January 7th. For students who missed out, LaRosa has another
trip planned on Wednesday, January 14th, where students can see a brand new
Comedy Central show hosted by Larry Wilmore. The show is expected to air in
January and Pace students will be among the first to see it.
When most
young adults turn 21, they think of all the benefits that they are entitled to
as a legal adult, but not Joshua Walker. He is already ahead of the crowd,
working as the C.E.O./Artist Manager of
Avenue Music Group.
"Most
of the times I’m the youngest one in the room when doing business," Walker
said. "I’ve always had a love for music, but have never been gifted with
any specific talent."
Unashamed,
Walker admits that he has two left feet, cannot sing, and has no rapping
abilities. Yet, he found something he's excelled in since he was young -
business. Walker used to work at Sanrio, a small retail job on 233 West 42nd street
in New York City. The summer after he graduated from high school he loved it,
and continued to work for a year and a half. Walker wanted to continue working while going
back to school for an upcoming semester. Previously, he only worked over the
summer so he asked a month prior to starting school if he could continue to
work during his semester. He was welcomed with open arms until two days
before school started when his manager changed her mind about him continuing to
work in the store.
His
manager's choice of words was more shocking than the sudden decision not to
keep him. Walker said her explanation was, "She didn't know if she could
keep me because I 'got along with people too well.' Such an unprofessional and
ridiculous answer totally
turned me off of working for other people ever again in my life. It also opened
my eyes to the countless amount of hours I was spending doing absolutely
nothing with my life."
Although
this looked like a terrible situation, it was really preparing Walker for his
next move in life. During that time, he also happened to be learning about the
music industry. His coworker at Sanrio was a female singer, which was the very
first artist he began managing.
"From
there I started managing her and the rest is history still in the making,"
Walker said.
This is
where his career path came together two years ago, but it wasn't smooth sailing
all at once. As both a CEO and young adult, there were several challenges that
he had to overcome, like people not taking him seriously. According to Walker,
people doubted his vision during the early stages of when he was trying to
establish Avenue Music Group.
"It was
difficult convincing people that I had an idea, an end goal and a plan to get
there. Pretty much in society anyone who goes against the traditional ways of
school, more school, a job, then finally working your way up the ladder, are
the ones who are usually discouraged from their goals."
He knew that
his mother and grandmother believed in his ability to achieve his goals, yet
they also discouraged him from the path that he'd already chosen and encouraged
him to take a more traditional approach. However, Walker acknowledges that he
knew that his family had his best interests in mind.
"That
same statement goes for a majority of my family members and 99% of adults I
spoke to. People my age were easier to convince that I had real goals and
wanted to chase them."
Despite the
opposition, Walker went against the odds, taking it one step at a time on the
road less traveled.
"The
hardest part was getting over that first hump and proving to everyone that I
was serious, focused and dedicated to my craft," Walker said. "The
second thing would have to be the young part. I was 19 when I started managing
so at first, no one really takes you seriously as a young person with big
aspirations. A good amount of
times people still challenge my ideas and ability to
accomplish them at such a young age, although now its gotten much easier
because of the resume I've
built over the past couple of years."
Walker has
built quite a resume for himself as he is currently managing four main artists
(A.R. Stylez, Rebeca Sol, Enonomous, and RQ Tek). A.R. Stylez and Enonomous are both Hip-Hop
Recording Artists, Rebeca Sol is a Singer/Songwriter/Spoken-Word/Guitarist, and R.Q.Tek is a Spoken Word/Hip-Hop
Recording Artist. Walker supports flourishing artists using a variety of
mediums and he is currently the Chief Operating Officer of A.R. Stylez'
brand. So, how does he do it?
"I set
up a marketing plan that points out specific goals and accomplishment that we
both agree to achieve," Walker said. "I make sure they are staying
consistent on and offline with the image we agreed on. All of their business
transactions go through me: booking shows, interviews, song features, etc. I
handle the back-end parts of the music, making sure everything goes smoothly
when they perform, setting up a trustworthy team that will support their
career, and generally being there for an artist as a number one fan, supporter,
friend, business partner, advocate, and force behind their career."
As for
artists that he does not officially manage, Walker still offers his support in
three ways. First, he does one-on-one consultations where he
assesses an artist's past, present, and future while giving tips and advice on
how to best utilize their resources that they have at their disposal to
progress their career.
"I can
set up official consults where I charge an affordable fee, or I’m always open
to sitting down and just talking to artists," Walker said.
Secondly, he
hosts many shows, events and programs that are based around setting up artists on
a platform to gain exposure while giving back to their communities. Some of the
shows he's held are talent shows, open mics, back to school drives, album
release parties, yacht showcases, Christmas fundraisers, talent panels, and
programs with schools and libraries. Walker has many more upcoming projects
where he is constantly looking for new talent and if that's not enough to
persuade upcoming artists, his third medium is a 24/7 online radio
station.
"Every
Monday at 8 pm, my co-host and I have a live show called Synergy Radio,"
Walker explained. "First and foremost I use the station as an educational
tool to teach upcoming artists and entrepreneurs. It's also used as a platform
for artists to have their music heard. We have a specific section where we have
an hour of brand new hot, local music. We also use it to promote and bring
awareness to different artists, organizations and businesses by featuring them
on the show through interviews. The station is also open to any future radio
hosts who have interesting ideas that would like to have a show for themselves
on the station."
Some
upcoming projects to look out for are new programs and events within different
public libraries, which will be led by artists of all trades which includes singers, hip-hop
artists, poets, dancers, etc. Another project is working in schools to bring
in some arts/entertainment programs that will educate, entertain, and engage
the youth.
"I’m
planning on having different artists come in and speak to/mentor the kids,
have a performance and educate by teaching business etiquette, the importance
of networking, and using technology in the correct way."
Walker also expressed his excitement of bringing his artists to college
campuses as well. When asked about how he distinguishes himself from other
companies that are helping developing artists he responded:
"I’m
different from other companies because I make an emphasis on giving back to the
community and people who help start an artist's career. Most companies think
about how they can give back every once and a while. Almost every one if not
all of my events give back to some cause, benefit an organization, or bring
awareness to an issue that can help better the community."
In addition
to that, Walker's core values include education, collaboration, and equality.
"With
education, I believe that everyone should spend at least an hour each day
self-educating themselves in their craft," Walker said. "While most
companies are looking on how to steal all of the attention, I have no problem
with collaborating and sharing the spotlight if it’s beneficial for both
parties. Lastly, I would really like to bring a change to how society thinks."
Walker
believes in equality for both academic and entertainment based careers.
"I
would like for parents, adults and overall society to support a child, teenager
or young adult that wants to be a singer or a dancer just as much as they would
support someone wanting to become a doctor or a lawyer."
Walker
believes that networking and connecting with people is very important so if any
upcoming artists are interested in getting in touch with him, they can contact
him directly through any social media platform.
Website:
www.avenuemusicgroup.com
Synergy
Radio Station: http://tunein.com/radio/synergy-radio-s233483/
Email: JoshuaWalkerAMG@aol.com,
Instagram:
AMG_CEO
Twitter:
AvenueMusicAMG
Cell Ph:
973.449.9017
