Getting Edjumacated

12-2-2008 

My work experience has been teaching me a lot lately.  Two week ago when Life FM won the Radio Academy award, we went out to the pubs with a whole bunch of audio engineers afterwards to celebrate. My supervisor taught me that night how to seize an opportunity and network without shame. I threw my contact info at a bunch of producers and managers that night hoping to get a bite in the UK job market, but I got the next best thing, an invite to come to London’s Kiss FM offices and take a look around.

A radio imager for Kiss, Simon, was one of the panel speakers at the Radio Academy awards and I was thoroughly impressed by the way he approached radio sound. So in the pub afterwards, we got to chatting and then today I was in his office and walking about the Kiss studios seeing what corporate stations with lots of money can do and can afford. State of the art studios with mics that hang from the ceiling and adjust at the slightest touch, counsels that allow a single presenter to DJ four stations simultaneously that are broadcasting throughout London, and production studios that shame the ones I’ve worked in. He was even kind enough to show me the specific software programs he uses and exactly how he uses them. A very informative hour at a hustling and bustling station, where a team of 10 do the jobs of 1 person at Life.

I had already arranged to have today completely off of work, as I traded my normal Friday off for today. So I took advantage and got to know the immediate area around the Kiss offices which just so happened to be Regent’s street.

The world’s largest toy store, Hamley’s, lived up to it’s reputation. I could have played in there for hours…well hours beyond the hour and a half I did spend there browsing and playing vids.  I also found a children’s piano / chimes-like instrument that I swear was tuned in mixylidyon mode. Might as well start them young.

After that I went to my favorite toy store, the Apple Store. As if I wasn’t already infatuated enough with Mac after getting this MacBook Pro, this store made my feelings stronger. There show room is simple to showcase their product and let costumers really play with them. I liked that. The best part by far though was the theatre in the back where every hour they have a demonstration from a professional on everything from transferring from Windows to a Mac, to using iTunes, to the programs I stayed for Garageband and Logic. If you are ever in the area of a Mac Store, do yourself a favor and get to know them.

The night ended at the Ain’t Nothing But (the Blues) Bar. Where Sister Mary and the Choir Boys entertained the crowd to the point of rowdy dancing and glass breaking by the end of the set. I’ve been wanting to get to this little venue for a while now, but since it is literally a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ kind of place, it fills up fast. Happy to say I finally made it there, and made some awesome new London friends.