Student Spotlight: Jeff Gazdacko

E-Media senior Jeff Gazdacko will graduate in June with some top-notch real world experience and an interesting story to tell.

Jeff dropped out of E-Media in 2005.  His reason: a full-time job as manager of ICB audio-video company in Cincinnati. Jeff worked at ICB for about a year and realized he wanted to get into recording rather than live sound.

He moved to Chicago with intentions to get an internship.  The Chicago venture didn’t last long because his roommate, whom he met via Craig’s List, disappeared with Jeff’s security deposit and rent money. 

Jeff moved to Cleveland to stay with his parents.  He found an unpaid internship in Cleveland with Telarc International Record Label. Telarc records classical music, jazz and blues.

After six months a position opened up in the production department. To get the job Jeff was literally put on the clock when he had to do a recording session that was timed with a stopwatch.  Jeff passed the test and was hired full-time as an assistant recording engineer.

“A lot of people in the entertainment industry say it’s all about who you know; I say it’s more who knows you.  It’s who knows what sort of attitude you have, what you are capable of, and whether or not you’re worth having around,” says Jeff.

One of Jeff’s first recording sessions was of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performing Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition. The surround sound recording won a Grammy in February 2009.  Jeff says their recording was up against a surround sound drum album by Ringo Starr.

Unfortunately, Telarc had to make layoffs a month before they won the Grammy.  Jeff came back E-media to finish his degree.

“It turns out I only needed two quarters worth of classes to finish.”

Telarc wants to hire him back but the economy is making it hard for them to hire anyone at this point, even with Jeff’s talent. 

“We’re at a really exciting time right now because technology has changed more in the past ten years then it has since the entire run of recording music.  Everyone is trying to figure out how to capitalize on that.  People are trying to find a new business model. We have so much of an opportunity to try and find that new business model and that’s exciting”, says Jeff.

By Shawn Bosse, May 2009