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Music internships from Nashville to Los Angeles

Senior music business majors get hands-on experiences in music industry

10/17/2013 5:06 PM

By: Savannah Jones

Three Bradley music business majors hit a high note with internships this past year. Seniors Jacob Vizicara, Nate Coutteau and Lindsey Overby applied the skills they learned at Bradley University to hands-on experience in the music industry. Vizicara and Coutteau interned in Los Angeles, California while Overby was in Nashville, Tennessee.

Last summer Vizicara balanced three internships at Atom Factory, WFL Management and Hunnypot Unlimited during his months in Los Angeles. He handled investments and followed social and technological trends at Atom Factory under the supervision of CEO Troy Carter. Atom Factory is an entertainment and artist management company representing established celebrities like Lady Gaga and John Legend but also up-and-coming artists such as K’Naan and Fareoh. At a smaller company WFL Management, Vizicara did administration work- dealing with royalty and publishing agreements. He assisted with paperwork for signing producers like Kanye West. At Hunnypot Unlimited, he helped discover new artists and work with music supervisors for televisions shows.

“My favorite aspect was when my superiors started trusting me with intense projects,” Vizicara said.

Nate Coutteau attended the Bradley University Hollywood Semester last spring in Burbank, Ca. and interned as part of the program at peermusic, a global independent music publisher. First he did the “grunt work” before working with Creative Director of Film and TV Jerome Spence. Coutteau designed presentations for the company about new artists and bands such as ‘Family of the Year’. Coutteau also worked personally with the band throughout his internship.  ‘Family of the Year’ artists recently appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”,  “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Conan O’Brien”. Originally, Coutteau wanted to focus on law in music industry but after beginning his internship he realized he would rather focus on the “creative side” of the music industry.

Lindsey Overby was down south at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN as a Public Programs intern. Her daily tasks consisted of writing introductions for events and creating contracts for performers, but she said her favorite part was working special events, like the Songwriter Session. These sessions feature performances and interviews by country songwriters. Overby helped book the performers and create contracts for the sessions. She also helped organize the V.I.P. premier of a Reba McEntire exhibit.

“It’s not like a regular internship, I got to do what my supervisor did,” Overby said.

These seniors sing the praises of Slane’s Department of Music and the opportunities they were afforded.  They all felt prepared for their futures in the music industry. Music business majors are required to have field experience but they aren’t alone in finding these unique opportunities. Vizicara got his first internship through Bradley alum and former president of Music Operations for Warner Bros. Doug Frank. Coutteau said he knew more music theory and had better management skills than his fellow intern. He credits the “hard work and dedication” instilled in him at Bradley and supportive faculty for his readiness. Overby said music business classes show the different parts of the music industry. Vizicara said he is “ready to work in the music industry because I have the experience.” The students’ love and enthusiasm for music and the music department is evident in their dedication to achieving their goals.

“I haven’t talked to anyone who enjoys their major more than us. They[Slane College] are extremely good to us,” Coutteau said.