Alumni Spotlight: David Tichauer
David attended the Los Angeles Recording School, and graduated in 2009. David has always had music in his life. His parents were professional musicians, but his interest in recording did not begin until he was in high school. His first project was a 3 song EP, and was mixed using garage band 1.0!
“It was awful, but we had a blast making it.”
Davis was introduced to LARS through a friend of his who had just graduated and already had a job as a runner for a studio nearby. School was met with a few challenges; David had to juggle school, work, and family.
“My schedule was basically packed from morning until whenever class was over at night. There were definitely a lot of Ramen and Redbull fueled days and nights back then.”
Even with these challenges, David was able to stay positive and work toward his goals.
“There is no ceiling in Hollywood, every time you reach a goal, you can aim even higher. Aiming for the next level of whatever I am doing always keeps me motivated.”
Post graduation, David has done a few things; He worked as a studio runner at Henson Studios, which was a huge learning experience in the industry.
“… I probably learned as much about the industry there as I did in school.”
He has since made the move from music to post –production, and is currently mixing and editing trailers, TV promos, and online content at TinyHero.
“My favorite project was probably a trailer we did for the Houdini miniseries on the History channel. The series was really well made, and our editor cut a fantastic trailer, which made it a blast for me to mix. I still get chills whenever I watch it.”
The education David received at LARS helped him with being comfortable in the studio. He did not have to worry about whether or not he knew what he was doing. He was able to focus on the client and working collaborative, instead of being worried about his abilities.
“I actually felt really prepared coming out of LARS; I had no doubt in my ability to do my craft, so I was free to learn the finer points of the business when I stepped into the real world.”
Advice David has for current students,
“First and foremost, stay humble and stay hungry, in that order. Being humble and having integrity is the most important thing, period. Get out there and get real world experience right away, and meet people, lots of people. It’s totally great to intern/freelance and not make any money when you’re coming out of school. Just get out there. Try to work on as many types of projects as you possibly can with as wide a range of people as you can. It’ll give you a really solid idea of the type of people and projects that you tend to gravitate toward, and the sooner you carve out your niche, the more time you’ll have to really refine what you do and develop a technique and style that’s all your own.”
He also says that phone conservation with your client is the better way to collaborate.
Congratulations David! We are so proud of you!