Fans of country crooner Jason Aldean enjoyed a stage show that pulled out all the stops during the star’s 2021 Back in the Saddle Tour: The singer played his biggest hits against a backdrop of massive video screens with 3D renderings of rearing horses. A show that size needs a stage crew that knows their stuff, and 2019 显示生产 grad Ryley Esler was there to work on the concert’s live video elements. Ryley’s real-world experiences at 满帆 and his dedication to finding roles that will help him move forward in his career helped him earn a spot on the country star’s tour.

Ryley got started in the entertainment industry when most kids were still playing with blocks: He was doing background work in his hometown of Vancouver when he was just six years old and he made stop motion animation videos with a handheld camcorder throughout his childhood. 当我要去上大学的时候, Ryley decided to pursue an education that spoke to his interest in audio, 他选择了 满帆的录音艺术学位. But once he got his hands on live switchers and consoles a few months into the program, he decided that the faster pace of live events was more to his liking. He switched to 显示生产 and fell in love with the work.

除了他在课堂上的努力, Ryley took the initiative to get resume-boosting experience while he was at 满帆. 他参与过教育小组和WWE之类的活动 NXT 显示, which prepared him for the rapid pace of setting up and taking down equipment during live events. He also learned how to use a Ross Carbonite video switcher; he helped program and install them in the 满帆大学 Orlando Health Fortress, 校园电竞竞技场, 当他还是个学生的时候.

"当满帆建造堡垒的时候, I was programming the [Ross] switcher and I actually got to do a full Ross training. I think I was one of three students that got that opportunity,” he recalls.

为了获得更多的经验, 赖利在课外做些小工作, 比如为婚礼乐队提供音响和灯光. 这些演出, 再加上与雇主的持续接触, helped him continuously land jobs after he graduated. He went on the road for Jason Aldean’s Back in the Saddle Tour in 2021.

参观期间, Ryley was responsible for setting up everything video-related for each live show, from LED screens to cameras to processors to the Ross Carbonite switcher he mastered at 满帆. 他的一天从早上7点左右开始, when he’d join the rest of the crew to start unloading equipment from the tour’s trucks. He’d continue unloading and setting up equipment until about 7 PM, when he would direct the show’s opener then settle in to operate cameras throughout Jason Aldean’s performance. 在杰森最后鞠躬之后, Ryley and the crew began the adrenaline-fueled process of loading all the equipment back onto trucks; they only had about 90 minutes to get everything ready for the next city.

“Being able to experience [loading and unloading] at 满帆 and how it works in the real world was pretty valuable; I wasn’t shocked when the first one happened,赖利说。.

莱利最近和李·布莱斯一起上路了. Although the tour is smaller, Ryley’s role is more complex and he’s gaining crucial experience. 他在安装工程机架和处理器, and he’s more involved in conversations about how the show’s video elements should work from a creative standpoint. Keeping his eye on the future has helped Ryley move forward in his career.

“(这有助于)领先自己一步, thinking ‘This is where I want to be six months from now, 我该怎么做才能到达那里呢?’ rather than just settling into where you are now,” he says. “如果你想继续晋升, 那你就得努力争取, because chances are no one's just going to hand you a better opportunity than the one you have now.”