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Like many musicians, I also find it hard to make living from just music alone. I’ve been juggling being a musician and a freelance AV (audio visual) tech since 2013.

In the world of AV you do everything from setting up sound, video, and light systems for events, meetings, conferences, and much more. I heard an AV tech once say that they’ve been on the floors of every nice hotel in NYC. I couldn’t have said it any better.

This is an industry that really dates back as far back as meetings themselves. I personally seen it in the early 90’s when I was working as a backline tech. Backline is all the musical equipment on stage such as drum sets, guitar amps, keyboards ect. There were times when I would notice AV gear and operators setup behind the stage. I had no idea what it was for or what they were doing. 

I was a backline tech from 1991 up until 2006. Many of those years I was in charge of production for one of the largest backline companies in South Florida. In 2008 I had joined the Chubby Checker band. I played in the band for 4 years up until the the very end of 2011. Once that gig was over it was time for me to either find another working gig, or get a real job. 

Chubby Checker was actually my first working band. Before that I had always played my own music or played in original bands. I’d never played in a cover band before this point. The Chubby band was the first time I had ever made any real money playing music. It was a great thing. I got used to it and wanted it to continue.

It turned out that it wasn’t so easy getting back into something else that would be as high profile, and that would  pay as much. I started taking some local cover band gigs making some money here and there but It wasn’t enough. By the end of 2012 I was debt for over 20k.

I had really pushed it to the edge. I was never worried though. I knew that I had experience in backline and in live sound. I felt that I’d be able to find a job when the time came. Well, the time came. I was scraping by playing in every musical situation that I could play in but like I said, It wasn’t enough to cover my bills and get out of dept. I had to get a job. 

I applied to all the backline companies. No one was hiring. I applied to all the live sound companies and even there no one was hiring. 

As I was looking online for sound jobs, I would notice more and more AV companies. I actually found a few small companies to hire me for a few days here and there. I would set up a small sound system in a restaurant or an office. I’d set up a small projector at an office meeting. Still, at this point I had no idea that there was an AV industry.

I now started searching online for AV jobs and stumbling across some larger companies. I thought to myself, how am I going to get into this industry that I don’t really know that much about. I knew that I had lots of experience in live sound, even know I was no expert. The advancements in technology had changed dramatically since I was doing it just 7 years earlier. Everything was now digital, and I was still analog. I also knew that for as much as things changed, things were still the same. 

The thing that I was concerned about was that I knew nothing about video. Just to remind you that AV, (audio visual) is half video. 

Here’s how I got in. First, I updated my resume. I got the phone numbers to all the AV companies by searching online. I would call up the companies and say “hello, my name is Jerry Giamundo, do you have an email address where I can send my resume?” Most of the time they would say yes, and give it to me. I would email them right away. 

The next day I would call back and ask if they’ve received my resume. Sometime’s they’d say yes and that they’d get back to me. Other times they’d put me on the phone with with the person in charge of hiring. 

There were a few people that I spoke with that had looked over my resume and thought enough of it to set up a meeting with me. I did have show production experience and that was part of it I’m sure.

All of the meetings went great. What I believe was very helpful was that they were impressed that I had just come off the road playing guitar with Chubby Checker for the past 4 years.

It turns out that many of the people in the AV world are musicians too. At my first meeting we spoke about the details of the job and what was expected and required. What was awesome was that for a good part of the interview we spoke about touring, and shared musical story’s and how we knew many of the same people. 

This didn’t only happen at my first interview, but my second, and third. At one interview the hiring manager broke out his set of harmonicas and started jamming. These were the bosses of the largest AV companies in New York City. Their clients are Bank of America, JP Morgan, all the top corporations. They provide AV production for all their meetings, and conferences. At least pre-pandemic, that’s another story. 

These were really cool people. I was really looking forward to starting. Still, It would take a while. They had many people on their list who would get the call before me and deservedly so. 

I’d get a job here and there but it wasn’t enough. I wound up getting a job at Guitar Center. I went through all the training, learned it all. I was selling in no time. A few weeks into working at Guitar Center I stared getting more calls for work from the AV companies. I had to put in my notice. I was only there for less than a month. The AV money was much better for me. I didn’t have a choice. 

When you’re a freelancer you are not bound to anyone of these companies. They know that and they respect that. I started juggling, working for a few different AV companies. At the time I was also playing in a few working band’s.

After only about a year of dong this I wound up paying off all of my dept. Over 20k. I worked my but off. It was such a great feeling to make that last payment. 

As a freelancer, it’s very difficult to juggle many things. Especially trying to stay in good relations with multiple companies that do the same thing. The only way you get called back over and over again is if you are a great worker with a good attitude. My goal when I do that kind of work is to have the best attitude that I can have, and try my hardest to make the person I’m working for’s job easier. That’s the secret, and it works.

Fast forward 6 years. We’re now in a pandemic. This industry was one of the first that would come to a halt. After all, it’s based around large meeting’s in hotel ballrooms. Hundred’s to thousand’s of people would show up from all over the world to attend these conferences that we would produce. People aren’t meeting right now. At least not in person. 

I do have faith in this industry. If anybody can adapt to the new world that has been online since Covid started it will be this one. They’re all ready doing it. The AV industry will come back. I’ll be ready when it does. Just part-time though like I’ve always been. 

It’s really allowed me to earn a living while I pursue my musical dreams and endeavors. I’m really grateful to all the men, and women in this industry that gave me a chance, and taught me the ropes. I’ve learned so much about every aspect of the AV world by working with great tech’s, and always keeping my eyes and ears open. 

There is a moral to this story. Always believe in yourself. Stay true to your dreams no matter what it takes. Push yourself to the limit. You will be ok. You will survive. 

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