Meet Conrad Leon | Audio Visual Systems Analyst.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Conrad Leon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Conrad, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
You have to put all your energy and focus into your project and want “it’ more than breathing oxygen. It is scary when you start a business or in my case an artist/business. I had to work on myself as an artist by going back to school and learning music theory/composition in addition to the time and money I spent working on my craft. You need a plan to hold yourself accountable because no one will do it for you. You need to treat your craft like it is a real job and spend 8 hours a day on it and get a team of like-minded individuals to multiply yourself to speed up the process.  I am a self-taught musician who trained for years before going back to junior college and taking music theory classes. Before that I graduated from Musicians Institute for Audio Engineering because I wanted to fast track my resume and get into the big studios. I could have taken that $20,000 of tuition and purchased equipment, opened a studio and gone broke because technology is making it easier for people to make/record music from their cell phones. The end result of my journey is that I went into the Corp world to work in Casino entertainment and then was recruited into AV support and management. Now I work at a University (USC) as an Audio Visual Systems Analyst. I still collaborate with artist and development work but not as my main focus. I do it because I love music and I like to help others succeed.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It started with a question. How do these people work with such famous singers? Do they go to school, or do they just practice their style and hope to get a job? I feel like I applied a little of both. I practiced my craft and then educated myself to show that I am trained by the pros and that I have zeroed in on my style. It took me hours of making music to edit, mix and then master to truly be a skilled Audio Engineer. The other option is working with others artist and mix their music as an audio engineer. I do feel like my journey has brought me to my current job position as a AV/IT tech support analyst because I am able to work with high level characters and do an amazing job. I will say it has been over 14 years and I did not hit the point of success I expected as a multi-millionaire audio engineer or artist, but I am happy to stay relevant as I help others with their journey. Such as my current music experience with Ron Wilkins Jr. who is an incredibly talented artist.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love food, so I would start at Grand central market in downtown Los Angeles. They would be able to pick a variety of great cuisine, but I would recommend the vegan ramen at Ramen Hood. Next day we would eat at Taco Nazo in Downey and have the best fish tacos in LA. The last day we would have to have Brazil food at Texas de Brazil. So, for fun I would say the museums like the Observatory or the la Brea tar pits are a win, plus a music venue/show at the Greek theater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is difficult to pin down. I do owe thanks to all my teachers, friends, family, and anyone I have worked with to help me develop my craft. I must thank the people who expressed their passion with time and effort to help me practice my craft and grow.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conradoooo/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conrad-leon-66a23a45/