The Entertainment Industry is an ever growing and expanding environment. Technology has taken over and has been a great contribution to the possibilities of what can be achieved now-a-days in the industry. The industry is compromised of theatre, corporate, conventions, theme parks, special events, parties, clubs, concerts, and films, including studios, to the bigger screens.
http://www.lesmis.com/ This is what sealed my fate in the Arts of Theatre, Visual and Design.
I have worked in the industry in so many different capacities, my journey began in high school, from onstage as a performer, acting, singing, dancing and even in solo pieces. I went to district competitions and made it all the way to state and nationals. My journey also includes me working in the back stage and front of house, from a stagehand, electrician, spotlight operator, carpentry, scenic painting, pyrotechnics, lighting programmer, sound operator, camera for live concerts operator, props, staging and events coordinator and planner, set designer, lighting designer, crew for cars shows, plus more, to name a few...
As a first born Caribbean-American woman, the entertainment industry presented me with many challenges. Challenges that made me grow, stretched my perceptions, helped me create a path for myself in getting a higher education and also making decision for my future. In the industry, I did not see many faces of color or of different ethnicities. At first it did not bother me, but as I continued with my studies, training and growing in the industry it presented racism, absurd judgments made to me either because I was a female or because of my skin color. It never stopped me. It actually made me more motivated and determined and it was like a fire underneath my pot.
I have witnessed students of mine going on to work on films (or music videos), theatre and music technology, right here in Central Florida, in L.A, Vancouver Canada, Louisiana, Miami, Atlanta, NYC, Chicago, and even aboard to South America and Europe. Some students have gone on to become working professionals with national touring companies, opening their own companies, working on films, in studios, while some relocated by themselves or with their families to live their dreams.
Sonia Pasqual http://www.soniapasqual.net is my personal Brand, what they call branding now-a-days.
http://www.lesmis.com/ This is what sealed my fate in the Arts of Theatre, Visual and Design.
I have worked in the industry in so many different capacities, my journey began in high school, from onstage as a performer, acting, singing, dancing and even in solo pieces. I went to district competitions and made it all the way to state and nationals. My journey also includes me working in the back stage and front of house, from a stagehand, electrician, spotlight operator, carpentry, scenic painting, pyrotechnics, lighting programmer, sound operator, camera for live concerts operator, props, staging and events coordinator and planner, set designer, lighting designer, crew for cars shows, plus more, to name a few...
As a first born Caribbean-American woman, the entertainment industry presented me with many challenges. Challenges that made me grow, stretched my perceptions, helped me create a path for myself in getting a higher education and also making decision for my future. In the industry, I did not see many faces of color or of different ethnicities. At first it did not bother me, but as I continued with my studies, training and growing in the industry it presented racism, absurd judgments made to me either because I was a female or because of my skin color. It never stopped me. It actually made me more motivated and determined and it was like a fire underneath my pot.
I have witnessed students of mine going on to work on films (or music videos), theatre and music technology, right here in Central Florida, in L.A, Vancouver Canada, Louisiana, Miami, Atlanta, NYC, Chicago, and even aboard to South America and Europe. Some students have gone on to become working professionals with national touring companies, opening their own companies, working on films, in studios, while some relocated by themselves or with their families to live their dreams.
Sonia Pasqual http://www.soniapasqual.net is my personal Brand, what they call branding now-a-days.
Valencia College's, Entertainment Design and Technology Program can prepare you for a successful future in the Entertainment Industry.
How? The structure, the program itself engages you (the student) to be pushed and challenged with real world experience, hands on practice, live audiences, in the classroom and in the shop training that prepares you mentally, emotionally and physically for what the real world presents to you. I know first hand, I know what it is like to go through the program and then get out into the real world and face the every day excitement, grind, hussle, self promotion to get jobs, the search to find the next project or gig or sending out resumes and cover letters to places where I'd like to work. My mantra was, "the more the better, every experience will make me better for the next." Even though that was the case, after years and years of building my resume, my experience, my curriculum vitae (qualifications), I began to also look at what was important for my future, my journey.
Valencia College, ED& T program did give me the FOUNDATION that I needed to be one of the technician I could be, that people would turn to me for help. People from other well known schools in the area. The foundation of the program here, gave me the knowledge to now how to work with my equipment, gear and if I did not, I knew how to find dependable and accurate sources and ways to make things happen. The foundation of the program, thought me efficiency, timeliness, and gave me skills. I am can not begin to explain how strong this program made me. I was even surprised how out-of-state Universities know and respect our program such as Howard University, Pace University, and Fordham University Lincoln Center. These where schools that I was applying to and visited and knew of Valencia Community College at the time and how good this school was. Please don't take for granted the opportunities here, the foundation, the program, the training, and the skills you can acquire in the ED&T program.
The experience and growth and fun never ends, it only just begins here at Valencia College's Entertainment Design and Technology program. We are blessed to have such an affordable and great program here.
I have designed over 2 dozen shows here at the College's Theatre from 2001 to 2015. My love is lighting design, followed by set design and scenic painting. As a Professor or Theatre Technology, I get the privilege to teach, Basic Stagecraft which is a carpentry course that is hands on and prepares the students to work with constructing scenery for a live show audience. We work in the scene shop, using several types of saws, drill press, to learning painting techniques, and learning how to construct a property that is used for a theatrical play or film. I also teach Introduction to Stage Lighting, which gives the student the insights and knowledge of working with stage lights, electrics, hanging lights, circuiting lights, troubleshooting lights, programming on lighting consoles, how to calculate and safely load dimmers, working with wire gauges and more. I also teach Survey of Entertainment Technology, Lighting Design for Entertainment, Creative Design for Theatre, to name a few. These courses are introduction level and intermediate levels, for students in our Live Show track or Production Design track. Our program gives our students the choice to focus on being a live show technician, in sound technology, projection, audio visual, carpentry/construction, lighting technician, lighting programmer, and also overall as events specializations. Or the Production Design track allows our students to work alongside as co-designers, collaborators and get the how to on how to design, concepts, visualizations, working with the director(s) and a design team for several productions throughout the year. This gives the design student an opportunity to gain hands on experience, and see it come to life, and also have an audience view the production. The most exciting time for us all.
How? The structure, the program itself engages you (the student) to be pushed and challenged with real world experience, hands on practice, live audiences, in the classroom and in the shop training that prepares you mentally, emotionally and physically for what the real world presents to you. I know first hand, I know what it is like to go through the program and then get out into the real world and face the every day excitement, grind, hussle, self promotion to get jobs, the search to find the next project or gig or sending out resumes and cover letters to places where I'd like to work. My mantra was, "the more the better, every experience will make me better for the next." Even though that was the case, after years and years of building my resume, my experience, my curriculum vitae (qualifications), I began to also look at what was important for my future, my journey.
Valencia College, ED& T program did give me the FOUNDATION that I needed to be one of the technician I could be, that people would turn to me for help. People from other well known schools in the area. The foundation of the program here, gave me the knowledge to now how to work with my equipment, gear and if I did not, I knew how to find dependable and accurate sources and ways to make things happen. The foundation of the program, thought me efficiency, timeliness, and gave me skills. I am can not begin to explain how strong this program made me. I was even surprised how out-of-state Universities know and respect our program such as Howard University, Pace University, and Fordham University Lincoln Center. These where schools that I was applying to and visited and knew of Valencia Community College at the time and how good this school was. Please don't take for granted the opportunities here, the foundation, the program, the training, and the skills you can acquire in the ED&T program.
The experience and growth and fun never ends, it only just begins here at Valencia College's Entertainment Design and Technology program. We are blessed to have such an affordable and great program here.
I have designed over 2 dozen shows here at the College's Theatre from 2001 to 2015. My love is lighting design, followed by set design and scenic painting. As a Professor or Theatre Technology, I get the privilege to teach, Basic Stagecraft which is a carpentry course that is hands on and prepares the students to work with constructing scenery for a live show audience. We work in the scene shop, using several types of saws, drill press, to learning painting techniques, and learning how to construct a property that is used for a theatrical play or film. I also teach Introduction to Stage Lighting, which gives the student the insights and knowledge of working with stage lights, electrics, hanging lights, circuiting lights, troubleshooting lights, programming on lighting consoles, how to calculate and safely load dimmers, working with wire gauges and more. I also teach Survey of Entertainment Technology, Lighting Design for Entertainment, Creative Design for Theatre, to name a few. These courses are introduction level and intermediate levels, for students in our Live Show track or Production Design track. Our program gives our students the choice to focus on being a live show technician, in sound technology, projection, audio visual, carpentry/construction, lighting technician, lighting programmer, and also overall as events specializations. Or the Production Design track allows our students to work alongside as co-designers, collaborators and get the how to on how to design, concepts, visualizations, working with the director(s) and a design team for several productions throughout the year. This gives the design student an opportunity to gain hands on experience, and see it come to life, and also have an audience view the production. The most exciting time for us all.
One of my current projects that just recently closed on Sunday, June 14th, 2015.
In the Heights, Tony Award Winning Musical
BWW Interview: Star, Director of IN THE HEIGHTS Orlando Premiere Chat Show's Historical Significance - REVIEW (link is below). http://www.broadwayworld.com/orlando/article/BWW-Interview-Star-Director-of-IN-THE-HEIGHTS-Orlando-Premiere-Chat-Shows-Historical-Significance-20150603#.VW8JUhnsAZE.facebook El Sentinel - "In the Heights": El carnaval del barrio en Orlando Review (link is below). http://www.orlandosentinel.com/elsentinel/os-in-the-heights-orlando-teatro-20150609-story.html Tony Award Wining production http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/in-the-heights-chasing-broadway-dreams-preview-of-in-the-heights-chasing-broadway-dreams/761/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFfa1H5j-hc 96,000 |
* George Jackson Jr. graduated from Valencia College with an A.S and A.A and UCF with an B.A in Theatre.
Light Converse is a computer visualization program, that is used to create 3D art forms. Now in this video George used Light Converse, Vectorworks, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe AfterEffects, 3D Studio Max, Camtasia, Tracktion, Resolume, and Hog 4 PC for programming.
A little bit about my best friend who I met right here in a Math class, in 1996. We had just graduated H.S from Boone High School and I from Flagler Palm Coast High School in Bunnell, FL. George's passion was for making movies, so he came here to study FILM. The Theatre and Entertainment Technology Program now known as the ED&T Program is the foundation for the Film department and gets you prepared to work with costumes, sound, lighting, staging, design and more.
LIGHTCONVERSE AND HIGHEND LIGHTING CHALLENGE 2015 by George Jackson - Competition
Published on Mar 26, 2015 Lego-inspired stage concert that started from me playing with Lego bricks then transformed into an all out 3D music festival which puts all my skills to the test!
He was the winner! Hands down! He won a Hedge Hog 4 used a lot for advance lighting programming and a full copy of LC ($5000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1cU0dG9bg
Light Converse is a computer visualization program, that is used to create 3D art forms. Now in this video George used Light Converse, Vectorworks, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe AfterEffects, 3D Studio Max, Camtasia, Tracktion, Resolume, and Hog 4 PC for programming.
A little bit about my best friend who I met right here in a Math class, in 1996. We had just graduated H.S from Boone High School and I from Flagler Palm Coast High School in Bunnell, FL. George's passion was for making movies, so he came here to study FILM. The Theatre and Entertainment Technology Program now known as the ED&T Program is the foundation for the Film department and gets you prepared to work with costumes, sound, lighting, staging, design and more.
LIGHTCONVERSE AND HIGHEND LIGHTING CHALLENGE 2015 by George Jackson - Competition
Published on Mar 26, 2015 Lego-inspired stage concert that started from me playing with Lego bricks then transformed into an all out 3D music festival which puts all my skills to the test!
He was the winner! Hands down! He won a Hedge Hog 4 used a lot for advance lighting programming and a full copy of LC ($5000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1cU0dG9bg
Bellator MMA, Northland: A Church Distributed, Walt Disney World and GJacksonlights LLC
http://www.gjacksonlights.com/
http://www.gjacksonlights.com/