I've learned the music industry from the inside. Beginning with performance at an early age, my first real experience was mid-south regional small venues around Texas. Having no access in the industry, I had to learn how to manage a band, promote, book, and handle logistics, all by age 19. At age 20, I joined the US Army and was stationed in Germany. In that time, I began touring with the USO as a hired gun on the weekends and was able to learn more about production on a large scale. Upon returning to the US, after a visit to Iraq, my first goal was to get back on the stage. The music scene had changed drastically and I didn't really fit the mold. In order to regain a foothold, I hired on as a hand with, LD Systems, a production company in Houston, TX. This opened new avenues as I transitioned to freelance engineer with greater access to training in production of live events.During this time I completed a course in AutoCAD with a focus on cabling design, which allowed me to move into the installation department as a cabling engineer and soon after as Assistant Project Manager with DataComm, a local cabling installation company working on the audio/visual installation at NRG (Reliant) Stadium.When the opportunity arose to once again join a working band, I didn't hesitate, but I knew I'd be taking a cut in pay and I had a family now. Having already learned graphic design and screen printing as a hobby in high school, and having endured the pitfalls of learning how to manage a band, I flung myself into the business once again with a fire in my heart. On the phone, in the print shop and studio, I managed to put a coherent program together to launch this new chapter. I spent several months building an inventory of merchandise, designing a website, produced the necessary media, booked the first shows and laid out the plan on how we would all be paid and how the business would be handled. We had a decent amount of success, but I'd lost the drive to continue after nine years with the band and needed a new home and plan, which led me to my current position at Dosey Doe, a venue I'd performed in many times while filling the gaps with the band. Although I no longer needed to utilize my former skills, I maintained my print shop for several years to supplement my income and brought my cabling design skills into play while upgrading the systems in use at the venue. It's been a wild ride, but I believe I now have the skills and experience to fill any position in the industry from studio to stage.