Welcoming The P.I.T. to MMP

In our industry, everyone has a different origin story. Where they came from, how they got into the industry, what inspired them to pursue this path, and a collection of amazing experiences that has led them to Music Matters. We are always thrilled to be able to tell those stories and help inspire the next generation of production professionals.

This past week, we welcomed the students of The PIT (Pros-in-Training) to the MMP warehouse to give them a crash course on what event production really means and what it takes to make it in this industry. It was an engaging 2.5 hour afternoon with around 40 students, and all left hungry to know more!

The PIT was established in 2019 by Valerie & Xavier Lewis who created the organization to inspire students, and help them develop the skills it will take to gain internships and careers in the film & music industry. The vision for the organization is to be the leading source for developing amateur talent into skilled and high performing professionals.

The Future Pros (FPs) arrived to the warehouse and were greeted by Lindsay who introduced them to MMP and guided them on the full tour of the MMP warehouse.

We started in Audio with Grant who let them know what it means to be a part of an audio production team, how he got started in the industry, and answered tons of questions from the FPs. Next was Lighting with Tom, Josey, & Drew — the excitement was high as the guys had prepared a special light show (complete with haze) for the FPs. The guys answered questions about the industry and about what their favorite gigs have been as lighting professionals. The FPs moved to Video with Clark & Taylor who built an LED wall specifically for the group and programmed some amazing content that impressed everyone. The FPs saw a few videos about Music Matters and what some behind the scenes of a few of our larger productions. XR was the last stop and Nauman & Lindsay gave a 10,000 foot view of what extended reality means and the capabilities of this technology and our studio.

The afternoon ended with the FPs being split into three groups and getting to experience a hands on, collaborative activity in each department.

It was a fulfilling afternoon for the MMP team, and the Future Pros gained a lot of great knowledge and insight into the world of production.

From The P.I.T. team:
The MMP team in collaboration with The P.I.T. was what every learning opportunity should be. The crew was knowledgeable and RELATABLE which is key when working with young people. The intention about the presentation and small group experiences were what made it most memorable. Our Future Pros and parents in attendance could connect their current learning in Physics, Language Arts, and Math in an authentic way. We also heard expressions of how they are passionate about careers in entertainment and this experience reinforced and activated a deeper desire for them to become the top performing professionals in their field (regardless of the pursuit of college or not). We are excited about this partnership and more immersive experiences, skills-based bootcamps and internships  for our Future Pros. – Valerie & Xavier, Co-Founders of The P.I.T