GeekTech

This is the exact kind of stuff that I'm looking to go into as my profession. I'm planning on working towards a show production and touring degree from Full Sail in Orlando, Florida. I just got this newsletter from Full Sail telling me about a sound engineer who works at Disney World – the place of my dream job. Below is the article that I found very interesting…

Sound for EPCOT Concerts: Michael Weyand

Show Production graduate works as an audio technician in the park

When you're running audio at a 260-acre theme park, you need to be prepared to handle some pretty diverse setups. As an Audio Technician at Walt Disney World's EPCOT resort in Orlando, FL, Show Production graduate Michael Weyand has covered everything from park-wide audio for live events to helping put together their annual tree-lighting ceremony this past Christmas. "It's made me appreciate the park more because I know what it takes to make it that magic place for people," he shares. "People don't realize all the work that goes on behind the scenes!"

Mike is currently preparing for EPCOT's busy upcoming concert season, where he'll once again be stationed at the America Gardens Theater. This outdoor venue is one of the focal points of the park's World Showcase section, and is the only venue on Disney property that hosts a regular concert series with national acts. Some of the artists Mike has worked with in the past have included the Beach Boys, the Four Tops, and Little Richard.

"When we do the concert series we're changing over the stage for a new performer every three or four days," he explains. "Each band has their own specifications as to what they want, and it's a lot of fun when you're able to shape new sounds every night. When we hosted Little Richard, we had a total of 18 mixes on stage for all the members of his band, which included 2 bass players, 2 drummers, multiple guitarists and a full horn section. So it can be a lot of long nights but the end result is always pretty amazing."

Mike also sees a lot of variety offstage, as he and the rest of EPCOT's audio and lighting crew – in which there are around 80 full time techs, working in daily operations, special events, and planning and management – are often sent throughout the Walt Disney World property to help put together the hundreds of other events hosted onsite each year. These can range from professional baseball games to live music and theater productions held at a variety of locations throughout Disney's four theme parks, and countless other entertainment facilities.

"When we have special events, they pull crew from all parks, based on the labor requests of the event planner," Mike explains. "Tomorrow I might be at the Wide World of Sports complex for the Atlanta Braves spring training, and the next day I could be an additional technician at Downtown Disney or at the Magic Kingdom for Night of Joy. So I'm constantly getting to meet new people and do new things, and it's all such a great learning experience."

And as much fun as he's having working on these productions, Mike's biggest payoff comes from the opportunity to build this kind of entertainment for the millions of families that travel to the Walt Disney World resort from around the world each year.

"There is a lot of magic to the park – that never goes away," he shares. "And it's especially cool when you're working at something like the tree-lighting ceremony the park has at Christmas – when you could see these families creating memories. And when it makes me feel that good, I realize that I've made somebody's day really great. That's really what I love most about what I do working at a park that's all based around imagination."