My Journey to AAA
November 4, 2022
“How can I work in games?”
That’s probably the most asked question I’ve gotten since joining Riot back in 2021. And to be quite honest I don’t think I have the best answer. So, this is me sharing the ups and downs of the path I found myself on and hoping it will help you find your own way.
I’ve split this up into 3ish sections: The Foundation is for younger folks who are excited about going to college and have a passion for music/audio but aren’t sure if it’s the right fit for them. The Choice is for folks in college who need to know it’s okay to not have it all figured out. The Grind is for people working hard every day to try and break into the industry.
First things first, let’s get this out of the way:
I WILL be talking about race during this post. Being a Black man in the game audio space is a hugely important factor not only in my journey to AAA games but also in my everyday life as a POC. It’s taken me a lot of time to digest and reassess my life so I can even try to communicate these issues, so I hope you respect that choice and keep that in mind as you read.
The Foundation
I grew up in Virginia, in a small suburb right outside DC. Most of the schools I attended only had around 7% Black student population - even less when you went into regular vs advanced class structures. By the time I got to high school, I was fully invested in playing clarinet in Band because it was either that or theatre and I was a pretty shy kid. Because I excelled in math and science, I was encouraged to take AP classes and did so happily, even choosing to take AP classes I wasn’t great at like English. My parents wanted the best for me, so they let me figure out what classes I liked, as long as I did well they were happy.
As I got older and the idea of college started making its rounds around the school, I realized I had no idea what I wanted to do because no one had ever asked me about it. My Dad had never finished high school and my Mom had just finished getting her associate’s degree. None of my aunts or uncles had gone to college, so I didn’t have any ideas of what I wanted to do for my career or even where I wanted to go to figure it out.
At that time, all I knew was that I enjoyed playing music and that I was decent at it. I spoke with a few of my music teachers about my interest in pursuing music as a career and was pointed to multiple routes and paths I could take. My teachers at school told me I could go to college and become a professional clarinetist that plays in an orchestra, or I could become a music teacher like them. My clarinet tutor told me a similar thing but expanded saying that I could also join the military band, which is what she did. All those options didn’t excite me, but they were the only options I thought I had.
Through many applications, auditions, and a tough senior year, I ended up going to a state school to pursue a professional clarinetist degree. Looking back it was the safest choice - I was close to home, at a school that offered a lot of degree opportunities, and it gave me a starting point to figure out who I was as a person. The college you go to isn’t always going to be the college you graduate from, and you don’t have to get your degree, if any, in 4 years.
The Choice
During my first year at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), I joined an amazing acapella group. Through that group, I had the opportunity to perform across the east coast at churches, stadiums, and venues I hadn’t thought would be possible. It was during that time that I found out about Audio Engineering, and where my life was about to take a hard left turn.
I didn’t return to VCU the following year and instead moved to Dublin, Ireland to pursue a certificate in Audio Engineering and Music Production at Pulse College. This was a two-year course that blessed me with the opportunity to learn about so many things I had never thought of, record with artists I never thought I could have, and let me travel and experience life outside of the US. I was privileged enough to have a small college fund that helped me afford this option. If you have the ability to, I strongly urge everyone to live abroad for at least a year to help yourself become more comfortable within the world, not just where you grow up.
My favorite course that Pulse offered me was a post-production course. It was there I was introduced to sound for Film and Games and realized that it was something I could make a career out of. After graduating, and after hours of Google searches, I landed on Berklee’s EPD and MP&E programs being my opportunity to get the best education within that space, while also feeding my need for being a musician.
I really enjoyed my time at Berklee, and I think my education was definitely worth what I paid for. HOWEVER, I was lucky enough to receive several scholarships that made it affordable. I believe that Berklee will give you those scholarships if you have the skill, drive, and put in effort to your audition and your studies (not gonna lie, being a Black man who plays clarinet really helped me out a lot). Even with the financial aid I received, I still had to work two jobs while taking all my classes, including summer semesters, to afford it.
Because I couldn’t take summers off, I wasn’t able to intern anywhere; who was going to pay my rent? I can’t do unpaid internships, and those that paid didn’t pay enough. There are some fantastic options now (Riot, Bungie) which is great, but there needs to be more. Internships used to be something that was a blocker for many POC in the industry, but there has been lots of positive influence that has helped change that. That being said, there’s always work to be done to help level the playing field.
After graduating from Berklee, I couldn’t immediately move out to LA like all of my classmates, some of whom had already secured jobs or continued their internships from the summer. My whole life was in Boston and I couldn’t afford to uproot myself and move to a new city where I needed a flight to get there, to move all my belongings from one coast to another, buying a car to get around, etc. So I continued to work for the next year at Apple and saved up for the cross-country trip (For transparency, I saved up about $15k).
The Grind
When I finally made it to LA, I was still working retail at Apple. Apple was a great company to work for - Not only did they have tuition reimbursement for my classes at Berklee, but they also had a Career Experience program that offered opportunities in Apple Music, Beats Radio, Audio DSP, etc. I was lucky enough to be offered two of these positions towards the end of my tenure at Apple, but due to the move, new roadblocks appeared that prevented me from qualifying. This was super disheartening, so I took to Twitter for solace. One person I reached out to was a Sound Designer at Bungie, and they were kind enough to chat with me about where I was in my career. We talked about how long I had been trying to break into the game audio space, how I couldn’t get interviews for even entry-level gigs, and how I moved across the country for this dream and just wanted to quit so badly. He gave me the reassurance that I was heading in the right direction, checked my resume and my demo reel, and gave me the confidence and push I needed to keep trying that little bit because I was so close to making it.
And then it happened.
I was lucky enough to land my first audio job at Supernatural in 2020.
There’s still a huge shadow of doubt in my mind due to the fact that I was hired at the height of the BLM movement, and I felt as though I didn’t deserve the position. It still feels like I was just lucky - applied for the right job at the right time… But when I was there I worked hard, did the best work I could, and had a great team supporting me. Before I left I was even able to bring in two entry-level audio mixers to replace me and help them with their own breaks into the industry.
Even though I was happy at Supernatural, I moved to LA specifically to work at Riot, and I never stopped chasing that goal. After working my nine to five at Supernatural, I would work on redesigns, updating my website and portfolio, and I would watch YouTube videos to learn Reaper and new sound design techniques - anything that could help me build my craft.
In October 2021, I was lucky enough to be offered a Sound Designer position at Riot.
What Now?
My time at Riot was great - full of so many new experiences, professional development, and it helped open my eyes to the world of sound design. I was at Riot for 9 months and had imposter syndrome that whole time. Now I’m at Bungie and it’s still as strong as ever… I don’t know that It’ll ever go away. But I know that I worked hard to be here and I wouldn’t have been hired if they didn’t see that, too.
When I was trying to break into the AAA space, I heard every suggestion in the book: “You have to be the best at what you do”, “You have to know the right people”, and “You should get XYZ plugins” - all of it. They’re all right, but it really came down to persistence and timing. As Will Smith once said, “If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready...“
There are a LOT of people who helped me get to where I am today, people who understand the struggle and use their privilege to help those that can’t afford the opportunities they deserve, who don’t know what paths they can take, who can’t catch a break. And I hope that I’m able to help others the same way they helped me. I hope that I can pay it forward because, at the end of the day, games are for everyone.
I’ve linked some resources below that aim to help build a more inclusive and diverse Video Game industry. I encourage you to check them out and see how you can help make a difference in our community.