PARTICIPANT PROFILES

“IEP made the whole process simple and easy. They helped with everything from organising flights and working visas to giving me advice about getting a job. The support from IEP and BUNAC (IEP’s USA partner) is terrific. Whenever I needed questions answered, the support was only a phone call or an email away.” Paul from Melbourne worked at Mammoth Mountain in California

HAYDEN

The USA is known to many as the land of opportunity, the place where you can dream big and if you’re lucky, make it big! To some, the idea of heading to La La land and competing with the hordes of others from around the world is just too daunting, but as Hayden proves, a lot of hard work and determination coupled with true passion for what you do can, eventually, lead to great things.

Hayden, a very modest Aussie originally from regional Victoria, is chasing his dream of playing music for a living and from what he has shared with IEP, it seems as though Hayden’s dreams are already coming true.

Hayden's story so far...

I live in Los Angeles, on the outskirts of Hollywood and West Hollywood. Really nice neighbourhood, parking is a pain and rent is through the roof!

I play music for a living and I work part-time as an audio engineer at a studio in Hollywood.

I found this line of work through a lot of networking, research, patience and luck.

Why the USA?

Most of the musicians and bands I have listened to growing up are American, and it is commonly considered that Los Angeles particularly is a 'sink or swim' town. I felt that experience in the USA would be the best 'industry education' and indicator as a professional musician to see if I’m cut out for this line of work long term.

I believe the hardest thing about moving to another country to live and work is doing it without all the misconceptions and opinions of others stuck in the back of your mind, embracing your new home and forming your own opinion of it will lead you to the most rewarding and fulfilling travel experience. 

Networking

The best experiences I've had in the US have come mostly professionally, either working with artists I admire or other high profile artists that have been a lot of fun. I currently play in a band with ex-Everclear drummer Greg Eklund who, when I was 13 or 14 was like "the drum dude!!".

With that same band, earlier this year we played to a sold out crowd at the Troubadour, one of the most prestigious and highly recognised venues in Los Angeles. I was also fortunate enough to score the gig with Joe Firstman (Last Call With Carson Daily) opening up for Hootie & The Blowfish on the west coast dates of their 'Homegrown' tour. Artists that I have worked with at the Studio include; Ice T, Lemme (Motorhead), Down, AFI, Coheed & Cambria, Rob Zombie, Charlie Tuna (Jurassic 5) and many others.

The Impact

I have gained a huge insight into American culture, social awareness and political change that has been quite apparent with the impending election. Through a lot of touring, I began to discover how diverse the nation is and how different social opinions and cultures are, nearly polar-opposite in some cases. Professionally, I have gained a lot of knowledge as to how the 'sessioning' circuit works, having well established relationships with folks like Barry Squire, Artist referral agent and many other avenues.

The 'Myth' is not true and musicians still stand a great chance of being able to survive playing music. As I grow and develop as a musician, I hope to seek out more opportunities in America and see where the road leads me.

IEP will follow Hayden’s inspirational journey as he continues to live it up working in the USA.

STEVEN

“Everything in America is done with such passion, it is full-on or not at all, nothing is half hearted, you have to give it your all... I’m going to be a part of the real thing!”

When IEP spoke to Steven, one of our very first Work USA members going on the new 12 month visa, he was literally counting down the hours til he departed for the adventure of a life time – one year in the USA.

Steve excitedly shared his plans of living the dream and following his acting and performance career up in the Big Apple.

“I’m in the arts industry so I want to go to the hub of where it stems from... to the craziness of it all in New York and experience Broadway and the theatre,” Steven said.

With his background in character acting and accents Steven is confident he will find some sort of work that will build on his skills and knowledge. Now a deferred drama student, Steven has five years of experience working at Queensland’s Movie World where he used to try out different American accents – we won’t be at all surprised if Steven returns home with a thick New Yorker accent!

Steven will be one of the first Aussies heading to America on this visa and he knows what an awesome opportunity this new visa is and definitely encourages other eligible Aussies to get in there and apply!

“I think it’s great! It’s so great that there are so many new opportunities, I think nothing but good can come from experiencing other countries and cultures,” Steven said, “For me, it is going to show me what is possible in my industry, we don’t have that much available to us here in Australia in my industry, it will re-awaken where I want to go and what I want to do. I’m hoping it will reaffirm what I want to do with my life.”

We have no doubt that Steven will be completely enthused and revitalised about his chosen career path after spending a year living it up on a working holiday in the USA and IEP is thrilled to help him get there!

UPDATE: Since writing this article about Steven, we've heard that he's settled in well to live in New York City:

"NYC is amazing and I love being here. I work for Disney at the World of Disney on 5th Avenue. I've seen a whole bunch of B'way shows and am really enjoying myself immensely... It really is the Crossway of the World! Thank you so much for all of your help with this program. It really is an amazing opportunity for all Australians."

NATHALIE

IEP member Nathalie discovered she was able to work at her dream destination in her dream job thanks to the new 12 month Work USA visa.

Nathalie landed a job in the Marketing/PR department of fashion company, Escada right in the glamorous city of New York.

A very excited Nathalie told IEP about how she heard she’d scored her dream job,

“They called me at 2 o’clock in the morning to tell me I’d gotten the job” she said, “It was an exciting call to receive.”

“What I know about the job so far is I will be helping organise advertising in magazines like Vogue and be involved in dressing models for catwalk shows or celebrities for the red carpet,” Nathalie explained.

Nathalie is thrilled to have the opportunity of the new 12 month visa, having been to the USA before she knew that she would love to work there if given the chance.

“I’ve been to New York for a few days before and I fell in love with the place. I made a promise to myself that I would come back and work there and now I am!”

Nathalie has worked in Asia and Europe before and saw the USA as her next adventure, she is keen to see the sights and do more shopping in NYC but ultimately it is the work experience she is most enthusiastic about.

“I’m really looking forward to the job. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time and it is going to give me the chance to experience the fashion industry and really network. I work in Marketing at UniSA now so I will still be working in marketing but just in a totally different field.”

Nathalie decided to go with IEP’s Work USA program after researching the market and finding out what was out there.

“I found IEP through Google. I really liked the fact that it was packaged so you got your insurance and visa assistance all together. If you follow IEP’s advice it just makes things much easier.” Nathalie said.

“IEP’s website was really well laid out and informative compared to other companies offering a similar program and I really liked getting the newsletter with updates about information sessions and what you need to know... plus the price was really good.”

IEP wishes Nathalie the best of luck for the US and invites other full time tertiary students and recent graduates to take the plunge and apply for the Work USA program…the next dream to come true could be yours.

REBECCA

When Rebecca joined up to Work USA last year she was dreaming of working in Public Relations or a similar field over in LA. With a degree under her belt and some industry experience she was ready to tackle Tinsel Town.

Two months into her working holiday Rebecca had not landed her dream job and despite a little homesickness she was not ready to give up. Rebecca gave us some very real advice from her experience at the start of her trip.

“I spent two months living in a dark little studio apartment having no luck finding a job, the economy is bad over here and jobs are scarce. I made friends really quickly and easily because I interned at a record label first, without this I think it would have been hard to meet people. I would suggest doing something similar to at least find a grounding when you arrive.”

With a bit of time and a lot of persistence Rebecca landed herself the position she had been dreaming of. While searching on a website called entertainmentcareers.net Rebecca stumbled across an advertisement that seemed right up her alley. She explains what her job involves.

“I work with one other person in a boutique celebrity PR firm so my job is very hands on. I write press releases, put together press junkets, walk the red carpets at premieres and events with clients, work with publications and other media. I basically handle everything to do with the clients public image. There are a lot of parties and events to attend even without clients, my boss takes me to these to network, which is everything in this town.”

Now representing the likes of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mary J Blige, The Wayans and Jim Caviezel, Rebecca is living the dream of many who try to break into Los Angeles. Being offered this incredible experience through the IEP Work USA program has opened impressive career doors for Rebecca and she is more than happy to pass on advice to other IEP members planning on heading to the USA, especially if they have their hearts set on LA.

“It's a cliche but you have to put yourself out there, it's LA, you have no choice. Just be genuine, you will stand out :)”

Did she ever feel like giving up during those first few difficult months?
“NEVER!”

In jest we asked Rebecca if she had been lucky enough to meet Will Smith (one the IEP girls’ favourite celebs) and she replied, “Yes I've met Will and he's one of the nicest guys in the world! He told me "Stay focused in this town baby girl" what more can I say....”

Good on you Bec and keep on living it up on Work USA!

WENDY

"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. It's up to you, New York, New York..." Old Blue eyes knew a thing or two about living the dream. New York is an amazing place to call home but you will only ever get out of it what you put into it and like all things in life, preparation is key.

It was love at first sight between myself and New York. It's impossible not to be seduced by the blazing lights beneath you as you come in to land at JFK at night. Even in the darkness, the sheer scale of the famous Manhattan skyscrapers and midtown sanctuary of Central Park will give you the jaw of awe. After a 20 hour flight and at least 20 years of day dreaming, I was finally here. Sure, I was jobless, homeless, completely alone and the few Australian dollars I had in my wallet were depreciating in value every minute, but I was here in New York starring in my very own 'choose your own adventure' story.

I had spent almost the entire year planning for the trip by researching and making contact with as many potential employers as possible. Websites such as Craig's List, Entertainment Careers, Monster and Career Builder have current job leads across a broad range of industries and applying for jobs became something of a daily ritual. E-mail is great for initial contacts but always follow up with a phone call. Actually speaking to a potential employer on the phone will be worth more than the price of an international phone card as it is way more personal and sets you apart from the countless emails they have probably received from all over the world and across the US. Never underestimate the power of our accent - they really do love it here and I found that this 2 pronged approach of email and phone worked best for me.

Despite a tough economy, America remains the land of opportunity and there are still jobs available but competition is stiff and there are definitely differences in the way they do business over here so you will need to bring your A game to applications and interviews.

Develop a thick skin and be prepared for rejection, because there will be a lot of it but it's important to keep at it and also never let a door close on you completely. A company may not have something for you right then but if you stay in touch you can develop valuable contacts and plant seeds for the future. I lost count of how many jobs I actually applied for before I even got an interview but with persistence, a resume tailored to the US market and a perfectly worded application letter I finally scored an awesome job at News Corporation working for the New York Post newspaper. By keeping in contact with another company I was interested in working with I have also secured once in a lifetime opportunities for work experience at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival and American Film Market in Los Angeles.

You really do have to be prepared to hang in for the long haul. I went for my first interview with the department manager at the New York Post in early December, had my second interview with their HR department in early January and did not start work until the last week of January. The wheels of commerce can turn slowly over here.

As an Aussie, you probably already have a strong work ethic and easy going nature and these will be welcomed by any employer but be forewarned that Americans do not always get or appreciate our brand of sarcastic humour and can be particularly sensitive about certain things. Keep the 3 P's in mind and you will be off to a flying start - Always be Polite, Politically Correct and Presentable (image is important and designer clothes are really cheap so there is no excuse not to look your best in New York.)

In a city of over 8 million people it is surprisingly easy to find yourself alone so participation is key. Fortunately, there are loads of social networking groups in New York City that host weekly events where you can make new friends and do some really cool stuff. So far I've been to an Oscars viewing party, attended my first Superbowl Sunday, been sledding in central park, pub crawling in Greenwich Village, been a regular at Thursday night Texas Hold 'em poker and attended a free off-Broadway play. You've just got to get out there and do it and contrary to popular stereotypes, New Yorkers and Americans in general are warm, friendly, welcoming people interested in learning about other cultures.

Finally, and probably most important of all, make sure you have twice as much money as you think you will need and half as much stuff. All you really need to bring is the right attitude and your adventurous spirit. Fortune favours the brave so step out of your comfort zone and into the best year of your life and if you find yourself in New York City this summer, look me up...

Wendy