ALYSSA POLAND

I am an aspiring Audio Engineer from Brisbane Australia. My passion is Live Audio and Sound Design. I am currently working as a Full Time Audio Engineer with IJS Productions as well as independently following my Sound Design passion under my business ARI AUDIO.

Since studying at SAE I have worked for numerous production companies in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast; become a certified Adamson Systems Engineering Touring Systems Operator; I have worked with heaps of amazing bands at live events such as John Stevens, Custard, Psycho Echo, Violent Soho, Dune Rats and more; I have been asked to make audio samples for Brisbane based production companies and I have secured a full time position with one of Brisbane’s biggest event production companies.

What inspired you to enter into the career you’re in?
I always loved music, however despite being spread across a wide range of musical instruments I didn’t feel like I wanted to be a musician. During my high school studies I became a part of my school’s Sound & Lighting crew, where I quickly found exactly what I wanted to do. From there I became Captain and received numerous awards for my work in this crew. When looking at what I could do as a career I decided there was nothing else I would rather do.

What are your fondest memories of your time at SAE?
My fondest memory of SAE was working on different projects where we could have an idea of what we wanted to do and make it work from there rather than having a set assignment to do. I was able to make music videos, sound replacements, albums, sample packs… really anything I could think of.

Are you able to shed some light on how studying at SAE lead you to where you are now?
The emphasis on signal flow really helped me in my day to day work. Having the idea of signal flow hammered into me from the get-go has changed my thinking in such a way that it is a real asset and quite honestly what out me above the rest in my work experience.

What are your career highlights?
My career highlights would have to be training to become and Adamson certified operator (that was a rare opportunity that normally isn’t given to someone with as little experience as myself) and working at Big Pineapple festival in 2018, which was a work experience event for me but I learnt a lot of valuable lessons and got contacts that I could use in the future (one company even wrote me a letter of recommendation).

What projects are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a short film with my partner who works in Animation. Other than that I am busy with my work for IJS Productions.

What advice would you give to students aspiring to become successful in their field?
As much as people weren’t very open to it, developing soft skills early on and especially with all the help SAE gives you is one of the most valuable assets you will have. I can say with almost certainty that my adaptability, work ethic and people skills have been what’s put me above other graduates in the same field. A good friend of mine once said “you can teach someone how to use a program, but you can’t teach them how to manage time or work well under pressure.”