"I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR…." (JUST AS LOUD AS ANYONE ELSE CAN!)
By Michelle K. Williams
Okay, that’s my version of the song.
First, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Michelle K. Williams. I was a student at Basement Recordings from 1994-1995. I then took advanced classes from 1998 to 1999. I am a Sales and Marketing Coordinator in a Corporate Communications firm in Manhattan. I am also a third partner, recording/live engineer in a 3-year-old company named SoundDezign® Studios in Brooklyn. In addition, I am a singer, musician, composer and, last but not least, a Steel Panist in Pan Rebels Steel Orchestra.
My experiences as a woman in the audio industry and corporate communications industry have been far more rewarding than I first imagined. I really believed that in "male-dominated" fields such as these, I would have to prove myself time and again. Fortunately for me, that has not been the case at all. I used to swear to myself that I had to be better than the next guy. And when I say guy, I literally mean it.
In 1994 my mother read an article about Basement Recordings in the Daily News. I was looking for an audio recording school that I could afford, and Basement Recordings was my answer. "I’m probably going to be the only female there", was my first thought at the time. Plus I thought that maybe these guys would hate me if I was better than they were; or laugh at me if I wasn’t as good. Since I had always had great relationships in the past with guys as friends, I didn’t let myself get too paranoid. My two best friends and colleagues are men. Plus, I have never allowed stereotypes or negative thoughts to stop me before. So I just went.
It was not long before I became comfortable at Basement Recordings. There was another woman in my 1st Level of study, and she and I both were expected to learn the same things, answer the same questions and take the same tests as the guys. I loved it! I learned quickly and soon took a leading role in the class. The instructor, as well as the male students in the class, all treated me as an equal. By the time I finished my 3rd Level, I was asked to become the MIDI Lab Technician and to assist the beginning 1st Level students. That convinced me right there, that knowledge, not gender, counts. Within that same year I was also asked to participate in an interview of Basement Recordings Students and Teachers featuring a male instructor, and myself on I believe Channel 60(?). It was great that Basement Recordings chose to demonstrate how they have both men and women engineers and teachers.
In SounDezign® Studios, my two partners are men. From the time we met about ten years ago, we have treated one another with mutual respect. And we have also become friends. We met when I joined Pan Rebels Steel Orchestra back in 1990. I started out playing Six Bass. That’s six-50 gallon oil barrels, in case you’re wondering. Some basses are pretty heavy to move, but believe me, I had to lift them in order to move them; set them up; paint them and clean them out. They were, after all, my responsibility. I was given no privileges. Being a woman doesn’t make me cripple or weak. And the guys didn’t treat me that way, either. That made me respect them even more. We also freelanced on hundreds of gigs, and most times I was the only girl.
When we started SounDezign® Studios in 1997, my responsibilities didn’t really change much. I had to lift equipment as much as the men did. I pulled my own weight, and if you could see me, you would agree that that is a lot of weight to pull! Really. All jokes aside though, and I don’t want you to get me wrong on this, when something is too heavy for me, I ask for help just like one of the guys would – and do. I am a strong woman, not a foolish one!
In the live shows, I am the Chief Engineer, which means I’m responsible for maintaining clear, crisp sound and controlling feedback. The reason I am the Chief Engineer is because I have the most experience in audio on that level. In the studio, I’m not the Chief Engineer only because the demands of my other work prevent me from going in as much as I would like. So, Gary Rogers, one of my partners and another Basement Recordings student, runs the studio. Gary surpassed me long ago in recording experience and studio time since I had to miss so many studio sessions. So he is the right choice for Chief Engineer in our studio facilities. My only regret is that I’m not able to be at the studio more often.
At my day job, I deal with computers all day. I manage a database of 2,000 plus clients such as Panasonic, Sony, Lucent, Kmart, SmithKline and Beecham. I am Sales and Marketing Coordinator for five sales people, including the Vice President. As I mentioned earlier, my company specializes in Corporate Communications. Its main purpose is to introduce new technology and products to their respective sales forces, world-wide, either through sales meetings or various other facets of multi-media such as video, audio, or PowerPoint presentations. Sixty-six percent, or 30 out of 45 members of our staff, are women, and we all get along great. [The Vice President knows my audio background and has asked me about equipment for a studio that he wants to build in his home. He has also predicted that I could outgrow this position within 1 ½ to 2 years. He wants to put me in the Audio Department.]
One of my other strengths is trouble-shooting minor computer and application problems for our Sales Force. Everyday both men and women call on me to come and fix their computer problems, because they are confident in my ability. There seems to be little or no male ego thing happening. There are so many women here in high positions. All of our Department Heads are women. The heads of Graphics Manager/Assistant Systems Administrator, Production Manager and the Vice President of our Creative Department of Finance Manager all are women. Our #1 sales person, with the most sales for at least two consecutive years, is also a woman. In fact, four of our five Producers, and the majority of our writers, are also women. We all come from different backgrounds and educational experiences in life. All of us are experts in our respective fields. And each one of us is highly respected based on our personal character and professional skill, and we are rewarded equally for both.
I think times have changed somewhat. There are still ignorant people who will stereotype and look down on women, just as there will always be racist people in the world. After all, I know some women who don’t have female friends because they believe that women are trifling. You just can’t change everyone, and I simply don’t try. I have just been very lucky to find a job where race and gender don’t matter. African American women occupy some of the top positions, like I mentioned earlier. I hope the future will reflect an open-minded society where, in your career journey, you won’t be judged on how you were born, but rather on your skills and your potential to become great in whatever you choose to do.
My advice to any young woman out there trying hard to climb up that career ladder is simply this: Judge yourself. You should know your potential and skills better than anyone else. If you know that you can do better – then do it! Do the best you can. Never do anything just to prove yourself to someone else. You can go crazy trying to prove yourself that way. Eventually, someone higher up on that ladder, whether male or female, will recognize your value. And if they don’t, so what. Start your own company! Think of yourself as a person who can do anything that anyone else can do. I do, every day. And I respect myself more than anyone else can. I am not affected by stereotypes because I don’t believe in them. In this age of advancing technology, audio and otherwise, I believe that it’s more about what you know and how good you are at what you do. I’m not trying to sound like an expert about such things. These are simply my views based on my experiences throughout my life. I have been fortunate to have the benefit of working with and being taught by some very open-minded, non-judgmental men. My instructors at Basement Recordings, Trevor John and Ernie Graham, and my colleagues, Gary and Tony (Pra) Trebuse, as well as the men and women at my job, have always judged me based on my ability.
What more could a woman ask for?
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