MB Redfined

Romy Ostrovitz (VIT '03)

|    Jan 01, 2005

Romy Ostrovitz came to VIT from Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2002 with the goal of sharpening her skills as a singer/songwriter. Soon after beginning the program, she decided to take advantage of the MI Internship elective to gain some behind-the-scenes music industry experience. With the help of MBP Internship Coordinator Cyndi Ridge, Romy lined up a position at Lava/Atlantic Records in the A&R/Creative Marketing departments. After a few months at Lava, she began looking for a full time position and caught wind of a job opening in the office of pop songwriting superstar Diane Warren. The possibility of working alongside one of the biggest-selling writers of all time–and one of Romy’s personal inspirations–seemed almost too good to be true. Romy describes what happened next, “They offered me the job! Having the Lava/Atlantic Records internship on my resume is what put me over the top. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed about having a job like this, but the confidence I developed while working at Lava came through in the interview."

Ms. Ostrovitz offers this advice for current and future MI students, “Whether your goal is to be a performer or not, everyone should get a job in the industry. You open doors and create opportunities that you wouldn’t otherwise have even thought about.”

No one can guarantee success in the music business, but as Romy's experience shows, when doors open, those who are prepared will be the first to step through.

MI does not guarantee internship placements for non-MBP students, and offers no guarantee that professional employment will result from an internship.

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“More and more of the auditions I’m having for recording artists are turning out to be MI class reunions. The graduates of MI have been dominating the new, young music scene in LA”.

- Barry Squire
  Music Industry Talent Coordinator
  MI Hiring Hall Manager



MI alumni are working on stage, in the studio and behind the scenes around the world, with new stories arriving nearly every day. A sample of former MI students who have achieved industry recognition also includes:




Alessandro Cortini
Nine Inch Nails

Kalen Chase
Korn

Dave Kushner
Velvet Revolver

Rafael Moreira
Pink, Christina Aguilera,
Rock Star: Supernova

Mike Ward
Wallflowers, School of Fish

Kevin Hastings
Liz Phair

Pete Griffin
Hanson

Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell,
Scott Shriner
Weezer

Curt Bisquera
Elton John, Mick Jagger,
Bonnie Raitt

Pete Anderson
guitarist, producer

Paul Gilbert
Mr.Big, Racer X

Norman Brown
recording artist

Scott Henderson
recording artist

Oscar Cartaya
Jennifer Lopez, Spyro Gyra

Alex Al
Tupac Shakur, Stevie Wonder

Keb’ Mo’
recording artist

Fred Clark
Chaka Khan, Ray Charles,
Stevie Wonder

Dave Weiner
Steve Vai

Jennifer Batten
recording artist, Jeff Beck,
Michael Jackson

Toss Panos
Steve Vai, Mike Landau,
Robben Ford

Frank Gambale
recording artist, Chick Corea

Kevin Dukes
Don Henley, Boz Scaggs,
Jackson Browne

Chad Smith,
John Frusciante
Red Hot Chili Peppers

Clayton Gibb, Les Falconer
Keb’ Mo’

John Shanks
Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt

Allen Hinds
Randy Crawford, Natalie Cole,
Crusaders

Jeff Buckley
recording artist

Ray Luzier
Korn, STP, Army of Anyone,
David Lee Roth

Matt Laug
Alanis Morissette, Slash

Ash Sood
Sarah McLachlan

Joacim Cans
Hammerfall

Leah Andreone
recording artist

Irene Gutierrez (DJ Irene)
DJ/producer/remixer/recording artist

T.J. Guger
Göla

Valerie Vega
Zomba/JIVE recording artist (France)

Ernest Tibbs
Alan Holdsworth, Natalie Cole

Toshi Hiketa
David Lee Roth

Travis Johnson
Dickies, TSOL

Jimmy Herring
Allman Brothers, The Other Ones,
ARU, Widespread Panic

Josh Sklair
Etta James, Jeffrey Osborne

Dan Caron
Clifton Chenier, Charles Brown

Jimmy Scott
Little Milton, Solomon Burke

Steve Kerscznic
Tom Jones

Brian Allen
Virgil Donati, Greg Adams

Meja
recording artist

Jesse Gress
music editor, Guitar Player Magazine

Sarah Hudson
recording artist

Chris Maloney
Dweezil Zappa, Lisa Loeb