Since working at S.O.B’s I have come to learn that the most powerful tool outside of your mind, is your mouth and the words you speak with it. As an intern, you want to make an impact on the people you work with, especially those in a position of power that can get you further in your career, one of my goals as an intern. I have the prime opportunity to do that. In the office, I sit less than two feet away from the owner of S.O.B’s, Larry Gold, who has been in this business for 27 years. He and his establishment are respected in the music industry, and revered in New York City as a prime venue. Making a good impression on him could open doors for future opportunities. Being that he is a very laid back and easy going, it makes much easier to approach him with ideas, or just conversation. They encourage interns to share new music with the staff and bring ideas to the table. They encourage us to attend all the shows and to mingle with the artists when they come to perform. What more could an intern ask for, free reign to spread our wings in this industry, and soar.

In that same breathe, it takes more than determination and ambition to seize all of these opportunities. It takes courage to strike up conversation with people you admire and revere, who have no clue who you are. At one of the earlier shows I attended, Lyor Cohen, the CEO of Warner Music Group was in the audience along with other music business professionals. An internship at a prestigious label like that could prove very beneficial, but I could not muster up the nerves to introduce myself. I’ve regretted it ever since then, and have been working on this Achilles’ heel of mine. Making small talk with people in the audience, and even getting to know the other interns have all proved helpful in working on my fear of approaching people. Getting over this fear will be the most valuable lesson I learn from this internship. Like the saying goes, “closed mouths don’t get fed”, and I won’t be able to get my foot through the door without making connections. No matter how talented and able I am to work in this industry, no one will ever know if I don’t use the only power I have as an intern, my words.