Program provides students real-world industry experience in partnership with C3 Presents
Austin Community College District (ACC) students will get a unique opportunity for hands-on learning experiences during the first weekend of this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. The students will work with festival crews to gain real-world industry experiences in artist management & marketing, live sound engineering, and video production.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to get first-hand exposure to the dynamic and fast-paced world of large-scale event production,” says Perry Crafton, dean of ACC’s Arts & Digital Media. “They will work alongside industry professionals and participate in key behind-the-scenes operations that bring one of the world’s most renowned music festivals to life.”
The opportunities are the result of a new partnership program called ACL Music Festival University — a collaboration between ACC, C3 Presents, Jeff McClusky & Associates, and Festival University.
Festival University was launched in 2018 at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. It expanded to the Lollapalooza Music Festival in 2020 and has been offered to students from DePaul University, Belmont University, and Kennedy King College. It aims to foster the future careers of students studying to enter the live music and music business industry.
“I originally didn’t plan on going to college after high school, as I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do for a career yet. During my time off from school, I had heard great things about the Audio Industry and Technology department at ACC and thought I’d go ahead and apply since I really loved the live music environment,” says Jillian Masters, ACC Audio Engineering student. “I am incredibly stoked to be working with ACL this year. This opportunity is honestly an answered prayer for me and I don’t plan on taking any of it for granted. It’s going to look really nice on my resume that I got to work at such a big festival.”
Students participating in ACL University will examine the impact of the ACL Music Festival on the local music scene and beyond. Participants will explore the fundamentals of festival production, engage with industry professionals, and learn about various aspects of the live music industry, from production and management to marketing and public relations.
As part of the Arts & Digital Media Division, ACC offers certificates, associate degrees, and transfer pathways in dozens of fields in creative technologies, including audio engineering, radio-television-film, motion graphics, music, and more.
For more information on ACC’s programs in Arts & Digital Media, visit austincc.edu/adm.