Music Industry/Recording Arts students, alumni work show of international band One Direction

Music, Music Industry Recording Arts
The Music Industry/Recording Arts team from St. Petersburg College works One Direction concert at Raymond James Stadium.
SPC Career Outreach Specialist Rosaria Pipitone and Music Industry/Recording Arts student Nathan Doyle at the One Direction concert at Raymond James Stadium.

While hordes of screaming fans waited for the One Direction concert to start on Friday, Oct. 3, students and alumni from the Music Industry/Recording Arts program at St. Petersburg College were front-and-center, working the show at Raymond James Stadium.

Three Music Industry/Recording Arts students were brought in to work alongside the international pop band’s touring staff to prepare for the anticipated 65,000 fans. When the doors opened, MIRA alumni greeted and directed thousands of guests, controlled VIP party entrance and assisted with photography.

The opportunity was the result of the workforce program’s growing national reputation.

“MIRA is producing alumni who are sustaining careers in music locally and regionally, which helps the visibility of the program and our work with employers,” said Rosaria Pipitone, career outreach specialist at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. “Providing students with the opportunity to work with a national tour has opened their eyes to a new spectrum of employment opportunities. It’s important to bring these kinds of recruitment opportunities to students. I want them to know they have on-campus support when it comes to employment opportunities.”

VIP Nation and CID Entertainment contacted Pipitone to ask about having Music Industry/Recording Arts students work two of their Tampa shows for Luke Bryan and One Direction. The One Direction performance marked the first international touring act to contact SPC for students and alumni to work the show. Two national touring acts, Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw, previosuly requested students and alumni from MIRA.

“It was super impressive to think of the huge scale of the operation and how many people were attending,” said MIRA student Nathan Doyle, who was excited about the experience of working at a live show. Doyle said he was surprised to learn that it took about three days for the touring crew to set up all the stage and lighting for the show.

After completing their shift, the MIRA team and Pipitone were granted free entrance to the sold-out show to experience the massive production close-up.