OIART INTERVIEWS SEAN MAKINS,
OIART Grad 2002, Lead Technical Co-Ordinator, Norwegian Cruise Lines

Bob Breen: For starters, what's your exact job title, the cruise line you work with, and ships you work on?

Sean Makins: My exact job title is Lead Technical Coordinator, and I work for Norwegian Cruise lines. So far I have done contracts on the Norwegian Dream and the Norwegian Sky.

Job Link for NCL:
http://164.109.173.140/ship_employ/cruise_staff.htm
#audio
LIVE BRIDGE CAM from the NORWEGIAN DREAM:
http://www.ncl.com/fleet/07/dream.htm#

What's your favourite movie?
Wow, that's a tough one. It would probably have to be "The Nightmare Before Christmas", or one of Tim Burton's other releases ("Edward Scissorhands", and "Beetlejuice" are way up there).

Just thought I'd ask. So I think it's pretty fair to say most students coming to OIART, or any recording school for that matter, aren't thinking of going to work on a cruise ship. How were you introduced to the possibility?
I was first introduced to them by my cousin who had been working with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) for about 3 years. She was a cast member in the production company. It never occurred to me that there would be a job for me in this line of work, but she sparked my interest when she told me all about it.

How did you figure out how to go about applying for the job?
Again my cousin got me a contact to call, and I went from there. Whether that put me ahead of the game or not, I don’t know, but it helped. I am sure applying to the website is the best way to go. I know for a fact they are ALWAYS looking for good people as the turnover rate can be high.

What was the interview process like?
Surprisingly good, the guy I was in contact with was extremely friendly, and quite helpful. I called up and he asked some questions about my background, what schooling I had and previous experience, which was not a lot! The first part was fairly informal, he gave me an address to e-mail my resume, and he said he would be in touch. Sure enough he called back and I was supposed to have a "Technical Interview" I guess to test basic and fundamental knowledge, but I never got to that point. It was sort of a "Can you be out there in a month?" Of course I was like "Yeah!" I think I lucked out with the interview process as I had no real formal interview.

Sometimes luck and timing play a part in getting a gig, but they say you have to be good to be lucky, right? What was your previous job or volunteer experience?
In the audio field the only real audio job I had had was recording a couple of friend’s bands, and doing live sound for them a few times. So nothing too extensive.

So how's it been going the last couple years on the ships? What have been some of your successes?
You know it's actually been going amazing! My main success was getting promoted to Lead Technical Coordinator.

Another success that really stands out in my mind was when we were doing a charter cruise. We had Taylor Dane on as the big act at the end (it was a gay charter cruise, so go figure) and we had a day to tear apart our theatre and get it set up to do a concert, not fun when you have everything set up the way you like it and no reason to change it. So yeah, all that went fine. Taylor Dane brought her own sound guy with her and I was just supposed to help him with whatever he needed and answer any questions he had about the gear. So the sound check went ok, but I knew he wasn’t going to be happy as I know the theatre and he didn't.

So first show starts and it sounds TERRIBLE! Everyone was complaining and looking to me saying 'what’s going on?' The sound guy got so fed up and frustrated that he said "I don’t know this room and I'm outta here. You take over (as in me)." So I took over and within 2-5 mins I had it sounding at least manageable (it helped that I knew the room and the system very well) and by the end I thought that in my humble opinion it sounded pretty good. Everyone thanked me and was really impressed. Taylor Dane was very thankful as well. So hey, that was a definite proud moment. Sorry if I rambled on! As for the sound guy, he was also her manager so I don’t know what the outcome of that one was!

Congratulations on the promotion! What do you think set you apart from some of the people who had been there longer?
Well it was kind of an 'in the right place at the right time' thing. Also I think, my boss in corporate felt that he could trust me. I had also had some good feedback from a couple senior lead techs, so I guess that helped as well. Just basically doing a good job and keeping as many people happy as I can!

Tell me some of the places you've been able to travel...
Oh man! I have been almost everywhere in Europe, everywhere along the coast of South America, Alaska, and about all of the Caribbean and Mexico. Oh and basically all along the east and west coast of The US and Canada!

Hmm, where did you say I could go to apply again? Just kidding. That sounds thrilling and educational all at once. Can you somehow explain the lifestyle for those who can't imagine what the job must be like?
It's a lifestyle where you have to keep your head, because you feel like you are on vacation, right? So it's very easy to get into the party side of it and lose track of why you are actually there. Now don't get me wrong, you can have lots of fun but you have to remember you are there to do a job as well. Also, with my position I get a fair amount of free time so I was able to explore the different countries.

How are the hours?
Not bad at all. I have put in a couple of long days but for the most part once you set in to a routine it's not too intensive. It usually consists of a rehearsal in the day time and 2 shows at night, shows are about an hour each and rehearsals are from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on the act. Once you have had an act on for a while you won't need to do a rehearsal, you can just do the shows. Also if it's a comedian performing then there is a good chance that they won't need a rehearsal, what is there to rehearse? On sea days (when we don't stop in a port) you can get busy if lots of talks and lectures are scheduled in the theatre, but it usually gets pretty evenly divided up between all of the techs.

How many people usually travel on one of these ships? It's a real floating community isn't it?
We have about 2000 to 2500 passengers on any given cruise, with about 1000 crew. It all depends on the size of the ship. Yes, it is very much a floating community. You live, work, eat and exist with these people the whole time you are there. It tends to be quite a close, and always from what I have experienced, a friendly environment.

How big are the theatres on board? What kinds of shows do they put on?
Again this is all depending on the ship. The biggest theatre I worked in seated 1500 people and used 3 decks of the ship. All the upper deck was balcony. The smallest theatre was a 1000 seater, with one level, no balcony. It still used 2 decks though. The main shows that go on in there are the production shows of which there are 3. These shows also vary from ship to ship. The other nights we have cabaret acts, which can be anything from a singer, magician, juggler, ventriloquist, comedian, to an instrumentalist. You have to be ready for anything, but they do supply you with the gear to do it all.

So what are your duties when you're in action?
Well, my main job is sound but because I am also Lead Tech, I'm in charge of everything from lights to stage to automation and so forth. I am in charge of all the other Techs, and I have to be on top of everything. Before I was Lead Tech I just had to take care of sound and nothing else.

How did your OIART education help you succeed?
OIART gave me the ability to learn and adapt, also it gave me a lot of the fundamental knowledge that is a must in this line of work.

Is there actually a Captain's Mess and do they in fact make him clean it up? Sorry, that was lame. Do you eat well yourself?
Yeah, actually I think I eat very well; it gives you the option to eat all kinds of food depending on what you are into. I would occasionally go out and eat in the restaurants and that food was amazing, but the mess down below for the crew isn't all that bad either. There is a fairly wide selection of food to eat.

Are you thinking of this as a long term gig?
No I don’t think so. It's kind of a hard life, being away from friends and family, and just being secluded from the rest of the world all the time. I think maybe a couple more years and then that will be it, but it has been amazing though.

What do you think you're going to take from this experience back ashore?
Well first of all just the world experience, it has been amazing seeing this much of the world, that, I will definitely hold on to. I will always have the experience from the job side of it as well. I have worked with and met so many different people which are great for contacts, also just the live sound experience. There is no way someone can teach you what it is actually like unless you actually do it right? So yeah, I have had lots of experience on that side of things, and for the most part it has all been really great.

The pay situation is unique with cruise ships, and I reckon it's likely one of the most attractive features. Without giving away numbers or anything private, what are the advantages of the pay and the room and board situation?
The pay situation works well but has its disadvantages. You do get paid in US cash, which is great for taxes, but being where you are it tends to mean that you have alot of cash lying around all the time as you have no opportunity to bank the money. For some people that's a problem, and there is always the theft side of things. Theft hasn't been too bad from what I have experienced, but it's there. On the plus side, you do tend to save a fair bit as all your meals are included, and you aren't paying for board either. So for me it’s been a great way to save money.

So when you're ready to move on you'll have something in the bank, which of course in this world means you'll have some options. What's next for you? What are you planning?
You know at this point I am not really sure. Since working on ships I have really taken a liking to musical theatre and the production side things, so maybe I will try and follow those lines in the future. Right now I am just keeping my options open, always looking. Yes it is nice to have something in the bank now; it will be nice to have that security when I do plan to move on.

You must have a good deal of free time and access to gear on the ship, can you use that to develop your engineering skills for your future?
Absolutely, I have done a few recording projects on the ship, and yeah I can go and use the theatre as I please which is nice because they tend to have pretty good gear on ships. On the other hand when you're not working you don't really tend to want to spent a whole lot of time in there because it's still your place of, but I will go every once in a while.

What would you say is the most important lesson you've learned on the job?
The best thing that I would say I have learnt was to stop thinking and talking about doing something, and to just do it. You will get much better results!

What are the job prospects like for an OIART grad in cruise ships? Are they good? Do you have any advice for someone graduating from OIART who's thinking about getting into the business?
I would have to say the prospects are good, hey, I got a job! Like I said earlier they are always looking for good people. There has been a lot of crap that has gone through ships and believe me it's frustrating for everybody. The best thing is to just start applying. OIART is a pretty reputable school that will stand out amongst the others. I know this because I have worked with some people with little to no training.

Thanks Sean! We really appreciate your time, and best of luck.

Thank you!