Nicole Hegarty: Portfolio

Summary

Ulster University Creative Audio Graduate; actively seeking an opportunity to gain experience and develop a professional network within the Music Industry. As a determined and ambitious individual I have demonstrated a willingness to learn about the industry through seeking various event roles as well as opportunities to shadow industry professionals.

My ambition is a career in engineering sound and creating audio-visual experiences. I have experience using both digital and analog sound desks, PA systems, and Avolites technology. Through my work I have undertook various stage and technical roles for live music concerts, events and theatrical productions.

Through my degree, I have enjoyed learning and participating in activities relating to room acoustics, sound engineering, creative coding and interactive systems. I am a team player and have demonstrated my ability to be a leader through being a Course Representative. As a Creative Audio student I was also a member of the course society, in which I participated in improving and assisted in creating and managing small-scale concerts with the society and local artists.

Personal Statement

I have always been a creative individual, and music has been a very inspiring part of my life. As a child I had lessons in various musical disciplines and although I never felt 100% with being in the spotlight when it came to performing, I enjoyed the atmosphere. From young I went to numerous concerts with my parents, I carried on this tradition well into my teenage years where I started to notice more about what was actually happening at gigs, what the event production staff would do and became intrigued by the ‘behind the scenes’ aspect.

However, at school I was discouraged from pursuing a career Music and was unable to do it as a GCSE. This led me onto a different path and later went on to complete a HNC in Social and Community Work; after a successful work placement in a local addiction centre, I was offered a permanent position. Over the 3 years I worked there, I continued to work on my passion for music and often tried to incorporate it into my work as I’m a strong believer in music being a form of therapy. The Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in a significant and unexpected shift in my professional responsibilities, leading me to undertake roles I had not anticipated. Consequently, I found myself feeling unfulfilled and decided to take some time out to reassess my career aspirations.

During this time, I researched different careers in the music industry and started applying to relevant University courses. Despite having no portfolio, a lack of practical knowledge and only a strong interest in my favour, I received numerous offers but decided to stick close to home and accept an offer from Ulster University to study Music, Sound and Technology (MST) (course name later changed to Creative Audio). I have enjoyed my time at Ulster University, completing modules in creative coding, music production, designing sound, sonic arts, sound and culture, performance interface design, interactive systems, acoustics and cognition, sound engineering, project development, game audio and music and moving images.

For my Dissertation, I researched the history of AV Technologies and speculated on the future of AV arts, I raised the question ‘How Can Technology Drive The Creation Of Gestural AudioVisual Performances’. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to test this theory in my Final Project which subsequently focused on demonstrating the possibilities of interactive and gestural AV implementations for Live Music performances, for this I used Arduino Hardware and TouchDesigner Software. A demonstration can be viewed on Youtube.

Alongside my Degree I’ve been a key member of the MST Society and have participated in improving the society through hosting live gigs in Sandino’s for the students to gain practical experience of live music events and for local musicians to be able to showcase their talents. I have also completed the Ulster University EDGE Excel Award succeeding in programs associated with planning for my career journey, networking, improving presentation skills and demonstrating leadership qualities through being a course representative.

As a Graduate, I have continued to develop myself professionally and grow a network of contacts. I have undertaken various roles, however most notably would be stage crew and production technician. I greatly appreciate every opportunity, as each one provides valuable hands-on experience. I have worked various theatre productions, Stendhal Festival and also events with artists such as, The Hothouse Flowers, The Seeger Sessions Revival, The Henry Girls, Rumer, Christy Moore, Lisa McHugh and Ryan McMullan, to name a few.