This is Antonio Rosario - aka ORIKAL (www.orikal.com / www.myspace.com/orikal), representing Graff Roots Media (http://www.myspace.com/graffrootsmedia)and Sota Rico Productions.
I am currently interning @ North Star Media in Studio City. I am a 3rd Semester student @ McNally Smith and i'm going for Music Business. I was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. (West Side)
Let me tell you about how I got here to LA...
The night before I left Minnesota, we had a HUGE party @ The Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis. I got to perform with my homegirl Maria Isa (also reppin' SOTA RICO - http://www.myspace.com/mariaisalolita) and kick it with people before I left my beautiful home state.
The next day I wake up, and I have a cold.
what perfect timing.
and then, 5 hours before my plane departs, I realize I lost my driver's license.
Again, what perfect timing.
After some help from Maria I located my ID, retrieved it, packed the last of my belongings and hit the airport.
Prior to this, I have only been to Wisconsin and Iowa, so I had NO plane experience what so ever. Equipped with a cold, I was sure to be in for a fun time.
I paid my $140 for baggage checking (!!!!), went through the process of airport security, got on the plane, and we took off smoothly.
Taking off and flying wasn't the hard part - it was the landing process. Something about the pressure made both of my ears plug SEVERELY, and I was sure I was going to land in LA deaf.
We land, I get my bags, and my roommate Tim Bjorkman is there waiting for me.
Tim drove me around a little, we drove past Bel Air (now this is a story...) and drove through Beverly Hills. Finally, we wind up at Mel's Drive In diner in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd.
The food was amazing, the root beer float was even better.
After driving around, we wind up back @ the Grand, our apartment. The location is magnificent, it's right next to the Galleria of Sherman Oaks, and basically right in the middle of everything. The next day, I wake up and go exploring the city.
alright, i'm sure i've typed enough about my personal experience, onto business.
Yesterday was my first day @ North Star, but it was more like an hour overview of what i'll be doing. After getting the overview, I got to leave early.
My other roommate Matt works at Media City Sound. He took me there so I could check out the internet and the bus route to get to North Star. I took these pictures while I was there -
beautiful boards, no doubt.
After all that, I took it easy, worked out in the 24 hour weight room, went swimming in the outdoor pool and kicked it in the hot tub. The temperature raised to triple digits, so it was perfect weather for that.
10:32 PM, my left ear popped. I am currently waiting for my right ear to pop still.
Today was my first full day @ North Star Media, as well as my first day experiencing the bus system out here. I caught my first bus with ease, but the 2nd one that takes me up Riverside Dr. drove right past me, so I ended up walking an hour to work - it was worth it. With weather this gorgeous, I can handle that.
North Star is currently working on American Idol Rewind, so they've been super busy with trying to get songs cleared for the show. My duties today involved basic data input, transferring their catalogue of songs from Word to an Excel spreadsheet, as well as researching publishers and song writers for the American Idol cue-sheets. I also got to meet Ron Sobel, and let me tell you, the whole team @ North Star Media is fantastic, very easy to work with and very friendly.
my 7 hour shift passed by so fast, I didn't even realize it. I caught a bus in the middle of the street (whups), and spent $5 on a day pass I didn't really need.
oh well.
After being dropped off on Ventura, I finally got to check out this hip hop store i've been eyeing called The Basement.
Turns out, people like the Living Legends and People Under the Stairs came up in that spot! Murs used to work there! I bought a blackbook, some decos, and a CBS shirt (Can't Be Stopped crew, not the TV network). I'll be stopping back there to drop off some albums.
Next door to that is this ILLLLL shoe store, where I picked these up
FRESH!
i've been waiting for these shoes my whole life.
Now here I am - chillin' poolside in this beautiful LA weather, writing to whoever is reading this. I've only been here for 3 days but it already feels like home. I love it down here - and if all goes good, I may not come back... ;-)
I'll keep y'all posted with pictures and video. Til then, check out my music, check out my crew, or feel free to holler at me @ 651-329-0699. I'd love to hear from you!
Til next time,
peace and love,
-Antonio Rosario
Graff Roots Media
Sota Rico Productions
North Star Media Intern
www.orikal.com
www.myspace.com/orikal
Orikal@gmail.com
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