Student Experience: Chad Chance

“I first started taking classes at North Lake to expand my existing music recording business into doing sound for picture since the local music scene in Dallas was disappearing. I was struggling to get by on just music, so I started looking at video and film work. 

“I just started taking some courses in Video Technology. At first, I planned on getting an associate degree and then going for a bachelor’s degree, but I was starting to get so much work that I had to stop taking classes. The last semester I took classes, I don’t think I completed a single one because I was working so much. I just got the skills I needed and ran with them. 

“As far as skills go, I had been doing audio for so long that the point for me in class was to find out what goes on in film crews, and how team members work together. Andy Chiles’ classes were good for that. He’s the kind of professor who sees the potential in every student and works to develop it. If someone is above and beyond the rest of the class — or below — he will take the time for that individual to either let them go with their talent or get them up to speed. He’s really good at providing individual attention. 

“What do I like about my job? It’s an adventure every day; every day is different. This summer, I was outside holding a boom mike over actors’ heads in 105-degree heat one day. The next day I was filming an indoor scene for a movie at the University of Dallas. Every day is a different story.” 

Chad owns Sound Chances, which does audio work for film and video, as well as some post-production. Having previously worked in the IT industry as a network administrator and IT director, he has been running his own business since 2004. He’s alright with not finishing his associate degree in Video Technology at North Lake since work is so good he doesn’t have time to go back to school right now.

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