Already in the Game

Production contracts are elusive. Talented, aspiring music producers are just as numerous as aspiring actors and actresses. And everyone knows how few aspiring actors and actresses actually make it. Producers often spend years toiling in the ranks before landing a contract, if they ever do. But IADT - Tampa Recording Arts student Jacques Duval has had a different experience. Jacques hasn't even graduated with his Bachelor's degree and already he has a production contract.

With fellow IADT - Tampa student Shorne Callahan, Jacques founded Bakaz Men Productions. Bakaz Men recently signed a production contract with one of Tampa's largest churches. Under the contract, the two IADT - Tampa students produce albums for the church's artists.

Regardless of the standards you apply to Jacques, this accomplishment is impressive…especially since he is the first to admit he was too "immature" to handle a well-respected Florida university just over three years ago.

After leaving the other school, where he was a football scholarship athlete, Jacques took a few months off from education. "You never really notice a good thing until it is gone, though," he says. "As much as I complain about it, school is a good thing, but I didn't realize that until I wasn't in it for those months. Now I know education is paramount."

When deciding to go back to school, Jacques initially looked again at traditional large public universities before learning about the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa.

"I had matured a lot since my first college experience, but once I saw how small the classes were at the Academy, I saw it was a better place for me. The big university thing was a real distraction for me."

Jacques actually started at IADT - Tampa in the Interior Design program, planning on concentrating in contracting so that he could work with his contractor uncle. One day, however, he heard someone playing a piano on campus. Jacques, a talented keyboardist, thought he could tell the person a thing or two about music. That person ended up telling him about the Recording Arts program.

"As soon as I heard about Recording Arts, I knew that was the program for me." Jacques says his family has a long musical history, and he has always shown a gift for music.

Jacques admits there have been some recording arts classes he didn't initially see the point of, but now he's glad for every class he's taken.

"To be honest, there were a few classes that, while I was in them, I just didn't see what the material had to do with anything. Now that I'm getting into the game, though, I'm seeing why I had those classes. And I very thankful I had those classes. Now I can say that everything I've learned so far pertains directly to my area of study and what I want to do in life."