This week, I got the opportunity to speak to one of our graduates about their experience before, during, and after Omega. Joseph “JoJo” Miller graduated from The Omega Studios’ School in 2019. After graduation, Joseph Miller went and started his own recording studio in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I asked him to tell me about his journey in his own words:
“Before attending school at Omega Studios I was a student at Towson University where I studied communications. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in music but chose communications as a major due to the lack of audio programs. When I was a student there, I started taking producing music seriously and spent most of my time in my dorm making beats.
Music is something I’ve had a deep love for since a young age. I started playing the drums when I was nine and played in several bands throughout middle school and high school. I started messing around with producing when I was 16 but didn’t start taking it seriously until I was in college. I always knew I wanted to work in music but was hesitant to pursue it for a long time because it seemed unrealistic.
I found out about The Omega Studios’ School when I was halfway through my second semester at Towson. I had been googling beat battles in DC and came across the Omega website because of a beat battle they had hosted in the past. I then dug deeper into the website and found out about the school. I was shocked to find out that something like Omega’s school existed, and even more excited that it was so close to my home in Gaithersburg. As soon as I found out about it, I knew I wanted to attend.
During my last few months at Omega, I had been looking for internship opportunities in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta. I had been in contact with a few major studios when I was presented with an opportunity to open my own recording studio in my hometown of Gaithersburg. I knew it would be a challenge but I saw it as a means of building something from the ground up and growing the music scene in the area. I’ve always really believed in the artists from here so I wanted to help give them a platform. Before this, I had been recording a few friends and clients out of my closet.
I started working on HighLife Studios during my last couple of months at Omega and had the studio ready to open right after I graduated. When it opened, I left my job working at a restaurant to dedicate all my time and focus to the studio. Within a few months, I had built up my client base and was able to work with some of my favorite artists from the DMV including Xanman, Big Flock, and Lil Dude. I was also able to travel to places like LA and New York to work with artists who had paid for my trip. Other than the studios, HighLife has thrown multiple successful concerts and other community events.
Right now I’m in the process of relocating my studio to DC and with the help of one of my business partners, opening another HighLife Studios location in Rockville. My goal is to keep building up the music scene in the DMV and have it become a major hub for music like LA, New York, and Atlanta. I’m also building up my brand so that “HighLife” is known for much more than the studios. I plan on doing this by throwing more concerts and community events, lines of merch, and starting a record label.
I’m very grateful for my experience at Omega for many reasons. It was really dope to be around so many people who had the same passion more music that I had. Before I attended Omega, I was only producing and had very little engineering knowledge. Omega made me find a whole new passion for engineering which I was then able to turn into a career. One thing that has helped me out a lot in my career is the professionalism that was taught to me at Omega. I work with a lot of older clients who are often impressed with my professionalism as an engineer.”
We at The Omega Studios’ School are so proud of Joseph Miller and his success in the Audio Industry. We wish him good fortune as he continues his professional ventures!
If you would like to learn more about our programs, please check out the links below: