Featuring: The Timeline and History of the Zilker Eagle: 12-13 Austin’s Finest Moving Meals: 18-19 Austin Film Society: by the Numbers: 24-25 Austin Music: 30-31 Tech Jobs in Austin: 36-37
Spring Ezine 2022
“There is a freedom you feel the closer you get to Austin, TX. ” Willie Nelson
Table of contents Cover photo courtesy of Unsplash.
MEET THE EDITORS 6
PUTTING THE US IN AUSTIN 8 TIMELINE AND HISTORY OF THE ZILKER EAGLE 12 Written by Henna Wittsche
GETTING THE FOOD ROLLING 14 AUSTIN’S FINEST MOVING MEALS 17 Written by Fritz Kokinda
The Austinite 4
DIRECTING THE FUTURE 20 AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY: BY THE NUMBERS 24 Written by Moses Wilson
AUSTIN’S GROWING MUSIC INDUSTRY 28 AUSTIN MUSIC 30 Written by Sofia Neal
A LOOK INTO SILICON HILLS: AUSTIN’S GROWTH AS A TECH HUB 32 TECH JOBS IN AUSTIN 35 Written by Tate Rhee
The Austinite 5
Meet the Editors Thank you for reading our magazine! For our topic, we decided to focus on our favorite aspects of Austin’s culture. We have feature stories on film, food, the environment, technology and music, and we aim to appeal to a wide audience.
Henna Henna Wittsche is writing a feature story about the Austin environment. She likes to spend her free time reading books and drawing. She plans to spend her future doing more design related projects. Henna has lived in Austin all her life. From all the years that Henna has been here she has learned that the people from Austin are very friendly.
Fritz Fritz Kokinda is writing a feature story about food trucks in Austin. He enjoys playing basketball and video games, since he can have fun with his friends. He isn’t quite sure yet what he wants to do after he graduates.
The Austinite 6
Moses Moses Wilson is writing a feature story about the film industry in Austin. He enjoys playing basketball, tennis, and video games because he likes to play with friends. He wants to get rich after he graduates.
TatE Tate Rhee is writing a feature story about technology in Austin. He is passionate about lots of different types of technology as well and likes playing video games with his friends. He does Taekwondo in his free time as well. He has lived in Austin for 12 years and likes how friendly all of the people are.
Sofia Neal is writing a feature story about Austin’s music industry. She likes to play soccer because it’s fun. Sofia lived in Boston for 11 years. She isn’t quite sure of what she wants to do after she graduates.
Sofia
The Austinite 7
Putting The "Us" in Austin
How Local Organizations are Making Austin a Better Place to Live By Henna Wittsche
Ingram and Wittsche working together on the new mural. (Photo by Matthew Guthrie)
The Austinite 8
As you sit in the grass, wind billows through your hair and clouds float gently above your head. The air is clean, and the birds are chirping. The trees provide just enough shade to be comfortable. The whole park is artfully organized, with fresh soil surrounding each tree, and brush cleared away. Children laugh as they run around the nearby playground, which has been repainted recently. A rainbow train toots cheerfully as it races along the tracks, completely powered by electricity. Colorful murals decorate the bland walls separating this magical slice of nature from the rest of the city. All of this was made possible by the dedicated, hard working people at the local environmental organizations. In January, 2022, renovations were completed for the newest iteration of the beloved Zilker
Train, a staple in Austin’s community. The project, commissioned by the Austin Parks Foundation, includes a new electric train, clean rails and a brand new mural experience. The mural was painted by a pair of artists, who won the public prompt with a revolutionary idea. Instead of painting a single wall, they decided to incorporate the whole bridge into their piece.
because I didn’t previously have any experience with [them],” Wofford said. “But that’s sometimes the nature of work when you’re working at Austin Parks Foundation, every project we do [is] a little bit different.”
The process has been a long one, starting nearly two years ago, when the Austin Parks Foundation took over operation. Ladye Anne Wofford, the former Chief Mission Officer at APF, was largely involved in the starting process, including the business plan and most of the legal work.
Wofford is also excited about the train’s new feature, the mural. The mural depicts a rainbow when approached by the train, but as you move along the tracks, the illusion breaks and the viewer notices that it’s actually drawn along the entire tunnel, even along curved surfaces and pillars. When coming back along the tracks, the experience is completely different. Every available space is colored gold.
“I had to do a ton of research on trains and train operations,
The Austin Parks Foundation is a live organization, constantly changing its goals to reflect current Austin needs.
The nearly completed zilker train. (Photo courtesy of the Zilker Eagle Instagram page)
The Austinite 9
“It was so cool, when we were thinking about what are the different ways that we can make this experience keep that magic and tradition of the Zilker Zephyr but also add to it and make it new,” Wofford said. “And one of the most important aspects of that was the mural.” What makes this project unique is that it is one of the only ventures the APF has taken that doesn’t directly relate to parks and park cleanup and restoration. Instead, the funds from buying tickets will go to the parks. “So when you pay for your train ticket, a portion of the proceeds go back to the parks,” Wofford said. “That’s the nice part about it being tied to a nonprofit, so you feel good about riding the train, because you know it’s going to a good cause.” The APF has never done something like this before, and some of the members may seem out of their depth, but so far, the project is coming along without too many problems. Because it was such a big project, there were many different organizations involved. Mural artist Ian Ingram comments on the variety of people he had to meet with during the process. “Everything had to be approved by about five or six different groups and that meant extra time,” Ingram The Austinite 10
Ladye Anne Wofford, Former Chief Mission Officer at the Austin Parks Foundation. Photo courtesy of the Austin Parks Foundation Website.
said. “Everybody had to sign off and say yes or no, and everybody had an opinion about what kind of paint could be used, what time of day we could do it, [and] how we were going to clean up our mess.” The artists also had to revise their original design because the bridge they were painting on is a historical monument. Wofford explains how complicated the whole process can be. Not only did the artists have to work with tons of external parties, but the organization itself had to work overtime trying to get many different people on board. “They have all of these policies and procedures that you have to go through in order to put a mural on public property,” Wofford said. “You can’t just go out and do your whole thing without going through that process. We had to work [to] make sure that [painting the bridge] was okay, because it was [quite] a historic bridge, and they had to check what kind of paint the artists were going to use, because it’s an
ecologically sensitive area.” The artists had originally planned for a rainbow archway, with pieces of wood glued to the underside of the bridge. This turned out to be against regulations, so they had to paint the stripes directly on the bridge for a slightly lesser effect. Additionally, they had to catch any paint spills to avoid leaking into the water. “They said no spray paint because the fumes would go down and settle on the waterways and potentially hurt the fish,” Ingram said. “We had to have tarps in place in case we spilled anything.” The whole process was done very carefully. Austin
Bonny Edwards, cleaning the top of a grotto at the Wildflower Center. (Photo courtesy of Bonny Edwards)
and Environmental Organizations: Austin is unique and beloved by its people for its conservation of natural spaces. There is a network of environmental movements in Austin that work together to clean and beautify our city. The Austin Parks Foundation is one of such organizations, as well as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center. Bonny Edwards, a former seasonal gardener at the WIldflower Center, explains the goal and motivation behind the establishment. While the APF focuses mainly on community and inclusion, the Wildflower Center’s goal is primarily education. “Education, because the goal of the center is to educate people about the benefits of choosing natural or native plants,” Edwards said. “Education, because people can tour the gardens, they can look at the different beds, photograph the
beds, and think about how they could bring that into their landscape [and] their own home gardens.” Although the Wildflower Center is different from many other environmental organizations in that it seeks to entertain and educate more than make new trails and parks, it still contributes to the environmental culture of Austin. Edwards speaks about the impact the center has had on Austin. “[The center] is continuously trying to provide an experience to Austinites that’s unique and special. That’s in line with the creativity that you find in Austin,” Edwards said. “I believe that the rotating events and exhibitions that they have is a unique thing.” One of the amazing things about working in the Austin environment is how positive everyone working there is. Edwards and Ingram have both noticed that the combination
of people being outdoors, working together, and doing what they are passionate about leads to a happy, healthy mood overall. “Everybody that’s there wants to be there,” Edwards said. “And I think especially now with technology and people maybe being inside more than they should, the benefit that you get from being outdoors and getting your hands and dirt and just working with the environment is life changing and certainly mood lifting.” Ingram adds, “It was wonderful to meet all the people and really through meeting them and getting to talk with each other. You see how dedicated each one is to their position and they all seem pretty happy.” The parks in Austin are continually kept up with by the APF and other foundations, as well as by the city. To see how you can help Austin’s environment stay green, visit the Austin Parks Website, or think about volunteering at the local “It’s My Park Day” celebration. The Wildflower Center is open and welcomes everyone to enjoy the amazing experience they offer, as well as offers job opportunities. Wofford also suggests enrolling in AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or the Texas Conservation Corps if you want to service the environment beyond Austin. The Austinite 11
Timeline and History of the Zilker Eagle The Long and Complicated Past of the Legendary Train By Henna Wittsche Photo courtesy of the University of North Texas.
The original Zilker Train takes its first trip around the tracks in 1961.
1961 The Austinite 12
The Original Zilker Eagle takes its final trip around the tracks in 1996.
1996
The City of Austin hosts the first ever name-the-train contest. The Zilker Zephyr wins and takes to the tracks in 1997.
1997
Information courtesy of the Zilker Eagle Website
Photo courtesy of The Alcalde
Photo courtesy of CBS Austin
Track erosion causes the Zilker Zephyr to close down in 2019. The train ran for over twenty years under the name.
2019
The Austin Parks foundation takes over the operation of the train in 2020.
2020
The new Zilker Eagle name and brand is revealled in 2021 and work starts on the rainbow mural. The new train is planned to be rebuilt and run entirely on electrcity.
2021 The Austinite 13
Getting THE Food Rolling The grills are sizzling and the tasty aromas of cooking meat and vegetables wafts through the air. You are standing at a large window of a beautifully painted food truck on a sunny afternoon. Everything on the menu looks so scrumptious and your mouth is watering with anticipation. You finally decide on something to order and the chefs inside the truck quickly whip together your luscious looking meal. Food trucks are vehicles that are specialized to be a mobile miniature restaurant. They are manned by one or two chefs that serve out of a large window on the side of the truck. These restaurants on wheels have recently exploded in popularity, especially in Austin, where there is estimated to be more than 1200 food trucks. People who start up food trucks often love making food and don’t want to, or simply can’t, open a full-scale restaurant. Josh Wilson is the owner of the The Austinite 14
By Fritz Kokinda
The process of starting up and running a food truck in Austin today
Drafthouse Pub and Brewery in trucks are to make money off North Austin and he opened a of without any other source of food truck, called Little House, to income, like his pub for example. provide food for the customers Wilson explained how volatile and of the pub. Wilson got the food subject to change the food truck truck up and running from the industry can be. very beginning in late 2018 to “When food trucks first started the present day. getting popular in Austin, He expressed his food trucks were opinion on how hungry to get hard food their name out,” Fritz Kokinda (left) and Little House food truck owner Josh Wilson standing in front of the Little House Food Truck. Photo taken by Moses Wilson.
Wilson said. “But then as things started getting saturated, and people realize how hard it is to turn a dollar on that whole food truck gig, it was harder to get people to commit. If it looked like there was a cloud in the sky and looked like it might rain, they wouldn’t show up and then that was bad for business.” Wilson talked about what he believes are the most important aspects of your food truck you need to plan out before you can create a successful business. “So first, you start with the menu,” Wilson said. “You have to decide what kind of food you’re gonna make. Then you have to decide how to create the space to make it, then you have to decide who’s going to manufacture the truck, and to get everything in, you have to get everything permitted. When I started, I didn’t even hire a cook yet. I designed a simple menu, then designed the truck with the software, had this company in Memphis build it, and then flew up there and took a look at it. They made a couple of errors and corrected them and then I paid a guy to pull it back over here to Austin.” Designing a food truck can be a more difficult task than one might think. Wilson explains some of the processes he went through in his designing journey to make his vision a reality. “I tried to make as much like a commercial kitchen as possible because I wanted to attract good cooks,” Wilson said. “Because if you get a chef of any value, they’re not going to want to work in some sort of broken down thing. I tried to build The Austinite 15
something out that was nice so I spent a lot of time designing the space to make sure that it was ergonomically well done and efficient in terms of both the counter space and the flow of the making of the food, have like good lighting, a couple of AC’s and a couple of heaters so it’s not as hot or cold as it could be, windows, that kind of thing.” Even though Josh Wilson designed and owns the food truck, he doesn’t play a huge role in the everyday operation of the actual truck. “So when I hired the chef, one of his stipulations was that it was gonna be his gig,” Wilson said. “We talk about what’s going to work and what doesn’t, and what kind of price range, but he pretty much has full range on the menu but with a full on understanding of what the concept is. I gotta make sure that everything’s operational and that [the chef’s] are happy and they have everything they need, but I don’t do a whole lot with the actual running of the kitchen part of it.” The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the food truck industry just as hard as it has hit everything else with social distancing. Many food trucks have to accommodate for this, like Wilson did. “Since the pandemic, we’ve sort The Austinite 16
of leaned down, everything’s you can’t really crunch this number, have to get you have to order but if you look at the beer sales, online,” Wilson said. “We have which is where we really make our less staffing and we don’t take money, then definitely it’s paid physical orders. And then our off. So but it’s hard to know how menu has gotten smaller, so since you calculate a sale that you could we have less people, we do less have lost.” prep. It’s just the operations If you are looking got a little bit simpler, more to start up Little House chef streamlined.” your own seasoning fish & chips, It isn’t the most realistic food truck made with wild pacific idea to start up a food business, cod, battered in Topo Wilson Chico tempura, and served does have with Danish remoulade some and hand cut fries. Photo advice on courtesy of Yelp. how to be successful with food trucks for you. “My main thing to tell the person is partner up with a business where you have a permanent location,” Wilson said. “I’m sure those trucks do really well. So instead of going out and spending a million dollars opening up your restaurant, spend $50,000 making a food truck and then truck just to make a lot of money. go out and see if if the reception Wilson recommends not going is good. You can build your brand into the food truck industry if you a little bit with the eye on the want to get really wealthy from actual restaurant, because food it. His food truck is really just trucks are not gonna make a lot there to complement his brewery of money, but you’re not going and boost its sales, not to make to lose much as a restaurant if it money on its own. fails.” “If you were to isolate the sales Nicolai McCrary from the food trailer and then reviews food and writes for look at the amount of money that The Infatuation Austin. He has it costs, it’s probably not paid off reviewed food for many years and just on its own,” Wilson said. But if he operates pop-up restaurants you look at the fact that, and you one to two times a month. He
not only has insight into the food experience, and naturally those truck industry in Austin, but he will brighten the experience a bit. also has some knowledge on what I’ve also been to others that are goes into running a restaurant or in difficult to park places, with food truck. small spaces, and nowhere to sit “[Pop-ups are] nowhere and eat after. Those can be a bit near as demanding as what frustrating as well since you’re not restaurants and food trucks are able to experience the food quite doing on a daily basis, but it’s how you’d like. But ultimately I given me a brief glimpse into understand that everyone is in a what that looks like in terms of different situation and making the sourcing, pricing, storage, and best with what they have, so I try operations,” McCrary said. “I can’t not to let it skew my opinion too pretend to understand it all, but much.” I think I’ve certainly gained some Nicolai also had some valuable knowledge just from this advice for future food truck limited experience.” owners to keep in mind when There are a lot of they start their business. differences between restaurants “To be competitive in the food and food trucks in terms of trucks scene in Austin you really reviewing them according need to be doing something to Nicolai McCrary. He likes different, or be best in class,” reviewing both of them equally, Nicolai said. “There has to be but likes the more personal aspect something to differentiate or set of food trucks. you apart, otherwise you’re just “Restaurants are easier one of many trucks in a giant lot.” to fully review, since you have Sam Bergmann is a teenager service, atmosphere, and food to who previously worked at a write about that are all weighed barbecue food truck called Rollin into a final review,” McCrary said. Smoke BBQ. Rollin Smoke has “Food trucks are a bit different, been around for a long time, and you’re mostly focusing on the since 2011. Bergmann has some food there. The thing I like most experience working in a food about food trucks is you usually truck that he shared. get the opportunity to talk to “It was pretty fun to work whoever is cooking your food and there,” Bergmann said. “I met developing the menus and get a a lot of interesting people and more personal experience.” developed a lot of social skills The atmosphere of a that I think will help me later in food truck can largely influence life. I also learned how to cook a person’s opinion on the food. a lot of my favorite types of Nicolai McCrary acknowledges barbecue that I had never this, but he said he tries not to let tried to cook before.” it impact his review on the food. “It’s pretty minimal for me, unless it’s an extreme on either end,” A mural of a pig eating a McCrary said. “I’ve been to food sausage on the side of the Rollin trucks that felt like full patio Smoke BBQ food truck in East restaurants, complete with nice Austin. Photo courtesy of tables, and a near-restaurant Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly.
Bergmann said that actually working in a food truck is not as hard as some people think when they’re either looking for a job or looking to open up their own truck. “Before I actually worked at one, I thought that it would be extremely hard to run a food truck and keep up with all of the orders and all that,” Bergmann said. “But after I worked at Rollin Smoke, I realized that you really only need to be able to cook and manage your space well. Sometimes it was hard, sometimes it wasn’t. Some days it wasn’t busy at all and other days it was non-stop customers and I was constantly cooking. Even on those non-stop days, it wasn’t that hard after my first month or so because I got accustomed to cooking everything on the menu.” Whether you’re interested in starting up your own food truck and want to see a real life example, or if you’re just craving some good food, Little House Food Truck is located at 4112 Medical Pkwy, Austin, TX 78756 and is open in the afternoon everyday of the week except for Monday.
AuSTINS FINEST MOVING MEALS
2 5
A guide to Austin’s top-rated food trucks. By Fritz Kokinda 1
THE DOUGHMINICAN Authentic Caribbean food for low prices in a nice atmosphere with picnic tables and other food truck options.
2
5
LITTLE HOUSE
Tasty pub food including fish n’ chips
6 5
and burgers. Positioned outside of a pub where you can choose from plenty of seating inside or outside.
3
THE VEGAN NOM Vegan food truck with a large selection of creative, plant-based tacos in a pleasant food truck environment with tables and other trucks.
The Austinite 18
10
4
Information courtesy of Google Maps and Google Reviews
LAS TRANCAS TACO STAND
Mexican street food served at a low cost with many options of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more.
5
TACOLY MOLY Tacos served out of a vibrant food truck with a Dia de los Muertos design.
6
EL PRIMO
Breakfast tacos, tortas & burritos served out of a simple, efficient food truck.
VERACRUZ ALL NATURAL
7
Mexican food with spit-grilled meats as well as veggie options. Situated in a food truck park.
8
ROLLIN SMOKE BBQ Classic, slow-smoked barbecue, with 1 5 7 5
8 5 4 5 3 5
tacos and sandwiches served out of a food truck with a great personality due to a large mural of a pig eating sausages on the side of the truck. ROSITA’S FOOD TRUCK
9 5
9
Mexican food, mostly tacos, served quickly for a good price from a well designed truck.
PUEBLO VIEJO TACO TRUCK
10
Mexican food that can be eaten in the shared patio with lots of activities to do and other food trucks. The Austinite 19
Directing THE Future
How Austin Film Society is changing Austin’s film industry forever By Moses Wilson
Teenagers film their documentary in front of a green screen during the Documentary Workshop at Austin Public. Photo courtesy of Austin Film Society. The Austinite 20
Pause for a moment and try to imagine Austin 40 years ago. Hippies on every street, the live music scene growingbefore the high rises, trendy restaurants, and tech boom. While Austin began to grow and establish its roots, something else happened that gave Austin the unique identity it has now. As Austin’s film industry began to blossom, a small organization was created during this crazy time that has made a huge impact on Austin film today. The Austin Film Society was established as a place to show small art movies in 1985 by a group of friends led by amateur filmmaker Richard Linklater. They rented films from distributors for $100-150 and showcased them at the Dobie Theater. Fast forward almost 40 years later and what started out as a small film society to show art movies is now a huge nonprofit company with an arthouse cinema, a film studio that spans 20 acres, a training program that helps aspiring filmmakers get their first job in the industry, and a lasting impact on Austin and its citizens. Rakeda Ervin is the director of community education at the new workforce training and development program at AFS called AFS
Creative Careers which will help people get started in all different areas of film in a variety of different ways. Rakeda herself has been all over the film industry as a producer and her roots and experience in the industry give her the credibility and knowledge to teach people and guide them towards their first jobs. “I got my first job working at Warner Brothers studio, in television, and then on a film,” Ervin said. “And then after I did that, I realized I want to be a producer, I want to write, and I got a job at the MTV network Paramount Plus to work on a documentary music series called “Behind The Music.” It was there that I became a producer. I really enjoyed the writing part of it and everything from making sure that the budget is on and supervising post production and all of the elements that are part of the process.” Rakeda has gone through the process of trying to get jobs, as well as teaching kids and adults about various aspects of the film and media industry. She even taught here at LASA for a year. She knows getting started in the film industry can be very hard without connections or teachers, which is part of what makes her a perfect fit as director of community education for the Creative Careers program. “Throughout my whole
career, I’ve been a mentor and coach and I’ve guided people and supported them in getting jobs,” Ervin said. “I remember what I went through to try to get that first job. Just breaking into the industry can be challenging.” The current AFS Creative Careers program has three different paths that were already part of the AFS Producers program to cater to different interests and career paths in film. The three paths are post production, studio production or field production. These paths support a large variety of different careers and the program will continue to evolve as the program grows and changes over time. “Currently, we have three tracks that you can choose,” Ervin said. “The curriculum that is in place supports people that are interested in post production, studio production or field production. Those are the current areas, but there’s a variety of different areas and careers that we support people in and it’ll continue to evolve since this is a new program. We’re gonna get people that are interested in special effects, makeup, or all the different areas that you can go into [in the film industry] and we want to be set up to support any of those.” Rakeda also described her goal of the AFS CC program having a widespread reach that extends outside of Austin proper because Austin is becoming more difficult to live in with the increased cost The Austinite 21
of living. Austin’s golden age of film holds a special place in many people’s minds, and with the expansion and growth of the current industry, Ervin thinks Austin’s film business can be the unique industry it once was all those years ago. “The city has continued to grow,” Ervin said. “There are a lot of things that come with growth- on one hand, you have an influx of new creators and new people. And on the other hand, we’re seeing the cost of living drive up, the suburbs are expanding. Programs like AFS creative careers want to employ people and reach out
to people that may not live in Austin proper, because Austin is growing. People who live in Round Rock, or Cedar Park, or wherever- we want to attract them to the industry and do what we can to have the film The Austinite 22
industry be this special place can. But also to find the space that a lot of people remember, for you to figure out what your the heyday for film in Austin.” talents are, and stay true to Young filmmakers are the those talents.” future of the film industry, and While finding a space to Rakeda has some useful advice be creative is very important for the youngins. She stressed for aspiring young filmmakers, the importance of having a sometimes it’s hard to do so. creative outlet and staying That’s why AFS held annual connected with your peers summer camps for kids while you discover and grow and teens alike up until the your talent in film, whether pandemic hit, and they’re it be in front or behind currently working on the camera. bringing them back. “I would say The Austin Film Society Rowan Duncan young filmmakers is an alumni Cinema where Zach should find a Campbell formerly worked. of two camps space to be hosted by AFS Photo courtesy of Austin creative,” Ervin in the summer Film Society. of 2019 at their Austin Public location. He went to the Documentary Workshop and the Young Producers Workshop. These camps are a hub for kids that are passionate about filmmaking throughout Austin, and Rowan is one of them. “I was a pretty shy kid, and with none of my friends at the camp, I didn’t talk much at first,” Duncan said. “When it was time to group up to make the movies, I fell in with a group of friends which made it even more said. “And link up with some awkward for me. After we peers and collaborate and started brainstorming about make stuff and really think documentary topics, it became about what it is that you like clear to me that these kids were doing, … So, my advice [to just like me- creative, young filmmakers] is to stay passionate, and excited about plugged in as much as you movies.”
There are many different film camps around Austin, but AFS’s camps stand out from the rest because of the creative kids, the well-trained counselors, and the freedom they give the kids with the equipment while still teaching them thoroughly. “They let us operate pretty much everything on our own after some training,” Duncan said. We used cameras, mics, we adjusted the lighting, we used green screens. … These AFS camps stand out to me because of the kids and the freedom they give to the students while still giving them the right amount of guidance. … I’ve never been to another camp that had the same amount of creative, inspired kids. The counselors are great at giving advice without telling you what to do, another way that they help the kids learn by giving them freedom.” AFS’s camps are an amazing way to get kids introduced to film and accelerate their interest for movies, which is hugely important for the future of Austin’s film industry. The way the camps are structured help kids learn the equipment through freedom to use it by themselves as well as teaching them basic parts of producing and other aspects of filmmaking. “Now, in my last year of high school, I’m taking two film classes and I’m even working on a project to submit to a young
filmmakers competition,” different types of movies can Duncan said. “Come give people knowledge to think of it, these and insight into Rakeda Ervin, director the film world camps were of the Creative Careers pretty much the throughout different program for Austin first years and styles. Film Society. Photo “When I worked courtesy of Isaac concessions, [at AFS Rowry. cinema] I would see a variety of different people walking through the lobby, excited about all the different movies that were showing,” Campbell said. “There would be teenagers, families, elderly couples, and even some people with their babies. It was amazing to me how the cinema brought together the whole community to watch these movies that weren’t all recent blockbusters but instead organized handpicked movies from film related class that I had different time periods.” ever been to. These camps got Austin Film Society me interested in filmmaking leaves a huge impact on the and really got me started as hopeful filmmakers of Austin, an aspiring filmmaker. Austin providing a boost to Austin’s Film Society’s camps showed movie culture by implanting me my first look at the world of new talents into the industry. producing and directing, and I They help adults find jobs, can’t think of a better way that I learn filmmaking through three could have been introduced to career paths, and guide them it.” throughout their journey in Along with the the film industry. They provide opportunities AFS provides for amazing support and teaching aspiring filmmakers, the AFS to young movie lovers, inspiring Cinema is another amazing them to continue their career way to learn about film by and instilling hope into them, doing something everyone something wildly important loves - watching movies! Zach for children. They run a Campbell, a former employee great theater that shows less at the cinema, says it is evident popular movies to anyone and how the theater gets all ages everyone. And to think this all involved and started with a group of friends engaged in movies that aren’t showing tiny art films to fuel considered mainstream. These their movie obsession in 1985. The Austinite 23
Information courtesy of Austin Film Society, Wikipedia, and the Austin Chronicle
di
Stu
lion
eco no imp mic act of Aus tin S t u dio s
2,000+
The Austinite 24
Films screened by Austin Film Society
IOS
IN STUD T AUST
A OKIE THE RO Y FILMED C S DIOCRA I SPY KID OUR RIT 25TH H ER TRUE G GENIALITY CH ON THE HIT MISS C S U INFAMO
S
DIO U T S S AF
Austin Film Society: by the numbers
$3 8 0 , 0 0 0
1,880
ted rea n s c ti Job Aus s by io
Raise d for T exas filmm akers in 2020
20 a c r e s Au
$ Mi 49
s t i n S t siz udios e
ilm in F Aust ety Soci shed bli esta
1985
By Mo Wi se l s s on
Austin Film Society’s Greatest AChievements to date
The Austinite 25
How Can Music Carry By: Sofia Neal
Moving Panoramas playing live (Photo courtesy Robert Hein)
The music industry is a tough business, but for the Austin folk there is more competition than ever.
The Austinite 26
On? It is every musician’s dream to perform live at venues playing your heart out, listening to the crowd scream your name, hearing the excitement from everybody around you, seeing the joy on peoples faces, but in Austin it’s a little bit more than that. The musicians in Austin are not being given the credit and support they need and deserve. Austin as a city and as a community, needs to provide more support for our very own musicians to do what they love. Being dubbed “The Live Music Capital of the World” is a very tempting name. It’s not even the venues who struggle as much, it’s more so the musicians. If you’re looking to play live music in Austin, you might just be out of luck. Leslie Sison, a musician in the band Moving Panoramas and a Teacher at ACC, said. “The special music scene that we have in this town is changing so rapidly, and the cities have been having a hell of a
The Austinite 27
financials have been an time keeping up with they’re immense issue. trying and I just I don’t want “Some venues have closed, to, I hope that we don’t lose all so venues that we artists have of our artists because of either depended on as places to go being priced out or being not being able to afford a musician because they’re not getting paid enough.” According to Texas Monthly almost 70% of the musicians in Austin claimed that they are making less than $10,000 a year from music. This is most likely Rock band Moving the reason that less than Panoramas member 22% of Austin musicians Leslie Sison stands commit to live music in the middle of the as a full time. 36% of 3 band members. the people who work (photo courtesy in the music industry, Mike Manewitz) that don’t make music, and share make less than 25,000 our work annually, but that’s still more are no than the musicians. With longer available, “ Sison said. Austin growing so rapidly, and With there being less a higher desire to live here, venues, there is less space musicians aren’t getting paid for musicians to go out and as much, because the money is perform, and to have a great focused elsewhere. time. Now it has become a big Akina Adderly, singer race, to find a venue, and make in “Akina Adderley & Vintage the highest offer and such Playboys Modern” and 2017 things. Black Fret nominated Artist, “The impact that the said. “ Because of the huge influx of people and pandemic. You know, money into our city is having some changes have on artists you know, it’s tough happened, that some artists are having to are permanent [...] move out of sound when they some venues have move away to another city or closed [...]Some whether they just sort of move artists are ready to to the outskirts like to Cedar operate normally, Park or Buda or San Marcos.” and including myself Adderly said. kind of aren’t.” The musician population The bounce back after in Austin is growing quite the pandemic has been yet rapidly, because it is the place another challenge, where to be, but with the big influx The Austinite 29
of people it has made it more difficult. Currently
the issue is there are a lot of musicians and not enough venues, so when all these people come in they lower the chance of success for the
locals.
Now all the new people coming in are not an issue, it’s the money. Musicians could really use some support from the city, whether that is providing support in, financial, housing, or venues, it would make all the difference. As for the digital aspect, this isn’t necessarily part of just the Austin music industry, but it applies everywhere. “I know that right now, currently, in the media, there’s so much controversy going on with like Spotify, and streaming media and how it’s taking advantage of its artists and not paying them enough and what not” Sison said For musicians, online is one of the best ways to get your music heard by more people than you would live, but that has its own issues. People are not making nearly enough on spotify and youtube as they would like.
When musicians are struggling with the live aspect, they have nowhere to go other than the digital aspect. If the rates are so low it’s hard for them to keep up with the cost of producing music. It comes down to doing something you love and whether you can be able to survive off of it. Kane Yoder, a musician in the band AZXO, said “So you know, you don’t make a lot of money from YouTube unless you have millions and millions of views. And same thing with Spotify. The amount of money you’re making is like, each listen is like point 3 millionths of a cent or something, ” A place where people feel Akina like they Adderly’s would album cover for “Say Yes” (Photo courtesy Spotify)
make more money, they are not. At this point you need to have multiple jobs, and that is very tiring especially if you are trying to produce music at the same time. Everything starts to become a hassle.
The industry is evolving immensely and very quickly at that. COVID has also affected the quality of everything. Venues have closed creating less opportunities, and it also caused a loss in money, because musicians are having to pay more, and are getting paid less. More people are moving in and they are “kicking” people out with lower income such as musicians. I believe that we need aid, most likely financial, for our local musicians. As a community we need to keep our reputation of “The Live Music Capital of the World”, but we will not be able to do that without live music. “You sort of brag about what is wonderful and unique about our city and you need to be us a city. And your infrastructure needs to be doing what it takes to support those harvests, so that you can continue to make that business. So that’s affordable housing, you’re parking issues downtown, who wants to come, make $100 or $150, play a club gig and then have to pay like $20 back in parking, like that’s insane.” Adderly said. Some musicians believe there needs to be more support from the city. If the city wants to take pride in their uniqueness, and titles, then they need to support the people that make those things possible. The city could help by
providing things for musicians such as parking assistance at venues, financial aids, reasonable pay rate for bands to be mandated. “Musicians who’ve been working for a long time, it’d be very cool if there was like a system set up where where there were like workshops, for newer musicians coming in to sort of, we can talk about things like knowing your worth knowing your value and undercharging, because then when newer musicians come in, and kind of under charge for what they request venues to pay them,” Akina Adderly said. When more and more bands or performers that undercharge come in, venues expect the same from everyone, so then it makes it harder for older bands to charge a normal price without resistance. All of the new musicians coming in have not had the same experiences and stories about the industry, so they are not able to relate, or understand the struggles, and “rules” of Austin’s music industry. As the industry grows there is a lot of difficulty. Musicians struggle because of all the different factors there are. Not only do they have to focus on creating music, but also on where they are going to live, play their music, rehearse, promote, and other such things. Austin is known for being “The Live Music Capital of the World” which makes it very tempting to want to play music there, but just as any other place, Austin has its own hidden flaws. The Austinite 29
Austin has a lot of different music genres, and their popularity varies greatly. Sofia Neal
Rock music is described as a form of music with a strong beat, and generally lead by an electric guitar. Rock music makes up roughly 30% of Austin’s music.
Jazz makes up roughly 5% of Austin’s Music. Jazz music contains complex harmonies, syncopated rhythms, and heavy emphasis on improvisation. Jazz has roots in blues and ragtime.
Folk music makes up 7% of Austin’s music. Folk music is typically tradional music that hase been passed down generations, through familys and other small groups.
Pop rock makes up 20% of Austins music. Pop Rock music consists: loud drums, catchy baselines and powerful vocal hooks.
Country music is music with roots in folk music from Southern America, and is typically string-accompanied. Country makes up about 11% of Austin’s Music.
Americana makes up 8% of Austin’s music. Americana music usually consists of roots of American music such as R&B, Rock, Country, and Folk.
Indie music is music produced typically without the help or rescoures from a major label. Indie music makes up roughly 15% of Austin’s music.
Blues is music that is melancholic, with somber tones. Blues makes up roughly 4% of Austin’s music.
Austin Music, The Austinite 31 Page 3
A Look Into Silicon Hills By Tate Rhee
Google office in Austin Photo Courtesy of Houston Chronicle
The Austinite 32
Austin's Growth as a Tech Hub
It seems like every day another tech company is coming to Austin. The computer screen flashes to life, and the news that Tesla or Apple is making a large headquarters here pops up. The turn of a page on a newspaper, and Oracle seems to be here now as well. And the growth of Austin’s tech industry skyrockets. 176,406. As of 2021, that is the number of people in Austin who work in the technology industry. This represents 17% of all jobs in Austin, and the city has earned the title of “Silicon Hills.” In the past five years, the tech employment in technology industries in Austin has grown by 24.4%, as opposed to the lower 7.4% for the rest of the country. Several companies, such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Facebook, have begun establishing larger presences, while Tesla and Oracle have actually moved
Tesla Gigafactory Texas - Photo Courtesy of Tesla
their headquarters from the San Francisco Bay Area in California to Austin. Tesla’s Gigafactory sits on 2,500
of the larger
acres with a factory floor of 10
companies like Apple or
million square feet.
Applied Materials or Samsung,”
Tech companies in Austin
Martens said.
also include those from the
Luminex makes products that
biotechnology industry. Kurt
test for COVID and other
Martens is the Director of
respiratory illnesses. Being a
Supply Chain for Luminex, a
biotech company, the demand
biotech company based in
for its product exploded due
Austin, and has witnessed the
to COVID. As such, individuals
growth firsthand. Martens has
interested in biotechnology,
been working for Luminex for
medicine, and technology can
nearly 10 years, and has a team
seek employment at Luminex.
of 41 people, some working
“[T]he main thing that inspired
for supply and demand, others
me [to work here] is just being
working for logistics.
able to work with products that
“Luminex’s growth rate has
improve the lives of people,
increased and the company’s
their everyday lives,” Martens
job force has increased, but
said.
not to the same scale as some
The Austinite 33
Martens described Austin
Austin and not just satellite
nobody else here,” Stephens
as, “certainly having a hard
offices. Stephens predicts that
said, “and now [...] there is so
working culture of people, but
Salesforce will likely follow suit
much diversity in the types of IT
also [having] people that enjoy
thus increasing their role in
businesses that are based here
doing things outdoors, which
Austin as a power player in the
that your opportunities are vast,
makes the work environment
high tech industry.
whereas before you only had
more relaxed. Austin is a
When asked about what
a couple of angles or a couple
beautiful city with many places
types of jobs will be needed,
of paths that you can take, now
to walk and hike outside.”
Stephens said, “You're going
there are many.”
Martens wanted to raise his kids
to need to hire a variety
Another perspective came from
in Austin, where it is kid-friendly
of different talent types,
Reilly Smitherman, Investor
with great outdoor spaces.
meaning you're going to need
Relations at Dell Technologies.
Sales Leader at Salesforce,
developers, you're going to
Smitherman stated, “[W]hat
Gary Stephens is yet another
need the marketing folks that
made me interested in Dell in
Austinite working in tech and
put together the marketing that
the first place was the fact that
has seen the growth. Stephens
helps the sales team take it to
it was in Austin. I knew that
formerly worked for Dell and
market. And so when you're
I wanted to move to Austin.
VMware, two established tech
doing that, you're trying to
I originally was in College
companies in Austin. Although
attract the best and brightest
Station, going to Texas A&M,
Salesforce does have a physical
talent you can.”
and it was one of the only major
presence in Austin, Stephens
Stephens also pointed to
tech companies at that time
can work remotely as well as
the expanding tech job
that was in Austin.”
travel to client sites.
opportunities in Austin.
Smitherman also said that, “It
“[The company] is growing
“When I started my career here
makes it a little
like a weed, and has got about
twenty one years ago, if you
bit more
five hundred employees in
wanted to work in [the tech
fun
Austin.” Stephens remarked
industry], you pretty much
how Google and Facebook
were going to work
now have physical offices in
for Dell because
The Austinite 34
there was
Dell Headquarters - Photo Courtesy of Dell Technologies
when you have people who you
When asked about the potential
and life balance. Austin is
can relate to better. And I found
for expansion of office space,
attractive to talent, and talent
that to be the case on most of
Smitherman replied, “No,
attracts technology businesses,
my teams at Dell that there's a
not that I know of. At this
which creates more jobs. In
good mix of ages.”
time, we're still remote. I
conclusion, Austin is a quickly
Smitherman appreciated the
don't actually know of Dell's
growing technology hub, and
fact that she gets to work with
expansion plans, but from my
has earned the title of “Silicon
people her age, and has a
perspective, I'd say there's
Hills”.
rapport with her team members. probably no plans to expand.” Smitherman stated that most
Dell has no plans for now
folks joining Dell actually
to physically expand its
choose to move to Austin
headquarters or offices, but will
versus being remote. “Some
continue to hire and allow
of it could be because there
employees to work
is a time zone difference”,
remotely in Austin.
Smitherman said, “if you live on
All of the
the West Coast, for example,
interviews seem
and join Dell, you might not
to share many
want to stay on the West Coast,
similarities
even though you technically
in how they
could. [However,] You might
see Austin’s
not want to wake up at five a.m.
growth and
every day to start your workday
development,
at six.”
as well as its
This further explains why Austin’s population has also grown because of
work culture. The work culture seems to prioritize
the people moving to
the employee, with many
work in the technology
people being able to work
industry.
in Austin and having a work
The Austinite 35
TEch
JOBS In Austin
A close look into some of the numbers and benefits of working for a technology company
By Tate Rhee
176,406 17.1% Jobs in Austin’s Tech Industries
Of all Austin Jobs
Largest Tech Employer with 13,000 Austin Employees* Dell Technologies was founded on February 1st, 1984 in Austin, Texas, by Michael Dell. It started out modifying computers, but eventually started making its own too. It is now one of the largest technology companies in the world. The Austinite 36
Second-Largest Tech Employer in Austin Apple is the largest technology company worldwide, and is also the second largest tech employer in Austin. Apple recently built a $1B campus in Austin, showing that they see potential here.
benefits of working for an Austin tech company - Desirable city to live in - More job opportunities - Remote working - Healthy work culture
companies coming to or expanding in austin
Due to tax incentives and access to a strong talent pool, many technology companies are moving to, establishing or expanding their presence in Austin.
*As of 2020 from the Austin-American Statesman
The Austinite 37
Original Artwork By Daniel Johnston
