Conservatory Grad Hired By P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records

Rich Allis and Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs

Richard Allis knew what he wanted to do for a living, work in the entertainment field, but how could he prepare himself? With the help of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Science’s he got the education he needed and then was placed in an internship at Sean "Puffy" Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment.

"My daily routine at Bad Boy ranges from everyday office tasks to working with superstars," explains Allis, now a management assistant who first started as an intern in September 2000. "Sometimes you have to come in at three o’clock in the morning to deal with Europe. Other times you have to babysit an artist’s dog while he is conducting business with management. You have to do whatever is asked of you if you want to get ahead." Paying his dues did the trick for Allis who was hired full-time by Bad Boy in January 2001.

John Eaton, Bad Boy A&R’s Senior Director Management for the past five years, says that Allis had earned the respect of his fellow workers and employers. "Rich is an exemplary human being. This part of the business requires many long hours and much self-sacrifice for comparatively little return. He has hung in there and earned the respect of his fellow workers and employers. In fact, he is one of the most dependable workers we have and hence often gets thrown the most difficult workloads."

Working the occasional 20-hour day would seem like a burden to the average person. But, when you get to work with the likes of stars Puffy, Faith Evans, Cheri Dennis and Total, and producers and engineers such as Bink, D-Dot, Mario Winans, Nisan & Dante, the opportunities that arise overshadow the loss of personal free time.

Like Allis, many others have learned that this is not an easy business to get started in. But, with the right education and help getting your foot in the door, the rise to the top for many has started at The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences.