Lena Morsch
Daily Egyptian
On any typical day of work for John Ostrosky, crazed fans line up in front of the building housing MTV Networks in hopes of getting in to see a taping of "TRL". Ostrosky said he passes the lines and enters the building effortlessly.
Ostrosky now works on the 20th floor at 1313 Broadway in Manhattan. He has been promoted to a department called Digital Asset Management. Working at MTV Networks, Ostrosky passes celebrities in the hallway from Carson Daly to Lenny Kravitz and Marilyn Manson.
"It's just normal everyday life to see everyone when you work here," Ostrosky said.
The division in which Ostrosky works is creating a digital archive of all photos, audio and video. When asked what advice he would give to a college student wanting to work at MTV, he said experience is the key.
"Take as many television production courses as possible, and apply for an internship at MTV Networks. I have seen several people go from interns to producers," Ostrosky said.
Lynne Didomenico, a student at the University of Connecticut, applied for a summer internship at MTV and was excited to have the opportunity to spend this summer in New York.
"I always love music and entertainment. I thought MTV would be a great place to intern since I am a communications major. I faxed a resume and got the job. You just have to take a chance," Didomenico said.
Ostrosky said he plans to work at MTV until he hits rock star status. Until then, he is happy to be where he is.
"This place is great. As anyone can guess, life at MTV is never dull," Ostrosky said.
It was nine years ago that John Ostrosky arrived in New York City with dreams of breaking into the music business. In less than a decade he has become a successful musician, producer and TV personality, and he works for one of the most influential networks in the world.
His journey began when Ostrosky was six years old. His father, a musician himself, had introduced him to music. His first appearance on stage was at age 6 playing "Wipeout" at an organ recital. Two years later, he started to play drums after becoming a self-professed KISS freak.
Ostrosky actually attended SIUC for only a month, but his talents eventually led him to Berklee School of Music in Boston where he majored in percussion.
"SIU is a cool place to be. Alumnus Jim Belushi is one of my favorite actors, and I would love to visit there," Ostrosky said.
When he graduated with a 4.0 GPA, it was musician Phil Collins who handed him his diploma at his graduation ceremony. With degree in hand he headed for the Big Apple with hopes and dreams of stardom. He submitted his resume to MTV.
Ostrosky's first job at MTV Networks was cataloguing shows and videos. He worked for a department that lined up shows for MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon.
"It was cool because I used to videotape MTV and VH1 and catalogue my personal tapes, so doing it for the company was a trip," Ostrosky said.
Immediately after he began his job at MTV, Ostrosky came in contact with celebrities in one sense or the other.
"When I started work, I was told that Cindy Crawford used my phone once. It is unfortunate that she used it before I began working there, but it was my phone and it makes a great story," Ostrosky jokingly said.
Ostrosky began to assist on shows being taped at MTV. He recalls the first show he assisted.
"The first time I got to work with celebrities was when I acted as a prop coordinator for a VH1 show called "8-track Flashback." I met David Cassidy, Leif Garrett and Suzanne Sommers. Suzanne shared her breakfast with me," Ostrosky said.
"I wasn't nervous my first day. I was happy to be going to work. I had a cool job," Ostrosky said.
Ostrosky then began to build his music career. He had been a KISS fan since the second grade and has idolized kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. When he arrived to college, he was wearing a "Frehley's Comet" T-shirt. Ostrosky said Berklee was predominately a jazz school. He said the shirt made him a fish out of water.
"I walked into the school cafeteria at Berklee on my first day looking like a deer in headlights. It was then that I met my band mate, Rob Fiore, who noticed my shirt. He was a rocker too, so we became friends and both came to New York to pursue music," Ostrosky said.
On his 18th birthday, Ostrosky saw KISS in concert and got the rare privilege of being pulled on stage by Frehley to sing back-up vocals for the song "Rocket Ride."
"I was in the middle of the stage singing back-up vocals, and there was this band that I loved since I was eight. It was crazy," Ostrosky said.
After the show, Ostrosky and Frehley became friends much to Ostrosky's delight. In 1997 a tribute album to Frehley, "Return of The Comet," was produced. The album featured members of KISS, Guns 'N Roses, Soundgarden, and Presidents of The United States of America. Ostrosky was asked to produce a cut titled "Remember Me."
By the time "Return of the Comet" was released, Ostrosky was relishing more success at MTV Networks. He begin appearing on shows and commercials. He was asked to star in a video for the Basement Jaxx song "Red Alert".
"The director of the video used to work at MTV. He needed a "rocker" looking guy for the video so he called me up and asked me if I wanted to be in his video," Ostrosky said.
That would be the first of many opportunities Ostrosky had to appear on MTV. He appeared in an episode of "Do What?" and appeared on four episodes of "Rock's Off," a video critique show. Ostrosky got to share screen time with Kid Rock and Jesse Camp as critics. He also starred in television promotions for Nick-at-Nite's "Revenge of the '80s."
"Those were great shows. Jesse Camp actually poured water on my head once while we were both on-stage with Motley Crue," Ostorsky said.
Ostrosky decided he would audition for a commercial he heard about from a friend and co-worker. He landed a role in a Heineken commercial shot for the 2002 Grammy awards. The commercial was set during a 1970s concert in which the audience held lighters. Ostrosky was part of the band in the commercial.
"Opportunities are always popping up here. It is a great place to get started or have a career," Ostrosky said.
Recently, Toby Maguire and N'Sync were spotted roaming the halls at MTV Networks. Ostrosky's co-worker, Lisa Bienvenu, said celebrity sightings can happen any time.
"Celebrities get lost in the crowd in the lobby. You have to keep your eyes open or you will miss them. It is so exciting to come to work," Bienvenu said.
She said she agrees with Ostrosky that working at MTV is the coolest job on earth.
"It's hard work sometimes, but for the most part it's great. There are all walks of life working here, from pink hair to three-piece suits. It's very laid back, except on most jobs you don't bump into Lenny Kravitz in the elevator," Bienvenu said.
Ostrosky said if anyone is interested in applying for a job to contact the human resource department at MTV Networks.
"It is the experience of a lifetime for a college intern or graduate," Ostrosky said.
Reporter Lena Morsch can be reached at lmorsch@dailyegyptian.com.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
