When Wynton McCurdy graduated from music conservatory, trumpet in hand, the 2008 recession offered few opportunities for classical musicians. Earning a seat at a major symphony orchestra was always brutally competitive, but the Great Recession made it nearly impossible. Even though years and years of training had taught him trumpet was everything, circumstance forced McCurdy beyond his comfort zone.

Indeed, McCurdy flourished despite adversity. Adapting to the local industry, McCurdy embarked on a career pivot that allowed him to explore fresh and unexpected creative avenues. He entered Hollywood film production, gaining a whole new suite of skills: he worked in 3D film, coordinating productions that grew ever more technical as 3D evolved from manually-drawn frames to computer-generated stereoscopic pictures. He even took up a job in makeup effects for horror specialists such as Greg Nicotero of "Kill Bill," "Hostel" and "Walking Dead." 

"The experience of getting into theater was one of my first experiences testing the bounds, going beyond the constraints of what I was used to doing!" McCurdy admits, laughing. "A lot of my classical music friends were also questioning, how can you get into something outside of the box?"

But McCurdy, he discovered, thrives outside that practice room's box. It lit a new spark of curiosity in him — and a hunger to continue reinventing himself. He began reading voraciously. He completed a master's in digital humanities and began to study virtual reality technologies, noting their similarity to 3D film.

"I was thinking 'Okay, I have these analytical skills and my 3D film production background as well. How can I parlay that into a technical career?'" That's where the USC Iovine and Young Academy came in. 

McCurdy realized that, with the riskiness surrounding startups, he needed to give himself the best possible chances to achieve, and that meant learning from people who understood how to capture a good idea and transform it into a functional business. McCurdy reveals that his Academy professors push him as hard as his trumpet professors ever did. "I'm working with a professor right now who is kicking my butt every week!" he cried gleefully. But McCurdy's training and discipline prepared him for these obstacles.

"I'm embracing the challenge of trying to launch a startup and also develop my skills at the same time," McCurdy said. "Not just learn academically, but also develop."

It's yet another evolution for the musician who broke free of his prescribed track, revitalizing his interests while setting himself up for a different kind of success. 

"A lot of us artists kind of just stay in our little bubble and that's what we know and that's what we do," McCurdy explains, but breaking out of the bubble both academically and professionally has opened his eyes to how much more he can be. A designer. An entrepreneur. A leader. 

"I often joke that I'm the hero and the fool." McCurdy grins as he says this, but grows contemplative. "Because I'm willing to try the hard stuff, sometimes I don't realize what I'm getting myself into — that's been the case most of the time!”

"I don't know my story," he confesses. "I guess it's…it's about pushing the bounds. It's about innovating."

Necessity may have nudged him out of his comfort zone at first, but passion (and a streak of contrarianism!) kept him there. Wynton McCurdy is done waiting for a seat to open up at the orchestra. He's making his own way. For those looking to reinvigorate their careers or elevate their spectrum of expertise, his inspiring journey should be music to their ears. 

Seasoned trumpeter Wynton McCurdy is done waiting for a seat to open up at the orchestra. His career journey has taken him down a myriad of roads, and he’s making his own way. Find out how this graduate student grabbed his life by the horns and embraced professional evolution by developing technical and entrepreneurial skills at the Academy.

Changing His Tune: A Musician Breaks Out of His Bubble