FerroTV Shows
What happens when a guitar player, meets a recording engineer, meets a firefighter, meets a broadcast A2 and finally meets a Construction Project Manager for a major New Jersey Utility company.
What happens ??
Mike Bates happens. Michael Bates is or was all of those things. Succeeding in all those careers. To most it would seem complicated or impossible….to most.
Hearing Bates tell his story … it all makes sense.
And he ain’t done yet!
Key Takeaways:
- Michael Bates has built a highly adaptable career by moving across fields (musician → audio engineering/recording → TV location sound (A2) → electrician/lighting control), showing how core technical skills can transfer between industries.
- Troubleshooting fundamentals—especially understanding signal flow and simplifying complex problems—are presented as critical to succeeding in technical roles.
- Mastering industry terminology and clear communication helps teams work faster and reduces confusion when diagnosing issues or coordinating work.
- Staying calm under pressure is highlighted as a major differentiator, with examples like working at Ground Zero post-9/11 and handling last-minute production demands.
- For learning relay protection (and complex technical systems generally), the speaker emphasizes becoming fluent in technical drawings: knowing the layout, symbols, and component identification to understand how the system functions.
- Mentorship and hands-on, trial-and-error learning are framed as key to building confidence and competence, with the speaker crediting mentors and praising effective application of knowledge by a mentee.
