Volume 27 · Number 1 · Fall 2009
Alumni
Cool Jobs: John Given ’95
A career as a corporate attorney might not sound exciting to some people but, for John Given, it really rocks. Given is corporate counsel for Avid, a leading manufacturer of recording and musical equipment used in the majority of recording and postproduction studios worldwide. His typical day is spent drafting and negotiating intellectual property licenses and contract manufacturing agreements. But he also handles much of the endorsement and marketing work for the company. Given has organized parties, events, appearances and commercials for some big-name artists. He once booked a private recording industry party at the House of Blues with the Black Eyed Peas. He’s worked with Snoop Dogg, John Mayer, Garbage, Tom Petty, the Crystal Method, Nine Inch Nails and many more.
Given grew up loving music and he played guitar in a band called Hung Jury during his time at UC Davis. After graduating with degrees in German and international relations, he moved to San Francisco to try to make a living in the music business. When that didn’t pan out, he went to UC Hastings College of the Law and found a job that keeps him close to something he loves very dearly. “I get to remain connected to the music business,” he says. “I couldn’t realize my dream of being a rock star, but this dream makes me happy in a different way.”