Vermont Business Magazine Cameron (Cam) Gilfoy, a 2019 graduate of Vermont State University Lyndon, has an assistant mixing engineer credit on the new Taylor Swift song, “I Knew It, I Knew You," featured in the Toy Story 5 movie, in theaters today. It’s his biggest credit to date, and an exciting moment for Cam, who launched his dream of working in the music industry four years ago when he moved to Los Angeles.
In fact, he packed his entire life into a car and drove the six-day road trip from the east coast to Los Angeles in January 2022 with virtual strangers. A few months before, he’d sent a message to his former professor at VTSU, Brian Warwick, saying he was moving to LA and seeking his advice.
Professor Warwick connected Cam with some of his current students, who were graduating in December and moving out together. The group drove to LA together and formed a bond that is lasting today.
Networking landed Cam his first job in LA, and virtually every job after that
Cam’s personal ethos is centered on putting himself out there, doing the scary thing, and working as hard as he can. And it’s a skill that has paid off in dividends as he’s progressed in his career.
When he first arrived in Los Angeles, he exhausted every connection he had, those he’d made at VTSU and in his first recording studio job after graduation. He shared, “I met a friend of a client I’d worked with in Vermont who introduced me to other people. One used to be roommates with a receptionist at Conway Recording Studios and said they were looking for interns. I applied and had an interview, and shortly after got the job.”
He was an intern for one month before he was hired as a runner.
In that role, Cam did everything from the manual labor of setting up and testing equipment and sets to fetching lunch for the studio’s talent, even fixing doors and painting trim some days.
“I pursued everything I could, and worked as hard as I could,” he noted. He was in that role for three and a half years, working as hard as he could and networking the whole time. He started doing side gigs of freelance audio engineering, and eventually started working for himself in August 2025.
He describes his work as mix assistant and recording engineer work. The majority of his gigs come through friends and acquaintances, mostly those he’s met and made a good impression on with his work ethic and positivity.
“I try really hard to always be kind and positive,” he said.
He was pulled into the Toy Story project the same way. Many of his colleagues and friends were working on it.
“It’s a little freaky to work on something this big,” he said, laughing. “But super exciting because everyone knows Toy Story. What’s gotten me where I am today is not because I’m ever the most talented in the room. I’m more just willing to show up, be consistent, be positive, and work long hours.”
Lyndon’s Music Business & Industry program set him up for success
Cam grew up in Holliston, Massachusetts, and stumbled upon VTSU Lyndon’s admissions team at a local college fair.
“It was the first booth I went to and once I started talking to them, I realized the school would check all the boxes for me,” he said. Knowing he wanted to do something with music but not what that would look like, he was fascinated with the Music Business & Industry program. “I grew up going to concerts and always had a passion for music,” he added. After a little research, he realized he could do it as a program in college.
“I was psyched to get the acceptance letter,” he said. Visiting sealed the deal for him. “I fell in love with everything there from the town to the landscape and campus on the hill to the program,” he added.
The academic experience was exactly what Cam wanted, too. The small class sizes appealed to him as he really appreciated facetime with his professors. Applying the techniques he was learning about in his production classes, and learning how to problem solve are skills he still brings to work everyday. “You might not expect world class music industry education to come from rural Vermont, but it’s sitting right there in Lyndon,” he said.
That personal connection with the program faculty paid off later too. After all, it was Brian Warwick, one of his favorite professors, who connected him with the other alumni making the move to LA.
“You get these professors with real life experience,” he said. “They’re never too busy for you. Your class size is small enough you get to know them.”
Cam credits his networking skills and personal ethos of kindness and hard work for his success
When asked about his advice for current students or recent graduates, Cam shared, “everything is networking. Take gigs that aren’t the dream gig but pay the bills. Do it with your best effort even if it’s not your favorite. Work hard. Show up every day. Be a good person and make friends.”
When he reflects on his time on the Lyndon campus, he shared that he’s learned how to collaborate with others and how to conduct himself in a studio and in the industry as a professional.
“It’s the first step to building relationships,” he said. “Be kind, friendly, show up, work hard, and make friends. If you do that, people will want to work with you. And your classmates could be important in your life in the coming years. It’s an industry where we all help each other out and refer each other for gigs. Fostering those relationships is important.”
For Cam, putting that sensibility to work has paid off. Between his work ethic and his willingness to put himself out there, he’s been able to build a career that he’s proud of and that he loves.
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