Dream Jobs Do Come True – How to Land Your Own

Finding the Golden Ticket

Much like Koch, Deborah Lotz felt she had outgrown her position at ABC doing production work on entertainment programs. After all, the New Jersey native originally moved to Los Angeles to be a jeweler, and in round two of changing careers, found herself fighting to get into a whole new rock scene.

“There’s only about eight people in the United States that have a license to manufacture Gold records,” Lotz says. And guess what? She’s one of them. Since 1985, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has allowed awards to be configured in a collaborative effort of the record label and licensed manufacturer. Lotz, who’s been designing Gold? and Platinum? records for the last 10 years, has produced awards for the Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Eminem, Kelly Clarkson - even The Beatles. “It makes me really proud to know that I’m one of the few people who’ve designed records for them,” she says. “If I find a record I love, I call up [the record company] and ask if I can design the award.”

But it wasn’t so easy for Lotz to get her artwork hanging in Paul McCartney’s mansion. It took her five years to get approved by the RIAA to produce Gold? and Platinum? records, a feat she attributes to persistence. “We are our only obstacles,” says the 47-year-old. “If you have a vision and you work hard, I feel you can do anything.”

If you want to find yourself as happy in your career as Lotz, take note: “It’s the same advice I give my teenager,” says the single mom of a 14-year-old son. “Find something you’re good at and do it. You have to be hardworking, passionate, and honest. I know that sounds corny, but it’s the truth. I’ve always followed my dreams, and I’ve wound up right where I should be.”

Your Dream Job Plan: Lotz had no formal education for her stint at ABC or her current design career, because, as she says, she “took every elective there was and left.” Still, she acknowledges that times have changed. “Education is much more vital in pursuing your dreams,” she says. “I don’t think you could do [what I did] now.” A quick way to discover your dream job is take a few classes (maybe even online) to find what makes you happy.

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