Rob Fedson, Director of Education - rob@mediatech.edu
Rob Fedson has an extensive background in Music, Technology, Business and Education.
As a Performer he has appeared on national television, stage and recordings with industry giants
like George Strait, Paul Shaffer, Dave Brubeck, Marvin Hamlish and many more. Rob still maintains
an active schedule as a jazz performer. As an Educator he has taught music from primary grades
through University level and has been published in several educational and music industry trade
journals and textbooks. A recognized authority on music technology, Rob spent years as a clinician
for various software and hardware manufacturers such as Yamaha, Opcode Systems and Coda
Music Technology. As a business leader and administrator Rob spent over a decade with Apple
Computer, Inc. Managing training organizations around the world. Rob holds a Bachelor of Music
Education degree and a Master of Music degree focused on Percussion Performance.




Dan Childers, Instructor, AUD101 -  dan@mediatech.edu
Dan holds a BA in Music from the University of Texas at Arlington where he studied among other
things, classical guitar with Charles Postlewate.

In Austin, Dan works as a freelance engineer and producer working out of various studios recording
a wide variety of music and artists.  Dan specializes in live recording and has engineered recordings
for the Austin City Limits Music Festival and engineered live recordings for The Allman Brothers,
The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, The Robert Randolph Family Band, Guv’t Mule, Lyle Lovett,
Los Lobos, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Franz Ferdinand.

Dan also works as a staff engineer at the Fine Arts Recording Studio and has engineered recordings
for The Austin Symphony, The Austin Lyric Opera and The UT Jazz Orchestra.

He has worked in studios in Atlanta, GA with Chuck Jopski at Summerhouse Sound, held positions
as staff engineer for Rising Star Records and mastering engineer for New Age Voice.

Dan has been committed to music technology education for ten years: teaching at Austin Community College for six years and an instructor at Mediatech Austin for Five years.

After moving to Austin Texas, and after additional study and an internship, he became part of the
recording staff for the University of Texas / Fine Arts Recording Studio and recorded various classical
and jazz artists as well as UT students and faculty. Concurrent with the Fine Arts Studio position,
he took on the job of Studio Manager for the then brand new Austin Community College Recording
Studio. He also worked on various projects in the Austin area such as the solo debut by local artist
Bill Small. After some time in Austin, Dan moved to Atlanta Georgia where he did work for commercial facility Summerhouse Sound Productions. While at Summerhouse, Dan worked with various Atlanta
artists such as The Marianne Faithfuls, The Charms, Too Far Gone, and local indie rock favorites,
Nillah. In addition, Dan held a position at Rising Star Records doing mostly remote classical
recordings. Projects include The Georgia Music Educators Association Band, Choir, and Orchestra Competitions and the Six Flags Over Georgia Music festivals. Dan also held a position as Mastering Engineer for New Age Voice. After his tenure in Atlanta, Dan returned home to Texas where he
teaches Audio at MediaTech Institute’s Austin branch and Austin Community College. He also holds
a staff position at UT Austin Fine Arts Recording Studio where his work includes recordings for the
UT Jazz Orchestra, The Austin Symphony Orchestra, and production for the weekly KMFA radio
show Performance at UT.

John “Mac” McDonnell, Department Chair: Live Sound Reinforcement, Career Services,
Austin, Instructor, AUD401, BCM101 -  mac@mediatech.edu
Mac started his professional 1 month after graduating from college. It was a case of being in the
right place at the right time. He went to work for Stanal Sound, Ltd in Kearney, Nebraska. His first
tour was with Johnny Cash. At Stanal he also toured with John Denver, Olivia Newton John,
Paul Simon, Donavan, and many others. He left Stanal Sound as Vice President of the Touring
Division to go to work for himself. This found him in Austin, TX.

After 3 months in Austin, he met Kirk Whalum, 8-time Grammy Nominated Saxophonist. Kirk had
just released his first Vinyl record on Columbia Jazz and was at the very beginning of his career.
Again, Mac was in the right place at the right time. After a few months of mixing miscellaneous
shows for Kirk, he hired Mac as his Tour Manager and Front of House Engineer. 22 years and
18 records later, they are still on the road together. This relationship with Kirk has led to many
other tours with jazz artists like Larry Carlton, Bob James, Fourplay, 4 Guitars and Saxe’s tours,
Wayman Tisdale, Warren Hill, BWB, Philippe Saisse, plus many production management gigs.
He has toured the world with these artist’s and has Kirk to thank for this continuation of his career.

In 2004, Mac received a call to teach a Live Sound and Production Class at Mediatech Institute in
Austin. Having never taught, Mac was quite apprehensive about facing young inquiring minds.
After the first session, Mac found he really enjoyed watching the “bulb go off” as the young students understood various audio principles. He is now the Department Chair of the Live Sound Department
and is also the Placement person for the Austin Campus.

Mac's world travels as a professional sound man have finally combined with his love of photography
to represent Mac's newest passion in business Mac McDonnell Photography, an online digital photo distribution business founded in 2008. Check out Mac's beautiful pictures at his web site here >>




Michael Mordecai, Instructor, BOM101 - michael@mediatech.edu
Michael Mordecai is a freelance trombone player and is the musician/contractor for the Performing
Arts Center, Paramount Theater, Riverbend Church, and Austin City Limits.  He has recorded and performed with Beto & the Fairlanes, Willie Nelson, Little Joe y la Familia, Carole King, Maynard
Ferguson and more.  

He owns BBA/Management & Booking and  Fable Records. Through BBA, he has booked bands for concerts, clubs, and parties. As president of Fable Records he has produced several albums.

He has been both a guest artist and a guest speaker for several colleges in Texas including the
University of Texas, Texas Tech, and North Texas State University. He has taught music business
courses at Southwest Texas University and Austin Community College in the areas of Music
Business: Overview, Management, and Concert Promotion.

He has served on the Austin Music Commission, the Austin Federation of Musicians Board
of Directors, Board of Governors for the National Association of Recording Arts & Sciences
(the Grammys) and is past State President of the Texas Music Association.




Craig Robinson, Instructor, AUD102.201 - craig@mediatech.edu
Craig holds a BA in Music with an emphasis in Sound Recording Technology from Southwest
Texas State University. He teaches MIDI and Pro Tools classes as well as the freshman recording
labs for SWT. Over the years Craig has consulted with a hundred plus clients regarding their
MIDI / recording needs and has engineered over a dozen projects with local bands from the
Beaumont and Austin areas. We welcome Craig’s experience and enthusiasm as an audio
instructor for MediaTech Institute in Austin.




Jon Carroll, Instructor, AUD101 / AUD301 - dub@mediatech.edu
Jon Carroll, aka Jonny Dub, has been performing live as a solo artist and bandleader for over
5 years, and producing records for 8. His current projects include his solo debut, 'Atom No. 5,' an
LP with singer / songwriter Gustavo Monsante, and a 3 song EP with bluesman Gabriel Allen.
Other credits include Producer / Engineer for the Badanks, “Experience,” Producer on Jimi Lee’s
‘Pocketful of Soul,’ and Assitant Engineer on Dan Dyer’s self-titled album. Jon teaches Audio 101,
and plays frequently around Austin solo acoustic, fronting the Jonny Dub Band, and with Kari
Kuwamura in their project Kua Dub. Jonny lives with his dog Ringo, and enjoys spending time
with his girlfriend Lauren.




Cameron Rogers, Admissions Representative - cam@mediatech.edu
Cam is a product of the MediaTech Institute Recording Arts Program and remains an active part
of the Austin music scene while serving as the specialist in admissions and enrollment for the Austin
campus. As well as recording & engineering many local Austin bands, Cam plays the drums and
creates electronic beats. He has provided rhythm tracks for several Texas hip-hop, rock and
electronica artists. Recently, his music was featured in the independent documentary film
"$2.13/hour". Among numerous other performances with his rock band, SpaceTruck, Cam has
twice performed on stage at the prestigious Austin City Limits Music Festival. Cam and his band
also won an Austin Music Award in 2003 for 'Best Jam / Space / Experimental Rock Band'.




Audrey Nieto, FInancial Aid Advisor - audrey@mediatech.edu
Audrey was born and raised in Seguin, Texas. After playing the flute at the age of 13 she
continued playing through her high school yearsas a Marching Matador. She chose Austin for its
vibrant music scene to pursue her college degree. She has worked in the financial world for over
6 years and has over 2 years in Financial Aid experience. Music plays a huge part of everyday
activities, and is constantly looking for new talent to support. She also enjoys spending time with
her close friends, family and dog Allie (also known as Alligator).

Emily Dill, Student Services Representative - emily@mediatech.edu
Emily Dill grew up in McPherson, Kansas and began her radio career during her senior year
of high school at local station KBBE/KNGL. For the next several years, Emily was the on-air
announcer for the afternoon drive and assistant commercial producer. While at KBBE/KNGL, she
was recruited to join Journal Broadcasting Group in Wichita, Kansas. Emily began working at
heritage rock station KICT T-95, and became the first full-time female night personality in the
station's history. During her time at T95, Emily interviewed everyone from the Governor
Kathleen Sebelius to Marilyn Manson. After five years, with T95 Emily decided to pursue her
degree full time, and graduated the following year from the University of the Southwest in Hobbs,
New Mexico with a B.A. in Social Sciences and a minor in Journalism. Austin's eclectic musical
history came calling, and Emily was hired on to manage a retail store for L'Oreal International and
became a consulting stylist for Miss Sixty. After a small break from the world of media, Emily is
excited to be returning to the audio fold and is proud to be a part of the MediaTech mission.




Daysha Taylor, Internet Technology Specialist - daysha@mediatech.edu
When she's not busy managing Mediatech"s online social media properties, Daysha Taylor is
the Associated Editor at Pluck. As an editor for Pluck's BlogBurst product, Daysha manages the
placement blog content on mainstream publisher sites such as Reuters, USAToday, and FoxNews.
She is also CEO of Earthbird Music www.earthbirdmusic.com and manages the booking,
music / video catalog, and online presence of artists such as the Sangre del Sol Fire Troupe,
Keister, Afrofreque, Tolera Storm, and the Alpha Rhythm. Prior to her work with Pluck, Daysha
was an editor covering the Entertainment, Leisure, Film, and Media industries at Hoovers,
a leading provider of online business insight and information. You may learn more about
Daysha’s work by visiting www.earthbirdmusic.com





Spencer Braly, Studio Manager - s.braly@mediatech.edu
Spencer grew up in Tyler, Texas, where he started playing guitar at 14 and was soon playing
in his father’s band. And became was active in the technical side of local theatre productions.
After graduating high school he attended MediaTech Institute in Dallas and received his diploma
from the Recording Arts Program in 2003. Spencer moved to Austin and started working for the
MediaTech campus there as a studio manager. He has worked as a tape-operator for three Austin
City Limits Festivals, and he has engineered shows during four South by Southwest Music Festivals.
He also has played and toured actively with many bands during his time in Austin, opening up for
bands like Riddlin Kids, Fall From Grace, and U.S. Bombs. He is also a founding member of
Bean Dip Records, a punk-rock label. Currently, Spencer has set his sights on his solo act
performing and recording under the moniker Spin.






Ben Blank - ben@mediatech.edu
Ben Blank was raised in Philadelphia, began playing music at the age 13 and shortly afterward
started engineering live bands. After graduating from the first alternative high school in Philly,
He moved to Boston, to attend Emerson College and earned a B.S. in Mass Communications,
specializing in Television production and minoring in Music. Upon graduation, Ben relocated to
Austin, Texas in the summer of 1978 and spent the next six years as cameraman, chief
audio engineer and technical director. The bulk of his experience there was live evening newscasts, commercial production and remote broadcasting. Ben then went into the recording studio business,
became studio manager and chief engineer of Sound Recorders, a commercial recording studio
serving the needs of local advertising agencies. Within two years Ben purchased Sound Recorders
and it became known as Ben Blank Audio. During the next 17 years, Ben was very active as
an engineer and producer, with over 150 commercial releases, Austin Advertising Federation Awards, seven international gold records , national and regional recognition. Ben Blank Audio was a thriving example of Austin' vital music climate.

Some of the artists Ben has recorded are: Terry Bozzio, Warren Haynes & Gov't Mule, Ian Moore,
Andy Macintyre,Bob Schnieder,Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, Gurf Morlix, Slaid Cleaves,
Butch Hancock, Chris Duarte, Charlie Sexton, 2 Live Crew, Killer Bees, Tribal Nation, Spy vs. Spy,
Two Nice Girls, Ministry, Bob Mould & Sugar, Meg Hentges, Peter Keane, Bill Morrissey,
Steven Fromholz, High Noon. Jeff Hughs & Chapparell, Two Hoots and a Holler, E.R. Shorts,
Karen Chavis and The Brew, Trent Reznor"s Pigface, The Moellers, Blues Power, Monte Warden,
Bruce & Charlie Robison, King Coffey's Drain, Jean Caffiene, The Setters, Alejandro Escavedo,
David Grissom & The Slabs, Wil Greenstreet, Faboo- Amy Atchley & Pam Miller, Michael Hall,
and many more... Today, Ben operates and owns Ben Blank Media, a vintage recording studio
located on Lake Austin. He has been actively involved in production and teaching students the
art of digital and analog recording for the last five years.

Joe Brindley - joe@mediatech.edu
Joe Brindley grew up in Temple, Texas and started playing drums at the age of nine. He soon started playing with his dad's band and school jazz bands. Throughout the rest of his time in Temple he played
with a number of local rock, indie and acoustic bands and eventually added guitar and bass to his list
of instruments. In high school Joe became active with the local theatre programs and running sound
for productions, this is also when he started experimenting with hard drive recorders. After graduating
high school Joe attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and earned a BM in
Music Production and Engineering. While on break from Berklee in the Summers Joe worked for
Jacobs Audio, a live sound company based in the Boulder/Denver area of Colorado. Through this he
got to work with acts including B.B. King, Etta James, John Hyatt, Shawn Colvin, Starship and many
others. When he graduated Berklee Joe had added piano and mandolin to his list of instruments and
moved to Austin. He now concentrates on recording as much as he can and working on his own
musical project "Allum Creek."




DJ Pennington - dj@mediatech.edu
David “DJ” Pennington is a recent graduate of the MediaTech Institute Recording Arts Program
and an Austin native. While in school, David distinguished himself as a bright student with a passion
for all things audio. He combines this passion with his life long pursuits as a musician to bring both
strong technical skills and a “good ear” to his work with the students and staff at MediaTech.
David stays busy as a self-employed producer and live sound engineer for several churches and
faith based performers in and around Austin.




Joe Minefee - joem@mediatech.edu

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