Randy Miller, Director - GarrettMiller73@gmail.com
Randy Miller has an extensive background in music production and education. As a performer,
he formed the band Zen Archer, described as “the most popular rock band in Houston, second
only to ZZ TOP” by a Houston press poll. He maintains an active roll in the music industry today by
serving on the board of NARIP and as a longstanding member of NARAS. Randy also has abundant
experience in recording, engineering and producing. Some of his previous clients include
Marc Anthony, Burt Bacharach, Kings X and La Mafia. Randy designed, built and managed several of
Houston’s major recording studios. Houston Sound Studio, which produced 4 Grammy winning
albums, and later Tierra Studios, which is considered one of the premier studios in the city. At the
height of his career in production, Randy became president of URLABEL.net, one of the first online
record companies to hit the web. Randy soon got involved in music education, serving on the board
of the recording program at San Jacinto Junior College. In 2010 he joined the MediaTech team as the
department chair for Business of Music in Houston. After 2 years as an instructor, Randy joined the
Austin team as the campus director. Randy dedicates himself to strengthening student-instructor
relationships, improving the campus, and helping MediaTech Institute thrive. .




Dan Childers, Instructor, AUD101, PSD101 -  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, AUD101, AUD201, PSD101 - 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.




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).

Jenna Williams, Student Services - jenna@mediatech.edu
Jenna Williams grew up in Sunny, Clearwater, Florida where she was influenced by music at
a young age. She started dancing at the ripe age of 4 and shortly after, began taking lessons
in Piano and Violin and then went on to sing in competitive choral groups throughout her
schooling. While in college, pursuing her business degree, she was a broadcast intern at
Clear Channel Radio, which solidified her passion for music and her curiosity in the industry.
After graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University with her Bachelors in Marketing, Jenna
ventured to Austin, Texas. While in Austin, she picked up the guitar, started writing music
and performing and was left wanting more. After touring MediaTech Institute’s beautiful
facilities, she knew it was the perfect fit for her and started immediately. While in school,
she worked closely with Fable Records as their marketing intern and assisted local music
venue’s during the SXSW Music Festival. After graduating with her Recording Arts Certificate,
Jenna had the amazing opportunity to head to Nashville, Tennessee and intern at both
Blackbird Studio and Sony/Tree Studios. After a gratifyingbn, learning experience in Music City
and the opportunity to work with such unbelievable raw talent, she headed back to her home;
Austin. She then began working at DMX Music, Inc. in the music design department and joined
the team at the new state of the art music venue; ACL Live at Moody Theater. But more importantly,
she is thrilled to be back at MediaTech and is eager to assist the students as they begin down the
road to great success in the audio world.






Henry Hilliard, Studio Manager - henry@mediatech.edu
Henry grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. After graduating from high school, Henry enlisted in th
United States Navy and served as a Naval Airman for several years. After his service was complete,
Henry came home to Texas and returned to playing guitar with his band, Eye Level. The band
eventually migrated to the Austin music scene. Upon his arrival in Austin, Henry found his love
of playing evolve into a passion for the recording and live sound areas of the audio profession.
These new interests lead Henry to MediaTech Institute and after receiving his diploma; he was
hired on as a lab supervisor. During his time as lab supervisor, Henry was recruited to work at
Austin’s premier live music venue, One World Theatre, as the Assistant Production Manager.
During his time at One World Theatre Henry had the privilege to work with a multitude of
world-renowned Smooth Jazz and Country performers. Henry was invited to return to
MediaTech Institute as the Studio Manager and now enjoys sharing his experience with students.






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, Faculty Instructor AUD301, SIM101 - 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."

Vance Van Donselaar, Lab Supervisor - vance@mediatech.edu
Vance is a recent graduate of the Media Tech Institute Recording Arts Program. His passion ha
always been drums, percussion, and music. He grew up in Fort Worth where he began playing
the drums at the age of ten. Vance played drums in the school band from middle school through
high school, earning many honors. After that he went to the University of North Texas where he
studied Jazz Studies, drums and percussion, and performed in both Afro-Cuban and Latin
Brazilian Ensembles. Vance moved to New Mexico in 1999 and studied Communications and
Anthropology at The University of New Mexico, where he also pursued his career as a drummer and percussionist. While working as a professional musician Vance had the opportunity of playing on
four studio records and toured with various bands, some in which he formed, booked, and managed.
Needing a change Vance decided to move Austin, Texas, where he now owns his house and
recording studio. In addition to working at Media Tech Institute, Vance is also currently working with
Pedernales Recording Studios and continues to perform as a drummer and percussionist in the
studio and live for local bands. You might be able to catch Vance performing with The Clay McClinto
Band occasionally or with other local artists.

David Biggs, Lab Supervisor - dbiggs@mediatech.edu
David Biggs was born and raised in Austin, TX, and like any true Austinite music was a huge part
of his life. Although he is a recent graduate of the Recording Arts program at MediaTech, sound
engineering was not his first choice for higher education. Being an artist his entire life surely he
would go to art school to study animation(which was his first true passion)... Wrong. After learning
that art school is IMMENSELY expensive and having come from humble beginnings, he set his goal
on the passion that was always there, yet had never been exploited. The Recording Arts. Aside from
being a Substitute Teacher during the week, he is a Lab Supervisor at MediaTech in the evenings.
David is currently working on engineering a record for a local Austin band and is prospecting a
few others.






Justin Daniel, Studio Technician - justin@mediatech.edu
Justin Daniel grew up in the very small town of Brady, Texas. He began playing trombone in middle
school and became very passionate about music Moving from Trombone to Bas in high school, Justin
knew he wanted to build a career in the music industry. When he discovered MediaTech, it made his decision to make the move became very easy. While in school, Justin acquired many new skills and
took a big interest in live sound, but never lost his love for being in the studio. He graduated from MediaTech in December 2010, and now works as a studio technician on weekends. During the week,
he also works at Soundcheck, where he engineers rehearsals for local bands and sets up PA
equipment in venues and for events around Austin and across Texas. He also drives trucks and does backline work for events and festivals such as South by Southwest, Austin City Limits and many more.
Justin has worked with well known artists that come through Austin as well as local bands including:
Joe Walsh, Edie Brickell, Charlie Sexton, Raphael Saadiq, Miranda Lambert, Jason Mraz, Jeff Bridges, Hayes Carll, Sauce, Explosions in the Sky, The Parlor Mob, Black Joe Lewis, Electric Touch, Hudson
Moore etc






David Winne, Studio Technician - dwinne@mediatech.edu
David grew up in Austin, Texas. He started playing Cello at 10 years old and moved to playing
bass in middle school. He played in many bands in Austin during the 80s and 90s. During his
years as a bassist he found that he had an interest in live audio and recording. After years of
working at a small Austin studio and attending St. Edwards University studying education and
computer networking, he decided that he would rather be studying in the field of audio. David is
a graduate of the MediaTech Institute Recording Arts Program and has Pro Tools certifications in
Music and Post Production. He has also worked in Austin as an Audio Engineer running soun
for many artists such as Beto and the Fairlanes, Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz, Ephraim
Owens, Shelley Carrol and many more. David is still a Bassist and occasionally does studio
work in Austin.






Dillon Young, Studio Technician - dillon@mediatech.edu
Dillon Young grew up in Georgetown, Texas. Music has always played an integral role in his life.
His father being an avid musician directly influenced his passion for becoming a drummer. Dillon
spent most of his high school days in Georgetown gigging with local bands, until his desire for a
musically oriented career brought him to the University of North Texas in Denton. After a year in
Denton, Dillon's desire for a very specific career path led his interests to Austin and MediaTech's
Recording Arts program. He works as a studio tech for MediaTech on weekend nights. Dillon also
works part time for the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music running live sound for
ensembles and orchestras, while also helping students record in the school's studio.

To download a copy of our 2011 catalog now, click here >>