Audrey Nieto, Director, Financial Aid Advisor - audrey@mediatech.edu
Audrey was born and raised in Seguin, Texas. As a child, Audrey immersed herself in music.
She learned to play the flute at the age of 13 and continued playing throughout high school.
After graduation, Audrey started her career in finance. Audrey excelled in her craft
but after a short time, she decided she needed a change of pace. It was at this point
Audrey moved to Austin to expand her horizons and pursue her college degree. Audrey
continued working in finance before finding her home at MediaTech. While there, she
served as the Financial Aid Advisor for over 2 years before becoming the Campus Director.
Audrey is dedicated to making MediaTech one of the top Recording Arts schools in the
nation. Her experience, drive and determination will ensure this becomes a reality
along with so much more!



Ashley Whitaker, Marketing Director - ashley@mediatech.edu
Ashley Whitaker has seen MediaTech Institute grow from day one and knows the business from
inside out. Growing up around the industry, Ashley had the unique opportunity to learn and
experience all aspects of the recording business. She spent many years working alongside her
father at the Dallas Sound Lab, and has been a part of Mediatech since its inception in 1999. Over
many years Ashley has assisted with administrative duties, and has worked closely with the directors,
staff, and most importantly the students of all four campuses. Her creative talents have enabled
her to be very involved in the marketing of MediaTech. She has introduced new promotional
programs and techniques and enhanced the learning environment of each campus. Ashley earned
her B.A. in English from the University of Texas with a concentration in Creative Writing and a
minor in U.S. History.



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.





Roland Roberts, Admissions Representative - roland@mediatech.edu
Roland was born and raised in Austin, TX. Growing up in the "Live Music Capitol of the World"
certainly has its benefits when getting involved in the music industry. Started playing guitar
when he was 8 and played in numerous bands over the years. On top of having a large network in
Austin, Roland has grown up with many up-and-coming artists around this large city. He studied
Classical Guitar Performance at Texas State University for two semesters then decided to enroll
in MediaTech Institute. While at MediaTech he recorded and engineered two songs for RESTAVRANT's
"Yeah, I Carve Cheetahs" album, which was released in Jan 10, 2012. He has also run many sessions
with members of Mother Falcon, Austin Chronicles Best Avant-Garde/Experimental 2011-12. Since
then, he has been recording solo work with friends from all over the city.

Lauren Sands, Student Services - lauren@mediatech.edu
Born and raised in Cypress, Texas, Lauren has been a lover of all things music since she was
younger. Joining choir in Jr. High, she found a passion for singing and performing. After graduating
high school and attending college at Texas State, Lauren moved to Austin to pursue her dreams
of being involved in the music business and enrolled in MediaTech's Recording Arts program. While
in school she acquired multiple internships, including a Production Assistant/Intern position with local production company, The Session's Music LLC. After graduation she joined forces with Lone Star
Music Magazine and Sin City Social Club as a Social Media intern. She has worked the past two
years during SXSW and and writes weekly articles, Sessions Inside Tracks, for the online magazine, CultureMap Austin.



Andy Sharp, Lab Instructor - andy@mediatech.edu
Andy Sharp started recording his friend's bands in junior high with a four track cassette recorder.
After that he earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications with an emphasis on RTF and Music
Recording from UT Austin and Certified Technology Certification from AMX University Dallas. During
college he worked in the Bass Concert Hall as an assistant engineer recording symphony
performances. Around the same time he also began working at Music Lane Recording Studio where
he is now a co-owner. As an engineer, producer, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist he has
written, produced, and performed several national radio/television jingles and film scores and has also
worked on hundreds of local and national studio records with acts such as Sheryl Crow, Blue October,
The Toadies, Spoon, and Bob Schneider.

Craig Sadler, Instructor - csadleer@mediatech.edu
Craig wears many hats in the audio and film industries. His professional titles have included
Engineer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Re-Recording Mixer for Film, Music Producer,
Studio Consultant, Recording Instructor, Studio Designer and Construction Manager, GOA
and Monitor Engineer, Music Director, and Executive Producer, to name a few. He has previously, or is
currently working for some of the industries top labels including Universal, Geffen, Interscope,
MCA, Sony, and Warner Music Group.

Craig knew at an early age that he wanted a career in the music industry. He acquired his first
position at a recording studio at the age of 16 as an intern and assistant engineer at AMS Productions
in Dallas. Shortly after, he toured as a guitar tech for Geffen and MCA?Interscope artists' throughout
the US, before even earning his high school diploma. Immediately following high school graduation,
he attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Arizona, where he graduated
at the top of his class. He relocated to Austin following graduation and opened 13th Hour Studios and
NotYYetFamous Productions. Combined, both businesses focused on Mixing, ProTools HD Live
Recording, Show Production, Pro Tools instruction, and Hip/Hop production
(Paul Wall/Mike Jones/Ying Yang Twins). His production company went on to secure contracts with
Geffen Records to shoot and record a few of their Austin artists' live concerts for promotional use
while promoting and running Geffen showcases for other local artists.

Wanting to grow as an Engineer and Producer and work with a wider range of bigger artists, Craig
spent the next several years calling 5th Street Studios in downtown Austin his home. As
the chief Engineer he helped redesign the studio and install an SSL console to get back to his
love for analog recording and mixing. He spent the next several years at 5th Street, developing
his craft while recording and mixing hundreds of local, regional, and national indie and signed
artists.

After a few years at 5th Street Studios, the opportunity arose to get involved with Audio for Film.
Over a five year stretch, he worked with and created content for companies like Nikko Films
Productions, Alex Jones Productions, and Super!Alight!Productions. His works have aired on HBO,
IFC and Showtime and were viewed by thousands at national and international film festivals.
Currently he is working on post production audio for feature films and breaking into the music video
business in the Southwestern US.

Over the years, Craig developed an affinity for teaching others the art of recording. He has hired
and trained dozens of interns and assistant engineers at the various studios he has worked at, and
is proud that mist of them are now making a living doing what they love, and hiring interns and
assistants of their own. He is looking forward to his future with MediaTech Institute and sharing his
passion with any student that is ready to listen.

Craig currently resides at The Pirate Studios as the Chief Engineer and Studio Manager near
Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, where he is always pursuing the next big project.

Dillon Young, Studio Manager - 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 MediaTech's Studio Manager. 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.

Joe Brindley, 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."

Albert Sais, Studio Technician - albert@mediatech.edu
Albert Sais obrained his Audio Engineering diploma and Protools HD 8 Certification at MediaTech
in March of 2012. Before MediTech, Albert began his own label, For The Cause Records in 2001 and
started recording and producing several records. In 2007, he achieved great success with his last
album "So Throwed." He has also worked with various artists and record labels from Texas to the
California Bay Area. Albert has always had a love for all genres of music. He takes most
interest in Rap, R&B, Tejano, Alternative and Rock. He is constantly searching for new artists to
produce and record from all music varieties. He is currently working on serveral albums with different
artist that are soon to be released. Albert also has interest in movie and video directing and producing,
therefore, he will soon be attending MediaTech Institutes Digital Film and Video Arts Program.

Adam Bencen, Studio Technician - abencen@mediatech.edu
Growing up in and around the Orland, Florida area, from an early age Adam Bencen expressed a
deep interest in percussion and music in general. Taking formal lessons for drums and piano set him
up for his choice to study music and it's many technical aspects in college. While studying Music
Production and Sound Technology at Valencia College in Orlando, Adam focused on recording and
studio applications helping to configure and optimize the multiple recording studios on campus for
future students use. Receiving high marks while completing his Associates Degree, Adam was
appointed as a tutor to Music Production students at the request of Program Director Raul Valery.

After college, Adam has been apart of a number of recording bands in Orlando, FL, Portland, OR,
and his current city of Austin,TX. Living in Austin, Adam works with a number of production
companies including Mohawk as a stage manager, The Womb Recording Studios as a Recording
Engineer, Transmission Entertainment as a stage manager for Fun Fun Fun Fest, and recently
a Studio Technician at MediaTech Institute.



Peter Tissot, Studio Technician - peter@mediatech.edu
Peter Tissot got his start in recording studios when he was thirteen and hasn’t looked back since.
Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, his music career began with a touring Irish band. With them, he
spent many of his weekends and summers playing guitar around the country whiles still attending
high school. At thirteen, he got his first taste of studio work when the band recorded its first of four
albums. After graduating, Peter moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas at Austin’s Butler
School of Music. There he earned a Bachelors of Music in Recording Technology while also studying
Double Bass Performance with DaXun Zhang. While in college, he continued to tour and play locally
in various groups. He also interned for a major music design firm and helped pitch designs to
companies including Foot Locker, Adidas, Converse, Christopher & Banks, and more.While doing
all of that, he still found time to teach private music lessons and work nights running sound in venues
around Austin. Currently, he continues to work as a freelance engineer and musician. Peter has had
the honor of performing many tasks in the music industry including engineering, mixing, live sound,
producing, composing, music design, DJing, instructing, performing, and many more. He looks
forward to expanding his professional repertoire as often as he can.

Chris Bazan, Studio Technician - chris@mediatech.edu

Niko Castro, Studio Technician - niko@mediatech.edu

Joshua Cornal, Studio Technician - joshua@mediatech.edu




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