Recording Arts & Show Production Faculty

BOB HERSHBERGER

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Bob first recognized his passion for production at the age of fifteen when he discovered the wonders of cassette bedroom recording in the rural town of Clay, WV. When he was just 18 years old, Bob made the decision to leave West Virginia and move to Orlando, FL where he quickly found other musicians who had the same interests and formed a band, playing various venues throughout Florida and touring nationally. When Bob wasn't on the road, he ran live sound at various venues in the greater Orlando area and interned at local studios to sink his teeth into all aspects of music production. Little by little, he started learning the real fundamentals of sound reinforcement in both live and studio applications, along with analog tape and digital audio workstations. Sixteen years later, Bob has recorded, mixed or mastered over 300 records and worked as head engineer for thousands of bands at live venues. His credits speak for themselves, along with his passion for audio and dedication to teaching others who are interested in this wonderful thing called music.

CHRIS JAY

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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[email protected]

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Chris Jay has been a professional audio engineer for over two decades. He got his start in the entertainment industry in 1995 working with Sublime on the first Warped Tour as their merchandise representative and stagehand. After the tour, Lee ”Scratch” Perry invited him to work as an assistant in the studio on the album "Lee Perry vs Sly & Robbie." That time in the studio was what drove him to dedicate his career to audio engineering. Since then, he has worked on many albums ranging in genre from blues, punk, hardcore, and reggae. In various capacities, he has worked with a wide array of popular artists such as Outkast, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, LL Cool J, Trick Daddy, Cash Money, and The Beach Boys. He also works for Electronic Arts as an Audio Artist handling commentary and sound design for Madden and NBA Live.

DAVE WILLIS-LORENZ

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & VIDEO PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1502

When Dave was 19, he moved from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA to Los Angeles, CA to work for Americorps and to see what LA could offer. One morning, his roommate woke him up. "Hey, a friend of mine is working on a film and they need production assistants,” he said. “If you can catch a bus and be there today by 9, you'll have the job." Needless to say, Dave caught the bus. After that movie wrapped, he moved on to a few more Hollywood projects, ultimately working as a story producer on a nationally-syndicated reality game show. Having found a career that he loved, he returned home to Pennsylvania to learn the basics of filmmaking at Temple University. While interning for a Philadelphia-based animator, Dave met a producer who got him started as a location sound mixer. He quickly realized that his love of music recording and acoustics could be translated into a career in sound for film. Since then, he has worked on a wide array of projects as a sound editor, camera operator, and director for clients such as Hulu, Nickelodeon, and Food Network. A natural innovator, he is always looking for ways to surpass expectations and challenge himself. His interests lie in directing documentaries and creating immersive binaural sound experiences. Dave would love to work on more science fiction pieces, and hopes to someday invent acoustical levitation.

EARL HOBACK

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1503

JERMAINE EVANS

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Jermaine “Sound.Wav” Evans has 15+ years of audio engineering experience, along with 5 years of teaching experience. As a child, Jermaine was always involved in something media-based whether he was on a movie set, the cover of a newspaper or building his own in-home recording studio. Jermaine received his first set of diplomas and certificates in 1998 from “The Recording Workshop” in Chillicothe, OH. From there, he worked on multiple projects which involved some of Hip Hop's greats, such as Rampage The Last Boy Scout (FlipMode Squad), Clipse (Star Trak), Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boys) and many more. He received his Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in audio engineering at Full Sail. Jermaine also completed his Master of Science in education. Currently, Jermaine designs sound systems for churches and small home studios. He has had the opportunity to run sound for some of the biggest names in gospel music, such as Bishop Paul S. Morton and Bishop Love. Jermaine’s primary focus is educating others in the art of audio engineering. He provides a fun, productive and interactive learning environment. He is extremely passionate about sharing his knowledge and mistakes with his students in the hopes of developing and enhancing both future and current engineers alike.

JOHN LAROSA

PROGRAM DIRECTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

JOHN MARTINEZ

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

John started his career in the audio industry in 2004 after graduating from A.R.T.I. He then worked at Hard Rock Live fulfilling multiple roles as stagehand, stage setup and breakdown for live productions. He also worked with independent musicians, delivering post production and audio services to artists, dancers and other talents which helped him to expand his knowledge in the industry. Later, he was given the opportunity to do voice over production, audio recording for video post production. This opportunity lasted 10 years, producing a significant amount of audio content for web games, audio books and bilingual voice overs. Prior to joining F.I.R.S.T. Institute, he worked in production of accessibility content and video descriptions for television which were focused on people with visual disabilities.

MICHAEL BEAUMONT

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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[email protected]

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Michael Beaumont graduated from the University of Tampa in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He then began working as a production assistant at the Tampa Educational Cable Consortium where he eventually became production coordinator. In 1995, he was hired as lead music composer/sound designer for Gorilla Systems Corporation, a developer of video games and interactive media. His work can be heard in many published game titles including Disney’s Little Mermaid, Monsters, Inc.-Scream Team Training, Spy Kids 2-Mega Mission Zone, and more. Michael also worked several seasons as a stage sound technician at Busch Gardens Entertainment-Tampa and was stage technical manager during the park’s yearly Howl-O-Scream events. In 2011, he began sharing his knowledge as a lab specialist at Full Sail University, then relocated to Nashville in 2015 to continue as an independent producer of sound design projects. Michael is currently instructing in the Recording Arts and Show Production department at F.I.R.S.T. Institute as well as performing with many acoustic groups including Fort Lonesome, Rose Creek Rhythm and Beaumont.

MICHAEL COCHRAN

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Michael Cochran began his journey through the world of music as a toddler in Indiana, banging on a two-octave organ. His career started off with his bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of Florida, which led his studies to Europe where he continued his music education at the Conservatory de Musica in Rome. Michael has studied and worked alongside amazing composers and orchestrators, which solidly broadened his knowledge of composing musical scores for film and television as well as live show productions. After scoring and conducting for various orchestras, he naturally launched his career as a Producer and Musical Director for live stage shows and music artists. In the studio where he now spends most of his time, Michael works closely with his artists’ individuality while producing their tracks, performance, vocal style and sound - being ahead of the curve on the pulse of today’s music. Michael has worked with Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Hong Kong Disney, Disney Cruise Lines, Euro Disney, Disney on Ice, and many more. In 2016, Michael garnered a nod on the official Grammy ballot in the Record of the Year category for the song, "Without You" with his artist, Chaz Robinson. Michael is currently on the Producer’s Panel for The Florida Music Festival, and is judging and teaching master classes in music production around the world.

RAINER SCHUERTZMANN

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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[email protected]

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Rainer Schuertzmann is a touring audio engineer who has been climbing in the industry for nearly a decade. Having experience as an audio engineer and concert promoter, he worked from 2008 to 2013 freelancing throughout his hometown in Ocala, Florida. Rainer found this was his passion and went to F.I.R.S.T. Institute to pursue audio engineering and music production. He discovered there were more opportunities for sound as he studied at F.I.R.S.T. and graduated in 2013. Soon after, he worked as an ADR recording engineer for Blue Man Group at Universal Studios Orlando. He has worked as multiple roles in the TV and movie production field such as production sound, post-production engineer, ADR recording engineer as well as a production assistant. Rainer also has extensive experience in freelance audio/visual work, and currently works for CCR Solutions as a staging and event technician. He is also on tour as an audio engineer and production manager for Diamond Resorts International. Rainer wishes to instill his knowledge and enthusiasm for music and sound unto others who enjoy it as well.

THEO NELSON

INSTRUCTOR – RECORDING ARTS & SHOW PRODUCTION View Bio

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[email protected]

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407 316-8310 ext 1501

Recording Arts & Show Production Faculty

BOB HERSHBERGER

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CHRIS JAY

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DAVE WILLIS-LORENZ

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EARL HOBACK

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FREDDY TAVARES

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JERMAINE EVANS

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JOHN LAROSA

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JOHN MARTINEZ

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JOSH TYNES

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MICHAEL BEAUMONT

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MICHAEL COCHRAN

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RAINER SCHUERTZMANN

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THEO NELSON

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WES SNOWDEN

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