Eric W. Johnson, President/Director
Executive Producer/Composer/Sound Designer
Blazing Music + Sound
Raleigh, NC
(919) 645-6620
(919) 645-6601 fax
eric@blazingmusicsound.com
www.blazingmusicsound.com

Eric began playing music professionally at the age of 16 in a local R&B band in his hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. In 1986, while attending North Carolina State University's School of Design, Eric founded Johnsound Productions. Eric's early work included composing, writing, and recording jingles for local and regional clients. Eric also did studio production for artists seeking recording contracts. One of his first clients was Tyka Nelson who is the sister of Grammy Award-winning artist Prince. Eric helped write and arrange Tyka's first single, Marc Anthony's Tune which made Billboard Magazine's Top Forty chart during the summer of 1987.

In 1988, Eric began to move away from producing artists and began to concentrate on music for advertising as well as soundtracks for non-broadcast corporate video and film projects for clients such as IBM, Caterpillar, Golden Corral, Nortel, Burroughs Wellcome, Hardee's, and North Carolina State University.

In January of 2003, Eric joined Trailblazer Studios to launch Blazing Music + Sound, the dedicated custom music and sound division of Trailblazer Studios. Blazing Music + Sound provides custom music, recording, mixing, and sound design for advertising agency, film, television, and video game production clients. Blazing Music + Sound currently handles audio post for TLC's top rated shows Jon & Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting. Other clients include advertising agencies McKinney( Travelocity, Quest, NASDAQ), McCann Ericksson (General Motors), television clients National Geographic/Nova, Fine Living Network, The Tennis Channel, and Animal Planet, and gaming companies Virtual Heroes, Red Storm Entertainment, and Codemasters.

Sherri Tantleff, Secretary/Director
Industry Outreach Manager
Career Development
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL
stantleff@fullsail.com
www.fullsail.com

Sherri Tantleff has been passionate about the audio industry for over 22 years. She was Studio Manager/VP of Operations at Manhattan's audio post facility, Sync Sound for 16 years. Currently, she is Industry Outreach Manager for Full Sail University. There she's a national liaison to the audio and film industries bringing professionals together to address issues regarding curriculum, employment and technology. She attends many industry conferences including AES, NAB, NAMM, Remix Hotel, and the Mix LA Open. Sherri is a member of the Recording Academy, has a Bachelors of Music Business degree from the University of Miami, is a musician and teaches family music classes.

Kevin Becka, Treasurer/Director
Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences / Mix Magazine
Tempe, AZ
(480) 2263149,
kbecka@earthlink.net
www.audiorecordingschool.com

Kevin Becka has been in the audio industry for over 20 years, starting as a recording engineer with credits ranging from Kenny G, George Benson, Quincy Jones and more. He's also been the editor of Pro Audio Review, Audio Media USA and is currently the technical editor of Mix magazine where he edits and writes product reviews and features. He is the Director of Education at the Conservatory of Recording Arts in Arizona, a member of AES, SPARS, a voting member of NARAS and an ASCAP writer.

Karen Brinton, Past President/Director
CEO/Owner
Remote Recording
New York, NY
212.759.0141
212.459.0143 fax
karen@remoterecording.com
www.remoterecording.com

Karen Brinton brings a diverse backgound to the team. Her first career was as a medical assistant in 1978. In 1984, she received a degree in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising inLos Angeles. By age 23, Brinton had started her own design firm, specializing in medical design.

In 1996, Brinton obtained her real estate license in California, and got into real estate and business loans with ASK Investments. A meeting with a client in 1998, landed Brinton in the Pro Audio world. She became Director of Marketing and Promotion for KRK Systems. There she built and developed relationships with many of the top engineer/producers in the industry. One of them being David Hewitt.

Brinton joined Remote Recording in July of 2001, as the studio manager. In July of 2003, she acquired Remote Recording, and oversees the day-to-day operations. Brinton is a member of NARAS (currently on the education committee), and is on the board of SPARS, serving as Secretary for the 2003-2004,  President Elect 2004-2005, and held the office of President 2005-2006.

Trevor Fletcher, Director
Vice President, General Manager
Hit Factory Studios
Miami, FL
tfletcher@hitfactory.com
www.criteriastudios.com

An industry veteran for over two decades, Fletcher has worked in numerous capacities for Miami's Criteria Recording Studios. After the purchase of the facility by New York's Hit Factory in 1999, he was appointed GM/VP of newly formed Hit Factory Criteria. Fletcher is a former two-term president of The Recording Academy (NARAS) Florida Chapter, and currently serves on the National Board of Trustees. In addition to volunteering on local & national academy committees, events and the TEC Awards nominating body, Fletcher has credits as engineer or production coordinator for artists as diverse as 2 Live Crew, Julio Iglesias, Al Di Meola, Missy Elliott, and Gloria Estefan. Fletcher continues to expand the national and international reputation of the studio and the Miami recording community.

Jeff Greenberg, Past President/Director
The Village Recorder
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 478-8227
(310) 479-1142
villagerec@aol.com
www.villagerecorder.com

Currently CEO of The Village Studios in West Los Angeles, Jeff Greenberg is a native Angeleno with music business in his blood. At age 19 Greenberg was already managing his first rock band, then, while continuing to manage the likes of The Section and Felix Pappalardi, he also began working in concert and event promotion. Starting as a gofer at Wolf and Rissmiller Concerts, he went on to produce some of the very first skateboarding events and to coordinate for Cal Jam II, (still among the biggest one day festivals in history.) At the Nederlander Organization he booked and promoted major artists for the Pantages and Greek Theatres and Pine Knob and Merriweather Post amphitheatres. He also put in stints in advertising and market research and as a talent agent for ICM, where with legendary agent Tom Ross, he worked with artists such as Aerosmith, Heart, Santana, Foreigner, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Barry Manilow, among many others. Greenberg's current position brings all of his past experience into play. Founded in 1967 by Geordie Hormel, The Village, had, over the years, amassed a rich legacy of landmark records by notable artists including Bob Dylan, Supertramp, and The Rolling Stones. Yet, in 1994 it was facing liquidation. Confronted with the demise of the legendary facility, the founder's daughter approached Greenberg and asked him to help save the complex. He agreed to take on the challenge and, during an era that has seen many great studios close, has bucked the trend to engineer a highly successful turnaround.

Under Greenberg's direction The Village underwent both cosmetic and technological renovations, resulting in major upgrades such as the installation of one of the world's first Neve 88R consoles into Studio D, and Fibre channel SAN network-linked Pro Tools HD systems into every room. All the while, the utmost care was taken to ensure that an artist-friendly philosophy remained paramount. Today, The Village is one of the world's top studios with musical clients that include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jet, Beck, Korn, Foo Fighters, No Doubt, Bon Jovi, Usher and Steely Dan, to name just a few. Recognizing the need for business diversity, Greenberg also implemented a plan to expand The Village's client base into sound for picture. As a result, the facility is also now renowned for film scores such as The Shawshank Redemption, Moulin Rouge, Master and Commander, Cold Mountain, The Mighty Wind and HBO's Six Feet Under, as well as for award-winning videos and commercials. Greenberg's vision for The Village and his dedication to excellence have earned him high praise from those who count the most: the musicians who work there. Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter puts it best, calling The Village, "an historic studio that has adapted to the demands of modern musical technology without losing its charm and musical heart."

Kirk Imamura, Director
President
Avatar Studios
441 West 53rd Street.
New York , NY 10019
(212) 765-7500
(212) 765-7450 fax
kirk@avatarstudios.net
www.avatarstudios.net

Kirk Imamura has over 18 years experience in the consumer electronics industry working for Sony Corporation.  Kirk has a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from San Diego State University.  He has engineering and management experience in equipment design, software development, large scale manufacturing operations, product development and strategic & business planning.  Since leaving Sony, Kirk has spent 9 years in the music industry successfully running and guiding the operations of Avatar Studios in New York as President.  During his tenure, the studio has been awarded five TEC Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement.  Kirk's well-rounded management experience, people skills, technical background and marketing abilities are well-suited for leading a business to the next level.

Scott Phillips, Director
Studio Manager
Blackbird Studios
2806 Azalea Place
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 515-6649
(615) 251-8787
scott@blackbirdstudio.com
www.blackbirdstudio.com

Scott Phillips, Studio Manager at Blackbird Studios, was born and raised in Jacksonville , FL.   In 1996, after graduating from Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in Orlando , Scott moved to Nashville and began building his career in the recording industry. Starting as an intern at Masterfonics, he quickly proved himself to be management material, landing the position of Studio Coordinator after just five months. A promotion to Studio Manager soon followed and with the merger of Masterfonics and Emerald Sound Studios in 1999, Scott once again found himself at the helm, eventually becoming Vice President of the Studio Division of the largest recording complex in the Southeast. In 2005, Scott was recruited by John McBride to manage Blackbird Studios, which is owned by McBride and his multi-platinum recording artist wife Martina. Being involved with Nashville 's newest state of the art recording facility has proven to be an exciting opportunity and he looks forward to an incredible future at the creatively inspired recording complex. Scott is a member of Leadership Music's Class of 2006, NAPRS (Nashville Association of Professional Recording Services), AES (Audio Engineering Society) and serves on the board of SPARS (The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services).  In his spare time he enjoys golf, basketball, Titans football, and spending time with his family. 

Zoe Thrall, Director
Studio at the Palms-Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
702-944-3400
zoe.thrall@palms.com
www.studioatthepalms.com

Zoe Thrall has recently taken over management of the newly constructed Studio at The Palms in Las Vegas. Her 22 years in the recording industry includes studio and artist management, engineering, performance and touring credits. In addition to her directorship in SPARS, she is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and the American Federation of Musicians.

Tony van Veen, Director
CEO and President
Disc Makers
7905 North Rte. 130
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
tvanveen@discmakers.com
www.discmakers.com
www.cdbaby.com

Tony van Veen is CEO and President of Audio and Video Labs, Inc, the parent company of Disc Makers and CD Baby. Having performed and toured with several bands and run a small independent label, he joined Disc Makers in 1987. As president of Disc Makers he has been at the forefront of empowering independent artists to release, distribute, and promote their own music. In the process, he oversaw the company's growth from a small regional vinyl pressing plant with less than 40 employees, to the undisputed leader in CD and DVD manufacturing for independent artists in the US, with over 400 employees, producing over 20,000 new independent titles a year. In August of 2008 the company acquired CD Baby, the largest independent music store in the world with 250,000 independent album titles and over 2.2 million songs in its catalog, which it sells on its own cdbaby.com store and distributes to dozens of the largest download stores in the world, including iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, and eMusic. Tony continues to be actively engaged with independent artists while splitting his duties between Disc Makers and CD Baby.

Paul Christensen, Ex Officio
Executive Director
(800) 7717727
paul@spars.com
www.spars.com

Paul Christensen is the new Executive Director of SPARS. He was recruited to head a new program to expand the SPARS mission to better serve members of the recording community, facility owners, producers and engineers. In addition, a new, enlarged web site has been built to encourage networking, community, education, as well as free lance opportunities. Future plans call for live and on-demand webinars by industry leaders on pertinent subjects as well as various Web 2.0 initiatives.

Mr. Christensen served as a Director of SPARS from 1989 to 2000 in various capacities, including Chairman of the Board from 1997-1999, SPARS 20th Anniversary. He is President of Omega Productions, www.omegalive.com, a 36 year old award winning Entertainment Production Company specializing in live concert DVD, HD and CD recordings.

Back to the Top