ABOUT ME

I’m an independent filmmaker based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in live music performance. I’ve played music at a local level since childhood, and I have a particular interest in musicians who develop their craft to the highest levels with little regard for mainstream fame or celebrity.

I have taught communication, media studies and video production at a number of colleges and universities in western Pennsylvania, and I’m involved in a number of initiatives to promote sustainable filmmaking activities in Pittsburgh. I’m a member of Pittsburgh Filmmakers and the University Film and Video Association.

My first feature-length documentary, Troubadour Blues, was released in October 2011 with an opening night premiere at the Buffalo International Film Festival. I’m planning a series of screenings throughout the U.S. and Canada in 2012 and seeking distribution partners. The film is an intimate portrait of the lives of singer-songwriters such as Peter Case, Mary Gauthier, Chris Smither, Slaid Cleaves and many others, and you can find more information here.

A new full-length documentary, Don’t Give Up Your Day Job, is now in the early stages of production. It focuses on skilled musicians who have chosen to remain grounded in local communities, where they practice their craft among friends and neighbors. The film is inspired by The Hidden Musicians, sociologist Ruth Finnegan’s groundbreaking study of musical activity in a small English city.

I am a member of Folk Alliance International and an active participant in their regional and national conferences, where I have recorded speakers, workshops, and live performances. I also produce electronic press kits and live performance demo videos, both in the studio and on location.

I am co-author (with Brian Jahn) of Reggae Island: Jamaican Music in the Digital Age (DaCapo Press, 1998).

At various times in my life, I have been employed as a print and broadcast journalist, stevedore, factory expediter, drywall hanger, stagehand, rock musician and college teacher.

I have a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Bowling Green State University, where I studied globalization of popular music through electronic media. I also have degrees from Harvard and Indiana University-Bloomington.