I am an independent video producer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in live music performance. I teach digital filmmaking and video production at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Since 2002, I have been working on a documentary, Troubadour Blues, an intimate portrait of the lives of singer-songwriters such as Peter Case, Chris Smither, Slaid Cleaves and many others.

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.

Recently, I have begun producing a series of short live demo reels in high definition video for independent musical artists. I eventually intend to launch a website featuring these videos for an audience of talent buyers.

I am also planning a concert video series, recorded in front of live audiences in high definition video and surround sound at historic venues in the U.S. and Canada. The first of these is scheduled for production in spring 2010.

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 newspaper, wire-service 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.