Brandon Mead
Digital Media Instructor
Professional: Editor/Motion Graphics Artist for Glazen Creative Studios

Mr. Mead is a talented editor and motion graphics artist.  He’s produced dozens of pieces for corporate and non-profit clients throughout the Midwest.  And he’s won 3 Telly Awards for short-form pieces he’s edited for Glazen Creative Studios in Cleveland.  Mr. Mead is a versatile artist and an avid environmentalist who enjoys feeding off the energy his students bring into the classroom.

Mark Kerecman
Digital Media Instructor
Professional: Senior Editor at EDR/Beachwood Studios

Mr. Kerecman brings 35 years of professional experience to VMCAD. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Telecommunications from Kent State University in 1974. He later earned His Master of Arts Degree in Speech, also from KSU while fulfilling a graduate teaching assistantship. His first Job was at WJW-TV in the film department. He went to work for Rex Humbard’s Cathedral Teleproductions, where he was a videographer, technical director, & editor, traveling globally, working on productions in exciting venues like The Sydney Opera House, Manila Folk Arts theatre, Tokyo’s Budokan, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. In 1982, he became Senior Editor at Cleveland’s Spectrum Video, one of the first post facilities in Ohio to offer a complete digital suite and post-to-pic audio integration with other facilities. He edited productions for various advertising, broadcast, and corporate clients. He joined Classic Worldwide Productions in 1992 as a Senior editor, working on short and long format productions. In 1997, he joined EDR Media/Beachwood Studios were he currently is a Senior Editor, editing on Avid, Final Cut Pro and Smoke. Nominated for 3 Emmy Awards and winning 10 Telly Awards, he currently serves on the Cleveland International Film Festival Shorts Selection Committee and also serves on Kent State University’s Selection Committee for Freshman Summer Reading.

Chelsey Cain
Digital Media Instructor
Professional: Art Director/Web Designer at Rosenberg Advertising

Chelsey Cain has been the Art Director/Web Designer at Rosenberg Advertising since 2007, using web design to develop and grow brands for clients in many different industries.  She has a bachelor of science degree in Visual Communications from Ohio University.  She loves teaching web design at VMCAD, inspiring students to work hard and feel passionate about their craft.  She makes her classroom a creative environment where students learn to communicate in ways that are artistic and effective.

Jake Gearhart
Digital Media Instructor

Mr. Gearhart is an experienced 3D animator/illustrator.  His work in the 3D world includes medical animation, architectural visualization, and pharmaceutical visualization.  He currently teaches 3D modeling and 3D character development.  Mr. Gearhart is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a Visual Communication Technology Bachelor’s degree.

Ryan D’Agostino
Digital Media Instructor
Professional: Interactive Developer for NAS Recruitment Communications

Ryan D’Agostino is a graduate of VMCAD and holds an Associate Degree of Applied Business in Graphic Design. He specializes in web design, web development and interactive development. Currently Ryan teaches Advanced Web Design, Flash Animation, and ActionScript 3.0. He’s very passionate about the web and is bringing his passion into the classroom.

Art and General Studies

Patrick Melnick
Director of Art Studies

Any student will tell you that Mr. Melnick is one of the best! An art studies instructor, he teaches Anatomy and Figure Drawing, History of Art and Fashion Illustration. An instructor for more than 26 years, Mr. Melnick earned his Master of Fine Arts Doctoral in Studio Arts from the University of Notre Dame. He’s worked throughout Ohio and in Chicago teaching and working in art galleries.

Sally Heston
Art Fundamentals and Basic Color Theory

Ms. Heston has more than 30 years of teaching experience. She has art published in several books and exhibits much of her solo work in art galleries throughout Pennsylvania and NE Ohio. She’s also a co-currator at the MD Garage Art Gallery in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and is President of the Board of Trustees of the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Andrij Maday
Art Fundamentals and Color Theory

Mr. Maday is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He is the recipient of 12 awards, a Lewis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant among them. Mr. Maday has exhibited extensively in 33 solo and over 85 group exhibitions. His woodcuts, drawings, as well as paintings, both secular and ecclesiastical, may be found in numerous private and permanent collections in North America, Europe, and Australia. Specializing in custom site specific commissions, his work can be viewed at www.andrijmaday.com.

Keith Smith
Anatomy & Figure Drawing, Art Fundamentals and Color Theory

Mr. Smith is a graduate of VMCAD and holds an Associate Degree of Applied Business in Interior Design.  He serves on the board of the VMCAD foundation, and teaches the art fundamentals, color theory and anatomy & figure drawing courses.  He also teaches Intro to Interior Design and Anatomy & Figure Drawing for ID. Mr. Smith owns the fine art firm Esoteric Painting Design located in downtown Cleveland.  He specializes in faux painting techniques, and color consulting.

Katherine Miracle
Small Business Mgmt, Advertising and Promotions, Salesmanship
Founder and Owner of Miracle Resources

Ms. Miracle is the founder and owner of Miracle Resources, a consulting, training and educational resource for businesses and non-profits.  She specializes in teaching her clients and her students about advertising, promotions, branding, public relations, marketing and revenue development.  Her clients include The Cleveland Clinic, The American Red Cross and Dunkin Donuts.

John Kenney
Photography

Mr. Kenney teaches still photography at VMCAD. He’s worked for various news outlets including the National Press and Sports Illustrated. He’s won more than 280 photography awards throughout his career and has work displayed in the Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Capital University and was trained at the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

Wayne Pearsall
Business Law, Economics

Mr. Pearsall is a practicing Attorney with active licenses in both Ohio and Florida. He is a sole practitioner with an emphasis on Family Law, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy and Small Claims. He has also done Pro Bono work for Homeless Women’s Shelters. But Mr. Pearsall also enjoys using his creative talents through photography and web design. He does photography for various VMCAD events and has created several websites for his other hobbies – baseball and research on Internet Law, publishing an online journal called the Cyberbug Law Journal.

The men & women who comprise the VMCAD Digital Media department come from various professional backgrounds but share a love for teaching digital media techniques and processes to their students. They bring years of experience in the digital arena to the classroom and passionately share their knowledge and expertise. Contact us today to learn more about our digital media college for the 21st century.