06/19/2024
40 years ago I had a seed and a vision planted in my heart that led to a career into the audio and video industry …
In the fall of 2024 I will be the new Audio / Video Production teacher for Gilmer High School - Gilmer County Schools in Ellijay, GA. I am very excited to share my passion for this business with the students in our community. The College and Career Academy is an incredible program in our Georgia school system. Being able to guide high school students through a career pathway and into a future career in audio or video production is going to be so fulfilling. -- I started my dream in the early 80s at the University of North Carolina - Asheville under the incredible mentorship of Wayne Joseph Kirby, who started the program with his own equipment and built it into a world-class facility and program that continues to this day. Thank you Dr. Kirby for believing in me!! I went on to New York City/New Jersey and freelanced for 4 years with some other amazing mentors, friends, and production businesses -- Barry Hirschberg, Liz Hirschberg, Jason Miles Music, Jason Miles, Andy Huenerberg, Dave Fields and more, (Thank you all for being amazing!!) and then moved back to Atlanta to start a family and begin my career with Turner Broadcasting in 1992. I was blessed to spend most of my career there working mostly with Cartoon Network, TBS/TNT Networks, and sports as a Senior Sound Designer. After a great career there, I started my own production company in 2020, and thankfully, Take One Studio Productions has been a local success. I have been honored to work with inspiring local businesses, our Gilmer Chamber, and many non-profits. I thank you all and I will continue the business of Take One Studio Productions, but I now have a vision for my future students to be helping out and learning with a high school production company, and all that will unfold as I get started. First, I will be spending a week at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, GA learning at the Georgia Film Academy’s teacher workshop for a week in July. Thank you to my friend Greg Gause for continuing to inspire and be a great mentor to me! Also, thanks to Jake Callihan for asking if I knew "anyone" who might want to teach audio and video production at the high school, and thanks to Derek Bowen and Dr. Brian Ridley for believing in me!
And especially to my wife Karleen Parks Ferguson and my kiddos for your utmost support and encouragement!!
Most people at my age retire but as my great friend Terry Ellis said to me, “No, sometimes we just pivot!!” :-) I look forward to inspiring the students at Gilmer High School to understand all the possibilities that are available in this career pathway! I would appreciate your prayers, and if you have a teenager at the high school that is interested in a career or just learning more about audio and video production, I would love to have them in class!! Let the adventure begin !! 😀🙌🎥😀
