Instructor Bios

Michael Buhrman’s

On air Name: BuhrmGotti. Michael started as an intern with KQKS KS1075 in 2000 with the night jock at the time after just being a radio listener mesmerized by radio. In 2001 by KKFN AM 950 the Fan as a board operator and shortly after as an air talent for KQKS KS1075 doing Monday Mornings 1am-6am. Was a board operator for KKFNs Denver Nugget and Colorado Avalanche broadcasts as well as talk show programs for 4 years before focusing solely on KQKS. At KS I was promoted to the Late Nights in 2004 and became the main fill in for all other day parts. In 2008 I was promoted to Assistant Music Director, which is the position I retain today with my airshift.

Andrew Kemler

After earning a B.F.A. in film production from The University of Colorado at Boulder, Andrew landed supporting roles in the South Park creator’s first two feature films. He joined the South Park staff as a production assistant and worked his way up to post-production supervisor. Always looking for a new challenge, Andrew spent one season at The Man Show as the music producer and 2 years at Revolution Studios animation department. In 2005, Andrew joined a small production house in Hollywood (www.zappinproductions.com) to produce high quality corporate and marketing video content. He is very happy to be back in Colorado and pursuing a challenging career in video production.

Todd Valintine

Todd Valentine is a freelance producer specializing in commercial advertising, corporate video, and live music production. He is a graduate of Colorado State University and has been in the freelance market in Denver and Northern Colorado for 4 years. Todd has a passion for technology and how it relates to production of media. He can teach the skills related to producing, editing and motion graphic design as well as general production and control room skills.

Sharon Levy Freed

Lots of people say they're from Colorado but most are imports… from places like Oklahoma, California, or Texas. Not Sharon Freed. She is one of the few, the proud, the Col¬orado natives.

After spending her formative years in Denver, Levy Freed embarked on a col¬lege career at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Without a major in mind, Levy signed up for a very generic business course. It required she find an internship anywhere she wanted for 15 hours a week. Thinking that news crews see just about everything, Sharon signed up for an internship at a TV station. Surely one of those news stories would lead her towards an interesting career. Ten months later, TV hadn't led her to a career, rather it turned out to BE the career for her.

In August of 1980, Levy Freed took her first full-time TV position as a vid¬eotape editor for KUSA-TV, in Denver. In January of '82, it was off to the University of Missouri to finish a broadcasting degree. In May of '83, three weeks before graduation,, she attended the NPPA workshop. Life hasn't been boring since. After graduation Sharon accepted a position as a photojournalist at KAKE TV in Wichita. After 13 months under the wonderful guidance of Larry Hatteberg, it was time to go home...as a photojournalist for KCNC TV in Denver.

KCNC meant 4 years of shooting news and followed by more than 6 years of writing, shooting, producing and editing in Community Affairs. Freed earned 2 regional EMMY’s and numerous first place awards from the Colorado Broadcasting Association. But she's one who likes change, and it was time again.

From May of 1995 until November 1999, Sharon worked as "Senior Instructor" in the Broadcast Support Division of Avid Technology. She traveled to TV stations ‘round the world teaching Avid NewsCutter. While computers have never been her thing, TV always has. Being able to talk TV has allowed Sharon to be successful and really enjoy her new career (not to mention the bizillion frequent flyer miles she received.)

She continues to freelance train teaching the aesthetics of shooting and editing as well as the mechanics of Avid and Final Cut Pro to broadcast professionals, American soldiers, newspaper photojournalists and anyone interested anywhere on the planet.

On a personal note, Sharon has produced MANY MANY things over her years but her best productions by far are her children. Eight year old Samuel and seven year old Anna, along with Dad Jay and Golden Retriever Elmer make up the family she’s always dreamed of. If she dashes our or grabs the phone…no doubt it is to check on them.

Bryan Kobos

Bryan feels like he was born with a mic in his hand. He started in Radio at age 14, basically by walking into a station and working for a small AM station in FT. Lauderdale, FL...He had my own teen talk show called Electric Youth. During High School Bryan worked in the FT. Lauderdale market on weekends as a board operator and on air personality for stations in the area. In College Bryan worked at our College Radio Station. Upon graduation he worked for stations in Charlotte, NC and Greenville-Spartenburg, SC. and other markets. Bryan was a Promotions manager and a Program Director in the Florida and NC Markets, for many formats.

Bryan currently can be heard Coast to Coast on several of Dial-Global Denver's Digital Country Formats on over 250 radio stations including Major Markets. He loves to work the phones and have a nationally syndicated request show. He has been an on air personality for many formats including, HOT AC, CHR, Country and Oldies... Bryan looks forward to helping students reach their goals and dreams.

James Johnson

Director of Photography and Editor Sterling Johnson has 20+ years of experience shooting and editing material for television and film. Sterling cut his chops on news promotion material for network affiliates in the highly completive Dallas market. He took those skills nationwide and won 20 regional Emmy Awards in the Heartland, Boston, and Northeast region. Sterling has serviced clients nationwide. The list includes but is not limited to…CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX SPORTS NET, THE TEXAS RANGERS, COORSDALLAS COWBOYS, DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS, and WALKER TEXAS RANGER just to name a few.

Sterling today is an independent contractor and shoots and edits projects out of his home on Final Cut Pro 6.2.4 and recently completed 13 episodes of a local lifestyle show, Grin and Barrett for KXAS-TV as well as directing and cutting segments for Orion Multimedia’s safari program Dangerous Game airing on VERSUS this fall, and multicam edited two one hour comedy specials for Comedy Central. He edited a pilot program for FOX “The Vegas Show” which starred Howie Mandell and Shenna Easton. Other recent clients include…The American Heart Association, Coors Brewing, Habitat for Humanities, and WFAA TV where he won his most recent Emmy for a weather spot he produced in Feb 2005.

Sterling’s favorite quote is “ We are all just cutaways in the wide shot of life.”

Richard Slemaker

I have been a stage actor, writer of spots and co-writer and producer of short skits for more than ten years. I joined the Army as a Broadcast Journalist in 2004 and spent a majority of my service in the award-winning AFN Korea newsroom as an assignments editor and producer. I received multiple citations for excellence including the coveted

“Rising Star” award as well as the Soldiers Media Center “Soldier of the Year” award, beating out more than 200 soldiers from around the world. I also won multiple “Products of the Quarter” awards throughout my time as a producer. I went on individual ready reserve in 2008. I was born and raised in Oklahoma but have been a proud resident of the great state of Colorado for the last six years.

Pat Woodard

Pat Woodard got into television the old fashioned way...no, not by secretly taking photographs of station managers in compromising positions. Pat got into television by first working in small town radio, broadcasting pre-dawn polka music for dairy farmers in Northwestern Minnesota. Highlights of those days include using potential hit records as Frisbees aimed at the transmitter tower behind the station.

Fourteen subsequent years of radio included morning drive news anchoring stints in cities such as Portland and San Francisco, and 5 years as a network news anchor at CBS News in New York. True to Pat’s nature, that’s when he decided it was time to start a new career in television.

Since 1987 Pat has made his professional home primarily in television, as a reporter, writer, producer, narrator, and on-camera host. Much of that time was spent in television newsrooms in Seattle and Denver, reporting on everything that journalists love and hate to cover. Over the 13 years of his active newsroom career, he managed to win well in excess of 100 awards for television excellence, including a dozen EMMYs and 7 Edward R. Murrow Awards.

In 2000, Woodard formed his own company, Pat Woodard Productions, through which he works as a producer, writer, correspondent and narrator for such outlets at the National Geographic Channel, the Hallmark Channel, Fox Sports, the Discovery Channel, PBS, HDNet, and other national and international television networks. Over a three year period he completed more than 150 assignments for the National Geographic Channel. Beginning in the summer of 2003, he began producing, writing, and narrating documentaries for HDNet, America's first, full time, high definition television network, completing more than 100 assignments to date.

Pat’s career has taken him all over the world. He’s gotten paid to bunjee jump in New Zealand, go nose to nose with polar bears in the Canadian arctic, sail China’s Yangtze River, ride the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul, to name just a few “once in a lifetime” experiences he’s turned into feature reports and documentaries.

Pat enjoys sharing his passion for television story telling. He has served on the faculty of a number of national workshops, and consulted individual television stations and their staffs in creative story telling techniques.

Most recently, Pat has returned to his radio roots, working part time as a newscaster at KOA radio, while continuing to pursue television opportunities.

Jim Hudson

Jim Hudson grew up in Ohio listening in the 70's and 80's to AM radio at night, finding stations from New York and Chicago and beyond and that started his interest in the business of broadcasting.

Tuning to WNBC and WCBS from the Big Apple and "The Rock of Chicago" WLS out of the Windy City as well as the "Flamethrowing" CKLW from outside of Detroit, Jim heard many talents such as Larry Lujack, John "Records" Landecker and even a young Howard Stern and to this day still uses them as motivation. Flash forward 20 years, and now Jim is a veteran of the radio industry with experience in every aspect of on-air performance.

Jim has extensive experience in Radio News, Traffic, Sports, Production, Imaging, Voice Tracking, Promotions, Music Direction, Remotes, and has performed On-air in literally every day part during his career in small, medium, and large market stations as well as working in network radio.

Jim's career has taken him from a daytime only AM farm station in northern Ohio to the radio in the Mile High City since 1997. Married to his wife Dawn since 1992, Jim is also a proud father of triplets.

Dave Dixon

David Dixon is a graduate of The Thornton School of Music at The University of Southern California. He majored in Music Business, with an emphasis in the Recording Arts. His professional career began in radio as an intern and employee of KUSC Classical Music Radio in Los Angeles, California. David then became the Chief Audio Engineer for TLB Productions, a film and media company in San Dimas, California. After several years in the independent film scene, he moved to Denver in order to pursue a position as the Sound Mixer for FSN Rocky Mountain; a position he has held for over 3 years now. He has worked on several National shows and networks, including: FSN, ESPN, Altitude, CBC, and LDM. He recently had the opportunity to work the TV Pool Feed at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field. David was the Chief Audio Engineer at Iggli, a music/internet technology company, based in Boulder, Colorado. At Iggli he edited and mastered live concert recordings of artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Yonder Mountain String Band. Throughout his career he has worked independently as a musician as well as a studio technician. He has worked with the Black Eyed Peas, Huey Lewis, and many other independent labels/artists. He has done production sound, post-production sound, editing, mixing, and mastering on films, music, and radio spots. In his free time he likes to play basketball, golf, disc golf, and jam on his guitar. He has a great sense of humor, candid demeanor, and an excellent media background; exactly why he is one of your instructors.

Scott Roon

Your typical "small town kid" in a big world, I decided on television production as a much more attractive alternative to the mechanical engineering path I was on... I transitioned quickly into a production internship, and since then, I have spent the bulk of my career working closely with the record industry acquiring music video content and creating national music video programming as well as full-length concert DVDs. With the recent explosion of web video content, I have continued with music and entertainment programming as well as e-commerce video production solely in the online space. Though I consider myself a shooter/editor, I truly believe that diversified knowledge and a willingness to take on any and all responsibilities in the production world has been the greatest asset to my career longevity.

Jill West

Jill West has worked as a Radio Personality and Professional Voice-Over Talent since 1980, and is heard nationwide on The Dial Global “Classic Hits” format Monday through Saturday 5pm-10pm Mountain Time.

In Denver, you can hear Jill West on 99-5 The Mountain, and on The Entercom group of stations (KOSI, KQMT, KALC, and KEZW) as the host of the Public Affairs program “Colorado Today”.

Radio Format experience includes Oldies, Classic Rock, Album Oriented Rock, Adult Contemporary, and Top 40.

Jill also has a home studio where she does freelance voice projects for companies world-wide including Real Estate TV, On-Hold messages, TV and Radio commercials, e-learning projects, and on line presentations for large corporations.

Jill is from Southern California, and her earliest days in radio were spent in wine country on the Central Coast of California with stops at KHTY Santa Barbara and KZOZ San Luis Obispo. She also worked at Southern California radio stations KIOZ San Diego, KWIZ Santa Ana, KCAL San Bernardino, and KWNK Simi Valley. Jill moved to Phoenix in 1990 and worked for 9 years at legendary rocker 93.3 KDKB, and spent 4 years at the World Famous KOOL 94.5 Phoenix.

Matt Moyer

I began my broadcasting career at the age of 15 working as a part time announcer at a small country radio station in Houston, Missouri. In high school, I was honored to be chosen as Missouri State Champion in radio speaking. Upon attending Missouri State University, I worked for KSMU, a National Public Radio affiliate. I was pleased to then move on to KTTS, then part of Great Empire Broadcasting, a group with deep roots in the country music world, and famed at the time for a strong community and local news emphasis.

In 2004, I accepted a programming and scheduling position in London, England with Viasat Broadcasting, a group which broadcasted to Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe. Upon expiration of my work visa, I returned to the United States and began work in Traffic/Scheduling for KUSA-TV Channel 9.

My background includes work in announcing, news, production, scheduling, and research. I am very pleased to be chosen to lend my skills and experience to CSB and look forward to many successful semesters.

Michael Collins

Michael Collins is a 28 year broadcast professional. Locally, Michael has worked as an on-air personality at both MIX 100 FM and Alice 105-9. Back in the 80's Michael worked at top-rated Denver stations Y-108 and KPKE-FM (The Peak). Michael's accomplishments include hosting a number one rated radio program in Orlando, Florida for five years (MIX 105.1 FM). He was also the radio voice for Qwest Communications for several years (his voice was heard on national radio spots for Qwest across the country).

Michael also worked as a television sports anchor and reporter for an NBC affiliate in North Dakota. Currently Michael hosts a nationwide radio program on Denver-based Satellite-provider Dial-Global. His Hot A/C show is heard in 75 markets across the USA.

Michael and his wife also own the Mile High Music Patrol, a full service DJ company based in Colorado. The Mile High Music Patrol specializes in weddings and corporate events and entertains at more than 100 events annually.

Mike Santos

A San Francisco native, Mike began his broadcast career at 90.5 KCSU, Colorado State University's student run radio station, winning numerous radio production awards from College Broadcasters Inc. and the Broadcast Education Association. After graduation, Mike moved on to do nights and imaging at, then alternative, 99.9 The Point in Ft. Collins, before moving back home to San Francisco. While in San Francisco, Mike worked for Bonneville International and eventually helped launch The New 95.7 the Wolf, after Entercom's purchase of Bonneville's 3 San Francisco stations. During his tenure at Entercom/SF, he worked promotions, remote engineering, and eventually serving as Commercial Production and Video Director for the Wolf. In April of 2008, Mike returned to Denver and is now the Creative Services Director for Alice 1059.

In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing guitar, snowboarding, skateboard and brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Shawn Montano

Shawn Montano is an award-winning editor currently working at KWGN-TV. He's been awarded Video Editor of the Year by The National Press Photographers Association twice in his 10-year career. He's won 3 Emmys, 2 Colorado Broadcasters Association Awards, and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. Shawn has worked in 5 different newsrooms including 4 here in Denver. Shawn has also worked in the production world editing shows and documentaries for the Discovery Health Channel. Shawn's also the director of a national editing seminar called the Edit Foundry. It's a two-day seminar that's in a different state each year. In addition to editing, Shawn's written and produced magazine style programs.

Jeffery Hauser

I Graduated from Overland High School with National Honors in Debate and Future Business Leaders of America. After High School I decided to forego college and take a job with Altitude Sports and Entertainment. I stayed there 2 years moving through the ranks to become the Associate Produce of the Denver Nuggets. I had tasks such as being Supervisor of the internship program, working with the Hallmark Channel’s Network Operations, interviewing the players for the pregame show and played a major role being an Operation/ Production Assistant for the 2005 NBA All-Star week. In that same year, I won a Telly Award for Excellence in Film and Video Editing. I learned a great deal of the Television business while at Altitude and I’m glad I took the risk.

In Early 2006, I was asked by the senior members at Comcast to help run the operations of Black Entertainment Television Network (BET) while they prepared to move. After the operations moved to Washington DC, I took a job with the Spanish language Entravision Communication Corp. There I ran the Operations of Univision Colorado TV Channel 50, Telefutura TV Channel 14, 92.1- FM Super Estrella, and 96.5- FM La Tri Color. Three years later I obtained a full prospective on how to run a Television and Radio station. During that time, I assisted the News department with roles as a Producer, Director, Technical Director, Field/Studio Photojournalist, News Set Manager, Editor, Tape/ Media Server Operator, Audio Technician, Assignment Desk Editor, Live Truck Operator, Media Library Supervisor, Assistant Engineer, and Graphics Operator. In 2007, I was rewarded for my efforts with a Distinguished Service award for both Television and Radio. This August, I helped construction set-up and operations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention along side ABC Networks.

As For now, I currently work for Jones Radio Networks. They are the Network Satellite Uplink/Downlink Operation of 40+ nationally syndicated shows/formats reaching affiliates of 48 million listeners weekly. I’m glad to be welcomed as your Instructor to CSB School of Broadcasting. Through the coming weeks, I hope to teach all of you the business as I know it and help you to grow towards the future.

Tim De Lay

Tim, who is originally from the Midwest, attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he obtained degree in Communication Arts (Radio-TV-Film).

As a college student Tim started working on the student production crew at WHA-TV.

While there, he learned the basics of studio and remote production. After graduating, Tim began his career in television news at WISC-TV, Madison.

During his 5 years with the CBS affiliate, Tim performed the jobs of photojounalist, production videographer, and special projects producer. He also enjoyed several opportunities to be a videographer and PA for several projects for The National Geographic, Bravo and the Discovery channel.

After moving to Colorado in 2002, Tim worked for 3 years at KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs in the roles of photojournalist and Chief Satellite Truck Operator. In late 2005, Tim began working as a photojournalist/Technical Supervisor at KWGN- TV in Denver. While there, Tim took over the supervision of the newsgathering fleet, including the live trucks.

As his role expanded into the News Operations Manger, he supervised over 20 studio crewmembers, and managed all internal and external operational needs for the news department.

Tim previously taught a semester of TV production while in Wisconsin at MATC (Madison Area Technical College) back in 2002.

He and his wife Shana live in Castle Rock.

Tim is very excited about teaching students interested in this exhilarating field at CSB.

Jene Nelson

Jene Nelson is a six-time Emmy Award winning producer and a national Emmy nominee. She spent more than twenty years as a news producer, writer, and field producer. She has extensive experience working both behind the scenes and in the field. During Jene's fourteen years at 9News, she was an integral part of the coverage of dozens of major stories.

She produced and wrote under an extremely tight deadline for the Mid Air Collision newscast in 2003 that was nominated for a national Emmy Award. Jene produced the Democratic Candidates Debate in 1992 and was the executive producer for the KUSA’s Race for the Cure coverage for four years. During that time, the Susan G. Komen Foundation presented the station with a national award for its media coverage of the event.

She has also produced several documentaries (two were nominated for Rocky Mountain Regional Emmys) and long form stories and has gone undercover a couple of times for stories.

Jene's work also includes feature stories, medical stories and entertainment news. She interviewed Siegfried and Roy after the closing night of their show at the Frontier in Las Vegas in 1988. She produced a series on behind the scenes of the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives, and hosted movie reviews. Jene enjoys producing stories on plastic surgery and has been in the operating room about a dozen times without fainting. She has also been on screen in productions that have filmed in Colorado.

Jene Nelson is a former Miss Colorado USA and competed in the 1979 Miss USA Pageant in Biloxi, Mississippi and has been a judge in both the Miss Colorado USA and Miss Colorado Teen USA pageants.

Ryan Kloberdanz

I am a Colorado native and started my radio career at 16 in my hometown of Sterling. I got my start doing half time reports for high school football and eventually worked my way up to Sports Director before leaving for Flagstaff, Arizona for college at Northern Arizona University. At NAU, I was the first ever Station Manager and a founding member of the campus radio station, K-JACK.

From there, I moved to Denver and got a job as a Board Op/Production Assistant at 710 KNUS. I worked my way up the ladder at KNUS from Production Assistant to Production Director and then to Program Director in 2004. I now work for the parent company of KNUS, Salem, as the National Imaging Director of Salem’s 25 News/Talk stations.

Richard Strong

Rich Strong is a true "Martian" in broadcasting, navigating between television and radio at the drop of a job. He's done both radio and TV in Chicago and Denver, often at the same time, holding down positions at Chicago's WMAQ-AM, WJMK-FM, WCKG-FM, and WJJD-AM, as well as WBBM-TV and WFLD-TV. In Denver, Rich was the second in command of the morning show at KWGN (News 2) and the producer for Fox 31's "News At Nine." He also was the creative services director for Alice 105.9 and 99.5 The Mountain.

His craziest day in the business, he says, was the day he produced the morning news at WFLD-TV, ran across the street to WJMK-FM, and did radio imaging and radio commercial production the rest of the day.

Until last semester, Rich taught at Metro State College Of Denver, even starting a TV news producing class. His philosophy of teaching -- and of broadcasting -- comes down to three words: "where's the job?" And that may explain why he decided to ride both tracks -- radio and TV -- sometimes simultaneously.

Rich is currently the creative services director for Denver Radio Company -- 107.1, One FM, and 101.5, Denver's Independent Alternative.

David “Wolf” Holley

David “Wolf” Holley’s career in the media began in 1980 totally by chance. Having opened his first business, Holley purchased commercial air-time at two Toledo, Ohio radio stations from a account exec friend. The conditions were that Holley would write and voice the spots, much to the chagrin of the local market “big voice” guy. The spots were not only a success for the business, but soon the stations were receiving requests from clients for “the guy who does those hair salon commercials”. It wasn’t long before he had a new part-time vocation doing radio spots, but also an extensive on-camera television campaign for a major area car dealer.

Fast forward to 1993. Holley now resides in Florida where the radio bug hits again. A position as an account exec for Gold 93-FM again gives Holley the opportunity to write and produce the spots he has sold. But alas, the station was soon sold, and new ownership turned everyone “on the beach”. A lot of door knocking proved futile in this size market, and Holley soon learned that his years of music and writing experience and a great set of pipes weren’t enough. In 1996, Holley met Vance Tyler, the owner and head instructor of the American Career Institute, a radio broadcast school in Daytona Beach. The two became fast friends, and Holley enrolled in the school as a way to get noticed in the market. And noticed he was, receiving an “Addy” nomination and assisting Vance in the instruction of script writing, voice-over and production. Soon he was recruited by 99.9, Kiss-Fm, a 100,000 watt AC station, to be their Production Director. Big station, big voice; he was in the game! Then, just tow years later, came the change of format.

Having seen the change coming, Holley left the station, converted his home office into a studio, and opened his own production firm, “Wolf Sounds”. Life was good, and Holley vowed never to return to corporate radio again; even turning down a producer position with the Motor Racing Network. He branched out into informational and documentary video production with a former radio buddy, landed some new station imaging projects, and did music production in a variety of formats.

Holley’s feelings about radio once again changed when News-Talk 1150, WNDB came calling. The CBS Heritage station needed a part-time reporter and producer. Soon after joining the station, another programming change, only this time Holley was asked to join the morning show team. Being able to write, produce, and anchor the news, along with co-host duties, Holley was the ultimate team player. The ratings doubled in the first six months, and the team was honored by the Florida Public Relations Association with the “Great Communicator” award for it’s broadcast work during the 2004 hurricane season.

At the end of 2005, Holley said good-bye to the team and to Florida and relocated to Denver to take on his most important position yet; grandpa! Holley is honored that the work he has done has lead him to CSB and proud to be part of the staff, where these many years of experience can now be passed on to a new generation of broadcast professionals.

Gwyn Gantter

Gwyn Gantter has been hosting the KOSI Copacabana, a disco request show, on Saturday night’s since April 1997. She has also been working at Jones Radio Network/Dial Global, on the country format, since April 1997.

Prior to moving to Denver in 1997, Gwyn was a Program Director at WGHT in Wayne, New Jersey. She has also done stints as a disc jockey at WGNY, Newburgh, New York…..news desk assistant at WCBS-AM, New York…. and disc jockey at WUSN, Chicago.

Gwyn was born in Texas, one of four children to Carol and Wallace Gantter, who is now retired from the Air Force.

Some of Gwyn’s most unusual jobs were in high school in Paxton, Illinois. She de-tasseled corn, walked beans, worked on a chicken farm, and was a soda jerk at a drug store. She was also a life guard for several years.

Gwyn is a graduate of the State University of New York, New Paltz, with a degree in Broadcast Management and Journalism.