Image caption (l-r): Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator, and Fred Aldous, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame member and FOX Sports senior mixer and consultant, at the CRAS campus in Gilbert, Ariz. with the donated Calrec Sigma console.
Gilbert, Ariz., Oct. 5, 2016 – The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, is proud to announce that Hudson, New Hampshire-based Game Creek Video (www.gamecreekvideo.com) has donated a Calrec Sigma digital audio broadcast desk to the school. Students at CRAS’s Gilbert, Arizona campus will train with this platform, learning cutting edge skills that will directly prepare them for careers as broadcast professionals. This particular 64-fader Calrec Sigma console, which features Calrec's Bluefin high-density signal processing system, had been previously installed and utilized in a Game Creek Video FOX Sports HD Truck, where it was part of eight Daytona 500 races and three Super Bowl television broadcasts.
Game Creek Video President Pat Sullivan said that fellow Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame member and FOX Sports senior mixer and consultant Fred Aldous advised him on the donation. Aldous explained that training the students on a Calrec mixing desk would give the CRAS students the experience of dealing with the same audio consoles that are universally used for the largest scale live events.
“Fred [Aldous] introduced me to CRAS and convinced me that CRAS's mission to train the next generation of audio professionals was critical to the long term growth and survival of our industry,” said Sullivan. “Having an institution devoted to this key segment in our business is critical. Game Creek is (also) committed to training the next generation of remote production engineers. Our highly competitive apprentice and internship programs continue to develop outstanding broadcast engineers that are quickly managing some of the company's most important assets. This donation is a concrete manifestation of that commitment. The Sigma will give the (CRAS) students a valuable learning platform that they can take into virtually any remote broadcasting facility in the U.S.”
Game Creek Video was founded in 1993 with two trucks and six people. The company has grown to 57 trucks with more than 150 people across the country. Game Creek Video serves the world’s largest television networks, production companies, and news organizations with state-of-the art mobile television production units. Game Creek Video combines an advanced, modern fleet of mobile production units with an accomplished, reliable team of experts to ensure that the largest events in the world are televised flawlessly, including events such as the NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series, NASCAR, The U.S. Open Golf, and FIS World Ski Championships.
“This incredibly generous donation by Pat and Game Creek Video will prove to be an invaluable tool for our students,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “In conjunction with our 42-ft. remote-production mobile broadcast unit that our students get to train in both on campus as well as at local NASCAR, NBA, and Major League Baseball events, this real-world used Calrec Sigma desk allows for additional top-tier, in-studio broadcast training in our continued effort to boost potential careers in broadcast audio for our graduates. We can’t thank Pat and Game Creek Video enough. Our students and staff are excited to work with it.”
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.
“[CRAS’] structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by our small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings,” added Hamm. “CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.”
The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 11, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.
For more information on CRAS, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-866-757-3059, or email to info@cras.edu.
About Game Creek Video
Game Creek Video serves the world’s largest television networks, production companies, and news organizations with state-of-the-art mobile television production units. We combine an advanced, modern fleet of mobile production units with an accomplished, reliable team of experts to ensure that the largest events in the world are televised flawlessly, including events such as the NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series, NASCAR, The U.S. Open Golf, and FIS World Ski Championships.
For clients requiring dependable technology, exceptional response time, and consistent quality results in high-pressure environments, Game Creek Video delivers award-winning productions of sporting events, concerts, awards ceremonies, corporate events, and more.
About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s premier institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.
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