Meet Our Team
The staff and instructors at Dark Horse Institute are each passionate about the creative and business sides of music, and about helping you succeed in your chosen field. All of our instructors are working professionals in the field, which means you will be learning the best and most relevant information in the music world.
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
CATHY BAIRD
Cathy Baird is the President of Dark Horse Institute and brings more than 28 years of experience in higher education leadership, enrollment, and operations. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about helping students discover opportunities, reach their goals, and build meaningful careers.
At Dark Horse Institute, Cathy is committed to creating a student experience that is hands-on, career-focused, and connected to the creative industries. She believes education should inspire confidence, encourage growth, and prepare students to make an impact in music, entertainment, and beyond.
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
DAVE HAGEN
Dave is a Grammy winning Producer/Engineer who has been with Dark Horse for over a decade. He has been writing and teaching the Audio Engineering curriculum since the dawn of DHI, while also Head Engineer at our studio.
Dave started out working on records with rock artists like Relient K. He has gone on to work with diverse artists across the industry including Keb Mo’, OneRepublic, Carrie Underwood, RED, Reba McEntire, Foghat, Chris Tomlin, Ashley Judd, and many more! Dave has moved into the Director of Education role to help keep our programs and facilities fresh in an ever changing industry.
CAREER SERVICES ADVISOR
CAREER SERVICES ADVISOR
JASON HOLLIS
Jason Hollis is a seasoned music and entertainment industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience spanning music, film, television, radio, publishing, artist development, distribution, marketing, and management. Beginning his career in the 1980s as a touring singer-songwriter and session musician, he has worked with artists across multiple genres, including Prince, Charlie Daniels, King's X, Take 6, Lecrae, Stryper, Tamela Mann, P.O.D., and MxPx just to name a few.
Jason has held positions in Sales and A&R with EMICMG, Diamante Media Group, and Crossroads Music Distribution, and in 2004 founded Infinity Music Distribution, a division of Central South Distribution. For the past 13 years, he has owned Life-Line Worldwide, helping artists develop their careers through music, marketing, branding, and management.
He currently serves as Career Services Advisor and Studio Manager at Dark Horse Institute, where he mentors students and helps connect graduates with career opportunities in the entertainment industry. Jason is also a sought-after speaker who has shared at conferences, churches, and events across the nation.
Passionate about service and mentorship, Jason has traveled to Africa multiple times for mission work and helped establish District Roasters Coffee through partnerships formed abroad and in the United States. His mission is to inspire and empower future generations to live purposeful, impactful lives.
ADMISSIONS
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
ILEEN PIKE
Ileen Pike is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has called Middle Tennessee home since 2015. Before joining Dark Horse Admissions, she spent 20 years in the wireless industry as a corporate trainer and district manager, gaining experience in sales, leadership, and helping people reach their goals. She’s also a licensed life coach with a passion for working with youth and young adults.
At Dark Horse, Ileen loves connecting with students and helping them take the next step toward building a career in music. As a wife and mom of three, she believes in growth, authenticity, and finding work that aligns with your passion.
ADMISSIONS ADVISOR
ADMISSIONS ADVISOR
CELESTE WISNIEWSKI
Celeste Wisniewski is from Charlotte, NC and has a degree in Education. Prior to joining the Dark Admissions team, Celeste has worked as an educator in the public school system for nearly 15 years.
With her passion for music and education, Celeste joins the Dark Horse family with excellent resources to collaborate with students as they forge their career path in the music industry.
SCHEDULING COORDINATOR
SCHEDULING COORDINATOR
PRECIOUS TONEY
Born and raised in Darlington, South Carolina; Precious Toney is a graduate from Winthrop University in the Fall of 2019 with a Bachelors of Art and a minor in Visual Communication.
Prior to joining Dark Horse Institute she spent 7 years in the Customer Service industry. Having spent those years honing her skills in communication and assistance, she hopes to help students interested in Dark Horse Institute start their journey into the music industry with a kind and helpful outreach.
INSTRUCTORS
COMPOSITION & SONGWRITING
COMPOSITION & SONGWRITING
JAY BRUNSWICK
Jay Brunswick is a singer, songwriter, producer with over 150 accredited major and independent label cuts on his songwriting resume. Some of country music’s hottest artist have tapped Brunswick’s catalog including the Brantley Gilbert hit “Hard Days” and Reba McEntire’s “Freedom”.
He has three Canadian Chart Toppers with Matt Langs “Water Down The Whiskey”, Jason Blaines “Born To Love” and David James “What We Weren’t Looking For” while also garnering 2 Texas Regional Radio #1’s “”Too Much Texas” and “Keep Up With A Cowgirl” recorded by David Adam Byrnes.
Brunswick songs can also be found on albums from Scotty McCreery, Parmalee, Chris Janson, Granger Smith, Colt Ford, Josh Thompson, Clay Walker, Daryl Worley, and pop icon Russell Hitchcock, from pop super-group Air Supply, amongst many others.
MUSIC BUSINESS
MUSIC BUSINESS
JOHN LUCASEY
John is an accomplished music industry veteran with a record of building successful entertainment businesses. John founded Studio 880, one of California’s largest premier recording facilities and was host to several grammy-winning recording artists such as Green Day, The Killers, Keith Urban, The Black Keys and many more. John was also the Director of Audio Production and Mix Engineer for Soundcheck, Walmart's original online performance series, working with and mixing artists such as Beyonce, Faith Hill, Drake, Brad Paisley, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and many more prominent recording artists. John also evaluated new talent for "Risers" Walmart’s program for upcoming artists, including MGMT and Neon Trees.
John is a partner in Lucasey Getter Creative Management, a Nashville-based artist management company seeking to advocate and develop undiscovered talent using an equitable business model. John enjoys playing music, listening to podcasts and spending time with his wife Carolyn and their five adult kids.
MUSIC BUSINESS
MUSIC BUSINESS
Shalom J. Storm Miller
Shalom J. Storm Miller is a Grammy Award-winning music industry executive, educator, entrepreneur, and artist development specialist with more than 20 years of experience spanning A&R, music production, publishing, marketing, artist management, and entertainment business.
As a Music Business instructor at Dark Horse Institute, Shalom brings real-world industry experience directly into the classroom, helping students connect academic concepts with the realities of today's music industry through a career that includes work on Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated projects with artists such as Beyoncé, Destiny's Child, Fantasia, Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, Keyshia Cole, Clipse, and many others.
A recognized advocate for music education and workforce development, Shalom is a frequent presenter and contributor at national music and education conferences, including SXSW EDU and the Music Pro Conference, focusing his work on creating innovative pathways between education and industry while preparing the next generation of creators and entertainment professionals for sustainable careers. His professional mission centers on creating meaningful connections between education and the entertainment industry; as Executive Director of Power Move Education & Development Group, he develops innovative programs that provide students and emerging professionals with hands-on industry experience, professional mentorship, industry-recognized credentials, and access to career opportunities within the creative economy.
In addition to his work at Dark Horse Institute, Shalom serves as a mentor for Berklee College of Music's Mentor Collective, a Grammy U Mentor, an MLC Educator Ambassador, and a member of the Recording Academy's Nashville Education Committee. Passionate about preparing the next generation of music professionals, Shalom combines industry expertise, entrepreneurial thinking, and practical experience to help students develop the skills, relationships, and mindset needed to build sustainable careers in entertainment.
AUDIO ENGINEERING
AUDIO ENGINEERING
SAM FALLE
Sam Falle is a producer and engineer with 20+ years of U.K. and U.S. studio experience. He’s worked with Ed Sheeran, The Struts, Clean Bandit, and Sony BMG.
A former house engineer for Gilbert O’Sullivan, he now teaches at Dark Horse Institute while producing artists worldwide.
AUDIO ENGINEERING
AUDIO ENGINEERING
DENNIS RITCHIE
During Dennis’s diverse career he has created charting hits in Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel, Blues, and Bluegrass as well as commercial music for radio, network television, and movies. His Grammy-nominated skillset runs from studio design to final mastering.
A small sampling of his credits include Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Charlie Daniels, Michael Martin Murphy, Ricky Skaggs, Tanya Tucker, Delbert McClinton, and New Grass Revival.
AUDIO ENGINEERING
AUDIO ENGINEERING
ELLIOTT SABBAGH
Ell is an American DJ, record producer, audio engineer, and radio host who works with artists and clients from around the globe. He is best known for performing in concerts and tours in the U.S. and Europe with acts including Afroman, ASAP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., Big Sean’s Finally Famous, Cam’ron, Curren$y, J. Cole, Joey Bada$$, Juicy J, KRS-One, Logic, Machine Gun Kelly, Slum Village, Talib Kweli, Twista, Wale, and Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang, amongst others. He has also been a featured performer at events for MTV, Red Bull, United States Secretary of Labor and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, the United States Armed Forces, Vans, and festivals including Fallas (Spain), Imaginarium (Spain), and Warped Tour (U.S.). From 2008 to 2021, Ell served as the co-host of the "Prop Shop", the longest-running Hip-Hop radio show in the U.S. since 1988, on WCBN-FM Ann Arbor.
Ell has worked with a diverse range of artists and media outlets. His engineering and production portfolio includes Crooked Media, ESPN, HBO ‘Problem Areas’, BBC ’Blue Planet’, RCA Records, the New England Patriots, Patrice Rushen, Jamey Haddad, Sammy Adams, Sony Music, Young Money, and more. Additionally, Ell has mixed live events for Cam’ron, Comedy Central, Cordae, Dreamville, Earthgang, Ganja White Night, Jay Electronica, J.I.D., KRS-One, Medasin, Shigeto, and 24kGoldn.
Having earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Berklee College of Music in Music Business Management and Music Production, Technology, and Innovation, he enjoys teaching many of those skills to the next generation of artists.
AUDIO ENGINEERING
AUDIO ENGINEERING
ROB TATE
Rob Tate quickly established himself in Nashville, starting as the Front-of-House (FOH) Engineer for the CCM super-group Audio Adrenaline. His career rapidly expanded as he managed FOH sound for major acts, including East to West (featuring Rascal Flatts founder Jay DeMarcus), Clay Crosse, and Guardian. During the mid-90s, Rob teamed up with Jay DeMarcus to launch a recording studio. Concurrently, he served as the house audio engineer for Michael W. Smith's 'Rocketown,' where he supported a vast array of diverse artists.
Toward the late-90s, Rob was mentored by the legendary Alan Shacklock, a five-time Grammy nominee whose production and engineering credits are extensive, featuring Sir Roger Daltrey (The Who), Jeff Beck, Phil Keaggy, Sir George Martin, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Meatloaf, and The Alarm. Rob now pays this expertise forward: since 2015, as time allows, he has served as an artist mentor for The Objective, an annual artist-centric event dedicated to developing emerging talent.
Rob's extensive project history showcases his versatility across genres. Additional work has been with Pastor Samme Palermo (of The Oasis Christian Fellowship), Patrick Maley (of SIRIS, Katy Perry, The Beach Boys, John Legend, Carrie Underwood), Mark Slaughter (of Slaughter), Matty Mullins (of Memphis May Fire), Derek Minor, Scott Bernard (of Kenny Loggins, Kansas), Greg Hagan (of LeAnn Rimes), Quinton Gibson (of Darius Rucker), Jon Knox (of White Heart, Rage Against The Machine, No Doubt), Anthony Sallee (of White Heart, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith), Dango Cellan (of Scott Stapp [Creed], Kurt Deimer, Amber Pacific, RED), Jeremy Holderfield (of Seventh Day Slumber), Tony Cardenas-Montana (of Great White, Shadow & The Thrill), Lukas Rossi (of Rock Star Supernova, Queensryche), and Assiria Nascimento (wife of legendary soccer star, Pelé), among many more.
Utilizing industry-standard tools including Sound Radix, Magix, and iZotope software, Rob is also highly versed in Windows PC audio and networking. Beyond the technical side, one of Rob's core passions is acting as an artist advocate, helping creatives navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of the arts and entertainment industry.
ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST
KRIS GAUSTAD
In 2013, Kris relocated from Chicago where she spent several decades in various positions in the legal field. Most recently Kris was a Registrar and Office Manager at a not-for-profit in the Nashville area.
When not at DHI, Kris enjoys spending time with her family on their 19-acre farm or enjoying all the sights and sounds Nashville has to offer.
MARKETING & OFFICE SUPPORT
MARKETING SPECIALIST
MARKETING SPECIALIST
DON MITCHELL
Don Mitchell was initially drawn to Nashville as a guitar player. However, he quickly transitioned to a marketing role with a well-known guitar manufacturer, where his efforts played a key part in establishing the company’s global dominance in the industry.
With a wealth of experience in graphic design, videography, photography, social media management, and creative writing, Don brings valuable expertise to the marketing initiatives at Dark Horse Institute.
