Distinguished
Administration
Distinguished
Administration
Distinguished
Administration
Distinguished
Administration
Our distinguished administration and devoted faculty inspire excellence, guiding students as mentors on their music educational journey.
Doug Fenske
Campus Director
Doug Fenske upholds a Grammy-nominated, six-time platinum, 20-year career in music engineering and production. He has worked on a string of commercially and critically successful albums, including Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE, Chris Brown’s Exclusive [The FOREVER Edition], Jamie Foxx’s Intuition, and Jordin Sparks’ Jordin Sparks. Doug has also spent time in the studio with Bruno Mars, Andre 3000, Ne-Yo, Ryan Tedder and LL Cool J.
Fenske earned his B.A. in Speech Communication from Eastern Illinois University, then graduated from The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. He has passionately held various roles in music production education since 2012 and currently serves as the Campus Director at 1500 Sound Academy.
Jamie Blake
Deputy Director of Education, Instructor
Jamie Blake is a producer, songwriter,
performer, and music educator. As a musician, he specializes in playing drums and using the Ableton Push as a chromatic instrument. He has shared the stage as a DJ and live performer with artists such as JMSN, Smino, Joe Kay, ESTA, Sango, Snoh Aalegra, Dave B, Flamingosis and more.
Jamie is an Ableton Certified Trainer, has a B.A. in Audio Engineering from The Evergreen State College and earned a master’s in music from Berklee College of Music.
Ray Medina
Director of Relations
Raymond Medina is a music producer, songwriter, tracking engineer, and mixing engineer from Orange County, CA. He is a graduate of the Los Angeles Recording School and is an alumnus of the 1500 Sound Academy. He is proficient with both Ableton and Pro Tools and has worked in multiple studios in the Los Angeles area. He is currently working and assisting behind the scenes with a few of the top charting songwriters and music producers in the music industry today.
DJ Kita
Instructor
Kita is a Los Angeles based DJ most reputable for her energetic sets and dynamic taste and technique in open format style DJing, earning her a notable repertoire of career highlights and growing popular demand in the world of music. She is known for her collaboration in throwing an eclectic party called Hood Rave which is a popular underground party that centers around black and queer people. She has toured both nationally and internationally. She has also DJ’d for brands and establishments such as Nike, T-Mobile, Vans, Warner Bro’s Music, Undefeated, HUF, The California African American Museum, The Gagosian, and Camp Flognaw.
DJ Infa-Red
Instructor
Musically influenced by the innovative sounds of Michael Jackson, Prince and James Brown, at the early age of 5 Infa-Red fell in love with many genres of music, particularly Hip Hop. Originally from
Brockton, Massachusetts, Infa-Red learned to Dj at the age of 14 in Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his summers with family.
Infa-Red moved to Los Angeles to become the Director of Hip Hop programming for Dash Radio and the first official DJ of MLS – LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) in 2022. In 2023, DJ Infared was selected by the LA Rams to be an official DJ of the team and began DJ’ing for Eminem’s Radio Station Shade 45 on Sirius XM.
Infa-Red has played in several major markets including New York City, Boston, Miami, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
He was an honorary guest at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. He has played at shows for Zed, NAS, Nicky Ramero, Fabolous, 50 Cent, Dirty South, Ne-Yo, Jadakiss, Styles P, The Lox, Fat Joe, Allen Iverson, Pitbull,Trina, Madcon, Ace Hood, DJ Khaled, Ray J, T.I., Green Lantern, Biz Markie, DJ Enuff, DJ Camilo, Dirty South, De La Ghetto, Speedy, Joel y Randy, Jazmine Sullivan, Kevin Cossom, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Yung Berg, YC, 2 Pistols, Baby Bash, NBA, NFL, Celebrity Weddings and many more. Continually fine-tuning his craft, Infa-Red is taking the necessary steps to expand to International markets while he continues to grow in the radio and music production
Alexandria Dopson
Instructor
Alexandria (Alex) Dopson, the sister of Larrance Dopson, takes pride in being an original member of 1500 or Nothin'. She has had the privilege of lending her vocals to the Grammy-nominated album "Victory Lap" by the late, great Nipsey Hussle, featuring prominently on tracks such as "Dedication" and "Real Big". Additionally, she has provided background vocals for acclaimed artists such as Beyoncé, Lauren Hill, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Valentino and more.
Alex's talents extend beyond being a captivating songstress and professional vocalist. She is also a gifted songwriter, artist developer and vocal coach. Her extensive work includes collaborations with renowned artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Saweetie, Dave East, Gunna, Ari Lennox, Ashanti, Alicia Keys, The Isley Brothers, and numerous others. She shares her expertise by teaching the Songwriting course at 1500 Sound Academy.
Chuck Sutton
Instructor
Chuck Sutton is a multi-talented artist, producer, performer, and educator from Montclair, New Jersey. With over a decade of expertise in Ableton Live, his unique sonic style, instructional content, and DIY devices have made a significant impact in the online production community. Since 2017, he's created videos for Ableton, iZotope, Antares, and Serato, encouraging both new and veteraned producers to reimagine the tools at their disposal. In 2019, he independently released his debut album, "i know what I'm doing*," organically amassing over 6 million streams. In 2021, his single "All or Nothin" premiered on season 5 of Issa Rae’s award-winning HBO series "Insecure," establishing his presence in both the music and television industries.
Channing B. Smith
Instructor
Channing B. Smith, Esq. is a transactional attorney with more than 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her resume boasts of previous experience at RCA Records, Universal Music Group, BMG Rights Management, Red Bull Media House, and Fifth Season. As an attorney, Channing has structured, negotiated and drafted a wide range of deals across the entertainment industry, including artist recording, profit share, producer, sponsorship, vendor, merchandising and release agreements within the music industry, and option-purchase, writer, executive producer, director, and actor deals within the television industry.
Channing earned a B.A. in Mass Communications from Dillard University, a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She is licensed to practice law in California
and New York.
Channing is also a member of several professional organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, Langston Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, The Recording Academy, and Fortune & Forks. She also serves on the board of the R.E.A.C.H. Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides programming for young children, low income families, minorities and disadvantaged individuals.
Alan Dash
Instructor
A motivating, solutions-driven Business Executive with a knack for achieving success in ambitious and competitive environments. An experienced educator and mentor focused on creating opportunities for young artists both in the classroom and professional studio environments. A tireless problem-solver with unmatched follow through and dedication to achieving collaborative, win-win solutions
Doug Fenske
Campus Director
Doug Fenske upholds a Grammy-nominated, six-time platinum, 20-year career in music engineering and production. He has worked on a string of commercially and critically successful albums, including Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE, Chris Brown’s Exclusive [The FOREVER Edition], Jamie Foxx’s Intuition, and Jordin Sparks’ Jordin Sparks. Doug has also spent time in the studio with Bruno Mars, Andre 3000, Ne-Yo, Ryan Tedder and LL Cool J.
Fenske earned his B.A. in Speech Communication from Eastern Illinois University, then graduated from The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. He has passionately held various roles in music production education since 2012 and currently serves as the Campus Director at 1500 Sound Academy.
Jamie Blake
Deputy Director of Education, Instructor
Jamie Blake is a producer, songwriter,
performer, and music educator. As a musician, he specializes in playing drums and using the Ableton Push as a chromatic instrument. He has shared the stage as a DJ and live performer with artists such as JMSN, Smino, Joe Kay, ESTA, Sango, Snoh Aalegra, Dave B, Flamingosis and more.
Jamie is an Ableton Certified Trainer, has a B.A. in Audio Engineering from The Evergreen State College and earned a master’s in music from Berklee College of Music.
Ray Medina
Director of Relations
Raymond Medina is a music producer, songwriter, tracking engineer, and mixing engineer from Orange County, CA. He is a graduate of the Los Angeles Recording School and is an alumnus of the 1500 Sound Academy. He is proficient with both Ableton and Pro Tools and has worked in multiple studios in the Los Angeles area. He is currently working and assisting behind the scenes with a few of the top charting songwriters and music producers in the music industry today.
DJ Kita
Instructor
Kita is a Los Angeles based DJ most reputable for her energetic sets and dynamic taste and technique in open format style DJing, earning her a notable repertoire of career highlights and growing popular demand in the world of music. She is known for her collaboration in throwing an eclectic party called Hood Rave which is a popular underground party that centers around black and queer people. She has toured both nationally and internationally. She has also DJ’d for brands and establishments such as Nike, T-Mobile, Vans, Warner Bro’s Music, Undefeated, HUF, The California African American Museum, The Gagosian, and Camp Flognaw.
DJ Infa-Red
Instructor
Musically influenced by the innovative sounds of Michael Jackson, Prince and James Brown, at the early age of 5 Infa-Red fell in love with many genres of music, particularly Hip Hop. Originally from
Brockton, Massachusetts, Infa-Red learned to Dj at the age of 14 in Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his summers with family.
Infa-Red moved to Los Angeles to become the Director of Hip Hop programming for Dash Radio and the first official DJ of MLS – LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) in 2022. In 2023, DJ Infared was selected by the LA Rams to be an official DJ of the team and began DJ’ing for Eminem’s Radio Station Shade 45 on Sirius XM.
Infa-Red has played in several major markets including New York City, Boston, Miami, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
Alexandria Dopson
Instructor
Alexandria (Alex) Dopson, the sister of Larrance Dopson, takes pride in being an original member of 1500 or Nothin'. She has had the privilege of lending her vocals to the Grammy-nominated album "Victory Lap" by the late, great Nipsey Hussle, featuring prominently on tracks such as "Dedication" and "Real Big". Additionally, she has provided background vocals for acclaimed artists such as Beyoncé, Lauren Hill, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Valentino and more.
Alex's talents extend beyond being a captivating songstress and professional vocalist. She is also a gifted songwriter, artist developer and vocal coach. Her extensive work includes collaborations with renowned artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Saweetie, Dave East, Gunna, Ari Lennox, Ashanti, Alicia Keys, The Isley Brothers, and numerous others. She shares her expertise by teaching the Songwriting course at 1500 Sound Academy.
Chuck Sutton
Instructor
Chuck Sutton is a multi-talented artist, producer, performer, and educator from Montclair, New Jersey. With over a decade of expertise in Ableton Live, his unique sonic style, instructional content, and DIY devices have made a significant impact in the online production community. Since 2017, he's created videos for Ableton, iZotope, Antares, and Serato, encouraging both new and veteraned producers to reimagine the tools at their disposal. In 2019, he independently released his debut album, "i know what I'm doing*," organically amassing over 6 million streams. In 2021, his single "All or Nothin" premiered on season 5 of Issa Rae’s award-winning HBO series "Insecure," establishing his presence in both the music and television industries.
Channing B. Smith
Instructor
Channing B. Smith, Esq. is a transactional attorney with more than 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her resume boasts of previous experience at RCA Records, Universal Music Group, BMG Rights Management, Red Bull Media House, and Fifth Season. As an attorney, Channing has structured, negotiated and drafted a wide range of deals across the entertainment industry, including artist recording, profit share, producer, sponsorship, vendor, merchandising and release agreements within the music industry, and option-purchase, writer, executive producer, director, and actor deals within the television industry.
Channing earned a B.A. in Mass Communications from Dillard University, a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She is licensed to practice law in California
and New York.
Channing is also a member of several professional organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, Langston Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, The Recording Academy, and Fortune & Forks. She also serves on the board of the R.E.A.C.H. Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides programming for young children, low income families, minorities and disadvantaged individuals.
Alan Dash
Instructor
A motivating, solutions-driven Business Executive with a knack for achieving success in ambitious and competitive environments. An experienced educator and mentor focused on creating opportunities for young artists both in the classroom and professional studio environments. A tireless problem-solver with unmatched follow through and dedication to achieving collaborative, win-win solutions
Sound Interesting? Learn More Today
Apply now to kickstart your career in music!
Sound Interesting? Learn More Today
Apply now to kickstart your career in music!
Sound Interesting? Learn More Today
Apply now to kickstart your career in music!
Sound Interesting? Learn More Today
Apply now to kickstart your career in music!
This institution is a private institution approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Click here to access Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education website.
Programs
This institution is a private institution approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Click here to access Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education website.
Programs
This institution is a private institution approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Click here to access Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education website.
Programs
This institution is a private institution approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Click here to access Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education website.
Programs
Doug Fenske
Campus Director
Doug Fenske upholds a Grammy-nominated, six-time platinum, 20-year career in music engineering and production. He has worked on a string of commercially and critically successful albums, including Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE, Chris Brown’s Exclusive [The FOREVER Edition], Jamie Foxx’s Intuition, and Jordin Sparks’ Jordin Sparks. Doug has also spent time in the studio with Bruno Mars, Andre 3000, Ne-Yo, Ryan Tedder and LL Cool J.
Jamie Blake
Deputy Director of Education, Instructor
Jamie Blake is a producer, songwriter,
performer, and music educator. As a musician, he specializes in playing drums and using the Ableton Push as a chromatic instrument. He has shared the stage as a DJ and live performer with artists such as JMSN, Smino, Joe Kay, ESTA, Sango, Snoh Aalegra, Dave B, Flamingosis and more.
Jamie is an Ableton Certified Trainer, has a B.A. in Audio Engineering from The Evergreen State College and earned a master’s in music from Berklee College of Music.
Ray Medina
Director of Relations
Raymond Medina is a music producer, songwriter, tracking engineer, and mixing engineer from Orange County, CA. He is a graduate of the Los Angeles Recording School and is an alumnus of the 1500 Sound Academy. He is proficient with both Ableton and Pro Tools and has worked in multiple studios in the Los Angeles area. He is currently working and assisting behind the scenes with a few of the top charting songwriters and music producers in the music industry today.
Alan Dash
Instructor
A motivating, solutions-driven Business Executive with a knack for achieving success in ambitious and competitive environments. An experienced educator and mentor focused on creating opportunities for young artists both in the classroom and professional studio environments. A tireless problem-solver with unmatched follow through and dedication to achieving collaborative, win-win solutions.
DJ Kita
Instructor
Kita is a Los Angeles based DJ most reputable for her energetic sets and dynamic taste and technique in open format style DJing, earning her a notable repertoire of career highlights and growing popular demand in the world of music. She is known for her collaboration in throwing an eclectic party called Hood Rave which is a popular underground party that centers around black and queer people. She has toured both nationally and internationally. She has also DJ’d for brands and establishments such as Nike, T-Mobile, Vans, Warner Bro’s Music, Undefeated, HUF, The California African American Museum, The Gagosian, and Camp Flognaw.
Chuck Sutton
Instructor
Chuck Sutton is a multi-talented artist, producer, performer, and educator from Montclair, New Jersey. With over a decade of expertise in Ableton Live, his unique sonic style, instructional content, and DIY devices have made a significant impact in the online production community. Since 2017, he's created videos for Ableton, iZotope, Antares, and Serato, encouraging both new and veteraned producers to reimagine the tools at their disposal. In 2019, he independently released his debut album, "i know what I'm doing*," organically amassing over 6 million streams. In 2021, his single "All or Nothin" premiered on season 5 of Issa Rae’s award-winning HBO series "Insecure," establishing his presence in both the music and television industries.
Channing B. Smith
Instructor
Channing B. Smith, Esq. is a transactional attorney with more than 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her resume boasts of previous experience at RCA Records, Universal Music
Group, BMG Rights Management, Red Bull Media House, and Fifth Season. As an attorney, Channing has structured, negotiated and drafted a wide range of deals across the entertainment industry, including artist recording, profit share, producer, sponsorship, vendor, merchandising and release
agreements within the music industry, and option-purchase, writer, executive producer, director, and actor deals within the television industry.
Channing earned a B.A. in Mass Communications from Dillard University, a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She is licensed to practice law in California
and New York.
Channing is also a member of several professional organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, Langston Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, The Recording Academy, and Fortune & Forks. She also serves on the board of the R.E.A.C.H. Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides programming for young children, low income families, minorities and disadvantaged individuals.
DJ Infa-Red
Instructor
Musically influenced by the innovative sounds of Michael Jackson, Prince and James Brown, at the early age of 5 Infa-Red fell in love with many genres of music, particularly Hip Hop. Originally from Brockton, Massachusetts, Infa-Red learned to Dj at the age of 14 in Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his summers with family.
Infa-Red moved to Los Angeles to become the Director of Hip Hop programming for Dash Radio and the first official DJ of MLS – LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) in 2022. In 2023, DJ Infared was selected by the LA Rams to be an official DJ of the team and began DJ’ing for Eminem’s Radio Station Shade 45 on Sirius XM.
Infa-Red has played in several major markets including New York City, Boston, Miami, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
He was an honorary guest at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. He has played at shows for Zed, NAS, Nicky Ramero, Fabolous, 50 Cent, Dirty South, Ne-Yo, Jadakiss, Styles P, The Lox, Fat Joe, Allen Iverson, Pitbull,Trina, Madcon, Ace Hood, DJ Khaled, Ray J, T.I., Green Lantern, Biz Markie, DJ Enuff, DJ Camilo, Dirty South, De La Ghetto, Speedy, Joel y Randy, Jazmine Sullivan, Kevin Cossom, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Yung Berg, YC, 2 Pistols, Baby Bash, NBA, NFL, Celebrity Weddings and many more. Continually fine-tuning his craft, Infa-Red is taking the necessary steps to expand to International markets while he continues to grow in the radio and music production
Alexandria Dopson
Instructor
Alexandria (Alex) Dopson, the sister of Larrance Dopson, takes pride in being an original member of 1500 or Nothin'. She has had the privilege of lending her vocals to the Grammy-nominated album "Victory Lap" by the late, great Nipsey Hussle, featuring prominently on tracks such as "Dedication" and "Real Big". Additionally, she has provided background vocals for acclaimed artists such as Beyoncé, Lauren Hill, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Valentino and more.
Alex's talents extend beyond being a captivating songstress and professional vocalist. She is also a gifted songwriter, artist developer and vocal coach. Her extensive work includes collaborations with renowned artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Saweetie, Dave East, Gunna, Ari Lennox, Ashanti, Alicia Keys, The Isley Brothers, and numerous others. She shares her expertise by teaching the Songwriting course at 1500 Sound Academy.