OUR STORY | Oakland Recording

In 2018, Grammy-nominated producer, Jeff Saltzman, and music producer, engineer, and educator, Steven Vasiliou, created a new system of education through experiential training. Their beliefs were predicated on the idea that students will thrive and unlock their creative potential when they learn through the process of doing. Throughout the masterclass program, students will engage in real-live recording sessions with professional bands across a wide range of genres.

Instead of programming all students to follow a rigid set of rules which discourages them from finding their unique style, Oakland Recording educates through real-life, hands-on experience, in a professional recording studio. Students are taken through the actual record-making process while learning the invaluable interpersonal skills of working with artists and getting the best performance possible.

The majority of employers prefer work experience over degrees. Oakland Recording gives you hands-on experience so you can get to work faster. Upon completion of the masterclass program, students will have contributed to a compilation album of different artists/bands that will then be mixed, mastered, and commercially released giving students industry credits. This is one of the many factors that separates Oakland Recording from other recording arts programs.

As a new music academy, our beliefs are predicated on the idea that students will thrive and unlock their creative potential when they are encouraged to find their unique voice, without fear of being shamed or conditioned to follow the social norms. Every truly revolutionary achievement and profoundly original idea that has changed the world has always come from individuals who dared to be different and didn't care what people thought of them. We can help you break free of bowing to expectations and find your own way of expressing yourself through music.

STEVEN VASILIOU | Founder & Director of Education

Music Producer. Sound Designer. Avid Certified Instructor

Oakland-native producer, musician, songwriter, and sound designer, Steven first broke onto the music scene after being signed to a major label in 1999 as a DJ with a Nu Metal band. After years of producing music, and an extensive US/Europe tour, performing with bands such as System of A Down, Head PE, Staind, Kid Rock, Incubus, Papa Roach, and others, he decided to focus his energy on producing and songwriting.

After two Top 20 chart placements, he was signed with Los Angeles-based film and television publishing company, Riptide Music Group. Steven produces music for independent and major label artists, video games, film, and TV commercial content. He has published original music for clients including NBC, Google, NPR, AMC, HGTV Property Brothers, Fox, CBS, Universal, Nike, Facebook, Hollister Co., etc.

Steven also built a professional recording studio in Atlanta, GA, and has worked with multi-platinum producers and artists including Dwight Reynolds, Usher, Justin Bieber Akon, Busta Rhymes, Pink, and Keisha Cole. After relocating back to the Bay Area, he partnered with multi-platinum producer, Jeff Saltzman (The Killers “Hot Fuss”, Morrissey, Smash Mouth) to open a recording arts school in Oakland, CA that focuses on hands-on experiential training in a professional recording studio.

He is currently producing music for artists, composing music for TV and Film, and teaching music production and Avid Pro Tools certification courses. Steven holds a master’s in Music Production and Sound Design from the Academy of Art University and a bachelor's in Radio and Television Audio Production from San Francisco State University.

CRYSTAL REYES

Director of Digital Content & Brand Strategy

Music enthusiast and digital media producer with over a decade of experience in event promotion and design, Crystal brings a unique perspective to the team. Her tenacity, work ethic, and passion for the industry have been an integral part of Oakland Recording’s success. Crystal earned her undergrad degree in Motion Graphic Design where she quickly gravitated toward experimental media for music-related content from designing EP/album artwork, logos/merch, music videos, and promotional media. More recently, she has paved her way to work alongside an impressive lineup of musicians, tours, and venues across North America, creating live visuals for events, social media content, and marketing packages for artists. This talent, paired with her continued education and experience in marketing and social media management is an integral component of developing the company's vision for expansion.

SCOTT MILLER

Chief Instructor

Post-Production. Sound Design. Avid Certified Instructor

Scott Miller is an audio engineer with 28 years of experience in Radio, Television, Music and Advertising. Avid Certified Expert/Instructor. Specializes in dialog recording (including directing voice talent), editing, and mixing/re-recording. He has a background in performance and teaching/public speaking which gives me insight into inflection, timing and presentation that I use to help clients present a more effective commercial or corporate message. Agile project and classroom management skills. Voting Grammy member. MBA with significant educational experience in data analytics and marketing.

CHRIS FLETCHER

Chief Mix Engineer

Chris Fletcher has worked for over 25 years in the music business, starting with DJing, and moving into engineering after completing a degree in Sound Arts. As his skills developed he evolved into one of the best mixers and live audio engineers in the Bay Area. He’s worked with The Grateful Dead, K. Flay, Pop Art, and became the resident mix engineer for the legendary Jazz Mafia. His expertise has given him the opportunity to work with countless artists either in the studio engineering and recording or touring across the country mixing for live performances. His broad background provides him with an eclectic set of tools and styles to work with, helping to create dynamic and moving musical experiences with his unique signature sound.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING INTERNSHIP | The First Cohort

In May 2022, we opened applications for the first of its kind at Oakland Recording. A 12-week summer internship from June 6th to August 26th would bring on a couple of college students and recent grads from a wide array of backgrounds, but a strong interest in the music industry. This was to primarily help the company get back on track after the year-long hiatus we went through due to the pandemic. With over 60 applicants and weeks of interviews, our Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy, Crystal, chose five standouts and took them under her wing to not only train them in social media content creation, strategic planning, and how to work in a fast-paced collaborative team, but also mentor and prepare them to enter the professional world.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with the Director of Content Strategy in creating the social media calendar and digital content for various social media platforms/company website.
• Develops and distributes creative briefs including essential product messaging, style guidelines, and expectations with regard to content deliverables.
• Assists with executing a marketing strategy that will help drive engagement and growth.
• Develops and analyzes campaign reports to measure success and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Maintains awareness of current industry and technology standards, social media, competitive landscape, and market trends through research; reports findings and shares knowledge with the team through well-executed visual presentations at bi-weekly virtual meetings.

Oakland Recording is incredibly grateful for this batch of young professionals that have shown their passion for success and tremendous growth. We know they're meant for greatness.