About

Doug Fenske upholds a Grammy-nominated, six-time platinum, 16-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 Director of Education at 1500 Sound Academy.

Andy Almada got his start in music at Golden West College learning and recording big band jazz with composer great Tom Kubis. In addition to completing his education in the audio program, he graduated from UCI with a BA in Sociology. Returning to Golden West College as a professor, Andy was a school representative for the Grammy U Los Angeles chapter and expanded the program to Orange County. He is a studio owner/operator and a member of AES and NAMM.

Jeanette Tampan was raised in Inglewood, California and fell in love with music as a dancer and varsity cheerleader. She graduated from Concordia University with a BS in Business. Jeanette is experienced in relationship building and helping others succeed in their career paths. She is proud to be a part of the 1500 Sound Academy family and passionate about helping each student build a solid foundation that leads them to finding their way through the music industry.

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 Masters in Music from Berklee College of Music.

Lauren catapulted into her first career job in the industry with Ne-Yo's Compound Entertainment production and management company. Lauren's primary focus lied within the A&R and Creative Realms while taking on some artist management duties. She received her first credit on Ne-Yo's 6th album "Nonfiction”, and second from her work with soundtrack from the hit show “Empire” and several Motown acts within the label. From there, she went on to work at ASCAP as the Associate Director of Urban for two years. Currently, Lauren is the Director of Urban Marketing at Interscope Records.

Lauren graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism - Public Relations, African American Studies minor.

Yilun (Jason) Zhang, born and raised in Beijing, China, came to the United States to pursue his dream in music. After attending Berklee College of Music, he came straight to Los Angeles where he met 1500 or Nothin’. He is now a gold selling producer, recording engineer, mix engineer and guitarist. He has worked with several chart-topping artists around the world like Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Jack Harlow, Jesse Reyez, and Jay Chou.

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 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.

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.

Elias Clarke Cambell, also known as A Modern Artist, was born in Costa Rica, before being raised in Brooklyn, NY. Educated in North Carolina, he was a recipient of the Morehead-Cain scholarship, the first merit scholarship program in the US, founded at the nation's first public university: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC he paired programming foundations with animation, graduating with a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in multimedia productions. He would go on to receive a Masters Degree in Animation and New Media, from NC State’s College of Design, the top design school in the state.
Currently his focus is on consulting Grammy award winning music producers on how to develop Visual Music, a more honest representation of the artistry and complexity involved when developing the top music in the industry. He also serves as a member of the CHLA Digital Health Lab after participating and being named a CHLA Gamifying Pediatrics Hackathon Semi-Finalist.

He looks forward to bringing Music and Entertainment to the areas of Education and Healthcare in hopes of creating a smarter, healthier, more creative and enjoyable environment for all.

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.

“Pops” Dopson started his career in the Music Industry in 1967 professionally. He was Lead Singer in the group The “5” Wagers in Chicago. For 15 years he worked with artists like The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Emotions, The Impressions, Barry White and Smokey Robinson.

He loves teaching vocal and harmonic training to both new artists as well as professional artist’s in todays industry. He truly enjoys his position at 1500 Sound Academy as a mentor to all who works there. “Pops” and his wife Brenda had a vision for his family’s future and that has translated in his son’s Rance endeavors. He is proud of all of the accomplishments 1500 or Nothin’ has achieved and the success of their new location in Inglewood.

GianCarlo was born and raised in Culver City, California. His interest in the music industry really began to grow back when he would DJ at my high school at lunchtime. This lead to interest in production software such as Ableton Live, as well as the various ins and outs of recording music in studios. “I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the 1500 team for a handful years now, and the knowledge I’ve gained truly is priceless. With how much 1500 has grown since I started, the possibilities for the future seem endless.”

Dylan is a mix/recording engineer from Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He has recorded & mixed multiple chart topping projects including Roddy Ricch’s Diamond Certified single “The Box” as well as the Grammy Award winning album “Black Radio III” by Robert Glasper. Other notable collaborations include: Justin Timberlake, Sam Smith, Jay-Z & Nipsey Hussle.