Student Spotlight: Zac Schmidt

E-Media senior Zac Schmidt was one of several students honored this month with one of the division's annual awards. Zac is the winner of the $1000 Strader Radio/Audio Award.

Zac’s love for music started long ago but became evident at age 17 when he started recording bands. In college, Zac has been working for BearCast, UC student Internet Radio, for two years winning the “Outstanding BearCast member award”.

Zac,  a Findley, Ohio native, is proof that students in E-Media can reward themselves with their effort. He is the President in an Electronic Media group titled, “MEISA”. MEISA stands for: Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association. In MEISA, students learn all about setting up the audio studio, recording, and producing music.

Besides group leadership, Zac has recorded, mixed, and mastered an album titled “Positv-ly Sick!” for a hardcore punk band, Manute Bol, in Spring 2008. 

“It was some of my best work to date,” says Zac. 

He is the creator and co-executive producer for Project Line Level, which is a show about Cincinnati music that airs on the Internet as well as BearCast and UCast (student run Audio and Video broadcast groups).

“I wanted to get experience recording different styles of music and thought."

Not only is Zac an excellent student, he is a teacher as well. As a radio engineer, he taught around 15 children about recording last summer in Wyoming, Ohio.

Zac interned at Sound Images and created audio for the New Edgecliff Theatre working as a freelance recording engineer. 

Zac will graduate in June.

Written by Sarah Knigga May 2009