Media Arts & Technology Faculty & Staff

John Little

Professor, Department Chair
jlittle@mwcc.mass.edu

Degrees Held

  • AS in Public Communications (Mount Wachusett Community College)
  • BS in Communications/Media – Television Production Concentration (Fitchburg State University)
  • MS in Applied Communications (Fitchburg State University)

Teaches the following courses

  • Introduction to Audio Production
  • Fundamentals of Audio Post Production
  • Advanced Audio Production
  • Critical Listening for Audio Engineers
  • Music Recording and Mixing Techniques
  • Self Promotion and the Business of Media Arts

John Little has worked as a staff and freelance sound engineer in corporate video, and for network television and radio. His broadcast credits include: Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, The Disney Channel, The Discovery Channel, Extra, Inside Edition, Paramount Pictures, and National Public Radio. He has worked with various celebrities such as: Adam Sandler, Billy Crystal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael J. Fox, Stephen King, Joan Rivers, Mickey Rooney, the cast of Cheers, President George H. W. Bush, President Clinton, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Daryl Hall, John Oats, and professional athletes.

Proprietor of Up-Side-Sound Recording Studio in Ashburnham, MA, since 1989, his audio work has contributed to his clients’ awards such as the New Hampshire film festival’s 2002 Best Documentary, the Rhode Island Country Horizons 2007 Best Traditional Country CD, and an MWCC alumni’s 2020 film that won categories in Massachusetts and London film festivals.

A 1986 graduate of this very program, John began teaching audio courses for us in 2005, and has been the Media Arts & Technology program’s Chair, since 2013. He designed the audio curriculum we offer, and contributed to the design of our audio studios. He serves on the advisory board of Minuteman Vocational School’s Media program in Lexington and is a co-leader of MWCC’s Faculty Academy. When not doing one of his hobbies involving bicycles, boats, cameras, woodworking, or walking, he can be found in his studio making things sound nice, or here, sharing his passion for sound with aspiring recording engineers.

 


Claudia Plasse

Associate Professor
cplasse1@mwcc.mass.edu

Degrees Held

  • MA in Political Science; Television, Film, and Theater Studies; Spanish and Latin American History (University of Cologne, Germany)

Teaches the following courses

  • Introduction to Mass Media
  • Introduction to Human Communication
  • Film Studies
  • Fundamentals of Video Production
  • Advanced Video Production
  • Writing for Visual Media
  • Multi-camera Video Production
  • Self Promotion and the Business of Media Arts

Claudia Plasse has worked for over 20 years in video production, network radio and TV, and public relations. She held various production positions in public broadcast networks in Europe and a private production company in the U.S. She participated in a wide range of productions, including TV live shows, documentaries, reports from conflict zones, and interviews with A-list film actors. Claudia’s productions brought her to many countries like Canada, Indonesia, Israel, and Spain. Her work in a small video production company based in New York served clients around the globe.

Claudia teaches college courses focusing on media, communication, and media production since 2007. She began teaching courses for us in 2014 and heads the MRT video production concentration since 2020. She designed its current curriculum and consistently collaborates with our Media Services staff to acquire equipment and technology that will train our students for current industry needs. Claudia is eager to share her experience and skills with her students to prepare them for a wide range of jobs in the video and film production industries.

In her spare time, Claudia works on her own productions, shares insights with colleagues in the production industry, and creates educational video clips. She also continues her academic research interests that focus on documentary film production. Besides that, Claudia loves watching movies and TV shows, outdoor sports, and traveling.


Norm Eggert

Adjunct Professor
neggert@mwcc.mass.edu

Degree Held

  • BA in Political Science (UMass Amherst)

Teaches the following courses

  • Introduction to Digital Photography
  • Advanced Digital Photography
  • Portrait Photography
  • Commercial Photography

Norm Eggert, the owner of Norm Eggert Photography, has operated this Massachusetts-based company for over 30 years. Norm Eggert Photography specializes in editorial photography of the New England region – photographs of the New England landscape, cities and towns, and her inhabitants – as well as, photographing events, weddings and individual and group portraits. Norm and his wife Cheryl live on a farm in northern Worcester County, where they raise merino sheep.  Norm has taught photography for over 30 years at various places but for the last 12 years, he has taught at Mount Wachusett Community College and The Worcester Art Museum. And he has taught small group workshops at various places. Norm is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and in the past has taken photography classes and workshops at Harvard, and the Worcester Center for Crafts, and studied with Ron Rosenstock.


Robert Mayer

Adjunct Professor
r_mayer@mwcc.mass.edu
Degree Held

  • BS in Business Management (Daniel Webster College)
  • Degree of Photographic Excellence, Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts

Teaches the following course:

  • Introduction to Digital Photography

 

Rolando Torres-Pagan

Adjunct Professor
rtorrespaga@mwcc.mass.edu

Degrees Held:

  • AS in Broadcasting and Electronic Media (Mount Wachusett Community College)
  • BS in Audio Production and Media Technology (New England Institute of Art)

Teaches the following courses:

  • Introduction to Audio Production
  • Fundamentals of Audio Post Production

Rolando started to follow his passion for audio production right here at MWCC. After earning a degree in broadcasting and electronic media, he furthered his education by attending the New England Institute of Art. Rolando has worked in many facets of audiovisual media services including corporate AV support, live sound reinforcement for houses of worship, and audiovisual systems installation/integration. Mr. Torres Pagan is grateful for the opportunity as a member of the MWCC staff to share his knowledge and passion for Audio and media technologies.


Dr. John Chetro-Szivos

Adjunct Professor
j_szivos@mwcc.mass.edu

Degrees Held:

  • Ph.D. in Communication from UMass Amherst
  • MBA from Anna Maria College
  • M.A.-C.A.G.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption College
  • B.A. in Social Rehabilitation and Psychology from Assumption College

Teaches the following courses:

  • Introduction to Human Communication
  • Film Studies

Fiona St. Pierre

Adjunct Professor

Degrees Held:

BA in Journalism and Media Studies from Mexico State University

Teaches the following courses:

  • Fundamentals of Video Production
  • Introduction to Digital Photography

Jarrod Roberts

Adjunct Professor

Degrees Held:

  • M.F.A. (in progress) in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College
  • B.S. in Communications / Media with a Concentration in Film/Video from Fitchburg State University

Teaches the following courses:

  • Video Postproduction

Support Staff – Media Services

Arthur Collins

Director of Media Services Chief Engineer of Media Arts & Technology

A.S. in Electrical Engineering Technologies from Wentworth Institute of Technology

Freelance Technical Manager – NBC Sports Boston
Technical Manager & Video Engineer – Kraft Sports + Entertainment
Principal – Collins Video Services

Licenses & Certifications:

AVIXA Technology Specialist (CTS)
AVIXA Technology Specialist Installation (CTS-I)
Extron A/V Associate
Extron XTP Systems Certification for Design Engineer
Chief – Chief Certified Partner
Wilson Electronics Custom Cellular BDA Installer
Kramer Electronics – Kramer Certified Digitalist
Extron XTP systems for Technicians
Extron School of Emerging Technologies
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 1 Course + Exam
Extron – Extron Control Professional ECP
Extron Technical Advisory Council
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 2
Extron ProDSP Specialist

Christopher Chouinard

Instructional Media Specialist

M.S. in Applied Communications from Fitchburg State University
B.S. in Communications / Media from Fitchburg State College
A.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Mount Wachusett Community College

Licenses and Certifications:

Extron A/V Associate
Chief – Chief Certified
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 1
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 2
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 3

Awards:

Da Vinci Parachute Award for innovation and creativity 2011
Governor’s Performance Recognition Award 2018

Nate Haney

Instructional Media Specialist

B.A. in English with a concentration in Broadcast Media from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
A.S. in Broadcasting and Telecommunications from Mount Wachusett Community College

Licenses and Certifications:

Audinate – Dante Certification Level 1
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 2
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 3

Tim Scanlon

Instructional Media Specialist

A.S. in Video and Audio Production from New England Institute of Technology

Licenses and Certifications:

Audinate – Dante Certification Level 1
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 2
Audinate – Dante Certification Level 3