Curriculum Vitae

Russell Andre’ Munro

●Name : Russell Andre’ Munro

●High School: Alexandra High (PMB)

● Tertiary Education: Oakfield’s College JHB (Audio Broadcast Engineering),Varsity College PMB ( PC Engineering)

●Profession: Broadcasting, Producer, Media Marketing, Advertising Sales

●ID Number: 830**********

●Age : 37

●Date Of Birth: 2nd July 1983

●Gender : Male

●Contact Info : 079*******

●Driver’s License : Code 10

●Email : adj25u@r.postjobfree.com

●Race : Mixed Race Coloured

●Birth Place: Pietermaritzburg

●Current City : Johannesburg

Background History of Russell Munro

I Matriculated in 2001 with Honours for Basketball and Colours for Leadership. After schooling I took a gap year were I travelled and worked in the USA as a Hydro Therapist Attendant in Florida. I also worked in a audio studio part time in Boynton Beach Florida USA. In 2003 I returned to South Africa as my visa was expired and I studied Computer Engineering at Varsity College for 2years. I worked Helpdesk and as a Call out IT Technician.

My Passion for Media started out with my love for music, after a lot of thought I decided to purchase audio and video equipment and started an Independent Production Company in Pietermaritzburg South Africa, with a few partners.

Business wasn’t as I expected practising in such a small town, media barely existed in. I then freelanced for a couple years working in and out of the IT industry and ended up changing careers to work as an automotive spray painter in Pietermaritzburg, saving up for money to study and further my knowledge in production.

Working with Vehicles gave me a lot of disciple as it was hard Labour and I was faced with a choice of pursuing a long term career in opening my own automotive shop, but I chose a different path, one that challenged me everyday to be creative, ambitious, kind, humble and most of all unique. Eventually I had enough funds saved to pay for College at a Media Tertiary Institute in Pretoria.

I enrolled in an Art School in Pretoria called Oakfield College Pretoria in 2009; I shortly achieved a Certificate for audio technology in 2010 and in 2011. I then achieved and received a Certificate in Audio Engineering for Production and Broadcasting. The subjects I did gave me a full understanding on how to work PRO TOOLS, LOGIC PRO, ADOBE, FINAL CUT, MIXING DESKS Digital and Analogue, as well as a sense of media law, sales and business awareness.

The knowledge I received at school was part of the building blocks that gave me the tools to knock on the production Industries doors. I graduated respectfully in 2012, and upon graduating I did an Internship at the Atterburry Theatre in Pretoria, were I worked rigging lights, audio microphones, setting up cameras and stage managing, according to what was been showcased, be it a comedy show to a full orchestra playing live.

In 2013 I relocated to Johannesburg as there wasn’t much employment available in Pretoria and there wasn’t many jobs available there that I could grow in as an employee. I wanted to learn about the entire industry been exposed to video and audio productions I had set goals and I wanted to eventually become a Multimedia Producer, Exclusive Producer and finally a Director. .

I was employed at iTV Networks, an Islamic content based Production Company which airs on DSTV. My job description entailed Live and Pre-recording Audio, as well as Final Mixing and Music Production, this was around the time I started taking an interest in videography. In that same year I was employed, I was promoted to HOD of Audio in 2014. I then began training with Camera set ups, Adobe Premier, Final Cut Pro, Vision mixers and did courses on TRI-CASTER Virtual 3D Set Building using green screen chromo.

I Audio Directed live shows daily and began digitally rigging social media, skype and telephone calls into our control room to be broadcasted live on air, this was challenging as an audio engineer with regards to the hardware and software patching. I now had rigged a studio that could go live at any minute with a platform for the audience to be fully interactive with the Broadcast.

One of my favourite live productions was the day Nelson Mandela passed on.. We were ready to go live with the choice of having an interactive audience at the drop of a hat. Sad day but it was a fitting production to send off the greatest man this country ever seen.

Live is very stressful and isn’t for everybody, but working at iTV equipped me with all of the tools for live productions. It sharpened my video, audio, and IT troubleshooting skills on the highest of levels. It was in this time I realised I wanted to become a live Production Broadcasting Director.

I resigned at iTV shortly after I became HOD of audio as the company was struggling to afford me. I got promotions to move up the ranks without a salary increase, that and I was no longer progressing in my field. I wanted to extent my craft to other more create companies as I felt I had reached my pinnacle working there. I made sure I trained the next employee to fill my position before departing.

Word of my work got out and I was recruited by an Independent Production Company called “Fresh 2 Death”, founded by one of South Africa's Biggest Hip Hop artist Da Les, requesting me to be their Production Manager and Excusive Producer for their Production Company in 2015. I was to apply my experience and expertise’s to their organisation. I gladly took on the opportunity, as it was a great chance for me to be more creative and gain more experience in the production industry.

My duties as a Studio manager included overseen voice over’s, Production management, videography, inventory, directing, script writing, Project Planning, Marketing sales production planning I was running the entire company. Most of their production companies projects were pre-record some live, during 2015.

I’ve worked with many highly respected people in the industry on films, voice over’s, music singles, albums, concerts, and basically anything to do with Audio and Visual Production I can think of. I felt as though I was wasting my expertise after been there for a few years, as at the time as my son was born and if I was going to further my Production career, I had to do something for him and earn a more stable income with more opportunities within the organisation I was to work for .Fresh to Death was on the verge of liquidation before I resigned, the issue was the owners didn’t understand the revenue areas in media production and gave out costly services to friends or people they networked with for close to nothing. So in 2016 I opened my own Audio Production Company.

Again business wasn’t going as well as I expected it to, as the funds I was hoping to attain for the start-up capital by investors never seemed to come in, therefore the business never quite took off the way I expected it to. So I plan to get back into Broadcasting Engineering for a reputable company.

I was forced to move back to Pietermaritzburg and that’s were I applied for a position as a Producer at Digicomms Digitv. I was employed as a producer and assigned to a school in Pietermaritzburg. The company focused on giving the biggest schools in each regional area their own multimedia production department for the advertising and many other interests to attract pupils and sponsorships towards their school ethos and culture. I was the head of the Production department and hired my own team and gave them titles and job descriptions.

As the exclusive Producer at the school Maritzburg College, I took creative direction for productions and created content based on the direction the marketing team decided to go according to specific events and layouts the school focused on. This is were my knowledge for advertising became extremely extensive. I began live steaming sports games, creating reality shows, recording live interactive academic classes for students and parents to be a part of via and intricate online system which was streamed or VOD to its users. This was a great initiative and was another break through for the broadcasting industry in South Africa I was fortunate to be involved with from its grass roots level.

The Ideas are endless in this field and been one of the most experienced in the company I was eventually transferred to their head office by 2019. Sadly COVID 19 came and there were many complication within the company been as our entire client base were schools, a lot of the management was shuffle around and after been with the company for just under 2years I was retrenched on the 30th of July 2020.

Equipment Operated and Jobs

I have worked with many Hardware and Software Vision Mixers, from TriCasters to Vmix systems, Camera setups for live and pre recorded production, drones and can create rigging systems, virtual 3D set design, an understand new production setups and layouts very quickly. The DAW systems and Video editing software I have operated with are Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Adobe Premier, FINAL Cut Pro, which are industry standard. I’m very familiar with Cubase, Abelton Live; Streaming based software and hardware from Blackmagic, to Spark HDMIs to LAN converters and Wireless Streaming as well as HDMI and SDI Audio Embedded systems.

Achievements

In my Broadcasting Engineering experience over the years, I’ve achieved quite a bit I’m proud of. I’ve been involve with channel 0s on DSTV and was nominated for an award on a Music documentary I Produced. I’ve mixed and shot footage and rigged for many live well renowned bands local and internationally, done plays and musicals, and charity donations. I achieved a Distinction in Studio Craft, Post Production and Live Engineering, upon graduating from audio college. I’ve trained many videographers and audio engineers and been steadily involved in set up internships and workshops.

My biggest achievement in broadcasting thus far was a Live Productions with the South African President Jacob Zuma. In total I’ve rasied well over 10 million Rand for iTV, in Charity Pledge lines shows, during 2013. Musically I’ve worked on many well-known artists’ albums and singles, in South Africa, from Aka album “Levels” to Da Les is “North God”. I’ve travelled and done massive outdoor venues, written and produced many songs which have videos, and are on broadcasting rotation in the Production industry today.

Qualities

I’m a punctual, enthusiastic, professional loyal person. My creativity has no limitation, and I’d say I’m crossed between an artistic, persistent and business minded person, which I believe am suited for this media industry. I don’t have any problem working long hours. I thrive on working under pressure and can trouble shoot problems instantaneously, I can execute. Whatever it takes, I get the job done. I can monitor video and audio for hours on end, and when it comes to live broadcasting my execution is phenomenal.

I take my craft very seriously, and know very well what this industry expected of a person involved in broadcasting at the highest level, and how responsible I have to be on the job. Things can change on the fly, and I’m a very versatile person when it comes to adjusting. I learn new techniques at a very fast pace, and work extremely well with other, with regards to sharing knowledge, developing growth and team building.

I try my best to go the extra mile, to deliver what’s expected of me and more. I constantly keep up with industry trends and keep myself driven in such an up and down industry; one has to constantly push themselves to the limits.

I genuinely respect and love my craft thoroughly. I have worked extremely hard to be were I’m, and I’m humbled by the amount of experience I’ve received. That to me is priceless and eventually ends up paying the bills. I’m eager to apply my experience and expertise to your company and I’m sure I’ll get to learn new things in the process, and if there is anything I can teach or share, with regards to the making work flow efficient. I’m the guy for the job.

Latest Employment Referral

Nataly (Human Recourses at Digicoms Digitv) contact number : 082-***-****

Digicomms Office number :011-***-****

Link to my channel online

https://digitv.co.za/#/school/events/2

Below are certified and Original copies of my Audio Engineering Certificate’s and ID Document.

Thank you for your time

Kind Regards

Russell Munro

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