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Founders:

Rob Principe
rob@scratch.com
A life long music enthusiast and former employee of several significant media companies, Rob has launched his most ambitious project to date. In 2001, Rob partnered with Jam Master Jay and Reg E. Gaines to start Scratch Media Productions, and the Scratch DJ Academy in New York City. In his role as CEO & President, Rob is responsible for the company's day-to-day operations and overall strategic direction. Prior to starting Scratch, Rob served as the Senior Director of Business Development at MuseumNetwork.com. In addition, he oversaw the business and media departments at Sony Online Ventures and was the Consumer Promotions Coordinator at USA Networks / Sci-Fi Channel.



Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay)
The world suffered a terrible loss on October 30, 2002 when Jam Master Jay of Run DMC was taken from us. One of the world's most recognized DJ's, Jam Master Jay spread his influence on the music industry in many ways. In addition to being a pioneer of this art form and a founding member of Run DMC, Jay helped to found Scratch Media Productions. In his role as acting Dean of the Scratch DJ Academy, Jay was in charge of writing, developing and teaching the class curriculum. As a co-founder of the legendary rap group Run DMC, Jay became the first DJ to earn a gold album for his group's self-titled album in 1984. The group followed that success with a platinum album, Raising Hell in 1986. Jay has appeared on MTV, Saturday Night Live, The David Letterman Show, BET and radio stations throughout the country. Jay recently founded his own record label, JMJ Records, in partnership with Def Jam / Island Records, and established a film production company with Director Derrick Pegium called Erotic Money Entertainment.



Reg E. Gaines
Reg serves as the social conscience of Scratch Media Productions. In addition to playing a major role as a developer of the curriculum and as a teacher at the Scratch DJ Academy, Reg is also responsible for taking the Scratch program back to urban communities to provide free music education to local students. Reg was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996 for his work as the lyricist for Bring In Da Noise Bring In Da Funk. In the same year, he also was nominated for two Tony awards for best book and & best lyrics. Mercury Records released two of his recordings, Please Don't Take My Air Jordans and Sweeper Don't Clean My Street. Reg recently completed Show and Tell, a children's album project for release on his own label, County Jail Records. In addition to his duties at Scratch, Reg is currently developing Brick City Blues, a theater piece and Ghost Track, a hip-hop whodunit screenplay.






The Corporate Team:

Mike Cannady
mcannady@scratch.com
As Chief Strategic Officer, Mike drives Scratch’s overall growth initiatives, manages several significant business lines, and launches new revenue streams. Mike also heads up location expansion efforts and manages the company’s finance and accounting.

Colin Kelly
ckelly@scratch.com
Colin is the Director of Operations and Events for the brand at Scratch DJ Academy. He oversees the various business lines and manages the events business on both the local and national levels.

Will Corbett
will@scratch.com
Will is the Academy Director for Scratch - NYC and oversees all programming and oversight at the New York Academy.

David Barton
djurizen@scratch.com
David is the Creative Director and Director of Technology at Scratch. An incredibly talented DJ himself, he is responsible for creating the entire look and feel of Scratch.com, from the creation of the logo to the creation of this web site. If you like what you see, make sure to drop him a line, or visit his website at www.urizendesign.com.







Miami Team:

Jaime Keogh
jamie@scratch.com
As one of the most talented turntablists in the game, Jamie is the Academy Director at Scratch DJ Academy -Miami. He is responsible for all programming. instruction and oversight at our Miami location.






Los Angeles Team:

Hapa
hapa@scratch.com
Hapa is the Academy Director at Scratch DJ Academy -LA. He is responsible for all programming, instruction and oversight at the Los Angeles location. Hapa is one of the most respected DJ’s in Southern California and relies on his years of industry and business experience.

Denny Kim
denny@scratch.com
Denny is the Academy Manager at Scratch DJ Academy -LA. He oversees all customer service, operations and marketing initiatives with regard to the Los Angeles location.