Alumni Update: Justin Burkholder, Professional Sound & Business (Studio Production Major)

Justin Burkholder, a graduate of the Professional Sound & Business (Studio Production Major) program has recently returned from Malaysia with the North American rights for a new audio line – Gecko Audio. We spoke with Justin about the new gear and his experiences since graduating from Metalworks Institute.

Can you tell us a little bit about Gecko Audio and the new audio line? 

“Gecko Audio Canada is the North American distribution arm for Gecko Music Group. We have a variety of products ranging from line array systems, microphones, mixers, to headphones and DI solutions.  Gecko products are built using C.R.I.S.T.A.L.® technology, created by Daniel Foo, which results in super accurate reproductions, wider coverage, less power consumption, and greater headroom for mixing.”

Have you had any other interesting jobs or worked on any significant projects since graduating? 

“After graduating, I moved to Malaysia.  I had my hands in a lot of different and interesting projects during my five years there, some I’m still involved with. I first started out as a post audio engineer working for Noisy Bunch, and also co-owning a studio called State 9 Entertainment. I then stepped outside of the entertainment industry and went on to running Biofuel Hydrolyzer Sdn Bhd. a green tech manufacturing company in which we negotiated and secured distribution throughout Asia and Europe. Through our partner at Biofuel Hydrolyzer, I also worked business development for One Up Technologies, [who] were in the midst of negotiations with Autodesk for Malaysian distribution rights. All of these experiences combined gave me the confidence to break off and start my own venture. I started to build a plan and the relationships, and acquired the rights to a product line that I saw making traction in Asia. I decided to leave my security.”

What has been the most helpful aspect of your Metalworks education?

“Metalworks gave me a solid foundation to build off of. The combination of business classes and audio classes gave me the ability to move about and seek out a wide range of opportunities. It taught me to think outside of the box and creatively which has helped me in all aspects of my career… It also gave me a solid network to fall back on once reaching Canada.”

Any words of wisdom for current students or your fellow graduates?

“Look for opportunities, don’t expect them to come to you. Be persistent, and don’t be discouraged by failure.”

Excellent advice from another successful and inspirational graduate.

Last but not least, make sure to visit Gecko Audio’s website to check out the new gear: www.geckoaudio.com