6/25/98
ATHENS, Ohio -- Gary Platt, who earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Ohio University in 1976, was awarded the 1998 School of Music Society of Alumni and Friends' Achievement in Music Award at the recent School of Music Honors Assembly.
Platt was interested in recording arts while in college, and worked for the School of Music as a recording engineer for three of his undergraduate years. After leaving the university, he designed the first vocational-style curriculum for the Recording Workshop in Chillicothe. In 1978 he established himself in Cincinnati as an audio engineer and producer with such clients as Prince, Spyro-Gyra, The Ohio Players, McDonald's and Pepsi.
He also designed the curriculum and served as a guest lecturer for Full Sail, Center for the Recording Arts, in Orlando, Fla. He became a respected member of the recording scene in Los Angeles as major recording label artists became his clients. In 1987, Platt was named senior vice president and director of Full Sail, overseeing audio, film, video and digital music education. The program's enrollment increased dramatically, and Full Sail received several awards as a model for entertainment industry education. Platt has done live session recordings for Liza Minelli, Shaquille O'Neal, Bon Jovi , The Cult and others.
Platt has received numerous gold and platinum Recording Industry Association of America-certified awards during his career. In January 1997 he co-founded a new education venture in the San Francisco Bay area that specializes in sound and digital graphics. It is scheduled to open this fall.