DHI GRADUATE RAISES $500 SCHOLARSHIP FOR FUTURE AUDIO ENGINEERING STUDENTS
DHI Graduate Ryan Ploch partnered with the non-profit group, Bravo Waukegan, for a Charity Networking Event at Arlington Ale House in Illinois. The event was a success for both Bravo, who received over 80 instrument donations, and Dark Horse Institute, who was given a $500 scholarship which was to be split up for future students. We just recently sat down with Ryan to hear his story, learn about his work at Studio Kai, and to learn about his philanthropic ventures.
Ryan Ploch grew up in Vernon Hills, IL. He is the co-founder of Studio Kai in Chicago, which just recently signed a management deal with Fox Entertainment Affiliate where they get their songs placed with artists and other media companies. While he was young, he did philanthropic work building houses in the Appalachians. This led him to create charity work at Bravo Waukegan where he collects instruments and financial donations at local music events. Ryan hopes to extend his philanthropic work into 2020 and expand his studio venture into more commercial studio work.
Upon graduation from high school, Ryan decided not to attend college after researching how most students aren’t able to touch the audio console until around their 3rd or 4th year. It was then he decided that he wanted to invest in himself rather than a four-year degree. He wanted to get hands-on time, which is what lead him to research about various schools around the country. Dark Horse Institute was one of the schools he found during his search, and a quick look at our music production instructors lead him to make his choice.
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Ryan’s main reason for attending DHI was to master audio engineering in order to be a key player in the studio he co-founded. During his time at DHI, he was taught by Steven Lamm, and while looking back at his time under Steven he had a couple of words of advice for future students. First, “you get what you put in,” and second, “ask a ton of questions.” After completing his time here at DHI, Ryan had “nothing but good things to say.”
Ryan wants to continue working with DHI by sending his artists down to Dark Horse Recording. He continues to promote our school with artists in Chicago and LA.
“Dark Horse Institute takes great pride in the accomplishments of its students and stories like Ryan’s are an inspiration for us because it is exactly the reason why we started the school in the first place,” says Dark Horse President Robin Crow. “To give students a hands-on experience that would open up opportunities for them to pursue their passions in the real world. Ryan’s fundraising now allows future students the ability to jumpstart their careers at an audio engineering school like Dark Horse Institute. We’re proud of you Ryan and can’t wait to see what you accomplish next.”
